Another successful Intramural Sports Institute is in the books

The 2018 NIRSA Intramural Sports Institute was the best event of the year for collegiate intramural professionals! The event took place in Brookfield, Wisconsin from June 20–22 and featured the most intramural-specific content you could find.

Keynote speaker Randy Fox was a hit! He received very positive reviews from attendees and was a perfect fit for the institute with his experience as a NCAA basketball official and as a corporate leader. Randy used his officiating, leadership, and life experiences in delivering a speech that engaged everyone in the room.

This year’s institute featured an exciting preconference workshop titled “Train the Trainer.” The precon covered how to train officials on your campus, qualities to look for in officials, running trainings for various staffing structures, utilizing evaluation for continued development, and a number of different training methods. “The preconference ‘Train the Trainer’ was awesome,” said Dan Comas, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation for Intramural Sports at West Chester University. “Natosha and Kurt are the best in their respective sports and being able to learn and listen to both of them was worth the price of admission.” Institute attendees were also able to choose two specific training sessions to attend in basketball, flag football, soccer, or volleyball.

The 2018 institute featured more networking opportunities than before for attendees. New this year were extended lunches and coffee breaks. Attendees were well fed and had more time for peer-to-peer interaction. Also new was the Lightning Hour! This unique session had multiple presenters delivering several different topics all in a 60-minute time slot. The institute also featured an informal social at Miller Park watching the Milwaukee Brewers! NIRSA attendees were able to purchase tickets in a section specifically reserved for institute attendees.

The institute was a massive success and the feedback was very positive. Anna Zyvoloski, Intramural Sports and Group Fitness Coordinator at The College of St. Scholastica, said, “This was my first IM Institute and NIRSA event and I felt that I was welcomed with open arms. Everyone was very helpful and quick to engage with each other. I felt that the content was delivered in an organized and professional manner. There were multiple ideas and presentations that I will transfer over into my programming. The energy throughout the conference was amazing!”

Allen Girouard, Assistant Director of Campus Recreation at American International College, explained that “The Intramural Institute was an all-around success for me. The institute is more focused and direct then the national conference and provides a pointed atmosphere for the advancement of intramural professionals.”

NIRSA would like to thank the 2018 NIRSA Intramural Sports Institute Committee led by Chair Jason Linsenmeyer, Assistant Director of Recreation Programs for Oklahoma State University, for a successful institute!