When you play an intramural sport, it is expected that the person entering the team organizes a group who participates. However, more often than not, teams don't show up, leaving their opponents with no one to play.
The UNH Intramurals staff has had enough of such situations. This semester, they decided to take charge, literally.
The first week of this year's spring semester, UNH Campus Recreation announced a new forfeit policy online, which stated that if a team is not represented at the captain's meeting, they have to agree to a $20 forfeit fee to be entered. This policy does not affect the teams that are present at the meeting. If the late team simply shows up for the game they agreed to play, they will never be charged. Only a team that agrees to a time slot and does not show up for their first game will be fined.
Assistant Director of Intramurals David Charette said that forfeiting is occurring more often because the increasing numbers of the teams that sign up. There are between 170 to 200 teams per sport, compared to having 90 teams per sport when Charette was hired at UNH over 12 years ago. He said over 90 percent of the teams that play have signed up and attended the captain's meeting.
"We are not looking to bother any student that comes to play and not play at all," he said. "We are hoping that teams who sign up late can accept the fee if they forfeit."
Charette said there are lists of teams that do not attend the captains meetings, but are looking to join the league. If a team does not go to the captains meeting, they are allowed to sign up online, and then the staff tries to fill in spots for them. If a team drops out, the intramurals staff sends an email to multiple teams that are on the late sign-up list and ask them to fill in. When it comes to signing up online, the applications end either that night or a couple of hours before the captains meeting.
Cameron Gill, a sophomore Air Force ROTC, takes intramural games very seriously when he plays in them, but if the other teams don't show up, he said he doesn't feel victimized in any way. He said it is no harm or foul if he lost a total of 10 minutes going to and leaving from the game.
"The point is, however, that intramural sports should be a fun source of escape from the drag of university life, and by forcing kids who are already paying ungodly amounts for tuition, lab fees, and room and board; slapping a fine on their recreation will be very unpopular," said Gill.
There is another college institution that has fees for intramurals. According to the Boston University intramurals website, notification must be made at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled game to avoid paying the $10 forfeit fee.
John Lennon, a senior Spanish, International Affairs and Chinese Studies majors, has participated and refereed in the past and always feels bad for teams that show up and do not play due to forfeit. Lennon thinks the team that shows up and has nothing to do since their opponent team did not show up is the victim. If Lennon made his policy, if a team shows up and wins by forfeit, they should collect the fine from the team that did not show.
"If the money was collected in order to give to these victim teams, so that they can all share a pizza or something, then there is justice," said Lennon.
Charette admits that not everything about the policy is perfect. He believes the only weakness of this policy is only the captain gets fined. The intramurals staff will be available if there are any questions or concerns about the new policy, and students should contact them through the website.
"It's a part of life," said Charette. "It's going to happen. I always feel the worst for the teams that doesn't have an opponent."
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