Nov 16, 2009 by samir

Marist Gives Sportsvite the Old College Try

Intramural Sports have grown in popularity over the last 20 years and are offered at nearly every college and university across the country. This growth — both in the number of sports offered and players participating — has led to the need for greater organization when it comes to rosters, schedules and team communication. This has resulted in the move to online solutions and we’ve seen this first-hand with the growth and success of POWERADE College Intramurals, a partnership between Sportsvite, CBS College Sports and POWERADE.

Intramurals are a fun way for students to continue competing at the college level and have become a huge part of the college experience. The intramurals program at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY is a prime example of a school with a large population of students who still want to play organized sports. Sportsvite was introduced to Marist College Intramurals by Kieran Begley, Graduate Assistant, Intramurals & Club Sports at Marist College and a member of Sportsvite. He became a Sportsvite member this summer after being invited by a fellow rec athlete and immediately saw the fit for his program.

Last year, Marist was using Facebook to organize intramural schedules, post standings, and manage the leagues. Needless to say, this became quite a daunting task as Facebook doesn’t natively have sports management features. “Marist students - and college students in general - are extremely comfortable with communicating online and prefer to do so in most cases,” said Begley. “We were using Facebook and email to communicate last year, but since Sportsvite is specifically geared to manage rec sports, it made too much sense not to use it for our program.”

Gone are the days of clunky Facebook groups for league management. Here are the days of having fun, without having to worry about whether your teammates know where and when to have it. And, the addition of Facebook Connect on Sportsvite makes the transition for students that much easier.

With the introduction of Sportsvite for the 2009-10 academic year, the Marist Intramurals Program is now able to easily:

• Post team rosters, schedules and standings
• Communicate important information (venue, schedule changes, etc.) to players
• Upload photos/videos of players and action photos

It’s no small task to manage such a large program that continues to grow each semester. “Our main goal is to provide a sport or activity that meets the desire of every student on campus,” said Begley. “In the fall of 2008, we had 6 Intramural sports/activities. Since then, we’ve added 16 sports and activities - all of which were initiated in large part by students walking into my office and suggesting that we add their favorite sport. Ideally, we would like every student on campus to be involved in at least one intramural sport/activity and using Sportsvite will help us stay organized as we continue to grow.”

Begley isn’t the only one who has enjoyed the fruits of Sportsvite’s labor. “There’s no question that it’s made my job a little easier,” said Begley. “But the real barometer for a successful integration has been the feedback from the student commissioners, captains and players who love using the tool. They’re still going to use Facebook and Twitter for their social networking, but Sportsvite is now their preferred social network for their sports activities.”

Overtime

2009-10 Intramural Sports offered at Marist College

Aikido, Badminton, Basketball (Men’s and Women’s), Dodgeball, Field Hockey, Flag Football (Men’s and Women’s), Golf, Kickball, Lacrosse (Men’s and Women’s), Racquetball, Running, Soccer, Softball, Tae Kwon Do, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, Volleyball, Wiffleball, Zumba

Do you or someone you know have an intriguing story that we should share with the Sportsvite community? If the answer is yes, send an email to Nick B. and provide him with a summary and contact information.

Sep 30, 2009 by samir

Fall Into Some New Sports

Here’s a lesson in science - Summer ends on the September equinox, which was on September 22 this year. That means that it’s time for the Fall rec sports season. Yup, it’s about that time to start wearing high socks, long sleeved tees, and changing up the sports you play. Don’t know what to play? Don’t worry, wRECksports and Sportsvite have you covered on your Fall sports.

Flag Football

Flag football is an internationally enjoyed game, as well as one of the top five most popular sports on Sportsvite. For those who don’t know, it’s very similar to football, except you wear flags instead of pads. If the runner’s flag is removed while he has possession of the ball, then that counts as a down. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s football, and it’s also the best way to compensate for your favorite NFL team if they’re having a crappy season.

For those who do know what flag football is, check out this video.

