Category: Intramurals

Intramural Basketball Is Here

This fall, we are bringing back intramural basketball but with a twist! This time around we are doing three versus three basketball. Intramural Basketball is a great way to get your daily dose of exercise in a way that will both burn calories and build muscle. It is a fast moving sport involving a series of various movements like running, jumping, shooting, defending and more. Through all of these movements, a person can burn around 700 calories by just playing one hour of basketball. That’s an hour that will fly by because you are having fun with friends while working out. Numerous league options are available for all skill levels. Are you a part of Greek life and want to compete against your fellow fraternities? Join the Fraternity league

made just for you. Not in a fraternity but want to add a competitive attitude to your game? Sign up for one of our men or women’s competitive leagues. We even have a non-competitive league if you are looking to try basketball for the first time or you just want to have fun playing the game with friends. To get things started, go on to imleagues.com using your Mason information and sign up! You can pick the league you want, create a team or join a team; the game schedules are varied but posted under the league descriptions! You can have up to four players on your team and each game will be played for 40 minutes, or when one team reaches 21 points. The best part of it all, you will be having fun while working out and even have a chance at winning our Intramural Champion t-shirts!

Off Campus Student Survey

Fantasy Football & Weekly Pick’em

So you think you can manage an NFL team? Bring your “A game” and see how you stack up against the students and staff of Mason Nation. Register for one of the Mason Recreation fantasy football leagues, weekly pick’em contests or the survivor league. Weekly winners will receive a championship t-shirt and league champions will be entered into a drawing for a pair of Beats headphone. Weekly winners will be announced via Twitter @GMUIntramurals.

Fantasy Football League

Choose the top 2 online draft dates that fit your schedule from below
- Sept. 7 @ 9PM
- Sept. 8 @ 8PM
- Sept. 8 @ 9PM
- Sept. 9 @ 7PM
- Sept. 9 @ 8PM
Email your G# and top 2 choices in order to Intramural Sports
Use the link provided in your email to register
- MUST use your Mason email to be eligible for prizes

CBS Sports NFL Survivor Pick’em

Create an account
- must use Mason email to be eligible for prizes
League Name: Mason Recreation NFL Survivor
- Password: masonrec2015

CBS Sports NFL Weekly Pick’Em

Create an account
- must use Mason email to be eligible for prizes
League Name: Mason Recreation NFL Weekly Pick’Em
- Password: masonrec2015

Mason Recreation Hosts Annual Golf Tournament

Mason Recreation hosted its annual Golf Tournament Friday, May 8 with 70 players completing 18 holes at Penderbrook Golf Course. This year’s tournament brought together Mason students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members for a day of fun and fundraising that brought in more than $3,100 for Mason Recreation’s Student Development Fund.

Brian Money, tournament coordinator and Program Assistant Intern says, “The Student Development Fund, part of the GMU Foundation, is used to send students to local, regional and national NIRSA events to better their professional experiences. I’ve personally had the opportunity to attend and the connections I’ve made have been invaluable.”

After five hours of play, the winning foursomes were:

1^st place, winning a wine tour courtesy of Naked Mountain Winery, were Craig Esherick, Martin Ford, Dominique Banville, and Gary Galluzzo
2^nd place, winning a set of Nike Golf Balls, were Colby Grant, Connor Xavios, Benn Crandall, and Steve Morehouse
3^rd place, winning Nike golf polos courtesy of BSN, were Ryan Piluzza, Mike Travis, Mike Voliva, and Steve Fredericks.

A special congratulations to our contest hole winners:

Closest to the Pin – Martin Ford
Straightest Drive – George Malenich
Women’s Longest Drive – Lee Ann Houston
Men’s Longest Drive – Taylor Washington

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

Graduating Senior Darian Johnson

Sport has always been part of Darian’s life He says his mother has pictures of him playing basketball as early as the age of 2. His love of sport continued through high school where he earned nine varsity letters for basketball, baseball and football. Darian says that playing sports, as well as staying busy with school, family and friends, taught him how to be focused and kept him out of trouble.

During his sophomore year at Mason, a friend invited Darian to participate in the Prince William Campus Sports Challenge. While playing, he noticed the referees were students and decided he could continue his love of sport by being a referee. Soon after, he was hired by Mason Recreation and has worked as a referee ever since. In addition, he’s held the positions of CSA, Intramural Supervisor, Field Supervisor, and Marketing Team practicum student – at times, working as many as 40 hours per week!

Darian says, “Working for Mason Rec has been a great experience. It’s increased confidence and my leadership abilities as well as allowing me to make great friends. When I came to Mason as a freshman, my friends were my dorm mates. Once I got to Mason Rec, that’s where all my friends were from.”

