Eric Ramsay ’03 skated up the ice and faked out two players. He then passed the puck over to Morse College Master Frank Keil, who hit one shot through the post. Everyone on the Morse team jumped up off the benches and beat their sticks on the ice, Steven Gibbons ’03 said.

Many deans and masters currently play intramural sports for their respective colleges, taking advantage of the current intramural rules which allow undergraduate students and fellows of the residential colleges to play. Although some have different motives and levels of skill, many said they agree that playing IM sports for their residential college is an excellent way to have fun.

“I play ice hockey because I love playing it and I played in high school … I almost never miss a game,” Dean Peter Quimby of Davenport College said. “I play IM sports because it is fun. Intramurals are an important part of building community … and I would play more often if I could.”

In addition to ice hockey, Quimby plays soccer for Davenport. Unfortunately, Quimby said he cannot play as many IM games as he wishes because many of the intramural games are in the late afternoon, when he is usually busy with appointments. Quimby modestly declined to comment on whether the Davenport team misses his presence at the games he cannot attend.

“Dean Quimby is very good. He plays aggressive and tough,” Sam Hendel ’03 said. “He definitely helps our defense a lot.”

Many students said they agreed that playing IM sports with deans and masters is a great experience.

“It’s great that [the dean and master] play,” Hendel said. “It helps our team.” Hendel added that the dean and master’s presence helps raise the team’s spirit.

Lauren Taft-McPhee ’06 said that playing with her master or dean would be unusual at first, but that she would not mind teaming up with either of them.

“It would be a little weird at first, but I think would be cool and I would not have a problem with it,” Taft-McPhee said.

Keil also plays ice hockey, as does Ezra Stiles Master Traugott Lawler. Both agreed that they play for fun — not just for the sake of winning.

“I usually just stagger around on the ice, but it is a lot of fun,” Keil said.

For some deans and masters, intramural sports give them a unique opportunity to interact with their students.

“Masters and deans ought to be connecting in any way possible [with their colleges], and IMs are an excellent way to do so,” Lawler said. “I play because it is a lot of fun and I get to know a lot of people who play.”

Most masters and deans said they do not try to compete with other deans or attempt to carry their own teams to victory.

“I certainly never felt a personal rivalry or a sense of competition [against deans and masters of other colleges],” Lawler said.

Saybrook Master Mary Miller said she enjoys playing squash for fun, and could only recall one instance of rivalry against a resident fellow in Calhoun College during the 1980s, while she was still a resident fellow in Timothy Dwight College.

But many deans and masters shared Quimby’s regret that the games are played during working hours, making it difficult to participate. Gary Haller, Master of Jonathan Edwards College, said he tries to play intramurals as much as possible, but often has scheduling conflicts.

“My intent is to always play all of [intramural sports]. I would like to play more often, but they are often at inconvenient times,” Haller said, adding that participating in IM sports allows him to get exercise and show interest in his college.