BUCS – The Orbital

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...

2Jun

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Sports & Socs

Horses for Courses

RHUL Riding Club is one of the fastest growing clubs at university. We run weekly riding lessons for all abilities, from complete beginners to experienced riders. For those wishing to have the chance to compete, we have 3 competitive teams which compete in BUCS leagues 4 times a year. In the past, we've had some real successes in the BUCS league, and every outing is fun and relaxed. We train locally and organise transport to and from university for the riding lessons so transport is not an issue! But we're not all work and no play! We have a relaxed social side and this year there have been more socials than ever before, including our own themes for CIYK. The aim is to keep expanding the side of the club which allows members to see each other outside of lessons. The finale to our year i...

2Jun

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Sports & Socs

Riding for Britain

Over the Easter weekend at the beginning of April, I went out to Leuven in Belgium as part of Great Britain's Student Riders Team. After winning the BUCS Nationals in 2014 and being asked to attend a trials day, I was selected to ride for GB. During Student Riders competitions, you only get five minutes to get on the horse you have drawn (having never seen it before) before having to ride a dressage test or jump a course of jumps. If you gain the best score on your horse, you qualify for the next round, with there being four dressage rounds and four jumping rounds. The first dressage round is ridden as a team with three riders competing in the arena at the same time. We did a good test but one of the other girls on my horse had previously won medals competing for Ireland, knocking me into...

6May

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Sports & Socs

Men’s Lacrosse Season Review

Previously in BUCS lacrosse leagues, the quality of a team has been based on the amount of US based or experienced players that the team has. Royal Holloway lacrosse team gained no experienced or overseas players this year and the only recruits were players who had barely heard of the sport, let alone picked up a stick. The future looked challenging for a team that had never won a piece of silverware. The entire team knew it would be an uphill battle especially with larger universities who had more players to choose from. The team began training hard each week with American coaches Brendan McCann and Jordan Boreman. Beginning their season with a win over Surrey was crucial and from there the team grew in confidence. Scores of 15-1, and 18-1 in late autumn against inferior Kent and Ports...

THE Team to Watch: RHUL Bears Basketball

26Feb

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Sports & Socs

THE Team to Watch: RHUL Bears Basketball

We haven’t quite seen a team like this. Promise and potential are on both Men’s and Women’s teams this year, and yet performance has exceeded expectations. Women’s Basketball, in the top division of the BUCS league (1A) of team sports on campus, has kept their record undefeated- not only in BUCS but in the LUSL league and the BUCS cup. Both teams have benefitted enormously from fresh talent, and three stars players have joined the club, but more importantly it is the work ethic that has changed the face of the club this year. Our bears are passionate about ball, training, gymming early, shooting hoops regardless of the weather. Our be.active sessions have been more attended than ever before and with more involvement from the club members. Even more so, the club is passionate in what they...

26Feb

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Sports & Socs

2015: Playing the Game

Bears find it hard to come back after hibernation… considering the mince pies, Christmas feasts, and New Years Eve extravaganza. Yet amidst the holiday cheer, basketball bears weren’t fooling around; 2015 has hit the ground running for both Men’s and Women’s Basketball. The ladybears started off with their first game of 2015 on the home court v. UEL (University of East London). The tables turned, as this was the first close game the girls have played all season, holding their undefeated record with large margins in all of their past games. Having beat UEL in the first half of the season by 77 points, UEL surprised RHUL with two new players. The game was a rollercoaster, up in the first half by 17, then down by 8 in the 3rd quarter, only to win 65-60. It proved one thing for the Women’s te...

26Feb

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Sports & Socs

An Update From Swimming

This year swimming has most definitely been the dark horse of RHUL sport, and it’s only just getting started. Despite being relatively unknown, the club has seemingly grown in strength-to-strength, attaining the highest intake of members in its history and gaining an ever-increasing reputation. Over first term, competitors partook in the annual BUCS Short Course Championships at Sheffield, securing the club’s most successful set of results to date, as well as boasting our very first finalist. The Southern division BUCS competition, where we ventured out to Norwich, was also a successful day of competing where the club was left within fingertip distance of being promoted up a division. This month will see our competitors once again head back to Sheffield to hopefully get their hands on som...

Women’s Football – Still Walking on Water

26Nov

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Sports & Socs

Women’s Football – Still Walking on Water

Currently undefeated and top of their BUCS league, Women’s Football’s first team faced Portsmouth in the first round of the South Eastern Conference Cup this Bears day, and were keen to maintain their winning streak! There was no question it would be a fast paced game, with right midfielder Alicia Lyne making some impressive runs down the wing, and setting up a beautiful cross for striker Flora Green making it 1-0 to Holloway in the 22nd minute! Krissie Glover set up Portsmouth’s subsequent own goal from an on point corner and went on to assist yet another Holloway goal placed neatly in the back of the net by Michelle Iversen Badiane in the second half! With Portsmouth having lost one of their best players to injury, as well as their keeper, who casually popped her shoulder back into pl...

26Nov

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Sports & Socs

#BearsDay- Rowing? Paddle-happy winners!

The rowing club, over the last few months, has had a great start to the academic year, and we are all really excited to show our potential at BUCS too. We’ve had a brilliant intake of freshers, and it’s great to see the team spirit continue from last year. We are aiming to maintain the high levels of enthusiasm as well through the frosty winter mornings we all love so much! We have been taking on more opportunities to train, work out and improve our standards. In October the senior squad competed at Cambridge Autumn Head. Both the Men's 8+ IM3 and the Women's 4+ IM3 won their category, whilst the other boats competing on the day (two more women's and one more men's boat) were able to gain very respectable times providing us with a lot of confidence for the rest of the year. Lastly, we ha...

18Nov

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Sports & Socs

#BearsDay- An update from Swimming

RHUL Swimming is a friendly club that welcomes all competitive and leisure swimmers. As a club we are constantly growing, having increased membership by 40% since last year. Our 1st competition this year happened 2 weeks ago at Surrey Sports Park against Surrey! This was our first intercollegiate competition ever, winning 4/15 races including some fun races! Here is a cheeky race video: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=384347561722051&pnref=story Last weekend swimming were in Sheffield competing at the BUCS Short Course (25m), and two weekends after that we will be in Norwich at the BUCS Team Champs competition. CIYK last month was a great success with many of the new members initiated! Recently we have acquired two sponsorships with the Monkey’s Forehead and Medicine, ...