There’s a blissful feeling on campus come this time of year.
Exam anxiety, finally at bay; the sound of budding freshers checking out what could soon be their stomping grounds for the next three-plus years, and the quintessential summer smell of freshly cut fields wafting through the air.
It’s a time for reflecting on and celebrating all the hard yards you’ve put in throughout the University year. Yet, with the Covid-stricken Semester 2 forcing numerous Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness (SUSF) sports programs to grind to a halt, you can’t help but sense that there’s unfinished business to attend to in Camperdown.
Scores remain unsettled, bragging rights unawarded, and new hobbies put on ice; it’s safe to say students are hungrier than ever to bring on 2022.
But before we do, here’s a quick recap of all that went down around our grounds.
Welcome, Goalball
With the support of NSW Goalball and Blind Sports NSW, SUSF played host to an Inclusive Sports Gala Day back in April.
It provided our community with the chance to try various sports that have been modified specifically for people with blindness or low vision. Amongst those sports was Goalball.
The event was stamped as a great success and fuelled an appetite amongst students for more opportunities to play the sport.
And so, on Wednesday, 5 May, SUSF held its inaugural Goalball Competition as part of the Interfaculty Competition. In the 80-year history of Interfaculty Sport, this was the first time for a parasport to be included.
The competition attracted close to 100 people and an incredible 11 registered teams.
A special mention to Engineering 2, who managed to secure the win.
This favourable outcome has given SUSF the confidence to continue developing inclusive initiatives and leaves us safe in assuming we’ll be seeing plenty more of Goalball on campus next year.
Residency Rivalry
Intramural Sport was one of many beloved competitions cut short due to campus closure.
In Semester 1, the Darlo Bears, Iglu, Queen Mary Building, Regiment Building, Sancta Sophia College, St John’s College, Sydney Uni Village, UniLodge, Urbanest and the Women’s College battled it out in the Welcome Week Shield, Futsal, Touch Football and Badminton fixtures.
Regiment led the charge towards victory for the Women’s competition at the halfway mark, closely followed by Iglu in 2nd place and Sancta Sophia College rounding out the top 3 spots.
And as for Men’s, Regiment was pinned as the favourite, followed by the Darlo Bears and St John’s College.
Semester 2 was set to bring the bulk of the points.
However, winners were never crowned with students flipped to online learning and community sport put on hold.
Next year’s chance to lift the Thomas Whalan (Men’s) and Liane Tooth (Women’s) Cups will be sweeter than ever before.
Limbered Up
As for short courses, SUSF added Stretch & Mobility to its impressive list of program offerings after hearing how many of our gym-goers and athletes were looking to improve their flexibility.
The Tuesday morning class saw an incredibly diverse range of participants, with students, staff and the occasional group of Sydney Uni Football Club players joining in on the sessions each week, bending and stretching in all sorts of shapes.
The Rise of Fast5
Over the years, the social netball competitions has been one of SUSF’s strongest programs. Our community simply can’t get enough of= the bib wearing sport.
The latest addition to the netball fixtures has been our Fast5 contest on Wednesday evenings.
Featuring dynamic rule changes, rolling substitutions, power plays and super shots, there was a bit of apprehension about playing this unorthodox game over our other tried and tested tournaments.
However, if this year taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected.
Fast5 ended up having a record 11 registered teams and gained a new appreciation for the shorter, faster game.
