Just two weeks to go until Christmas and the weather keeps getting colder, but still no snow in Durham. But if you want to get into the Christmas spirit, why not head to Ustinov bar and have a cup of their tasty mulled wine amidst the beautiful decoration?
Many Ustinov teams had their final matches of 2018 this past week. Let’s check out the results!
It was not the best week for Ustinov and as a result we have now dropped down to the third to last place on the college points table, just one point below Stephenson. However, one event from the past weekend gives rise to hope that we can climb again next term… but more of that further below!
And now it is time to learn about the Ustinov Drama Society that was just started at the beginning of this term. President Joel Lopez introduces the society to you:
The Ustinov Drama Society meets every weekend for lessons about basic skills for anybody who wants to be on stage. During this term we learned how to know better our body and the basics for voice projection and improvisation. The teachers are Georgios (Greece), Ana and Joel (Mexico). The three of them were part of different drama companies or projects before coming to Durham. The exercises done during the lessons are developed to allow you to explore the limits of your body and find creative ways to express yourself. In every lesson we learn something new and, the most important part, we have fun!
Thank you Joel, hopefully we will eventually see a performance by the Drama Society! If you are interested in joining, feel free to contact eduardo.j.lopez-torres@durham.ac.uk.
Did you know that Ustinov has a Volleyball team? It was formed after the Clubs & Societies Fair at the beginning of the term. Since the inter-college volleyball league only starts in the second term, the members of our new team had plenty of time to train and get used to each other this term. Let’s hear from captain Ale Guillen how things have been going:
Hi there! I am Ale, Ustinov volleyball team captain. I would like to start with a warm invitation to all Ustinovians who would like to play volleyball next term. We’re still going to have trainings and also matches during the weekends in a college tournament. So, if you would like to give volleyball a try you can train with us, participate at the tournament and of course meet very friendly and nice people. During this term we had our trainings every Sunday where we prepared ourselves for our next volleyball conquest. Here a bit of what we practice this year:
We started practicing defense and service, as they are essential skills to have in a match:
Further trainings we focused on the attack, learning the technique and practicing how to attack effectively:
By the end on each training we had friendly matches 4v4 where we had lots of fun and good exercise as well:
And to finish this term, Team Durham organised a friendly college tournament last Sunday morning at Maiden Castle. We’re very happy to share that we won every single match of the first round. After this, we had our semifinal match with St Mary’s college where we were a bit nervous to be honest. We weren’t expecting get that far, we were just having fun and doing our best. And we won! The team had a really nice bonding and we got to the final vs Van Milderts A team. The last match was just until 20 points because we were lacking of time in the court. But even though we had a smaller court to get used to and less time to play, we did our best and… won 20-13 ! Congrats to all the members of Volleyball Society, we did a really nice teamwork !
So we’re ready to conquer next term tournament and keep Ustinov’s championship!
Comments from the team:
- We thoroughly enjoyed our first and initial volleyball session under the guidance of our supreme leader Ale.
- When we started our training initially, we hardly knew each other, as we came to Durham from different parts of the world. As times passes, we trained systematically and professionally every week; the bonding/coordination become stronger and stronger. As a result, well, we are the champion of the Durham friendly volleyball tournament.
- We are very much looking forward to the upcoming session.
Well done guys, I’m so proud of you! When I stopped by at Maiden Castle on Sunday to watch one of your matches, it was easy to see that you all work together very well. Can’t wait to watch more of your matches and celebrate more of your victories next term!
As the term comes to an end, there are only two more matches left to play this week:
I spent the last week playing in three matches and watching two others and will probably suffer from heavy withdrawal symptoms over the Christmas break. But I already know my New Year’s resolution: watch even more Ustinov matches!
Last week I also had a meeting with the two Sports Reps and next week we will meet with the captains and presidents of all Ustinov clubs and societies. There are some plans afoot… but more of that in next week’s blog post!
Have a good final week of term and enjoy the Christmas Formal on Thursday and Silent Disco on Friday!
~ Vera, Clubs & Socs Officer
GRADUATE COMMON ROOM 