Ultimate Frisbee

When I was in college, this guy known of as “Gimp” walked around campus barefoot. However, he wasn’t known of as the “guy who walked around campus barefoot,” he was known of as the guy who could throw and catch frisbees with his feet, and he’d give the Ultimate Frisbee team lots of pointers. Think of Ultimate as something similar to rugby or team handball, except with a frisbee.

Just remember, it’s never good to get caught with your pants down, especially when Ultimate is involved:

Cornhole

Summer IS over, but that’s all the more reason to be playing cornhole. Be proud to play this Ohio native game while you watch Brian’s alma mater get stomped on Saturdays. Or on Sundays you can set up a tournament with Sportsvite, invite your friends and family, and enjoy tailgating in the parking lot before the big game with some cornhole.

Watch the King of Cornhole, #1 ranked cornhole player in the world:

Dodgeball

Dodgeball has old school roots in everyone’s lives, but its addition into adult rec sports leagues was something that received mainstream attention after the release of 2004’s “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.” While “The Ocho” won’t be airing this fall, Sportsvite allows you to live vicariously through your favorite dodgeball superstars, like Steve the Pirate, by easily helping you find a team that won’t make you walk the plank for your blundering barnacles. Yar.

Sportsvite member “Littyhoops” dominating the NYC startup crowd. He makes us so proud!

Soccer

According to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), over 240 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play football. That means that the soccer community is roughly 3 times larger than New York City. Soccer’s a great way to stay in shape and have fun with teammates, and the best part is that you don’t even need to be good at it to reap those benefits.

Anyone with aspirations of becoming a soccer legend may have their name in this ad one day:

Disc Golf

For some reason, frisbees seem to be quite popular during the Fall months. Maybe it has something to do with wanting to stay frugal after an expensive Summer, or maybe it’s because it’s just so fun to throw one around in the brisk Autumn air. Regardless of the reason, try finding disc golf buddies through Sportsvite. It’s like golf, with frisbees, so it’s practically free (unless you’re one of the elite few who don’t own or can’t get a hold of a frisbee for free).

A serene introduction to disc golf, for those who don’t know:

Sep 03, 2009 by samir

VAVi Sport & Social Club: Bringing Fun To San Diego Since 2002

San Diego, or San Dog as my sailor buddy calls it (yeah, I have a sailor friend, so what?), is a city of beauty. Beautiful beaches, magnificent mesas, superb sunshine, and the vivacious VAVi. Oh, you don’t know what VAVi is? Well VAVi is a San Diego sport and social club that is dedicated to the recreational athlete, and they are awesome.

VAVi ’s awesomeness comes in many different flavors. From a huge variety of sports to post-game happy hours, parties, vacations, and volunteer opportunities, VAVi makes sure its members in the San Dog area have an awesome VAVi experience. My favorite flavor of VAVi awesomeness is the fun and energy involved with their events. Athletic competition often turns into a competition of team pride, in which a team will try to outdo their opponents with crazy costumes and an extreme amount of charisma.

VAVi actually started with only 30 people playing beach volleyball, and it grew from there. Their 32,000+ members today range from former college athletes to weekend warriors and people looking for exercise, entertainment, a social scene, and an overall good time. VAVi athletes can choose from a ton of sports offerings, which are listed on their website, though VAVi’s most popular sports at the moment are soccer, beach volleyball, and kickball. The people behind the scens at VAVi are all great and are passionate about creating athletic and social events for the young adults of San Diego.

All of their leagues are coed, and focus on the side of leagues on top of the athletic aspect. Each league has its own affiliated bar sponsor which can serve as a social hangout after games and events. VAVi’s premium product includes team shirts, ref fees paid up front, prizes and other hook ups. All of this adds up to a proven wonderful VAVi experience. VAVi Day at the Races w/ Pete Yorn are coming soon on September 4th and check out the Beach Blast on September 12th. For more information on their upcoming events check out Vavi’s Sportsvite profile as well as their Facebook page and twitter feed. Also, sign up for the VAVi newsletter if you want to get updates by email.

Also, check out the promotional videos that VAVi has created. These are awesome. In fact, Sportsvite might even need to figure out a way to comendeer them and make it our own!