UNIVERSITY NEWS
This sporting life
The face of university sport is changing, with students now just as likely to compete in quidditch or dragon boat racing as they are to play cricket or hockey.
Sport has always been a big part of university life, and in the early days macquarie’s students chose from the usual suspects – rugby, hockey, rowing, cricket and tennis. Daringly, for a New South Wales university, macquarie also fielded an afl team as early as 1969.
Today, it’s a different story, with sports scholars from fields as diverse as ice hockey, archery, cyclocross (cross country cycling), lifesaving, rugby, aerobics, swimming, diving, sailing, fencing, karate, athletics, rowing, waterpolo and women’s biathlon all making up Macquarie’s dynamic sporting stable.
In 2015 alone, the University is supporting 105 national and state level athletes including Olympians and national champions along with more than 45 emerging athletes.
Support for a huge range of sports and the special needs of elite athletes was reflected in Macquarie’s sporting achievements for 2014, with students competing in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and Glasgow Commonwealth Games as well as meeting with high levels of success in local team sports and university games.
While elite athletes certainly command attention, there’s also plenty to tempt other students. And in line with the changing lifestyles of Australians, people are looking outside traditional organised sports for their fun, as well as health and social benefits, according to Bill McMahon, Sport Club and Alumni Coordinator.
“With so many sports on offer, there is something to suit all abilities,” he says. “All our sports are hugely popular and growing rapidly not only with students, but with alumni too.”
“Alumni are welcome to join our sporting teams and are also eligible for a membership discount at the Sport and Aquatic Centre. There’s no excuse for not joining in the fun.”
I seem to remember a couple of clubs whose origins were in the very first years of uni who are no longer represented: mountaineering, caving… and the Macquanauts Club, still proudly going now, surely has been around awhile. Although the focus has changed from the old-school sports like rugby and cricket, it would be nice if some of the non-competitive sports were recognised.