Thursday, March 28Royal Holloway's offical student publication, est. 1986

Author: Louisa Wicks

A Spotlight on Eton Fives
Sports & Socs

A Spotlight on Eton Fives

Eton Fives only officially became a club this year, and has since been gaining more and more success. I met with the club’s president, Ollie Avery, to find out more about what they do and what they’ve achieved so far. Ollie described the sport as a variation of handball, or like “squash with hands”. Essentially the aim of the game is to hit the small cork ball above a ledge on the wall and to “play a shot that the other team cannot continue”. There are usually two people on each team, but there is no referee. As it is a rather informal sport, you must discuss with the other team whether a shot was legal or not. Ollie says that this “teaches you to play the game like a human”. The informality of the club was something that Ollie emphasised; he said that you can “play at your own leisure”...
An Interview with Pole Dancing
Sports & Socs

An Interview with Pole Dancing

Pole fitness is a hugely up-and-coming activity around the world, and Royal Holloway recently added it to its lengthy list of societies. I spoke to the president of the society, Marta Barton-Navarro, to find out why she joined and why pole fitness is becoming such a popular club. Why did you join the society? I decided to join the society because it was so different and exotic compared to any other society and club. It seemed like a challenge, and once I tried it I got hooked and didn’t want to stop! What does the society do? This academic year not only have we provided Pole Fitness lessons, but we have also added aerial hoop lessons as part of the society. Also new to this year, we have competed in a competition called Inter Uni Pole Dance Competition (IUPDC), where we went to Imperia...
#ThisGirlCan Fight Back
Sports & Socs

#ThisGirlCan Fight Back

After last year’s #MeToo campaign, it is clear that women all over the world have grown tired of being silenced. The Harvey Weinstein accusations have encouraged women to share their stories and call out those responsible. But, this global movement has not just been restricted to the entertainment industry. On the 24 January 2018, a former physician for the USA Gymnastics National Team was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison after being accused by over 150 women of sexual assault. Amongst Larry Nassar’s accusers were former team members and Olympic champions including Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman and Simone Biles. But, this was not just restricted to the USA gymnastics team; Nassar was also a faculty member at Michigan State University. Similar accusations have come from students of the u...
Cheering to Victory
Sports & Socs

Cheering to Victory

2017 was an amazing year for Royal Holloway Cheerleading. After bouncing back from a difficult season in 2016, the Bears went on to win Grand Champions at the University Nationals in Birmingham last February. This year, they were aiming to continue their winning streak from a truly memorable season. On Sunday 4 February, the club gathered at Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex for their first competition of the season. As it was a relatively small competition, ICC Southerns allowed the teams to perform their routines for the first time in front of a judge’s panel. Also, there are a huge number of first years on the team this year – the Seconds Team is made up almost entirely of freshers. Southerns was an excellent introduction to the world of competitive cheerleading and was a good oppor...
Spring Term Preview
Sports & Socs

Spring Term Preview

Whilst 2017 was an exciting year for RHUL’s sports clubs and societies, 2018 could prove to be even more thrilling. As the spring term usually ends with elections and final events, the next three months will be the busiest time for many clubs. Also, the new year brings new opportunities, as students start trying out new sports. The ‘Give It a Go’ sessions took place at the start of term, ranging from swimming sessions to feminist society meetings. Also taking place in January was the 11th annual Alumni Sports Day, which involved ex-students coming back to compete against current students in a huge variety of sports. As well as the massive range of GIAG sessions at the start of term, many taster sessions will be taking place throughout February and March. For example, Chess are hosting t...
The Twelve Days of Dancemas
Sports & Socs

The Twelve Days of Dancemas

Dance Society held their Christmas Showcase on Sunday 3 December, and it celebrated everything they’ve achieved this term with a festive twist. All of the society’s classes had the opportunity to perform at the showcase – ranging from ballet to tap to lyrical, there were plenty of Christmas-themed routines to get the audience into the festive spirit. One particularly exciting number was the 1st year dance, which was a mix of different dances with a Christmas soundtrack (and a wonderful Mean Girls reference!). The huge variety of classes with different levels of difficulty meant that even complete beginners were able to join in. I was lucky enough to take part this year, despite having not done dance for nearly 15 years. Whether you were a seasoned dancer or had never danced before, there w...
Mental Health and Sport
Sports & Socs

Mental Health and Sport

One way to help improve your mental health is to get involved with a sports club or society. By getting involved with new things, such as a sport that you’ve never tried before, you will be able to meet new people and make unforgettable memories. Also, if deadlines, homesickness or just university life in general is taking a toll on your mental health, then doing exercise or doing society activities is a good way to put those worries at the back of your mind. Whether you’re at a training session or just at the gym on your own, sport can improve your self-esteem, reduce your stress levels and lower your risk of depression and anxiety – especially if you’re doing a sport that you enjoy. Royal Holloway’s sports clubs have done several events and campaigns in the past surrounding mental hea...
You Feel?
Sports & Socs

You Feel?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, one of the biggest and most successful social awareness campaigns. Breast cancer can affect each and every one of us, and groups such as Royal Holloway’s Uni Boob Team are working hard to make sure that people know about the risks. When I spoke to the society’s president, Francesca Mills, I found out what their plans and goals are for this year. First of all, can you explain what your key aims are as a society? We work with Coppafeel!, a breast cancer awareness society which works to stamp out the late detection of breast cancer in young men and women. So many young people don’t realise that they are at risk of breast cancer, and as a result they don’t feel the need to check themselves! We want to get as many people as possible regularly chec...
Introducing: Refugee Society
Sports & Socs

Introducing: Refugee Society

The newly ratified Refugee Society is the newest of the political and ideological societies on campus. According to Faithfull, it “provides students with the opportunity to help aid and support the refugee community”. She tells us that “an unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced to flee from their home. Among them 22.5 million are refugees and over half are under the age of 18”. These are the highest levels of displacement on record and the society are aiming to support in any way that they can. Refugee Society’s primary aim is to make a difference. Faithfull tells us that Royal Holloway is “lucky enough to have a student body that is truly passionate about the refugee crisis and this society allows them to turn that passion into action”. Their first so...
A Summer of Sport
Sports & Socs

A Summer of Sport

The summer of 2017 has been extremely successful, both for world sport as a whole and also for British sport. With 3 world championships in the space of a month, athletes and swimmers were able to showcase their talents to audiences in both the UK and Hungary, as well as TV viewers worldwide. Following the success of the British athletes at the Olympic Games in 2016, the world championship teams were obviously eager to keep the success going. And the world was not disappointed. World Para Athletics Championships British Athletics got off to a flying start at London Stadium, as the World Para Athletics Championships got underway. Ending the competition with an amazing 39 medals, Team GB proved that their para athletes are getting stronger every year. One of the stars of the championsh...