Allen named player of the year
Rachel Arehart
Antelope staff
With a rich history in both high school and college athletics, Sarah Allen, of Ayr, has transitioned into other athletics after retiring from UNK’s track team due to continuous injuries preventing her from reaching her highest potential.
Allen is far from being the one-sport athlete she was as a college freshman and sophomore. She now participates in about 14 intramural sports as well as her daily CrossFit workouts and competitions. She adds to that her participation in Kearney Parks and Recreation’s various volleyball leagues.
To no one’s surprise, Allen, a senior English education 7-12 major with a coaching endorsement, was named last year’s Woman Intramural Player of the Year. Allen currently has about 25 various intramural championships under her belt, with more expected in the coming year.
On top of the 25 or so T-shirts that Sarah received from winning so many intramural sports, this title comes with a scholarship, which Allen said is helpful to pay for college.
Andrew Winscot, the assistant director of campus recreation, said, scholarship is an extra incentive. “It’s awesome to see students take advantage of that, because it’s one of those extracurriculars that you can gain a lot from, other than just hanging out with your friends and exercising. Putting together a team and being the team captain can help you gain some of those qualities that you can use later in life, like being a leader and showing good sportsmanship. People like Sarah gain a lot from it, because they’re involved so much,” Winscot said.
Allen said she is willing to try to play any sport and it shows in the 14 different intramural sports in which she participates. She participates in both women and co-ed leagues in most sports.
“I really enjoy the amount of intramurals that are offered for students. I’m able to try a lot of different sports that I never had the chance to participate in before college.” Allen said.
She says she was excited to be named Intramural Player of the Year, but it was certainly not the reason I was so active in intramurals. “There’s so much more to be gained from them than simply a title,” Allen said, “I honestly just love to play and be competitive. Sports have always been one of my favorite ways to spend my time, so I love having the chance to participate in a broad range of sports and getting to hang out with my friends.”
With a strong competitive nature, Allen said it can often be hard to balance competitiveness with fun while playing intramurals: “I’ve been fortunate enough to find friends and teammates who approach it the same way I do. Everyone wants to win, so we all give it our best effort and that’s what makes it so fun. We have a blast just being around each other, and intramural games give us an excellent opportunity to hang out.
“Intramurals have showed me the need for fun in sports. I was extremely competitive in high school and college sports, and I definitely let that overshadow the fun aspect. By playing solely with my friends, I’ve learned that sports are a lot more fun when you stay competitive, but also are a lot more fun when you take a step back and enjoy the whole process.”
When she is not playing intramurals, she said she’s still being competitive. Either from working out at CrossFit, playing board games with friends or gathering some friends to play wallyball, which is volleyball played in a racquetball court.
Allen intends to graduate in December 2018, hoping to land a job teaching and coaching.
“I will continue to play in sports leagues once I have graduated. I’ve already played in several and had a lot of fun, so it is definitely something that I want to continue,” Allen said.
Video by Rachel Arehart
Video at The Antelope
