Anyone who has participated in intramurals, or even walked by the office, surely has noticed a new face this year. Nick Wormley, the intramural director for the past two and a half years, moved to Arizona to further his career this past summer, leaving a vacancy. In stepped new Intramural Director Mike Medina.
Do not be fooled into thinking the intramural department will fall apart, though. Medina, a graduate of the University of Maryland, has been working in campus recreation departments since his sophomore year. The aspiring journalist needed some extra cash and possessed a great knowledge of sports, so he put the two together.
Originally, Medina was hired to officiate soccer. However, as time went on, the brass at Maryland realized he was more than just an average ref. The young Terp had been officiating basketball since his freshman year of high school, and was not scared to assert himself on the playing fields. Therefore, the intramural directors knew they could not waste this talent and began training him to officiate volleyball, flag football and softball. Medina eventually became a supervisor and continued to work that position until he received his Bachelors degree in journalism in 2002.
After leaving Maryland, Medina was forced to learn about the real world the hard way. Unable to find a job in an anemic post 9/11 economy, he contacted his former boss and was offered a graduate assistant position at the Northeastern University intramural department. Medina gratefully accepted the position where he spent the next two years of his life working toward his Masters in Journalism. He completed his degree program in 2004 and once again found himself thrown to the wolves otherwise known as the real world.
Medina began his job search, but did not have to look far. Linda Wooster had sent out emails to potential replacements for Wormley. Medina responded and shortly thereafter he was accepting the position at Quinnipiac.
Coming into a new program, he was unsure of what to expect. However, upon his arrival, Medina realized he was stepping into a great situation. Rated one of the best student organizations on campus last year, Quinnipiac’s intramural program is one that many other schools dream of having.
Once Medina realized the status quo of the department, he decided to make improvements where he could and let the program continue on its path to success.
“I think things are headed in the right direction right now,” Medina said. “I really want to continue to improve the program that we have; both the quality and the quantity of the sports that we offer.”
These subtle improvements can be seen already. There is a dodge-ball tourna-ment this fall that will hopefully carry over into a new league this spring. Lacrosse, a sport gaining popularity in the northeast, is the next development on Medina’s list of expansions. Broom-ball and ice hockey are two more additions that will be made once the new “Rocky Top” arena is completed in 2007.
Medina encourages students to stop by the office, located next to the ticket office in the athletic center, to share their input and learn more about the program.
“I have an open call out to anyone who wants to introduce a new intramural sport to let me know and we’ll see what we can do about it,” Medina said.
Clearly, the intramural department will continue to improve and expand under its new director. All that remains to be seen is whether or not students will take advantage of the great opportunity that is Quinnipiac’s intramural department.
