Sport for all: universities offer an amazing range of physical activities |
THOSE OF US who have dragged ourselves into 2006 rather than bounced in
with a ‘Yee-hah!’ may well be considering how to avoid the same sorry
state next year.
Making New Year’s resolutions is generally a doomed exercise. Promise
to do something that no-one else will hold you to, and it’s likely to
dissipate among an accumulation of things you really can’t get out of.
Particularly when it comes to sport and exercise, there are all kinds of reasons
we might find to excuse ourselves. The gym’s too far away. Can’t
afford the membership. Won’t know anyone.
But while at university, these particular obstacles are probably as close to
non-existent as they will be at any point in our lives. For one, campus facilities
are usually close to halls or faculty buildings. Second, they’re cheaper
than you’ll find anywhere else. And third, the other participants are
likely to include people you see in lectures.
“It’s all about recreation, and it’s about fun,” says
Faye Haworth, who runs the Active Lifestyles programme at Birmingham. “It
doesn’t matter what level you are, there’s always something out
there for you.”
As one of the largest and most sports-orientated universities in the UK, Birmingham
has about 10,000 students signed up for one activity or other. And there’s
an impressive array to choose from.
In addition to the obvious ones, there’s American football, archery,
Kung Fu, kayaking and korfball (a kind of cross between netball and basketball).
Away from the competitive disciplines, alternative activities include Tai Chi,
Indian head massage, aromatherapy, Reiki and several kinds of yoga and pilates.
There’s a range of dance classes, from Bollywood to breakdancing, and
the popularity of a certain recent TV programme has led to a forthcoming ballroom
dancing class too.
If team games weren’t your thing at school – and according to sports
organisers, there are a lot of people who report this – then university
can provide you with the chance to try them again in a different atmosphere.
As well as the uber-competitive university teams, ‘intra-mural’
leagues for sports like football, rounders and cricket involve matches between
halls or departments, and can be a more accessible way of joining in.
They can also be pretty responsive to demand – in the wake of England’s
Ashes victory, the number of male cricketers at Manchester doubled, and a female
team was formed for the first time.
Whereas individual sports tend to be too staff-intensive to be offered widely
at schools, universities are often able to provide more opportunities. These
range from badminton and tennis to more specialist activities such as martial
arts, climbing, subaqua and fencing.
In fact, if you still harbour the ambition to be an athlete but haven’t
found your niche, it may be these kind of minority sports that are worth a try.
There are unlikely to be too many others who have a head start on you, and some
students end up in competition just a few weeks after first trying the sport.
Exceptionally, it may simply be your physique that draws attention to you at
university. If you’re around 6’2”, it doesn’t matter
what sports you have or haven’t excelled at in the past – eagle-eyed
rowing club members may well invite you to join the team.
And finally, if you really don’t enjoy participating on the field, in
the pool or on the climbing wall, a lot of clubs are crying out for coaches,
organisers and referees. Getting involved in this side of things may not do
so much for your beer belly, but can look very healthy indeed on your CV.
So with so much out there to do, maybe 2006 is the time to make sport your
first New Year’s resolution which makes it intact through a whole year.
For information on what’s available at your university or
college, contact your Athletic Union or sports association. |
