Sergio Callum wins the Wyss University Milk Mile and celebrates by pouring milk over his head. Provided by Peter Stern
Written by Diego Palos Rodríguez April 16, 24, 10:54 p.m.
It's not uncommon to walk to Reckling Park to watch the baseball team or to the recreation field to play soccer. But Division I and intramural sports are just a small part of what the Rice community participates in. From cricket to mixed martial arts to the Milk Mile (yes, the Milk Mile), our students take up a variety of sports with proven success. Past pastimes, new endeavors, and the need to de-stress.
For Vishnu Sriram, a freshman at Will Rice University, cricket was an integral part of his life growing up in India, and he wanted to play it in a new environment.
“When I moved to America a few years ago, [cricket] That was something I wanted to bring and share with everyone,” Sriram said. “I just played around and asked people if they had tried cricket or if they wanted to try it. And I welcomed anyone who wanted to try the sport.”
Sriram said the transition wasn't difficult when he arrived at Rice.
“Before joining Rice, I met some new students on Instagram who were also interested in cricket,” Sriram said. “We started playing cricket around Rice, and our cricket community started to grow as people passing by showed interest and got involved. It’s a great place to organize matches and give new people a try at cricket, and we sometimes go to Field 2 for the big matches.”
For some, like Jones College senior Bikram Singh, their love for the sport was developed after attending Rice University.
Singh began boxing under the guidance of another Rice student, then moved on to Muay Thai training and began competing in sparring scrimmages around Houston. After being introduced to martial arts, he founded the Rice Mixed Martial Arts Club with other undergraduate students.
“I wanted to start a mixed martial arts club to provide other Rice students, regardless of their level or experience, the opportunity to learn different martial arts,” Shin said. “We wanted to create a safe space where everyone could learn the basics of different martial arts.”
Singh said the process of starting the club in Rice was easy, and the club was able to find space in the recreation center to hold practices. However, obtaining equipment financing is becoming more difficult.
“Rice is not providing enough of the resources we need,” Singh said. “I thought about the club's fundraising process.'' [was] really confusing [and] difficult. We've been using mats and some equipment that the rec center already has, but we're leveraging funding to provide equipment such as shin guards, tie pads, focus mitts, and wrestling shoes for people to borrow while they practice. You may also be able to obtain one. ”
Rice students have also found other ways to stay active in less organized ways. Some Wyss University students recently took part in the Milk Mile race, in which they run four laps of 400 meters and finish off a large container of milk before each lap.
“The idea for the Milk Mile came from a couple of friends who ran the Milk Mile in high school,” said sophomore Peter Stern, an organizer of the event. “After joking with friends about who would be the best milk myler, I thought it would be fun to actually try milk mylar.”
The event was witnessed by 20 competitors and 15 spectators. Stern said everyone completed the race and the Milk Mile was an overall success.
“I think events like the Milk Mile are a great way to de-stress,” Stern said. “Running the Milk Mile is probably not the ideal form of relaxation for most people, but it gave me, and hopefully others, some fun. Creative events are some of my favorite parts of Rice, especially with all the things people have going on, and I really appreciate how willing people are to participate in something like Milk Mile. I am grateful.”
