Performing sports seize the spotlight

Even the least observant student would have noticed that throughout term two anything and everything on campus was promoting #TeamWarwick. With Varsity on the horizon, this aimed to show off the sportsmen and women that would eventually overcome Coventry for the 26^th year in a row.

Yet as the dust settled on this year’s competition, three clubs who hadn’t been able to participate were putting the finishing touches to their own campaign. During the final week of term, The University of Warwick Trampoline club, Classical and Modern Dance and The Warwick Devils teamed up to show why their clubs boast a combined total of over 360 members. President of Warwick Devils Izzy Coomer gave us an insight into the thinking behind the ‘Performing Sports Campaign’.

“It was an idea we came up with to showcase our sports as ‘competition sports’ rather than ‘team-playing sports’. Trampoline, dance and cheerleading aren’t the traditional sports one would think of immediately, so we thought it would be great to show that we are also #TeamWarwick and that it’s not too late to get involved!”

We thought it would be great to show that we are also #TeamWarwick and that it’s not too late to get involved!”

“We decided to do the Performing Sports Campaign as we weren’t in the #TeamWarwick Campaign, but really liked it and wanted to show our support for it,” added Trampoline president Polly Watson. “We wanted to showcase some of the other sports at Warwick that don’t play in matches or Varsity, but instead do lots of training sessions for regular competitions throughout the academic year.”

Image: Ailsa MacLachlan

Such is the yearly hype around Varsity that some clubs spend the early months of the year wallowing in the student media spotlight, while others are forced to take a back seat. Though this is perhaps inevitable, it means that clubs such as these can be unintentionally pushed to the side.

“CMD are one of the biggest clubs on campus and the biggest dance club,” said club president Ailsa MacLachlan. “While we don’t compete every Wednesday in BUCS, we still compete in three dance competitions a year, making us, Trampolining, and Cheer just as much a part of #TeamWarwick as any other sports team.”

Nevertheless, Coomer stated that #TeamWarwick was a source of encouragement for the Performing Sports Campaign.

“Taking inspiration from the amazing sporting campaign that was started this year, we wanted to showcase that the world of competitive sports comes in a variety of styles, and competing in front of a panel of judges is how we perform our sports.”

Image: Polly Watson

“We also made our own images in the #TeamWarwick style to show our support for it, and to highlight that our campaign is an extension of that one,” explained Watson.

The three clubs collaborated throughout the week as they posted and shared each other’s profiles on social media. Each profile consisted of key information on each club, accompanied by a video. “Each club was promoted on a different day, showcasing their videos, promoting their term three sessions, and going to each other’s sessions to try out new sports,” elaborated Watson.

An added bonus of the campaign is that it strengthened ties between the three sports – something that has already laid the foundations for future partnerships.

“Working alongside Trampolining and Cheer was so beneficial for all involved, as it highlighted the ways in which we are similar, as well as the ways in which we can learn from one another in strengthening our performance in our respective sports,” noted MacLachlan, concluding that: “Being able to raise the profile of all three clubs has shown how our clubs can really work together to create a great end product that was seen in our Warwick Performing Sports Campaign.”

“I’ve come to realise how beneficial it would be for our members to get involved in both of these clubs to help with their technique, which can be translated into our cheerleading training,” added Coomer. “We put together a really nice joint campaign which has not only got our sports out there, but has helped improve relations within our sporting communities.”

Profile, partnerships, and performance. The fact that these three ‘P’s’ have all benefited from the Performing Sports Campaign is an achievement in itself, and certainly justifies the effort put in by the three clubs. “Overall the week was a real success and got people talking about our different sports,” concluded Watson. “We definitely showcased another side to sport at Warwick.”

Image: Izzy Coomer