University Sports - Ask Away

[Michael]

Quoting Gladys from 19:47, 31st Jul 2006
Are there any clubs that you can join for beginners ? I don't really do any sports so is it okay to join clubs as total beginners and not feel akward?

May I suggest Korfball!

I had never heard of the sport in September when I started University but went along with a friend to the trial sessions in freshers week and really enjoyed it!
It's a mixed-sex sport with similarities to netball and basketball but of course much more fun than those [img]littleicons/yellowtounge.gif[/img]!

As it's a bit of an obscure sport, none of the members played before they came to St Andrews so it's not hard to get to a level where you can compete for a first team place if that's what you want.

Also, the people are the nicest bunch you'll ever meet! Any new members would be made very welcome!

If you want more info about the sport or the club, take a look at http://www.sakc.co.uk

If you've any more questions, just sign up to the forum on there and ask away! We'll be at the Sports Fayre and will have trial seesions in freshers week!

[cberry]

Quoting DrAlex from 15:40, 5th Aug 2006
I'm not exactly a new student, but I still have a question for my elected official. What's changing, if anything, to the AU Sport Centre's pricing structure for members? If I may voice an opinion which I'm sure is widespread, if not the majority, the current system of paying a fee and then paying each time I wish to use the gym is, for lack of a better description, stupid.

If I were asked to make a suggestion, I would ask if it were possible to introduce two pricing structures. One for regular gym users to pay a fee upfront (somewhere in the £30-50 per semester region) for unlimited use of the CV, weight and conditioning rooms, charges applying to gymnasia, tennis courts and fields. Then a second for more occasional and team users where a charge is made on every use of the facilities and perhaps a lesser charge (£5-10) is made upfront for administration.

Hmm?

[hr]

"Listen to DrAlex."-Polli
http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37100343

I am your elected official, however under the current system I have little/no say in the matter of Sports Centre pricing. Currently the Department of Sport and Exercise exists as a separate entity to the Athletic Union, with the DSE being charged with running the sports centre and compromised solely of staff and having no student representation. Sports Centre Fees are determined by the University Court by recommendations by the DSE- the court, mind you, is a body I do not even sit on.

Luckily this whole mess of a system will be changing soon. The DSE and the AU will be merging over the next few years to create the Institute for Sport. Instead of having a staff-run body and a student-run body, the Institute will be 50-50, with every committee meeting having equal representation. The AU will benefit from the continuity of staff members, and the AU (and students) will benefit massively by having an equal say in everything related to the sports centre. So in a few years expect to see a much more student-friendly Sports Centre. Many changes will happen over this next year, however others changes (including pricing) may take a bit longer.

But lets not get distracted- this thread is for freshers! Please ask more questions!

Chris

[Jaspar]

What about football? I very much enjoy playing it, but I doubt I'm good enough for one of the proper teams at the university. Are there teams for less good but equally enthusiastic people?

[cberry]

Quoting Jaspar from 01:23, 6th Aug 2006
What about football? I very much enjoy playing it, but I doubt I'm good enough for one of the proper teams at the university. Are there teams for less good but equally enthusiastic people?

There are plenty of opportunities to play football. There is both a mens and a womens football club, with the men fielding 3 teams and the women fielding 1. As of September all 4 teams will recieve coaching from Dundee United, who use our facilities as their training centre. Both of our 1st teams will be competing in the highest BUSA league in Scotland.

There are also a number of intra-mural leagues. The flagship is the Carnegie Sunday League, which involves 25-30 teams split into 3 divisions. The league runs from September till March, and is then followed by a cup. There is also a number of shorter six-a-side leagues which run mid-week and also a weekend competition during summer term. Outside of these leagues, you should find plenty of people up for a kick-around, so there is no shortage of football opportunities.

Chris

[starsandsparkles]

But lets not get distracted- this thread is for freshers! Please ask more questions!

Chris

Stupid question - iIs there a trampolining club/society? Or is it part of gymnastics or are there no facilities at all?

