Intramural, << `ihn` truh MYUR uhl, >> sports provide recreation and athletic competition among students who attend the same school. The word intramural means within the walls. Most colleges and universities, and many elementary schools and junior and senior high schools, have extensive intramural programs. These programs appeal to large numbers of students who do not participate in intercollegiate or interscholastic sports. Many companies, prisons, and military bases also offer intramural programs.
Intramural activities range from team sports, including basketball and softball, to such individual sports as jogging and tennis. At the college level, teams are formed by dormitories, fraternities, sororities, and independent groups. Colleges offer separate programs for men and women as well as co-recreational programs, in which men and women participate together. The National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association promotes the quality and growth of intramural sports in the United States.
