Blending competition and camaraderie: Mixed Hockey host successful Rock Up and Play tournament

On Sunday 28 April, the University of Warwick Mixed Hockey Club hosted a Rock Up and Play (RUAP) tournament involving six University of Warwick societies who tried their hand at hockey in a social environment.

The round-robin tournament saw all six teams playing each other once and concluded with an intense final between BioSoc and ChemSoc, where ChemSoc emerged victorious.

While the event was a new undertaking for Mixed Hockey, it was excitingly successful. The competitive atmosphere that the societies brought was perfectly balanced with the sociality of the tournament; the combination of these factors created some fantastic hockey whilst also establishing newfound connections between the societies.

Prior to the tournament, there was a half hour of training run by Mixed Hockey’s Training Secretaries. During this, basic hockey rules and skills were practiced.

The eagerness of all participants was a surprise to us all; they wasted no time getting stuck into the organised passing drills. The reluctance and apprehension of players was originally a concern for the Mixed Hockey Exec, but we were immediately proved wrong by how participants threw themselves into the game.

While the abilities of players ranged from complete beginner to intermediate, it was a dynamic that worked perfectly as it allowed the first timers to be supported by their more experienced peers.

The club hopes that this tournament cemented the idea that hockey is a sport which can be played at many different intensities and be universally enjoyed, irrespective of interests and ability

When it came to the tournament, copious amounts of encouraging directions could be heard from the sidelines as all teams helped the lesser experienced players get a feel for the sport.

Participating in the tournament were BioSoc, ChemSoc, Warwick STAR, Barbell Society, BandSoc, and Big Band. The compatibility of people with such a diverse array of interests was immediately apparent and made the tournament distinctly conversational as opposed to solely hockey orientated. This is the aim of RUAP as a concept: to highlight that hockey can be convivial as well as intense.

Much of the feedback Mixed Hockey received after hosting the tournament was centred around the lack of sociality participants had felt playing hockey in school, and how their participation in RUAP had reinvigorated an enjoyment for the game that is commonly lost in high-intensity environments.

Subsequently, part of the success of the tournament can be attributed to the fact that Mixed Hockey operates in a university environment which is run by students who have felt rejected by a sport they once enjoyed. It is why we as a club decided to push an inclusive and social notion of hockey.

There is something innately special about seeing academic, artistic, and sporting societies share an afternoon with joint ardour. It is an enthusiasm Mixed Hockey want to carry into our weekly RUAP sessions which occur on a Thursday from 5pm to 6pm at Westwood pitches. These sessions can be attended by all; they are free, and no club membership is required.

The club hopes that this tournament cemented the idea that hockey is a sport which can be played at many different intensities and be universally enjoyed, irrespective of interests and ability.