[cberry]

Quoting starsandsparkles from 23:59, 6th Aug 2006

But lets not get distracted- this thread is for freshers! Please ask more questions!

Chris

Stupid question - iIs there a trampolining club/society? Or is it part of gymnastics or are there no facilities at all?

There is a trampoline club, however there is no gymnastics club. The club was voted 'Athletic Union - Most Improved Club' for this past academic year. The club has both competitive and non-competitive members, and trains twice weekly. More information on the club can be found by emailing trampoline@st-andrews.ac.uk or by visiting http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~bounce/index.htm

Chris

[Thalia]

But lets not get distracted- this thread is for freshers! Please ask more questions!

Not to sound negative or anything, but you would think that whether or not they want to spare the cash they need to pay membership for the sports centre and then also pay for all the societies that they want to join, would actually be quite relevant to the freshers?

[hr]

The shadow proves the sunshine...

...And I am a Sinner Goddess.

[cberry]

Quoting Thalia from 15:24, 8th Aug 2006

But lets not get distracted- this thread is for freshers! Please ask more questions!

Not to sound negative or anything, but you would think that whether or not they want to spare the cash they need to pay membership for the sports centre and then also pay for all the societies that they want to join, would actually be quite relevant to the freshers?

[hr]

The shadow proves the sunshine...

...And I am a Sinner Goddess.

I just didn't want to weigh freshers down with the tedious details of University politics. Also note that not all AU clubs require Sports Centre Membership, only members of those clubs which hold sessions on University facilities need to pay the membership fee.

[Elizabeth]

Hi,
I play polo and compete in dressage and I'm learning how to jump (right now I'm at about 2'3"). I would like to join both clubs and try out for both teams but I was wondering if there is a time conflict. I noticed that both clubs meet at the same time and was wondering if this was a problem.
Thanks alot,
Elizabeth

[starsandsparkles]

There is a trampoline club, however there is no gymnastics club. The club was voted 'Athletic Union - Most Improved Club' for this past academic year. The club has both competitive and non-competitive members, and trains twice weekly. More information on the club can be found by emailing trampoline@st-andrews.ac.uk or by visiting http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~bounce/index.htm

Chris

Not interested in gymnastics (I'm not flexible enough) but I love trampolining so yay. Thank you

[Allan]

Quoting Gladys from 19:47, 31st Jul 2006
Are there any clubs that you can join for beginners ? I don't really do any sports so is it okay to join clubs as total beginners and not feel akward?

Hi, the canoe club which I have been involved in is fine for beginners - infact most people who start are probably beginners (or there or there abouts), I woud imagine most clubs are the same.

[cberry]

Quoting Elizabeth from 00:41, 8th Aug 2006
Hi,
I play polo and compete in dressage and I'm learning how to jump (right now I'm at about 2'3"). I would like to join both clubs and try out for both teams but I was wondering if there is a time conflict. I noticed that both clubs meet at the same time and was wondering if this was a problem.
Thanks alot,
Elizabeth

Elizabeth,

Many people compete on two or more teams, even in sports that conflict. It may require a bit of a balancing act, and occasionally you might have to pick one over the other, but I doubt there would be a problem in competing in both sports. The best thing to do is to contact the clubs and ask them:

standrewspolo@yahoo.co.uk

ridingclub@st-andrews.ac.uk

http://www.standrewspolo.co.uk/

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~riding/

Chris

[hcp4]

[s]Quoting Elizabeth from 00:41, 8th Aug 2006
Hi,
I play polo and compete in dressage and I'm learning how to jump (right now I'm at about 2'3"). I would like to join both clubs and try out for both teams but I was wondering if there is a time conflict. I noticed that both clubs meet at the same time and was wondering if this was a problem.
Thanks alot,
Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth!

Our weekly Tuesday meetings for the Riding Club are mainly of a social kind, not compulsory but very nice to attend. We organise training times then but there are other ways to do that as well. Our captain does teaching for the Polo Club, so there is no major clash as far as I can see. You could come half an hour later, or every second week or so. There should be no problem.

