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A Study of the Content and Administration of Intramural Sports Programs in the High Schools of Utah

Intramural sports appeared in schools long before interscholastic athletics. Students within schools formed clubs and compted against one another. This student intramural competition increased until in 1915 Michigan and Ohio State each inaugurated a department of intramural athletics under the direction of one man. In 1915 John Wilce wrote the first treatise on intramural sports. In the army camps of World War I this type of intramural activity received a tremendous boost. In 1925 the high schools throughout the country began organizing intramural departments. By 1941 the enthusiam of physical education instructors for a comprehensive intramural program had become so great that over 400 of them met in Chicago to discuss high school intramural activities. Their discussions brought out the great interest that was being developed in intramural sports. Even then many schools were hiring skilled instructors to direct intramural programs, and educational administrators, in planning new buildings, were including space and equimpent for intramural sports. Since 1941 the scope and popularity of the intramural sports program has grown even faster. A number of outstanding changes have taken place in intramural sports; the curriculum has been enlarged from five to ten or more sports, more money has been appropriated by school boards for these activities, more satisfactory arrangements for the use of varsity equipment, and facilities have been worked out. Today the intramural sports program is serving as a laboratory for physical education classes; skills taught in these classes are used in intramural sports programs. Intramural sports are fast becoming part of the regular school curriculum instead of just as extra-curricular activity. It is the purpose of this study to determine the status of the intramural sports programs in the high schools of Utah. The study should be helpful to both administrators and intramural directors. An administrator should know the characteristics of an effective intramural sports program and the prevailing practices with regard to intramural sprots program in schools of similar size and conditions. Such knowledge will enable him to inaugurate a new program or evaluate the program already being carried out in his own school. Intramural directors should know how other schools are handling their intramural sports prorograms. The data assembled in this thesis will give them a comprehensive picture of the manner in which intramural activities are carried on in other high shcools in Utah. In this study consideration will be given to the following aspects of the intramural program: organization, administration, physical examinations, officials, units of competition, curriculum, time of day, awards advertising, eligibility, budget and cost, types of schedules, scoring, and the value of an intramural sports program.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:UTAHS/oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:etd-2884
Date01 May 1947
CreatorsFernelius, Byrne C.
PublisherDigitalCommons@USU
Source SetsUtah State University
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
Formatapplication/pdf
SourceAll Graduate Theses and Dissertations
RightsCopyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact Andrew Wesolek (andrew.wesolek@usu.edu).

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