UNI! UNI! UNI! These are the three words that best sum up the Leeds University crowds on Wednesday 4th October 2012! Yes, it was Varsity 2012: the ultimate battle of the sports between Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan, in what can only be described as an epic fight for the winning title. Imagine the team rivalry with the opposing sides keen to prove themselves, doing all they can to obtain the winning cup!
It’s an event that, since its launch just seven years ago, has become the sporting event of the uni year. As it takes place just one month into the first semester, any Freshers have to prove themselves fast! The highlight of the day is always the intense and gripping rugby match at the Headingley stadium that sees both students and general fans swarm to the stands to cheer on their side. This year, the results meant more than ever before as, just before kick-off, the commentator announced that with only five results left to come in, the score was 28-28! This meant that both teams had to work harder than ever to try and push for glory. Eventually, after an extremely tough match, Leeds University won, bringing the overall score to 30-30, closing Varsity 2012 on a draw!
Photo source: The Edge Facebook page
Now you may be wondering what the other events are. Well, there are in fact several sports for both men’s and women’s events, ranging from swimming to hockey to bouldering! Several hundred athletes compete in an attempt to help their university claim the ‘champion’ status! It always seems to be the boys who get most of the glory, but what about the fine female athletes that could likely give the guys a run for their money? This can be seen from how close the women’s matches all sports were. Girl Power is a bit of an understatement!
The female players don’t seem to receive anywhere near as much credit as the guys do: although the rugby is said to be the highlight, what about the netball, hockey, tennis, lacrosse, swimming, football and other sports that the women do? Who’s to say they won’t score better than the men? In fact, there is even a women’s rugby team! Thankfully, the women’s teams taking part in Varsity are getting bigger and better every year and an increasing number of girls are putting themselves forward to defend their university! Let’s hope that this continues so that one day, the same outcome may come about for the women’s team at the Leeds Rhino’s home ground!
Photo source: leedsstudent.org
You may still be thinking, “Being quite honest I’m not all that interested in sport”, and perhaps you don’t get what all the fuss is about. Well, I will give you one other reason to get excited, and believe me, you’ll be pushing to the front row at Headingley stadium come rain or shine next year!
Have you seen the bodies of those players? Hello Mr Muscle! Many of the rugby players can be described in no other way than ‘hench’! There are also the other sports to consider as well! Swimming and water polo are two examples: girls, say hello to the six packs! (Now you know where I spent Varsity 2012)! Then there’s the football, hockey, basketball, and tennis where the guys are running around getting hot and sweaty – they’ll obviously need to cool down by taking off their polo shirts! If this isn’t the case, then don’t fear, because their shorts will undoubtedly be showing off their legs! Are you now wondering why you ever considered sport to be boring?
Photo source: leedsmet.ac.uk
Of course, the other perk to sitting on the side-line is that sportsmen often need to celebrate, and who better to pick up and hug than the gorgeous girl sitting observing the match? (Not on purpose at all)! You can position yourself, ever so conveniently, in the right place ready for their victory celebrations, or if you have gone to support the losing side, you can be there to console them. Either way, it’s a win-win situation for you as long as you don’t mind the fact that your man may be muddy or sweaty. Then again, will you honestly be that bothered? The chances are that you will most likely have to suffer the rain: October is never pleasant! However, for the thrill and anticipation, everyone sits inside during the day waiting to see who will win. It’s worth it!
Photo source: article.wn.com