Freshers: get stuck into sport on campus!

Now that you’ve arrived, all starry-eyed and with the whole campus at your feet, it’s integral to the whole university experience that you find some time to immerse yourself in all of the sporting goodness that the university has to offer.

With more than 50 clubs offering on-campus activities, and a whole scope of others allowing student to exit the Bubble, one can hardly complain of a lack of variety. Quidditch, aikido and horse riding are among the diverse bunch of hobbies to be taken advantage of. So too are the more mainstream options of ball games and gymnastic activities.

Aside from the many clubs open to fresh-faced members, you can also tone up and get involved with on-campus fitness programmes. A variety of entertaining yet intense cardio and strength sessions are held everyday in the sports centre, as are various courses and events, such as the infamous Zombie Run, whereby campus transforms into a ghostly and athletic playing field.

For those Freshers who relied somewhat on their sport-flooded personal statement to secure that all-important Warwick offer, then honestly, don’t quite while you’re ahead. University is the perfect setting in which to nurture such sporting careers and it can open unforeseen doors, whether that be the hallmark success of a national nude calendar or championship victories within your chosen field.

Every year, for example, Warwick clubs further their competitive edge in beating Coventry to a sporting pulp at the Varsity games. Last academic year, our clubs simply stole the show in a 63-38 triumph over our neighbours.

Around competition time, merchandise is flaunted everywhere and the heat is intensified on social media. So, if playing your part in the competition side of this spectacle isn’t your thing, then at least rally some support for the home teams and be a spectator.

Although immersing yourself among such finely tuned and high-spirited teams may seem like a daunting prospect, the talent of Warwick’s athletes really is only surpassed by their welcoming nature.

So, if you’d prefer more casual involvement with a club, or want to try your hand at something wildly different to anything that you’ve done before, the the Sports Fair is the go-to event this week. Held between 12pm and 6pm on Tuesday 30th September in the sports centre, representatives from each club will be there to entice you into their group and clear any questions you have.

The same goes for the ageing students on campus; if you missed out on the opportunity of joining a new sporting family in first year, then it’s still not too late.

Maths student Gregory Bland, who joined the Trampolining club in his second year, told Boar Sport that: “Despite joining late, the club have always been incredibly warm. I’ve had a great year training, socialising and eventually going on tour with them.

“This is the prime time to get involved and clear up any of the regrets that you have about not doing more in first year.”

Of course, it isn’t all blood, sweat and tears. If you haven’t already heard, then the social side of sport can be as alluring as the training buzz: “On Wednesdays, we circle.” Wearing the most unidentifiable and mystifying costumes, hordes of sportsmen and women gather in the Copper Rooms on Wednesday nights to engage in countless rounds of drinking games before Pop!. On this front, Robert Ryan said: “In pursuing cricket here, a sport that I already had experience in at home, I have made new memories with like-minded people.”

Finally, the mere fact that you’re reading this under the sparkly green title of ‘SPORT’ tells you that there’s an array of opportunities open in terms of contributing to the campus media teams who report and comment on the sporting action week in, week out.

Robert Bowler, the head of Warwick TV’s Sport team, added that: “I learnt so many new skills in such a short space of time, such as editing match highlights. For me, what was really surprising was just how professional everything is.

“Joining the media allows you to meet a group of people interested in sport, and of course interested in talking about sport.”

The moral of the story is, if you don’t want new companions, a catalogue of experiences, challenging targets, a team spirit or a robust physique, then go ahead and deny yourself of the complete university package.