Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Online Exclusives

Story and gallery added on 4/7

The steady, rhythmic muffled slam of canvas bags filled with plastic pellets against a plastic, slightly-inclined board at the Student Recreation Center Court Five is interrupted by the squeaking of shoes and calling for the rock from the pickup basketball game on the adjacent court.

Tension runs high at the Rec Center on Monday night as the doubles bags intramural tournament comes to an end, at least on the men's bracket's side.

While the four men's teams battle it out, rarely talking except to state the score or offer encouragement for a partner, the women's set is much more talkative.

But it is a different scenario; three of the teams competing represent the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

"It's good to see three different teams from our house," said Ashley Sterkowitz, a senior elementary education major representing the Alpha Gams.

Sterkowitz and her "the NUTS" teammate Samantha Sizemore, a sophomore English major, won the women's division.

Sterkowitz feels the difference between the divisions is just that the "guys just take it a lot more serious."

Back on the men's side, the tension momentarily rises again when the score is misstated at the beginning of the second, and final, game of the championship.

Dirty looks are shot at offender as though he insulted someone's mother, the score is corrected and the game continues cordially, if not still fiercely competitive.

Sophomores Joe Foresta, a physical education major, and his partner Peter Nojiri just joined for the fun of it, not for the points that fraternities and sororities compete for.

"It's fun and social," Foresta said, before playing in the championship. "Something to do in your free time."

Sigma Pi fraternity brothers Kyle Kwoka, a senior sports management major, and Sean Nelson, a junior management major, quickly won the tournament after coming from behind to win the first game and running the bags boards in the second.

The Sigma Pi's left court five feeling good about the victory and points awarded to their house for the over-all intramural champions.


Eric Hiltner can be reached at 581-7941 or at ejhiltner@eiu.edu.

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