"It's just the nature of the beast," Wentzel says.

And with the exception of isolated incidents between individuals who have lost their tempers in the heat of moment, Wentzel says, the competitiveness is not a problem. Bashe, however, says this year too many houses were involved in "questionable stuff that just shouldn't happen."

"It seemed to me that people were getting caught being dishonest a lot more this year," Bashe says.

But Bashe attributed this unsportsmanlike conduct to individuals who are too competitive.

Many other secretaries say that the competitive spirit is good for the program and that the competition is what provides the main incentive for intramural participation.

"The more competitive it is the better," Dieterich says. "I think it's a good serious athletic outlet. People want it to be a bump-and-grind race for the Cup."

Some secretaries like Gavros say that the level of competitiveness varies with the captains and secretaries in the houses.

"Some people are really involved," Gavros says. "Lowell, Leverett, and Mather cared about the points this year, and competition is inherently fun."

But Gavros says that although there are participants who have become disenchanted with intramurals, the program still retains its most redeeming feature:

"Intramurals is a fun way to meet people," Gavros says.