This summer Darian will intern for the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. There he’ll be in the Communications Department where he’ll work in archives, answer calls, contribute to social media, and participate in their Enshrinement Weekend August 6 – 9. During Enshrinement Weekend, he hopes to be able to meet some of the players being inducted into the Hall of Fame and maybe get some pictures taken with them.

After his internship, Darian hopes to begin his career working in a sports company in operations, marketing, or communications. Eventually he wants to own his own Sports Management Firm where he can work with athletes to improve their physical abilities, develop them psychologically, and eventually help them to grow in their careers.

Darian’s long term goal is to be a general manger for an NBA team. He says, “I grew up loving sports, so to run a team would be great. I want to be able to inspire others.” He adds, “I’ll tell them to stay focused and to always chase their dreams. Stay true to yourself, your family and to God and everything will work out.”

Darian graduates in May with a B.S. in Health, Recreation and Tourism with a concentration in Sports Management.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

Graduating Senior Will Adams

Will Adams

Will never met a sport he didn’t like. From swimming, soccer and cross country, to flag football, handball, and dodgeball, he’s participated in many, if not most, sports. But where did it all begin?

Will credits his grandfather, Papa, as being his biggest inspiration and motivation. During his childhood, he spent every summer with his grandparents in Fairfax, Virginia, where he learned how to swim. At the age of 6, he started swimming for the Commonwealth Swim & Tennis Club where he spent all day, every day at the pool.

As he grew and became a stronger swimmer, he won three summer league coaches awards for being an all-around good athlete, a good sport, a team player and a help to the coaches and swimmers. As early as 8 years old, he declared he would one day coach for the Club, and at 19, that declaration came true and he coached the Club’s team for two years. In addition to summer league swimming and coaching, he swam for his high school and lettered all four years as well as earning MVP his senior year.

Will was also successful in cross country earning the nickname “Will the Thrill” his junior year. He continued to improve and lettered all 4 years as well as receiving the titles of most improved and all area honorable mention his junior year.

In addition to swimming and cross country, Will played soccer. He started playing at the age of 4, and continued through high school where he earned most improved during his sophomore year and lettered his junior and senior years. He continued playing soccer for Mason’s intramural soccer team and played all four years. Will says, “I’m an energetic guy. I think I’ve played every intramural sport offered! And I’ve been told I have a good sense of humor. I want to have fun in everything I do.”

But his love of sports doesn’t stop there. In addition to playing, he officiates every sport offered by Intramurals and is certified to officiate contact football for JV, freshman and pee wee in Northern Virginia through the Northern Virginia Football Officials Association.

Will is currently working as an Intramural Program Assistant and supervises officials. He’s been accepted as a Graduate Assistant for Intramurals at the University at Albany in the fall. He’s not positive what his field of study will be, but he thinks he’ll do something in education.

Will graduates in May with a BFA – concentration in painting.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT

Graduating Senior Connor Xavios

Connor Xavios has accomplished much over the years. From high school sports to leading a college council for an international service organization, Connor approaches life with purpose. His motto, “Go to work with a smile on your face.”

During high school, Connor was voted MVP for his golf team for two years, played two years in the all-county tournaments, had the lowest scoring average in Berk County, PA, his senior year, and tied for 13^th place as a state junior amateur golfer. And while he’s not formally competing anymore, he’s continued to be close to golf by working for a golf course for the past three summers.

Upon his arrival at Mason, Connor began playing intramural sports and quickly decided to become an official. Because he enjoyed officiating so much, he decided to get certified by Cardinal Basketball Officials Association to enable him to officiate for local high school games. Additionally, he’s become a supervisor for Mason Rec.

But Connor says the highlight of being at Mason is the diversity of friends he’s made – mostly through his campus church – Catholic Campus Ministries. He currently leads two Bible studies and attends another for his own growth. In addition, he’s President of Mason’s Knights of Columbus council which currently has more than 50 brothers serving in service and fraternal events.

Events include soccer and football for brother Knights and prospect members, hiking trips, poker nights, a formal dance to raise money to help single mothers pay for medical bills, yard work for retired Catholic priests, and more.

This month they’re hosting their 4^th annual formal fundraiser, benefitting the local diocese in its effort to help expectant mothers with expenses incurred during birth. In three years they’ve raised $8,000, offsetting the typical cost of about $3000 per childbirth for two mothers. With proceeds from this year’s formal, they expect to be able to help with at least one additional expectant mother.

After graduation, Connor has an internship with a defense contractor and after that, his goal is to work in the Federal system as an Intelligence Analyst in counter terrorism.

Connor graduates in May with a degree in Criminology and a minor in Intelligence Analysis.

By Jennifer Lehman, MS RYT