Rompin' Rabbits of LEVERETT HOUSE?

If Leverett House continues to dominate the Harvard Intramural Straus Cup competition, it just may join that select group of teams worthy of being called a dynasty.

Leverett won the 1991-92 Straus Cup to give the house its second consecutive title and its third in the last four years. This year the representatives of the Leverett Shield (which consists of a v-shaped line and three rabbits) turned in convincing performances, placing either first or second in 26 out of 34 intramural athletic events.

Earlier this month at the Straus Cup awards ceremony, Leverett students demonstrated the spirit that drives them to such unparalleled success.

One by one, about thirty Leverett students embraced and kissed the prized possession which they "worked" all year to get. Some students even gave inspirational speeches.

"We played them, and we kicked their asses," shouted Leverett senior and House Intramural Secretary Matt Fitzer to the jubiliant crowd.

"Usually we have the master [of last year's championship house] present it to this year's winners," explained Recreational and Intramural Activities John Wentzell, as he oversaw the brief gathering, "but since they won it last year the students just awarded it to themselves."

After the presentation, the group marched over to the Quincy dining hall to rub their trophy in the collective face of this year's runners-up.

The Quincy also-rans greeted the paraders from Leverett with catcalls and healthy complement of garden vegetables (tomatoes, carrots and broccoli were the mot common projectiles).

Did the Leverett students mind?

"I found it invigorating," Fitzer says.

Competing for the Straus

Officially, all 13 residential houses compete in all 36 events--ranging from touch football to crew--which are divided into three different seasons.

Each house gets points for its best team in every event.

At the end of every year since 1935, the house with the most cumulative points has won the Straus Cup.

Athletic secretaries from each house are responsible for choosing captains for individual sports and encouraging participation by house students.

"The point system rewards participation," explains Wentzell. "Wins are Helpful, but seconds, thirds and fourths really help too."

In reality, only a handful of houses are in the running for the Straus. While some houses can send two or three teams to a given event, others lack the numbers or house spirit to even field one team.

Wentzell maintains the goal of intramurals is participation, but every year the program has to deal with an isolated number of fights which break out during heated competitive situations.

Despite these aberrations, the intramural program provides approximately 3000 participants with a chance to get out of the dorm and exercise in what is usually a friendly and mildly competitive atmosphere.

"We play to 1000 games each year,' says Wentzell, "and 98 percent come off like they should."

In addition, Wentzell brags about the fact that bad programs can turn into good ones within just a few years.

"I think [an I.M. program] definitely can turn around," says Wentzell. "It all depends on getting excited."

The Cream of the Crop

No house better represents a strong I.M. program--for better and for worse--than Leverett.

Until its 1989 championship, the house had not won the Straus Cup since 1947. But in the late eighties a group of students worked to improve Leverett's status on the I.M. circuit, bringing the house its first cup in 26 years.

New classes of Leverettites have continued the tradition of organization and participation in the house's intramural program. And their success has continued also.

"A lot of people got very involved in the intramurals," says John Rubin, one of Leverett's House Secretaries. "In some events, we had a lot of Leverett teams."

May teams were quite competitive too.

Take, for instance, the championship of the men's volleyball B teams held this spring. The match up: Leverett B #1 versus Leverett B#2. Leverett won.

"I think it was the way we dominated the competition," says Rubin. "[Quincy and Lowell] had a lot of people, but we had a lot more first and second places."

Participation and competition on the magnitude of Leverett's takes a great deal of time and effort on the part of the house's I.M. secretaries.

Fitzer says he and the other officers log in long hours all year long going to different event sites around the campus.

"Everyday, all day long, we were doing stuff," says I.M. junkie Fitzer. "We not only organized but we played too. It was ridiculous."

Participation or Wins?

But some critics of the house program complain about an emphasis on winning over participation.

While the complaints concern Fitzer and Rubin, the two claim to have already addressed the problem by creating two teams for each event: one "serious" and one "less serious."

"The main thing is to have fun," says Fitzer. "For a lot of us fun means winning."

"Anytime there's competition in sports, you're going to have people who feel they've been slighted. It's unavoidable," says Rubin.

Junior Brian Hirschfeld, another Leverett House intramural secretary, believes fierce competition is ingrained in the College.

"At a place like Harvard, it's impossible to play casually," says Hirschfeld.

Wentzell says he is also aware of some criticism of Leverett.

"From time to time I hear things are too intense," Wentzell says. "I just hope that the house secretaries would remember the principal of participation. That should be the center of it all."

Dunster Bowl

I.M. leaders from houses with low participation rates envy the enthusiastic support in Leverett for the program.

"It's just amazing how many people they get to come out," marvels Dunster senior Josh Glazeroff, who served as one of Dunster's intramural secretaries last year and has been captain of the house's crew program for the past two years.

Dunster finished the Straus competition in 12th place this year, falling from 11th place last year.

"We just don't have the same base of athletes that they do," says Glazeroff." People will put their names on sign-up lists and then never show up for the entire season."

Glazeroff enjoys the I.M. program, but he says that sometimes it's tough being involved in one of the College's weakest programs.

"We are the butt of everyone's jokes," he says. "There is this hockey consolation game between the two worst teams. It's called the Dunster Bowl."

'Half Fun, Half Serious'

As much as Leverett organizers have enjoyed their house's success, they all agree that it would be boring if the Rabbits kept on winning year after year.

"It was great to repeat this year and win back the cup from Mather last year" says Hirshfeld, "but to go any further would get a little silly."

And, if pressed hard enough, the Leverettites can even put their house's Straus Cup victories in proper perspective.

"It's not like it's dead serious," admits Rubin. "It's half fun, half serious. It's not like it's the Stanley Cup or anything."