From traditional basketball to a Texas Hold ’em tournament, the intramural program lives up to its promise of “something for everyone” at the beginning of spring semester.

A 3-point shooting contest will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Lied Recreation Center. It is an Iowa-wide tradition going back eight years, said Garry Greenlee, associate director of recreation services.

At the 3-point shootout, contestants get one minute to make as many shots as they can from five different positions on the court. No registration is required.

The winners in both the men’s and women’s division advance to the state finals in Iowa City, which will be held separately during the halftime of two Iowa basketball games.

“The crowd will boo the ISU guy terribly and cheer like crazy for the Iowa guy,” Greenlee said. “People always come back saying it was a great time.”

As far as team sports that anyone can play, Greenlee recommends Treds football, for which registration ends Wednesday.

Treds is played like ultimate Frisbee but with a small soft football.

There are six players on each team, and they play two 10-minute halves.

“Not everyone can throw a Frisbee, but I guarantee you can throw and catch a Treds football,” Greenlee said.

There’s also the ‘sports’-like Texas Hold ’em, a relative newcomer to the ISU intramural scene that has exploded in popularity since the first tournament last year, said Linda Marticke, intramural sports coordinator.

“We have 300 people at 30 tables in the Great Hall. We give them $400 in chips and they just play until they start eliminating each other,” Marticke said.

As the crowd thins out, tables are combined until only one table is left, which hopefully occurs within about four hours, she said.

The levels of competition available are as varied as the sports, Marticke said.

Though championship level wrestling can get highly competitive, she said, sports like water volleyball are generally more laid back and played just for fun.

Intramurals are a great way for students to sample a sport they’ve never tried before.

Ice hockey, for example, has men’s and women’s divisions that cater to anyone from beginners to experienced players.

“We provide helmets, sticks and goalie equipment, and some people play in T-shirts and jeans,” Marticke said.

“Because we don’t have all the pads, there’s no checking. Slap shots are allowed only in Class A where most people have their own gear and are more protected.”

Women’s hockey has grown in popularity since the men’s hockey club hosted a clinic for women in 1995.

Thirteen women’s teams are registered for this season.