That’s the motto that Purdue University Calumet intramural director Matt Dudzik has stressed to the university’s everexpanding student population over the past decade. Texting Bees, Intramural Gardening and Rock, Paper, Scissors are just a few of the unique PUC intramural contests that have found their way into an expansive intramural program that annually sponsors over 40 activities.
The Munster resident and Purdue Calumet alum got his start in intramurals in 2001 when he helped organize a sand volleyball tournament to help raise funds as a member of the school’s Fitness Club. The success of that event opened a new door for him, as former Assistant Vice Chancellor of Health, Recreation & Sports Rob Jensen loved the idea of creating new ways to keep students involved on campus and eventually hired him as a student worker to head up the initiative.
No one could have guessed the direction that the program has taken since. “It started out with Fitness Center student worker Peter Fagan and me coming up with games that we enjoyed playing and then laying out the rules for those sports,” said Dudzik. “Basketball and volleyball were already up and running, so we added racquetball and flag football to the schedule.”
From those humble beginnings has emerged Dudzik’s brainchild, which aims at opening up competitive opportunities on campus to all types of students and often leads to new friendships and interests. “It has really started to create a family atmosphere on campus,” Dudzik said. “That’s why I was so excited to do this. I wanted to provide Purdue Calumet students with opportunities to get involved on campus and help them get the most of their college experience.”
Nearly a decade after his first taste of running tournaments at PUC, the “Mad Scientist of Intramurals” is still in the process of developing new ways to offer intramural activities to a wide range of interests. Could Intramural Social Protesting or the marketing initiative “Battle of the Brands” work their way onto the Purdue Calumet intramural schedule? Tune in to the Intramural website (www.purduecal.edu/intramurals) to find your game.
