Campus Rec Center presents fun, challenging human battleship intramural

But instead of sitting across a table from an opponent and trying to keep a poker face, players are in a canoe in the middle of a pool and throwing buckets of water at other teams' boats. The goal is to sink the opponents before they sink you.

"We give them buckets and they try to fill the other teams' canoes," said Chad Schultz, graduate assistant for intramural sports at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

While Human Battleship is a popular intramural, it's not widely played at campuses across the United States because it tends to be more dangerous than most.

"Not every university has it because it is such a big risk factor," Schultz said.

However, no big injuries have been cited during the sport's tenure at UNL.

As an extra measure to make sure nothing happens, Schultz said staff members are in the water to make sure the boats don't hit the sides of the pool and to make sure everything stays under control.

Keith Krueger, a fifth-year senior electrical engineering major, has worked at the event the past couple of years and said he thinks it's a tradition that should be continued.

"It's one of my favorite of the intramural sports," he said.

Although he hasn't had a chance to play it himself since he has worked the event, he said he would love to get the chance to jump in.

"It is a lot of fun, that's definitely true," he said.

The carnage is set to ensue Sunday at the Campus Rec Center pool. The last day to sign up is Tuesday. The only thing students need to bring is their swimsuit. Everything else — canoes, buckets, sponges and life vests — will be provided.

Last year, 42 teams in total signed up for the tournament. So far this year, only seven teams had signed up as of Monday night. But Schultz said he was certain they would get a lot of last-minute sign ups because the event has been so well-received in past years.

The entry fee is $15 and each team must have four members. There are three divisions: men, women and co-ed. Each co-ed team must consist of two men and two women.

Participants can sign up at the City Campus Recreation Building or at the East Campus Activities Building. For more information, go online to http://go.unl.edu/im_sports or call the intramural office at (402)472-8383.

The UNL Intramurals Office doesn't have videos of the event online, but if you'd like a taste of what the competition is about, the University of Alabama has a YouTube video of its Human Battleship event online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GchP9s-z4Lo.

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