United States Sports Academy
America's Sports University^®

The old Spanish-style building had sported individual tiles, each of which depicted a different icon of classic athletic performance… I am sure few people even thought to notice that every single one of the athletes depicted on these beautiful tiles was a man. But in 1999 when they were building the new gym somebody did notice…[So] side by side, with the old tiles on the façade of the new gym […] new ones depicted women athletes hurdling, playing basketball and soccer. The gender symmetry depicted on the tiles of the new gym represents a dramatic shift toward and acceptance - even a symbolic celebration - of girls’ and women’s presence in sports.

As the new intramural director at Florida College in Temple Terrace, I was given the assignment to re-energize the intramural department and expand playing opportunities for the student body.

As a small college (enrollment 520) intramurals is the biggest activity on the school calendar so I searched for a sport in which the most students would likely participate.