Palatinate 719 Locker Room

THE LOCKER ROOM ISSUE TWO Tuesday 22nd June 2010

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ALSO INSIDE

Maiden Castle’s latest look and Queen’s campus new facilities Team Durham’s BUCS campaign reviewed Sportsman and Sportswoman of the year Team Durham in the community Latest BUCS Tables

Gabby Logan talks about the World Cup, life at Durham and her career

02 EDITORIAL

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

3-4: BUCS Review

6-7: Gabby Logan Interview

8-9: Palatinate Ball

10: Facilities

11: Community Work

Quentin Sloper gives us his thoughts on another successful BUCS campaign for Team Durham and his hopes and aims for next year.

Rajvir Rai catches up with Gabby Logan to talk about the World Cup, her time at Durham and being a woman in a male dominated industry.

The Locker Room was present at the magnificent Palatinate Ball and reflects on a memorable night and the achievements of all those honoured.

Rich Lowe-Lauri on how Maiden Castle and Queen’s Campus will look after their overhaul and the effect this will have on sport in Durham.

Alex Dibble explores the impact that Durham students are having in the local community and the reasons to get involved.

Mixed Emotions

Editorial Board

Editor in Chief Rajvir Rai sport@palatinate.org.uk

Senior Writers Rich Lowe-Lauri Alex Dibble deputy.news@palatinate.org.uk Ellie Middleton-Ross Delaney Chambers deputy.sport@palatinate.org.uk

Head of Photography Jonny Allen photography@palatinate.org.uk Deputy Photography Delaney Chambers

Chief Sub-Editor Louise Quarmby sub-editing@palatinate.org.uk

Designed by: Rajvir Rai Cover Image: Provided by Logan Group

Special Thanks to: Matt Richardson Vincent McAviney Jodie Smith Mei Leng Yew BBC Press Office GSS Architecture Space and Design Architecture Steve Bowbrick Peter Warburton Quentin Sloper Bernie Williams Gabby Logan Alex Rowland

Rajvir Rai The Locker Room Editor in Chief

This is a somewhat awkward piece to write because, while I am delighted and proud to be penning my thoughts on the second edition of The Locker Room, I am saddened by the fact that this will also be my last editorial as Sport Editor.

I still remember nervously submitting my first ever article for Palatinate three years ago and I sincerely encourage anyone with a passion for journalism, or even those just wanting to try something new, to get involved with Palatinate.

I am not in a position to comment on other student newspapers, but I firmly believe that Palatinate is a great place to learn those vital skills that will give you the necessary foundations for a successful career in the media industry.

Moreover, I have been fortunate enough to meet and work with some great people, of whom there are too many to name individually, over the last three years. The fact that constitutionally, editors of Palatinate

are only appointed for one term coupled with the high turnover of writers, photographers and section editors means that the publication is highly dynamic. This can sometimes lead to a lack of continuity, but it also means that with so many different people, one cannot help but acquire new skills and ideas. Hence, for this reason, I sincerely believe that student journalism is a worthwhile experience.

Palatinate, for various reasons, has yet to achieve the national recognition that it deserves, but I am 100% sure that such success is only round the corner.

I would like to think that in The Locker Room, I have created a supplement that improves the overall quality of Palatinate and helps it gain the success it so merits. I hope that my successor, whoever that maybe, can make The Locker Room a regular part of Palatinate and if I was doing a masters at Durham, I would attempt to make it something that can rival Indigo.

Trying to produce a high quality supplement in the midst of post-exam euphoria is a difficult task, so I would like to say a huge

thanks to everyone who has helped with the second edition of The Locker Room.

Having set the bar so high with our inaugural edition, trying to maintain such standards has been challenging, but I thoroughly believe, all things considered and under the circumstances, we have an issue that we can be proud of.

In the last issue, the spotlight was very much on college sport and so this time around, we have consciously tried to focus on other areas.

Team Durham has again had another successful year and so it is right to acknowledge this. The annual Palatinate Ball, meanwhile, is a great night where the achievements of our most successful athletes are rightly celebrated.

There is more to Team Durham than just successful teams and individuals, however, and this can be seen by the fact that countless individuals sacrifice their own time to volunteer in various community projects, and this is something that definitely deserves more coverage.

