Blog
January is over!
2010 is already into its second month, which is rather scary! The start of term feels like a while ago and things are busy as ever in the York Sport world.
Since my 'Happy New Year' blog, VARSITY planning has kicked up a notch. We're now in February, and the tournament's in a mere 3 weeks! I'm getting really excited about it and the timetable is pretty much confirmed. The weekend is starting on Friday night with the "VARSITY WARM-UP" in The Courtyard. Then the sporting action will be starting on Saturday with rowing down on the River Ouse, swimming at the pool at Archbishop Holgate School and climbing at Oaklands Leisure Centre. Sunday sees sport on campus, with the Sports Centre, the JLD Astro and 22 Acres hosting an array of what will no doubt be nail-biting matches! The closing ceremony will be taking place at 6pm in L/N/028 including performances from some of the clubs who will not be otherwise involved in the weekend. Then to finish things off, there will be the "VARSITY INVASION" which is due to be a fantastic evening event ending in Gallery. Weekend of week 7 - keep it free! Look at the events part of the YUSU website for more information about the weekend, including fixture times.
On the tournament side of things, Roses preparation is also well under way, with York preparing to head across the Penines to take on Lancaster at the end of week 1 next term. We've met with Lancaster twice now and the barrage of emails with details about the weekend has increased massively since the last one! Unfortunately some sports won't be as fully represented as in previous years with Lancaster apparently unable to field teams, but we are introducing some new fixtures including cycling and clay pigeon shooting. Unfortunately any new fixtures won't count towards the Carter James cup as the Roses Constitution states that in their first year matches must only be exhibitions. Despite being York's busiest exam week, I hope the York teams will go across to Lancaster with the same passion and fighting spirit that has seen the White Rose be successful for the last three years!
Work is also continuing on restructuring the sports memberships. I've been liaising with the YUSU CEO and the Sport & Recreation Service Manager trying to come up with a fairer solution. We visited Sheffield Hallam recently to see how they structure their sports memberships, which was really useful. However, we did find that we couldn't replicate their system even if we wanted to as their sports centre is effectively subsidised by the university, whereas ours needs to break even at least. We have submitted a paper to the University Senior Management Group detailing the need for a change and highlighting some potential long-term solutions. In the meantime we are also working on different options that could be implemented next year to try and improve the system in the medium-term. Once we have worked through enough sums (as the income streams need to be maintained), we will be consulting on different options, most likely through a survey and then, should the most popular option be different to the current structure, submit it as a motion to a UGM.
I have been all over the country in the last few weeks, beginning with a BUCS Regional Meeting in Leeds. There we discussed regional issues, including competition issues, such as eligibility, scholarships and the weather wracking havoc on the fixtures and the potential problem of league deadlines fast approaching. We were also informed that Sport England had agreed to part-fund a project which the Yorkshire Universities have been working on for about 3 years which will see three new posts within Yorkshire who will each work with specific universities to help them develop sport at their institution, especially from a participation side. We then had a good practice forum in which we discussed sports coaching, which varies massively across the region - this is easy to believe when you consider Yorkshire is a region which has Leeds Met (3rd overall in BUCS last year), York (41st) and Huddersfield (110th).
Shortly after this I had a BUCS Advisory Group meeting in Bath. These happen quarterly and I sit on this as Yorkshire Student Chair. These meetings are pretty long, but really interesting as not only do you find out what is going on across the regions, but it is also a chance to find out what BUCS itself is planning. It's an opportunity to hold BUCS accountable for perceived problems with its organisation as brought up by different reasons. I also met someone from England Netball and spoke to her about the possibility of introducing some Mixed Netball as a college sport during the summer term, which could be really exciting.
On the home front the BUCS season has been continuing, with some leagues now being over (all tier 1 leagues, with the exception of rugby, had to be completed by last Sunday). We have 5 teams competing in Tier 1 who have now completed their leagues, with the exception of Men's 1sts Rugby, who have until the 21st February to get their remaining fixtures in. Our Badminton Men's 1sts and Volleyball Men's 1sts have both finished a very credible 4th in their leagues, keeping them well safe from relegation. The Badminton boys are beginning their cup fixtures at home to Manchester 1sts, who they have lost once to this season and drawn with once; perhaps the Cup will be the chance for the boys to do one better and win! Men's Volleyball Cup campaign will start on the 17th with a trip to Scotland where they will be facing Dundee. The Lacrosse Women's 1sts came 3rd in their league and are also heading up to Scotland to begin their Cup campaign away to Aberdeen on Wednesday! Special mention must go to the Fencing Women's 1sts who finished top of their league with a massive 769 points in their favour, compared to 499 against. They are off to Oxford on Wednesday where they will hope to replicate their league-winning performance in the Cup.
As a result of Tier 1 leagues being finished, York has moved up the overall BUCS ranking table to 49th with a total of 144.5 points so far. This is very credible for this point in the season and hopefully, with the end of a few more leagues, we'll move back above Lancaster who are now 47th! I am harbouring a very realistic hope that we will finish the year in a better overall BUCS position than last year. Obviously, BUCS results aren't everything, but they are a useful indicator of how York fares against other unis!
I recently attended a University Sports Operations Group meeting (a group which meets quarterly to discuss the operational delivery of sport at the University), and have since been working with the GSA and the Sports Centre to discover the demand for the Sports Centre over the Easter break and to see if people would use the facilities were they opened later on Saturday evenings. Look out for the survey which will be circulated shortly.
As you may have seen from my Scott in Sport blogs, I am going round visiting more clubs this term and so far it's been great! The main problem with this is that I find myself wanting to join them all and keep going back! I've found it really interesting to find out a bit more about the clubs and how they actually work.
Lastly, the YUSU Elections are fast approaching, with nominations opening on Monday week 6 (15th Feb). If you're thinking about running for anything, make sure you get in touch with the current officer who will be able to let you know more about the role. If you're interested in running for York Sport President, drop me an email to e.scott@yusu.org and we can arrange a meeting where we can go through any questions you may have.
I must apologise for how epic this blog has become - congratulations if you have made it this far! As ever, please feel free to direct any questions/comments to e.scott@yusu.org - any feedback is gratefully received.
Until the next time,
Emily xo