The seasons are getting ready to change at Minot Air Force Base, and not just the weather. One intramural sports season – flag football – is winding down and a new one – indoor/outdoor soccer – is getting ready to begin. “The United States Military has a rich history of Intramural Sports going back to [each service’s] inception,” says Staff Sergeant Matthew Merrill, the Fitness Center’s Sports Program Manager. The base offers a total of five different sports seasons: Volleyball (March-June), Softball (June-August), Flag Football (September-November), Indoor/Outdoor Soccer (November – December), and Basketball (December- February). SSgt Merrill adds that while “participation varies by sport, our most popular season is softball”, whose previous season began with 20 teams.
Most teams represent a specific squadron, but intramural sports are open to all active duty, reserve component, DOD civilians, spouses, and dependents age 18+ assigned to Minot AFB. Additionally, if a squadron is not represented, individuals can opt to enter into a player’s pool, and are then added to teams that are short players. While most games are held at the end of the standard duty day, the McAdoo Fitness Center will attempt to help schedule individual games around specific events affecting a team’s schedule, particularly when it comes to TDYs, trips to the missile fields or training days.
Not at the top of one’s fitness game or new to a certain sport? Not a problem! “Different teams all vary as far as player skill level and competitiveness which influences how often or if at all they practice,” says SSgt Merrill, “ultimately the goal of the intramural sports program is building morale within the units with some friendly rivalry and a fun game. Participation is open and encouraged to all regardless of skill level; while winning is awesome, building camaraderie within your unit should be the goal.” Despite this, some rivalries tend to emerge naturally. A source close to the sports program shared that the rivalry can get particularly heated when 5th BW defenders face off against their counterparts on the Missile Wing side. And while winners generally vary, the 91st MSOS have been undefeated at softball for the past two years.
As to the current season’s sport, Flag Football, it will soon be concluding with playoffs, where bragging rights, trophies, and a chance to be featured on a fitness center wall will go to the first and second place teams. Additionally, a squadron’s intramural wins, points, and participation count towards the coveted “Commanders Cup Trophy,” which in combination with the fitness center’s “Summer and Winter Games” recognizes the top overall squadron in sports for the year.
“Upcoming and new seasons are typically announced halfway through the current one,” shares SSgt Merrill. The current season’s coaches as well as squadron’s sports representatives are contacted, and they must then identify a new volunteer coach, who assembles their team and gets the necessary Letter of Intent (LOI) for participation signed and turned back in to the Sports Program Manager.
The fitness center staff does a lot to facilitate intramural sports – purchasing equipment, coordinating with contracted referees, managing team schedules, maintaining game areas (to include the filling of the ever-present “dakrat” holes on the fields,) and drafting by-laws. Despite all of this, SSgt Merrill maintains that the most important people in ensuring the season runs smoothly are the players. “I do not come from a sports background, and so I heavily rely on all the feedback and suggestions from those participating and implement what I can to make the sports more enjoyable for them.” If all goes as planned, this will soon include a new, temperature-controlled venue for competition. Yet to be determined is whether the upcoming soccer season will, in fact, be the first chance players have to compete under the new dome that has popped up as part of the base’s skyline. Regardless of location or weather, the intramural sports program continues to foster unit pride and friendly, base-wide competition.