Arguably though, the most important

issue regarding sport in Durham is the revamping of our facilities and we felt it was important to inform our readership of the consequences of such change.

Those who have been watching the BBC’s coverage of the World Cup will understand why I was so delighted to be able to interview Gabby Logan. The fact that many people are unaware that the first lady of the BBC is a Durham graduate means that Logan had a certain appeal than some of the University’s other famous alumnus lack.

Finally, I would like to stress that we want to write articles that interest you, our readership, as ultimately it is your opinions that count and without you there would be no need for Palatinate or The Locker Room.

With this in mind, I would like to urge everyone to get in contact with their views – whether positive or negative – about this edition of the The Locker Room and the sport section of Palatinate as a whole.

Please do get in touch at sport@palatinate.org.uk

The difference is that we all compete

Vincent McAviney Palatinate Editor in Chief

The ‘Durham Difference’ is a phrase the University marketing department like to band around at every opportunity. But what is this difference and do we actually GET INVOLVED have it?

I first came to Durham on a snowy April Do you have a passion for sport? Fan- day in 2006. I had never even been to the cy a career in journalism?

North-East, let alone Durham, but the day If so, please do e-mail us sport@ before receiving my final university offer I palatinate.org.uk as we are always chose Durham on the spur of the moment. looking for new writers.

The next day I ventured up North with my father; as the embankment disappeared and the city was revealed to me on the train for the first time, I felt like I had made the YOUR THOUGHTS right choice. The open day surpassed my Please do e-mail us at sport@palati- expectations and I left Collingwood for the nate.org.uk with any criticisms, ad- first time feeling happy with the imprompvice or general feedback. tu decision I had made.

THE LOCKER ROOM Tuesday 22nd June 2010

As I headed back to the train station to return home, I saw a crew out rowing on the river from the taxi. My experience of rowing up until that point had only gone as far as watching the annual Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race but I decided that if I managed to get my grades for Durham, I would take up rowing in the September.

Now, taking up a new sport is always a funny thing when you get a bit older. Had I gone to any other university and tried to join the rowing team, I doubt I would have even gotten to sit in a boat. But the college system means we can all try an incredible array of sports and participate at a level that suited our ability.

In his book ‘Notes From a Small Island’ our Chancellor Bill Bryson described the Durham as the ‘perfect little city’. He was travelling on a train to Edinburgh and on

the spur of the moment decided to alight at Durham after being bowled over by the view from his carriage. He happened to visit on a Wednesday afternoon and was perplexed to have entered a city surrounded by sweaty students trapsing around in muddy sports kit.

Though many others universities also give their students this dedicated time to sport, Durhamites participate in far greater numbers. The collegiate system, which should be defended and augmented as much as possible, fosters a great competitiveness which spurs this high participation rate.

With ever-rising obesity rates due to a poor national diet and less youth uptake in sport due to playstations and over protective parents, it is more important than ever that the public get active. The benefits

to the economy of having a healthy workforce are evident. We are fortunate enough to have free nationwide healthcare in the UK but if obesity rates continue to rise, the precipitating illnesses will cause it to buckle under the strain of unactivity.

I never became a truly great rower but I’m proud to say I went from an absolute novice to representing my college in the men’s first VIII. Most importantly, I managed to keep fit and active unlike some of my school mates who piled on the pounds when sport was no longer compulsory.

In a country which perhaps places too much emphasis on too narrow a selection of school sports, many of you will have similar stories about trying out niche sports you never would have had the opportunity to play had you gone anywhere else.

That is the Durham Difference.

