William James
The Broadside
Central Oregon Community College will be revving up for a brand new year of exciting athletic action. The Intramural & Club Sports Program will be off and running in the fall, showcasing seven organized sports at the intercollegiate and intramural level.
For most schools and campuses including COCC, intramural sports are used to promote healthy activity and wellness, and allow students who do not compete on a national level an opportunity to be active and compete against other students on campus. According to Director of Bobcat Racing, Matt Plummer, information on campus sports is about to get easier to access.
“We’re trying to move all the info to the website to make schedules, signup and any other info easy to access,” says Plummer.
Baseball
Leading off, Bobcat Baseball gets going in the fall with an informational meeting to be held Tuesday, September 27 at 6:00 PM, inside Mazama Hall. Leading the meeting will be head coach Matt Greenleaf, who has been serving with Bill Douglass as co-heads of the Intramural Sports Program. After that, the ‘Cats take to the links by hosting a golf tournament at River’s Edge Golf Course on Tuesday, October the 11th, located on 400 NW Pro Shop Drive. More information on the golf tournament will be made available as the tournament gets closer.
Nordic Skiing
Nordic Skiing, which shares a rich tradition with COCC as the Cats dominated the slopes in the 70s and 80s, also makes its return for the 2011 fall term. There are many different great areas for skiers to go and train just 30 minutes from campus. The team welcomes both Bobcats and OSU-Cascades students, and offers individual training along with group training and financial assistance to cover race entry and travel costs. In the first major event for this squad, Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation will be hosting a collegiate race at Mt. Bachelor.
“ There will be a 10k race for men, and 5k for women,” said Plummer.“The unique thing is in March we will do the same race on the same course, which will serve to show how much the racers have improved between now and then.”
Cycling
Cycling will also be a part of the upcoming term, featuring road and mountain racing as well as competition with the Northwest Collegiate Cycling Association, and a fairly new event for the program will also be making it’s second appearance—a biking competition called Cyclocross. According to COCC’s website in the Intramural Sports section, “Cyclocross is an event that challenges you in every way possible. Race courses put riders on dirt, pavement, mud, sand, grass, and more. Throughout the race, riders are also required to dismount and remount their bikes while running up hills, jumping barriers and other challenges. Students can contact Matt Plummer, Director of Bobcat Racing, if they think they are tough enough to face the challenge of Cyclocross.
“We will be holding three Cyclocross races in October on campus as well for anybody who wants to watch or participate,” said Plummer.
More ways to get involved
Beyond those major sports there are others that students should find to be fun, such as bowling, basketball, disc golf, table tennis, volleyball, various running events, flag football and indoor soccer. The first race for the COCC cross country team will be Sept. 24, the first Saturday of fall term, at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. This all rounds out what should prove to be a very high energy year for the Intramural and Club Sports program.
You may contact William James at [email protected]