Hello, fellow Jaguars. Classes are rolling, tests are upcoming, and the school year is in full swing.
With all your busy schedules and rigorous courses, I’m sure of one thing on most of your minds: How can I spend the one to two hours each day when I’m not in class, doing homework, working, napping or taking care of my family?
Well, here are two such recommendations; one intramural sport and one club activity.
Archery Tag
First, I sat down with Trevor Brunet, director of recreational sports here at Texas A&M University-San Antonio.
Brunet’s department oversees, among other things, programming all the intramural sports and events. If you participated in the 8-ball pool or volleyball tournaments in mid-September, that was the Recreational Sports department. Brunet himself is a participant in the 8-ball pool competition.
While registration closed for 8-ball pool Sept. 8, Brunet let me in on a new sport being offered this semester through recreational sports.
“Coming up, we have what’s called archery tag,” Brunet said. “It’s basically dodgeball with bows and arrows.”
You read that correctly: The idea of the game is to shoot the other participants with arrows.
“Obviously, they’re foam-tipped,” Brunet said. “We’re not out there shooting actual arrows.”
“Archery tag is actually going to be our major sport,” he said.
The event will feature competing teams of eight. As of now the plan is for one coed league, but Brunet made it clear their final plans will depend on participation.
Participants will use recurve bows, foam-tipped arrows and a heavy foam face mask. Brunet said these precautions make it safer.
“It probably sounds worse than it actually is.”
This original idea has me intrigued, and I might just sign up myself. Registration opens for archery tag Oct. 22. Flag football registration is from Oct. 2 to Oct. 13. You can sign up for soccer and ultimate frisbee from Oct. 30 to Nov. 10.
A&M San Antonio Table Tennis Club (AMSATT)
The Texas A&M-San Antonio Table Tennis club was founded on Aug. 27 and held its first meeting on Sept. 18. President and three other officer positions have already been filled. Right now, there are no further meetings scheduled, but they anticipate meeting in a reserved study room in the library on the first Monday of every month at noon.
But meeting times will be determined based on the availability of members to attend according to Ryan Day, president of the A&M-San Antonio Table Tennis club, via email.
The club has a competitive spirit, but is friendly to beginners.
“It was more for fun,” Chris Martinez, vice president of AMSATT said. “I would like to be competitive and be better than I am right now.”
You can find Martinez and other AMSATT members playing table tennis in the game room on campus on any given day.
While there are ample opportunities to compete in tournaments, the club was founded to help “aid in the opportunity for developing everlasting interpersonal relationships,” Day said.
The club will compete in tournaments in the San Antonio area and throughout Texas. San Antonio Table Tennis Club hosts a beginner’s tournament the first Friday of every month from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and AMSATT members are encouraged to attend.
“This month two members participated, with Michael Wockner finishing second in the B-group and Martinez finishing third in C-group,” Day said.
“It was a really fun experience,” Martinez said. “Usually, the first time we go to the tournament, Ryan offers to pay for us.”
There is a $10 entry fee. Martinez also made it clear there is no pressure on members to compete if they do not wish to.
Students interested in joining AMSATT can check it out on JagSync or contact Day directly at rday01@jaguar.tamu.edu.
“AMSATT welcomes everyone from all levels, whether they want to play for fun or train and compete,” Day said. “We enjoy sharing our love for the sport.”
You can check out the various other club activities at Texas A&M-San Antonio by going to JagSync.