BUCS REVIEW 03

Fantastic fifth place finish for Team Durham in season of talent BUCS Overall Championship Points Table

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Institution

Points

2008-2009 BUCS Position

Loughborough Leeds Met Carnegie Birmingham Bath Durham Edinburgh Nottingham Oxford Manchester Exeter Bristol Newcastle Cambridge UWIC Cardiff Imperial Leeds Brunel West London Southampton Northumbria Warwick Stirling Portsmouth Sheffield Swansea

5314.5 3243 2625 2463 2345.5 2300 2188 1984.5 1961 1781 1702 1691 1591.5 1578.5 1425.5 1398 1387 1319.5 1274.5 1255.5 1135 1133.5 1053 1029 1010

1 3 4 2 6 5 7 8 11 12 13 10 9 14 16 22 15 18 20 19 17 28 25 23 31

Table correct at time of printing, Friday 17th June 2010. An updated table can be found at www.bucs.org.uk

Quentin Sloper Head of Student Experience

It is now possible to look back at a season that has just about been completed. The first edition of The Locker Room presented us with an opportunity to cover much of the winter sporting success and, in particular, the highs and lows of the BUCS Championships in Sheffield. At the time we felt that we had probably done enough to secure at least fifth place in the BUCS League Table and it looks like that will prove to be the case as we nudge in front of Edinburgh and score around 300 additional points than we did last year.

Sport is not about numbers but I think that, at times, numbers do help to evidence development. Our traditionally strong clubs score points at a very similar level to what they did last year and therefore the additional 300 points have come from successful development stories elsewhere.

Before we dwell on the BUCS season in more detail it is perhaps worth remembering that we now compete in competitions beyond the level of student sport.

All of our performance programmes deserve credit, and I would like to apologise to those teams and individuals who are not mentioned in this review. Such was the level of success this season that we do not simply have the space to mention everyone.

That being said, however, I would like to thank all those athletes and teams who have helped us cement our position as one of the highest performing universities in the country. All your dedication and hard work is much appreciated by everyone at Maiden Castle.

BOAT CLUB We should never take it for granted that our boat club are going to be national champions. The fact that they have won the British Universities Regatta seven years in succession is testament to their continued hard work and dedication.

The climax of the rowing season is yet to come with trips to Henley ultimately defining the extent to which a club with such high standards considers the year to be a success. However the Women’s Eight, fifth place in the Head of the River in London earlier this year, their best ever finish, deserves a mention.

BASKETBALL CLUB Men’s Basketball swept all before them in National League Division 2, winning the League Championship and both cup competitions with something to spare. It is perhaps no surprise that both Coach Dave Elderkin and player, Paul Elderkin, were awarded with England Basketball Division 2 coach and player of the season.

NETBALL CLUB

GRAPHS EXPLAINED

Essentially, the two above graphs have been included to give our readership some context about Team Durham’s performance over the year.

The graphs show that the 2009-2010 campaign has been an improvement on the previous season, and a step

toward reaching the heights of the 2007-2008 assault - Team Durham achieved their highest ever points tally and position.

What is also clear is the University’s consistency, as for nearly a decade now it has remained in the Top 10.

Like the Basketball club, the Netball club achieved what was expected of them. They cruised through Northern Conference Division 1 and the subsequent promotion play-offs and now have their sights firmly set on success in the Premier League.

HOCKEY CLUB Durham University Hockey Club, like the DUBC, are expected to make the last four or final in hockey each season but this doesn’t just happen. That being said, however, it was at BUCS level another very

strong year for hockey.

The Women’s 1s reached the final of the BUCS Championships, only to fall at the final hurdle – Birmingham were better on the day.

One of the best results of the season saw our Men’s 1s travel to Bristol in the last 16 of the Championship and return home convincing winners. Loughborough away in the quarter finals was too big an ask but the result against Bristol was something to remember.

Hockey’s National League season continued into May. It is a long season when one considers that the first game was in mid September. Winning National League North for the second season in succession was a great achievement for the women.

Once again we fell short at the Premier League promotion play-offs but it is hard to heap anything but praise on a squad of players who are competing right at the top end of British hockey. Our men should not be forgotten either. They finished in the top half of their National League table – a huge achievement in itself.

LACROSSE CLUB We have to congratulate our National Championship Men’s Lacrosse squad. We won the Championship, at a canter, for the first time in our history and the overall experience of recruiting North American postgraduate athletes has had an overwhelmingly positive influence on both performance and increased levels of participation.

