September marks the return to campus for most college and university students up and down the country, excitedly meeting new people, reuniting with friends, trying new sports and, of course, returning to their studies. A pivotal part of the welcome experience for both new and returning students are welcome weeks, where students can head along to come and try sessions in sports ranging from Canoe Polo to Rock Climbing and just about everything in between.
Sport is a vital part of the student experience for many and can be an amazing vehicle to make people feel included in the student community, to benefit their physical and mental health during their studies, to help improve their motivation and to make new friends, especially for international students coming to Scotland for the first time.
Scottish Student Sport is heading towards one of the biggest years for student sport ever! We’ll be running more than 120 events across Scotland, we’re aiming to once again to have more female members than male, to increase the size and diversity of our membership through new activities and partnerships, and to empower student leaders in sport and active health every week.
We know the impact of Student sport, but we thought we’d put it out to some of our members to see what they’ve been doing on their campuses:
Kirsten Mullen, Sports, Societies, and Events Coordinator at Fife College
“This year we are hosting a month-long Freshers Festival to engage with students across all five Fife College Campuses. The event promotes our student sports clubs and encourages students to come along, meet new people, and try something new, all for free. Freshers' activities include led bike rides, a 5v5 tournament, and taster sessions for our student clubs, including boccia, badminton, basketball, yoga, and an introduction to weightlifting. The event also offers weekend outdoor activities in our local green spaces, encouraging students and the community to come together and be active outdoors.”
Ross Simpson, Assistant Director and Head of Sport at the University of Edinburgh
“Welcome week is such an important week in the life of a student, where they find their community and make friends for life. This year we saw just over 8000 new students visit Sports Fair and sign up to one of our 67 clubs, or intra-mural programmes. The sporting community is so important in helping creating that sense of belonging, and ensuring a fantastic experience while at university. The University takes a holistic approach and places a large importance on ensuring students have the time to come and try sports and visit the gym, giving them an opportunity to join and see the importance of being active.”
Murray Bushell, Sports Union President at the University of Stirling
“Fresher’s week has not disappointed as a sports president here at Stirling University. We started off with our move in and welcome party on Saturday and built up to the main event of the week, sports bazaar on Wednesday. With around 1,000 people attending on the day we had all 54 of our sports on show and all delivered in showing why new students should join their clubs.
We had demos from Pole Fitness, Badminton and Hockey to name a few, while Squash, Rowing and Tennis were all challenging the students in a variety of ways. We also had the guys from Disc Golf over to try and help integrate their sport into the university. The day was a great success and left the clubs in a great position for the Give It A Go (GIAG) period.
GIAG will be ongoing for the next two weeks and it is a chance for the students to not only try the sports but also get to know the current members within the clubs. We know that not only does sport provide physical benefits, but the social benefits of being part of a club is one of the best things about university sport.”
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