Yard Intramural Basketball Teams Begin Practice Today

Freshman intramural basketball jumps to its feet tonight with the first of a week-long series of practice sessions.

The sessions, which will last through Tuesday of next week, will consist mainly of practice drills and conditioning, although teams teams have been paired of and short scrimmages will be held.

Two Halves

Bob Ross, assistant Union athletic secretary, said the basketball season will be divided into two halves. During the first half, which begins Wednesday of next week, there will be two leagues of eight teams apiece, roughly approximating the touch football leagues. League winners will play each other some time before Christmas recess in order to determine the fall Yard championship.

After Christmas, Ross said, the Yard will be divided into four leagues which will play informal games until the end of the semester in order to shuffle strong and weak teams.

Strong and Weak Leagues

Early in February, the Freshman Intramural Athletic Committee will again cut down the Yard into two leagues. This time, however, all the strong teams will be in one league and the weaker ones in another.

The two leagues will play through the first week of March, when the winners of each league contest will play each other. The Athletic Committee will award medals to the winning team and a special medal to the high-point scorer for the season.

Although basketball is the major winter sport, there will also be Yard boxing, swimming, wrestling, and fencing tournaments in February and March. The winners will receive no medals, but they will add points to their dormitories all-year scores.

Other Sports Included

The indoor season will end in March with a three-week volleyball tournament. In April and May, softball leagues will be formed.

At the end of the spring term, the total points each dormitory has earned will be totaled to determine the Yard Intramural Athletic Champion. The top dormitory will receive a Yard version of the Straus Trophy, given annually to the winner of the House intramural contests. Hollis Tops Last Year

Last year, Mathews South, Hollis, and Thayer North took first, second, and third places in the basketball contest. Hollis, Mathews South, and Thayer Middle were tops in the year's point totals.

This year, on the basis of touch football and cross-country, Lionel is leading the pack with 100 points, followed by Straus North with 85 and Holworthy with 75.