The season promised much for our Women’s Lacrosse club and, for much of the season, it looked like promise would be converted into results as we stormed past much of the opposition in the Northern Premier League. A catastrophic injury list accompanied by a very strong Birmingham University squad ensured that the club ended up as runners up in the Northern Premier League whilst the team eventually went out in the semi final stages of the Championship. The Women’s 2s ended the season as National Trophy Champions for the third year in the row, ultimately ensuring that the club had a tremendous year as a whole.

is Women’s Badminton. They reached the quarter final of the National Championship for the third time in four years – a tremendous achievement.

CANOE CLUB Our canoeists, led by Sandra Hyslop, also picked up a lot of points and medals at both the Wild Water Rafting and Slalom Championships. They lose very few key athletes and will be strong again next season. Likewise for our Triathlon Club. Points and medals have been attained at both the Duathlon and Short Course Triathlon events and the Olympic Distance Championship is still to come.

RUGBY UNION Men’s Rugby Union also had a similar special match experience. The league season had been tough and the squad did well to finish out of the relegation positions. However a trip to Exeter in the last 16 of the knockouts did, on paper, present very little chance of progression.

Those who gave the Palatinates very little chance looked to be proved right as the game went into the final play of the match with Exeter holding the lead. However a period of sustained pressure finally paid off for the Palatinates as Durham scored in the final moment of the game to ensure that they reached the quarter final stages again.

Women’s Rugby also have a lot of fond memories to look back on. They swept all before them as they went onto become Northern Conference Division 1 Champions. A tough last 16 draw against Portsmouth was one step too far but it has been a great year for Women’s Rugby.

INDIVIDUALS

Our Cycling Club ended the year ranked as the second best cycling club in British university sport. It is the first year that the club have had significant coaching support and we have been rewarded with some quite outstanding results. Plenty more to come from them as we look into next season and beyond.

Certain athletes have also gone on to have sublime years. Holly Colvin, our Vice Chancellor Scholar and Fresher, ends the academic year ranked as the 6th best bowler in world one day rankings, something of an achievement considering that she is successfully pursuing a Durham degree at the same time!

Sandra Hyslop, another VC scholar has also had great success, finishing eighth and ninth in the Senior World Championship in the Individual Sprint and Individual Classic canoe events. She also came home with a team gold in the Classic, the first time GBR has won a gold in 35 years.

Tom Westley has also had considerable success competing for Essex. These are just three examples of how our 22 international athletes have achieved success in their own right over the past twelve months.

TENNIS CLUB

THE FUTURE

Women’s Tennis also had a truly remarkable season. Reaching the semi final of the team event was a tremendous success story but this was surpassed by the individual achievements of our player/coaches who were crowned British University Doubles Champions whilst Sally Pearson also reached the final of the singles event.

So what does next year bring? The exciting this is that we never know. Hopefully more editions of The Locker Room for a start.

The re-developments at Maiden Castle and the new sports hall at Queen’s will add another exciting dimension to our programme at all levels. In performance terms we know we have more genuinely top class student athletes coming to Durham than ever before and we know that more clubs will have lofty expectations that ever before.

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to believe that we could win five or six national championships but who knows what our opposition are up to. These are exciting times and next year promises to be one of our most exciting yet.

CYCLING CLUB

FENCING CLUB Men’s and Women’s Fencing also had a very impressive season. Fencing ended up as our fourth most successful club with two Championship quarter finals representing rounded success from a club that always does well. Another side that always achieve

Tuesday 22nd June 2010 THE LOCKER ROOM

04 BUCS REVIEW

BUCS LEAGUE TABLES In the first edition of The Locker Room we published the latest college tables, but having canvassed opinion we have decided to print a selection of BUCS tables.

Why? Because often we hear about how good the Durham University Hockey Men’s First Team are, or how the Women’s Lacrosse First Team have swept all before

them, and so the below tables are a way of improving our readership’s understanding of the relative performance of our elite teams during the season.

With only the limited space in the second edition of The Locker Room, certain league tables have been choosen over others.

Men’s Rugby Union Men’s Northern Premiership A

If you would like to see how a team, not listed here, has done then updated tables can be found at www.bucs.org.uk The Locker Room would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the University teams for their achievements during the year and wish them luck for pre-season and the campaign ahead.

