Chairman’s Review end up at the foot of their division, the memories of winter sunrises over the river and the camaraderie of the crew will remain a joy for life. For those who are awarded Blues for representing the University, the honour and recognition will last forever. I am also delighted that the University's Planning and Resources Committee has now approved the business plan for the long-awaited Sports Centre on the West Cambridge site.The project seems to have had an unusually long gestation period even by Cambridge standards. According to Dr. John Marks, Life Fellow of Girton College and devotee of University sport, it was already being discussed when he was first in Cambridge in the aftermath of the Second World War. Interest in and support for the project has grown in the intervening years, and it is now recognised that the need for a Sports Centre has become pressing.The new Centre will be built on the West Cambridge site, a short cycle ride from the existing athletics and hockey facilities at Wilberforce Road. We hope to have Phase 1 open in time for the start of the 2013/14 academic year, with Phases 2 and 3 following when funds allow. This can only help to generate even greater enthusiasm for and participation in sport at all levels across the University. I am delighted with the breadth and depth of commitment to University sport demonstrated in this Annual Review. Enthusiasm for and participation in sport contributes greatly to the richness of academic life in Cambridge. It is not just that, as all the evidence shows, a brain works much better and for longer if it lives in a fit and healthy body. From college-level Bumps and Cuppers competitions to the Varsity Match and the Boat Race, watching and participating in sport binds the community together and helps it reach out to the world. While college-level sport allows students (and the occasional enthusiastic post-doc or Fellow) to relax and make friends, serious participants in University-level sport acquire time- and projectmanagement skills which enhance their academic achievements and are much sought after in the increasingly competitive graduate jobs market. Even for those who go down four places in the Bumps and
2 Sports Yearbook 2011
This Review is a record and a celebration of a year of impressive sporting achievement and I congratulate all those whose names appear here and hope that many others will be inspired to take part and compete in the future.