Sport clubs raise cash for charity

Dancing: verb (literary) to move quickly and lightly. But dancing isn’t just about movement. It’s about confidence, trust, physical strength, and a firm belief in what you’re doing. It’s about being part of a team, not necessarily one that passes the ball to you or flicks you a shuttlecock, but one that relies on you to maintain the same high standards as everyone else.

Every year, an elite team of dancers hand-picked by the executive committee of the Classical and Modern Dance club (CMD) to perform at an event that is specifically aimed at raising money for Sport Relief – the charity which works in order to change lives through marathons, runs, swimming races and other sporting events up and down the country. For example, the comedian David Walliams swam the Thames earlier this year and raised over £1 million for the charity.

CMD will kick off the show, then other sports teams will display their toe-tapping talent in a dance that may or may not be themed by their own sport. Last year, clubs who had a different theme included a rather dashing dance in drag from both Men’s Football and Lacrosse.

Thus a night of daring tricks and courageous camaraderie will ensue, the likes of which can only be seen at such an event. Last year, CMD’s Sport Relief event raised a fantastic £700 for charity, a combination of the 191 tickets sold as well as raffle tickets and sweets.

This year though, the club are looking to smash all of their previous totals and raise even more for what is considered a very worthy cause. As the event is on a Friday this year (Friday 2nd December to be precise) CMD are hoping plenty of the university’s famously charitable students will attend, whether it be to support your club, watch the sexy CMD girls show the other sports teams how it’s done, or laugh at both guys and girls dressed up and dancing in ways they should never be allowed to.

This year a higher number of teams are participating, which can only increase the competition and heighten the tension as some of Warwick’s top sports teams battle it out to be crowned as champions. This year’s teams include: Warwick Sport, Rowing, Warwick Snow, Men’s Football, Women’s Football, Men’s Hockey, Women’s Hockey, Athletics, Netball, Tennis and American Football. This writer is yet to encounter a member of the American Football team, and therefore is very much looking forwards to seeing how they fare on the dance floor.

With a combination of ticket sales, a raffle, and charity wristbands sold both before and during the event itself, CMD wish to increase on the size of the donation they made last year. In order to achieve this, they need your help. Tickets this year will be £4, and the event will run from 7pm to 10pm followed by yet another laddish sport social at Top B.

So here’s what you should do. You should buy your ticket, watch some hot (and not so hot) dancing, place your vote, buy a raffle ticket, buy a charity wristband, buy that cute CMD girl that-you’ve-always-fancied-a-little-bit a nice alcoholic beverage, then proceed into Top B with her on your arm, prepared to shake your booty and get down. What have you got to lose?

**Kim Simpson**

I’m tired. I’ve pulled off my paisley tie, slung my old man slippers into the wardrobe and peeled off today’s choice of grey moustache (known as “The British Officer” if you must know).

My voice is hoarse, my hair is dusty with talcum powder and my fake glasses have marked my nose. It’s the last day of Mixed Hockey’s DRAG week, and I’m fed up. As I look back over the week, I wonder why I signed up to cross-dressing as a man for seven days, come rain or shine, postgrad open day, seminar, staff meeting or work shift.

It’s all in the name of sweet charity, and ours, Guy’s Gift, a local bereavement service for children and adolescents in Warwickshire, is definitely one that will benefit from our efforts. RAG Week at Warwick has always been a big deal; even for those not participating it’s impossible to ignore the huge banners hanging from every available railing and the buzz it creates on campus.

Warwick Mixed Hockey genuinely like to do things a little differently, and with that in mind, last year we created DRAG Week with around five members cross-dressing to try Warwick Mixed Hockey genuinely like to do things a little differently, and with that in mind, last year we created DRAG Week with around five members cross-dressing to try and raise some pennies for a worthy cause. And, let’s be honest, it’s just an excuse to play some sport in fancy dress.

We’re a club always up for a laugh, not least at our own expense, and it seemed entirely appropriate considering the tendency of some of our male members to flash some flesh. And so the boys donned some startlingly low necklines and us ladies got suited and booted to raise as much money, on and off the pitch, as we could by the following Sunday.

This year, fancy dress stashes were rummaged, fellow flatmates’ wardrobes ransacked, and the charity shops raided as we pulled together our alter-egos for the week. Just call me Phil. Laughing at some eye-watering home tailoring of hemlines and the attempts to draw on stubble with marker pen, the collecting began. Outside the library, no doubt driving the librarians insane with the same calls for spare change, we set up camp. We moved to the atrium when the through traffic slowed, looking for potential donors.

Soon I became indifferent to negative reactions and relishing in the odd chuckle from an elderly lady at the bus stop or smiles from drivers as I crossed the road. Even the White Van Men chipped in with a “Nice ‘tash, darlin’.” I lightened up. I could laugh at myself again.

The afternoon collection went well, and with heavy buckets we trooped back to the union to hand them in. The great thing about being a sports club is that you aren’t just limited to your sport, you can use your team to tackle pretty much anything. It was heartening to see that despite being in the depths of a recession, students would scrape out their purses and wallets for a cause they had, for the most part, never heard of.

For every dirty look there were ten smiles, prompted by the sight of a 22 year old woman dressed as an old, moustachioed man, casually crossing in front of their car. Other highlights have been noticing the uncanny resemblance of our President to actress Tamsin Grieg once he wriggled into his dress, and one member considering donating her cardigan to the borrower, believing he looks decidedly better in it than she does. Thus, our Sunday friendly match against Leicester was a triumph of hairy ladies and not so macho men.

The best thing about DRAG week was doing something together as a team. Within most sports societies, there is a tenacity to succeed, a dogged perseverance, and the support from and to each member. Knowing your friends will be looking just as stupid as you as you work together to help out is a pretty nice feeling.

Which, by the way, I found to be imperative in getting up in the morning to choose another moustache. “Mexican Bandit” or “French Cook”, I wonder. It really doesn’t matter, I conclude. If people think I look ridiculous, wait ’til they see the boys.

**Jess Coupe**