According to a Sept. 10 email from the athletics department, intramural sports, including soccer, flag football, beach volleyball and basketball began Sept. 21.
According to Martha Burkhart (junior), the commissioner of soccer, flag football and beach volleyball, free agents are still able to sign up for sports. Burkhart said the league has seen many changes since Spring 2025, including the introduction of the free agent system.
“We’ve always had [soccer], but I feel like we have a good amount of teams this year, and the turnout, at least compared to last spring, has been really good,” Burkhart said. “That’s been super exciting. Flag football is always just really fun […] and this is the first time that we’ve really gone in and done volleyball.”
Roy Johnson, the assistant softball coach, said via email that he recently took over as the coordinator for the intramural league.
“At this point of my journey, my goal is to make intramural sports more visible to the Oxy community as a whole,” Johnson said via email. “I think just being part of such a supportive community here at Oxy will ultimately benefit the organization of the league.”
Chase Miller (senior) said he is the commissioner of the intramural basketball league and a member of the men’s varsity basketball team. According to Miller, he has been involved with basketball since he was seven years old.
“I’ve been around [basketball] my whole life,” Miller said. “I have a great sense of how to officiate the game [and] how to look at it from multiple angles. I really try my best to bring that perspective to intramural sports every day, [which has] translated over into my ability to run this league effectively.”
According to Miller, he works with a team of intramural organizers to ensure the league runs smoothly and that all participants can have an enjoyable experience.
“We want intramurals to be a place where people can come in and […] forget about studying, forget about all the other things that are going on in their life,” Miller said. “We try to treat it as a good place where everyone can have a sense of community.”
Johnson said via email Burkhart and Miller are dependable leaders, and he enjoys working with them.
“They serve the league and its participants well, and I can see them both thriving in positions of leadership in their respective careers,” Johnson said via email.
Kyle Eric-Smith (sophomore) said he is a referee for the intramural soccer league. He said he had originally asked if he could referee the varsity soccer team, but due to his status as an Occidental student, he was pointed towards the intramural league.
“Last year, [the league] was run differently; it wasn’t run as professionally as it is now,” Eric-Smith said. “There were a bunch of teams who didn’t show up [last] season, but this year, it seems like there’s much more of an emphasis on ‘if you’re on a team, you have to show up.'”
Eric-Smith said he began playing soccer when he was young, and started refereeing games for a youth soccer league when he was 13 years old.
“I’m excited to watch the games and watch everybody have fun,” Eric-Smith said. “Especially if it’s people I know — cheering them on and being able to [watch] is going to be a lot of fun.”
According to Miller, there is a great variety in the levels of play throughout the intramural basketball league.
“We really try our best to have a very inclusive and welcoming environment that allows people of all skill levels to feel comfortable,” Miller said. “This year, we allowed people to form teams but we also have two teams of free agents, so these are people who don’t really know each other […] but they’ve kind of come together to play for these teams.”
Burkhart said she was an intramural soccer referee Spring 2025, and is excited to take on a larger role in the league. Burkhart also said she is a member of the women’s varsity soccer team.
“I play varsity soccer, but the most fun I have when I play soccer is family soccer or pickup,” Burkhart said. “I know how fun it is and how special it is that you can have a chance to play sports with your friends. I think it makes me want to work a little bit harder to make sure that everybody gets these opportunities.”
According to Burkhart, she found a community within intramural sports when she was a referee, and she appreciates how new friendships can form from playing sports.
“This season has been [full] of trying to make sure it’s a place where […] anybody that wants to join can,” Burkhart said. “I hope that people take [the] opportunity and get out there and meet new people.”
Contact Abigail Montopoli at montopoli@oxy.edu
