I am not an athlete. Nor do I have the time to be one.

Why? I fall in line with the stereotypical MVHS culture. Academics and the rest of my to-do list register as higher priorities than things like sports. After all, participating in a sport takes hours of dedication, phenomenal coordination and properly-functioning knees. And frankly, I possess none of those things.

It seems that a large portion of the student body is stuck in the same boat as me. As fantastic as sports may be for exercise and personal well-being, this majority simply lacks the space in their already-brimming schedules.

Perhaps solutions arise in the form of things like intramural sports: where students can pick up the ball during the lunchtime tournament and join the fray, minus the requirements of time and skill. And with the additional perk of a gift card going to the winning team—which you might not find in the typical pick-up game or league match—why not?

Participating in these tournaments, like the current one for intramural basketball, seems to be a smart compromise. With such overloaded schedules, perhaps that is exactly why we should be playing a sport. In the midst of our attempts to balance grades, extracurriculars, SAT and AP tests, we just need to take a break and have some fun.

Remember the elementary school days, when kids spent hours shooting hoops on a driveway and ran around on the school blacktop during breaks? Remember the middle school days, when students exercised daily because physical education was a mandatory class—and were actually fit, because of it?

Flashback to the intramural dodgeball tournament from my freshman year. I went to the game as a spectator, but ended up being pushed onto the court. Awkward ball tosses, graceless dodging and 30 seconds later, I was out. Though I had lost my spot in the game, I had fun while losing it. Isn’t that the point?

It is important to maintain a balance between studying too much and playing too hard. With little room to accommodate the demands of a full-time student and athlete, an intramural sports competition makes for a fantastic middle ground. What might be even more fantastic is if that middle ground was expanded to include even more sports like intramural soccer, volleyball, or even cricket. After all, all work and no play makes for a dull time.