Throughout the 2020-2021 school year there have been a lot of changes to the activities both in and out of school that students have been able to participate in. Despite this, the intramurals program has been active throughout a good portion of this year, making both virtual and in person events possible.

One of the many exciting events that is being hosted this year is March Madness, the basketball competition happening during flex periods for all to participate.

The intramurals program has over 800 student participants involved and is run by its junior and senior leaders along with Coach Ackles. Throughout the year, there have been many different activities that they have hosted, including a spike ball tournament, football tournament, the home run derby, field goal kicking contest, a bags tournament, and the March Madness basketball tournament that is happening currently.

The March Madness Competition, which has been going on throughout this month, has 472 students participating in the event. The students are split up into teams of 3-4, 118 teams in total. There are approximately 380 boys and 92 girls who have been taking part in the competition.

Due to COVID and the restrictions it has forced the school to enforce, there are several ways the brackets have been separated. In the competition the teams are separated by grade level, half of the alphabet, and gender. The bracket in the boy’s segment is divided up by class and half of the alphabet. Meanwhile, the bracket in the girl’s segment is separated by lower and upper class as well as halves of the alphabet.

Each team is guaranteed three games throughout the season and from there they are given the opportunity to move up through the ranks. Then, the teams continue to move up the ladder until the final two teams battle it out on the court where the winner takes it all.

The March Madness Competition takes place yearly and is run by Coach Ackles, who runs the intramurals program at Loyola. This event and so many others give students the opportunity to connect in a way they can’t in the classroom and encourages them to reach out of their comfort zone and try something new.

If you’re interested in joining an intramural event during lunch periods, make sure to pay close attention to the announcements as they are often broadcasted there for all to hear.