For Emma Davidson (BA’27 International Development Studies), moving to Montreal from Long Island, N.Y., wasn’t only a perfect opportunity to practice the French skills she had been working on since middle school. It also offered a chance to get involved in a new fitness activity that would shape her time at the University: intramural dodgeball.
In the two years since she’s been playing, Davidson has found her dodgeball teammates to have been an invaluable source of support.
“I found a really good group of friends through the sport, and that’s made a really big impact on my time here,” said Davidson. “Dodgeball was how I met the majority of my friends. It’s been great to have them during stressful periods at school. Even if we’re studying different things, we’re all going through similar struggles when it comes to finals or assignments, so we can support each other through those times.
“I’ve also had classes with some of my teammates, and it’s always nice when you come in on the first day and see that you already know someone.”
Hanging out with the Dodgezillas
The team, known as the Dodgezillas, often meets off court for special occasions or just to hang out.
“We’ll go to events together outside of dodgeball, go out around the city, or hang out at each other’s apartments,” Davidson said. “This year, we made it to the playoffs, so we had a day where we all made our team jerseys together, we drew our mascot, we worked on our chant. It’s just a fun way to spend time outside of class.”
Davidson first became interested in dodgeball while living in residence, where she met her intramural team’s captain.
“The captain introduced me to the team, and we all became friends before I joined,” she explained. “I really liked that with the intramural team, it wasn’t so much about winning; the sports side is fun, but it’s always friendly competition. The point for me was to find a community and friends to hang out with.”
Davidson regrets not having joined an intramural team sooner.
“I wish that I had taken more advantage of what intramural or the fitness classes at the McGill Sports Complex have to offer my first year. I really like being part of a team, and I think that would have helped me make a lot of friends outside of those I had made in residence,” she said.
Lifelong friendships, academic benefits
While most intramural teams are formed off the court, Ryne Bondy, McGill’s Intramural Sports Manager, said the Sports Complex’s frequent Free Agent nights allow students the opportunity to create teams on the spot or to join in with other intramural teams in need of players.
These impromptu teams can lead to lifelong friendships, he said.
“It can definitely be intimidating at first to join by yourself, but the intramural community is really a great one,” said Bondy. “We’ve had teams who met at Free Agent night and then went on to play together for over 10 years; they went on to graduate school and played together, they’re now alumni and they still play together. These were students who came to McGill without knowing anyone, they met at our Free Agent night, and now they’re friends for life.”
Bondy also points to the academic benefits of staying fit.
“There are a lot of studies that show that physical activity is important for grade performance and knowledge retention. Staying physically active also raises the likelihood that students will continue on with their studies and finish their semester,” he added.