Sports & Socs – Page 7 of 22

10Oct

By Phoebe HaganNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Top 5 Reasons To Join Insanity Radio

Starting university means you have to make a lot of decisions. Which halls you want to live in, what course you want to study - the list goes on. Equally as important a decision is, out of the huge range of them, what sports club, society, or media outlet you choose to join. With so many options out there, from improvised comedy to trampolining, it can be hard to decide, so as Insanity Radio's Head of Music, I'm here with the Top Five Reasons why you should seriously consider joining Royal Holloway's very own radio station, Insanity Radio. 1 - If you like music, you're in the right place. As Head of Music, I'm in charge of the weekly playlists that go out across the station - but if you're into a particularly niche genre or period of music, or feel, like me, that punk music from 197...

Interview: Callum Pardoe takes the Reigns of Holloway Players

9Oct

By Olivia DuckworthNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Interview: Callum Pardoe takes the Reigns of Holloway Players

Today we sit down with Callum Pardoe, who this year has taken on the role as the Holloway Players Representative with Drama Society. We spoke to Callum, who is going into his second year at Royal Holloway, about all things Improv and what to him makes The Holloway Players the crazy, talented group of performers they are. What persuaded you to join the Holloway Players last year? I'd always wanted to get into improv and after seeing the Players perform at the Drama Society Taster sessions I was dead set on working with them. I thought to myself 'these are the most hilarious people I've ever seen in life! I have to get to know them!' What are your highlights from last year? Last year had its fair share of highlights for me but if I had to pick one it would have to be performing i...

9Oct

By Amal AbdiNo Comments

Sports & Socs

What is the Harry Potter Society?

How would you describe your society to anyone wanting to join? We are a friendly society, who promote a warm and supportive atmosphere. We just chill, hang out and are connected through our mutual appreciation for Potter. What are your highlights from last year? The main highlight from last year was several of our members appearing on Children in Need, due to our fundraising for Lumos. The studio tour trip was also incredible- we broke the SU page and tickets sold out in 12 minutes. What level of fan do you need to be to join Harry Potter society – do you think casual fans would enjoy the society just as much as hardcore Potterheads? 100%! One of our aims for this year is to make the society as inclusive as possible. All of our content is related to Harry Potter, but the...

8Oct

By Rachel HainsNo Comments

Sports & Socs

The Fencing Club

As a society, you were shortlisted for BUCS Club of the Year last year. Is it safe to say it has been a successful year? Definitely, our place on the shortlist was the icing on the cake of a brilliant year. Before winning club of the year and the Sophie Christiansen award at colours ball we ran a multitude of events outside of fencing and even took a group to Paris for the X-Systra fencing challenge. Members of our committee have also become increasingly involved with the sport beyond the university scene. Our fantastic Women’s team also celebrated a perfect season, conceding no matches and taking home the cup! You clearly have some talented members, but can people with less experience join? Of course! We are working on a new beginner’s course for the new year to make the club eve...

Interview: Labour Society President, Maliha Reza

8Oct

By Becca BashfordNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Interview: Labour Society President, Maliha Reza

To start, could you sum up the aims that are at the heart of your society? As a political society, our main aim is to unite socialist voices across Royal Holloway to inspire positive change, both on campus and beyond. It’s important for there to be student representatives of the Labour Party on campus as it is students who can go on to inspire many policies and changes. Is there anything your society is planning for the coming year that you are particularly excited about? On campus, we are planning to run guest speaker events featuring MPs to Political Journalists, these are always exciting and insightful. For off-campus trips, we are planning to attend events at the Houses of Parliament and panelled discussions held there- it’s a good way to feel more involved with the party and a g...

31Jul

By Louisa WicksNo Comments

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”...

7Jul

By Samantha DavisNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Dancing To Victory

It’s hard to deny that this year has been great for sporting achievements across the Royal Holloway sport societies. Dance Society in particular have had an incredible run of competitions, achieving more wins than students can remember achieving since the society was set up. This year started off with a bang on Saturday 25 November when the Wildcard dancers won first place at Kings College London. This champion routine was expertly choreographed for this competition by Emily Coombes. The winning streak continued as Dance Society came away from their competition on December 7 with six dance numbers coming away with top three placings. The contemporary dance, ‘Death Row’, choreographed by Marie de Rooy and Ashley Parry achieved first place alongside the Tap piece, ‘Tribal Beats’, choreogra...

7Jul

By Louisa WicksNo Comments

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...

9Mar

By Louisa WicksNo Comments

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...

24Feb

By Samantha DavisNo Comments

Sports & Socs

Insanity Radio’s 20th Anniversary

Whether you’re an avid listener who tunes in every week to catch your favourite shows, or someone who just enjoys the music whilst relaxing with a bubble tea in Imagine, Insanity Radio is undoubtedly an integral part of being a student at Royal Holloway. However, the radio station will take an even greater spotlight throughout campus in the upcoming weeks as its long-anticipated 20th birthday celebrations commence. Insanity Radio aired under its current name for the first time back in 1998 on FM but under a Restricted Service License. Broadcasting was originally done from a spare room in the Founder’s Building, but was then forced to move into the Queen’s Annexe a year later. Despite the move only meaning to be short term as the Annexe building was only meant to be a temporary addition ...