It’s the final blog post of 2018! Only two of our teams still had matches last week. Besides showing the results of those two pool matches, this week’s blog post will introduce our Tennis club and Gaming society to you!
So, how did our Pool A & B teams’ matches last week go?
Ustinov ends the term as third to last on the College Points Table, which is a great achievement considering that we finished as second to last during the last season and were always last prior to that. And more point earning opportunities will come up next term as our volleyball, cricket, and tennis teams will gradually start having matches as well!
And so it is time to introduce our Tennis club that was just formed at the beginning of the academic year, following the Clubs & Societies Fair. Let’s hear about it from club president Jonathan Reuven:
Did you know Ustinov college had a tennis team? Over the past 3 months, members of the newly formed tennis club have been hard at work developing their skills in preparation for their upcoming matches next term. The team is made up of a mixture of players of varying skill levels; from those who have never held a racket to the recreational player all working to improve their game.
This term we have worked on basic technique as well as more complex doubles strategy, including how to move as a unit and how to play with angles in the court. We started training by learning how to hit ground strokes and have progressed through the term to learn a variety of shots including volleys and serves.
Our team welcomes players of all skill levels and interests. Regular trainings on Saturday will resume next term and I offer an invitation to any Ustinovian who has an interest in playing tennis to join.
Hopefully our hard work pays off next term when matches start and that we continue to have fun developing as players and as a team!
Let me just add that I thoroughly enjoy attending the tennis trainings whenever I have time, despite never having held a tennis racket up until three months ago. Jonathan is a fantastic coach and the entire tennis crew are a great bunch of people!
And now for an introduction of the Gaming society, the oldest of Ustinov’s current non-sports societies – brought to you by president Tim James (who is also a college mentor):
Welcome to the Ustinov College Gaming Society where we look to have some serious fun, but not to take things too seriously.
We meet every Sunday evening 7-11pm throughout the year including the summer and only have a couple of evenings off for Christmas/New Year and Easter. But if anybody is about and wants to game then they could still do so.
We are the ‘Gaming Society’ as we look to engage in a range of games from card games, board games and into roleplaying. We have a large collection of games within the society which are held in the Community Room and some roleplaying material as well.
There are a range of different board games that we have available from roll and move, worker placement, resource management, traitor, one verses all and co-operative. So there should be something to suit those who want to have simple fun, be more strategic, look to be an outright winner or work with others. The main systems that we have played in the group for roleplaying have been Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder and Call of Cthulhu. We have many games for the Society but If you have your own games and want to play those then just bring them along and I’m sure you will find others interested in giving them a go. Many members bring some of their personal collection along for others to share in the playing.
There is no real fixed way we pick what we play each week, often we just turn up, open the cupboard and decide what we want to play that week, other times we may ask on Facebook if anybody has a preference. You can find us at https://www.facebook.com/groups/507732679385384/ so feel free to have a look and ask to join.
What is good about the gaming is that you do not have to commit to attending on a regular basis and it is never too late to come for the first time. The games are new starts each week and they tend to last for 45-120mins though some games can take the whole four hours! We normally have 2-3 different games running at any one time and if you just want to come for a single game then that is fine as well.
No gaming society would be a proper society without the consumption of plenty of snacks and sweets! So there is usually a good supply of these to share out!
We are hoping to undertake a 24hr charity gaming marathon sometime next year, if this comes off I hope you will join us and support us.
So if you have not yet come along to a session or attended a few but have not returned then please do join us when you return in the New Year you will be most welcome.
Best wishes, Tim JAMES
Thank you Tim, your charity gaming marathon plans sound really interesting! I look forward to seeing how that will play out.
Finally, a special piece of advertisement: The sports reps and I have started a Team Ustinov Facebook page and Instagram (@team_ustinov) account where we will post more content in the future. Hopefully, this will encourage the entire college to engage more with our clubs and societies and give our committed teams the appreciation they deserve! Please give us a like to stay informed!
Don’t you, dear reader, also feel that time flies particularly fast in Durham? The first term is already over and Christmas just a few days away! The entire GCR committee would therefore like to wish you a very happy Christmas and a wonderful and successful year 2019.
You will hear from me again in the new year!
~ Vera, Clubs & Societies Officer
GRADUATE COMMON ROOM 