by Tom Helm
Sports Editor

Ballroom dancing, pilates, and ping-pong clinics are just a few of the new intramural sports activities that are going to be introduced at Shoreline Community College for Spring Quarter.

“It’s pretty much locked in, but we’re still working it out,” SCC’s Athletic Director Doug Palmer said. “We might have to hire people and work out shifts.”

In addition, Palmer said that a few more activities, such as hiking, bike-riding, and bowling are planned for Spring Quarter, but are still a bit tentative.

Palmer is also hoping to extend the hours of the gym and the weight room, starting this spring, making it more accessible to the students and faculty.

“We’re working on extending the gym and weight room hours so it’s open until 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and on Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.

“We want more stuff after work hours,” Palmer said. “We want to have somebody in the equipment room handing out racquetball and other equipment so the gym can be used for more than just basketball, but it’s not set in stone.”

Palmer wants to tailor the program according to the students’ needs.

“We want to get an idea what the students want for the overall program,” Palmer said. “This has to be student-oriented.”

The student government came up with the ballroom dancing idea, which is just one example of the Athletic Department and the student body working together to create the most dynamic intramural program possible.

“We have a championship-caliber ballroom instructor,” Palmer said.

When Palmer first took office, one of the goals he identified was to make the athletic facilities more available to students and faculty, and to make intramurals more than just a “lunchtime activity.”

As Shoreline’s intramurals grow, space could become an issue.

“Hopefully, next fall we’re going to introduce soccer and flag football leagues,” Palmer said. “We have one field and space is limited. In the fall, the varsity soccer team uses the field, and in the winter and spring we have more space, but it rains so much up here, we can’t beat up the field.”

New and varied intramural programs, extended athletic facility hours, and the introduction of a couple of new organized leagues starting next fall are just the start of what Palmer envisions for intramurals.