After the recent success of the ‘This Girl Can’ campaign in encouraging woman of all shapes and sizes to participate in different sporting activities, we took the opportunity to get hold of one of our own sports women on campus. Sylvia Rose, a member of the Hockey 1st XI, gives us an insight into what university sport entails…
Name: Sylvia Rose
Year: 4
Course: German and Spanish
(Sylvia Rose: bottom row, furthest on the left)
What does your typical week include?
A typical week for the girls begins with Monday evening training on the university pitch after Lacrosse Club. Wednesdays are of course devoted to BUCS matches followed by Thursday ‘rest day’ (read as Crisis hangover day) which allows us to recover in time for a tough fitness session on a Friday. In addition to this the girls are expected to complete individual strength and core programs to help prevent injury and improve general performance. Next year it’s hoped that this will be even more structured to bring it in line with the programs offered to teams at Birmingham, Loughborough and Durham.
But that’s not all; NULHC also fields teams on a Saturday, which play in local leagues although a few players opt instead to join Beeston HC and play in the top leagues in the country. For us Beeston girls, training is on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There’s just no rest for the wicked!
What is the best thing about playing for the 1st XI?
It’s very cliché but it is an incredible honour to represent the uni at the highest level in your chosen sport, even by final year it stills feels very special to put on the shirt and play against some of the best players in the country. So I’d say the best part about playing for the 1st XI is the pride we each take in the team performances but obviously all that stash is a definite perk too.
…and the worst?
Well all that training means refuelling is a serious business and so shopping lists tend to be on the long side! Hockey is also a big commitment and the nature of team sports of course demands that you work hard and put in the effort not only for yourself but for the rest of the team, it really requires an all or nothing attitude.
If you had to sum it up in 3 words?
Passion, pride and…getting pissed?
Edited by Mackenzie Orrock