I do not know when the training sessions for Polo are. Our teams usually train on Wednesdays. But most riders in the Riding Club are not in the team and therefore very flexible with training times.

I don't think trying out for both teams is a problem. I can only speak for Riding, but we are all quite flexible.

Hope that helps and looking forward to meeting you in September!

Heiko (President Riding)

[trampoline]

Hello!

Our training sessions are on Sunday 6-8pm and Thursday 8-10:30pm. Everyone is welcome, whether you’ve been bouncing for years or if this is your first time. We compete in University Competitions and generally have loads of fun, especially at our socials! If you have any questions please email us on trampoline@st-andrews.ac.uk. So why not come along, and give it a go? Hope to see you there!

Stari, Trampoline Club Captain

[cberry]

The full list of sports offered through AU Clubs. Starred sports have seperate Mens and Womens clubs, all others are Mixed. Mixed clubs usually field seperate Mens and Womens teams.

Aikido
Archery
Athletics (Track & Field for the Americans)
Badminton
Basketball*
Boat (Crew)
Boxing
Canoe
Clay Pigeon
Cricket*
Cross Country
Cycling
Dance
Fencing
Football* (Soccer)
Golf*
Hockey* (Field Hockey, not Ice)
In-Line Hockey
Judo
Ju-Jitsu
Karate
Korfball
Lacrosse
Life Saving
Mountaineering
Netball
Riding
Rifle
Rugby*
Sailing
Shinty*
Ski & Snowboard
Sky Diving
Squash
Sub Aqua (Scuba Diving)
Swimming
Table Tennis
Tennis
Taekwondo
Trampolining
Ultimate (Ultimate Frisbee)
Volleyball
Waterpolo
Windsurfing

If you have any question on any of these clubs please do ask!

Chris

[Elizabeth]

Thanks Heiko,
That's very helpful. It sounds like I'll be able to work something out.
I'm looking meeting you in september.
Thanks alot,
Elizabeth

[Guest]

Cool, from the list I see there is a clay pigeon club, do they only participate in clay pigeon shooting or do they also offer shooting of wild game birds?

Do the club have their own shotguns, or would I need to take my own? I can imagine taking my gun across would be a bit of a nightmare with needing to get a visitors permit and all the hassle involved in storing the weapon.

With regard to the Polo club, how much does it cost to play regularly on top of the £20 membership costs?

Thanks
Axel

[cberry]

The Clay Pigeon Club shoot clay pigeons as part of their club activities, however a number of members shoot game birds outside of the club activities. By joining the club you would likely find plenty of shooting opportunities.

I'll try to get the Clay and the Polo captain to put up some more details.

Chris

[william]

Hi,
We shoot every Wednesday and Saturday during term time. We have our own shotguns but some members prefer to use their own. They are good guns, mainly Berretta 686 models.

It is a fun club to be a member of and we also hold internal and external competitions. With teams going to BUSA, the National Uni comp and Hull. We also hold our own competition called the St Andrews Challenge; it attracts universities from across the UK.

The club website is at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~clayclub


Look forward to seeing you in September.

I am also involved in the Fly Fishing Club its website is at:
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~flyfish

Thanks,
William
Vice President

[Guest]

Hi,
We shoot every Wednesday and Saturday during term time. We have our own shotguns but some members prefer to use their own. They are good guns, mainly Berretta 686 models.

It is a fun club to be a member of and we also hold internal and external competitions. With teams going to BUSA, the National Uni comp and Hull. We also hold our own competition called the St Andrews Challenge; it attracts universities from across the UK.

Look forward to seeing you in September.

Thanks,
William
Vice President

Quoting cberry from 11:29, 14th Aug 2006
The Clay Pigeon Club shoot clay pigeons as part of their club activities, however a number of members shoot game birds outside of the club activities. By joining the club you would likely find plenty of shooting opportunities.

I'll try to get the Clay and the Polo captain to put up some more details.

Chris