Institution

Played

L’borough 1 LeedsMet 1st Newcastle 1st Nottingham 1st Northumbria1st Durham 1st N’hamTrent1st st

Institution Played

Men’s Northern Conference 1A

L’borough 1st Birmingham1st Leeds1st N’hamTrent1st Durham 1st S’fieldHallam1st

10 10 10 10 10 10

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

9 6 4 3 2 1

1 2 2 1 3 1

0 2 4 6 5 8

28 20 14 10 9 4

Institution Played Manchester1st Durham2nd LeedsMet 1st Sheffield 1st Newcastle 1st Liverpool 1st

Institution Played Birmingham1 Durham 1st L’borough 1st Edinburgh1st Newcastle 1st Manchester1st

st

10 10 10 10 10 10

Won 10 8 5 4 2 1

Drawn 0 0 0 0 0 0

Lost 0 2 5 6 8 9

30 24 15 12 6 3

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

9 5 3 3 2 2

1 4 2 2 1 0

0 1 5 5 6 7

28 19 11 11 7 6

10 10 10 10 9 9

Institution Played Birmingham1st Durham 1st Leeds Met1st Manchester1st L’borough 1st Edinburgh1st

10 10 10 10 10 10

Drawn

Lost

Points

9 7 4 3 2 0

1 2 1 2 3 1

0 1 5 5 5 9

28 23 13 11 9 1

Institution Played Durham2 Leeds1st York1st Newcastle2nd Liverpool 1st Durham 3rd nd

Institution Played Leeds2nd Durham 1st Newcastle2nd Northumbria2nd Leeds Met3rd Durham 2nd

10 10 10 10 10 10

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

Leeds1st L’borough 2nd Worcester 1st Birmingham1st Durham2nd Nottingham2nd Manchester1st Newcastle 2nd

14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14

12 9 7 7 7 7 6 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

2 5 7 7 7 7 8 13

36 27 21 21 21 21 18 3

Drawn

Lost

Points

Institution

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

9 7 4 3 3 1

0 0 0 0 0 0

0 2 5 6 5 9

30 21 12 9 6 3

Durham 1 S’fieldHallam1st LeedsMet 1st Sheffield 1st Northumbria1st York1st Leeds1st Newcastle 1st Hull 1st

7 7 5 8 8 7 8 6 6

7 5 3 6 4 3 1 2 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 2 2 2 4 4 7 4 6

24 18 18 18 12 6 3 0 -6

9 9 9 9 8 10

Institution Played Newcastle 1st Durham2nd Leeds1st Northumbria1st Liverpool 1st LJMU1st

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

6 6 5 3 3 1

3 1 1 3 2 0

1 3 4 3 4 9

21 19 16 12 11 3

10 10 10 9 9 10

Drawn

Lost

Points

9 7 4 4 3 1

0 2 1 0 0 1

1 1 5 6 7 8

27 23 13 12 9 4

Institution Played Teesside 1st Durham 1st Leeds1st YorkSt.John1st Sheffield 1st Newcastle 1st

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

7 6 5 2 3 1

1 1 2 3 1 0

2 2 3 4 4 9

22 22 17 9 7 3

10 9 10 9 8 10

Woman’s Northern Conference 2B

Woman’s Northern Conference 1A Durham 1st LJMU1st Leeds Met2nd Liverpool 1st Manchester1st UCLancashire

10 10 10 10 10 10

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

9 7 6 3 3 0

0 1 1 1 0 1

1 2 3 6 7 9

27 22 19 10 9 1

Institution Played Leeds Met3rd Leeds2nd Sheffield 1st S’fieldHallam1st Durham2nd YorkSt.John1st

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

8 8 5 4 3 1

1 0 0 1 0 0

1 2 5 5 7 9

25 24 15 13 9 3

10 10 10 10 10 10

Men’s and Women’s Basketball Durham 1st Bradford1st Newcastle 1st S’fieldHallam1st Manchester1st Manc.Met1st

9 9 10 10 9 9

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

8 7 5 5 2 1

-

1 2 5 5 7 8

27 24 15 15 3 0

Institution Played

Institution

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

Edinburgh1 St.Andrews 1st Durham 1st Northumbria1st Birmingham1st

8 8 8 8 8

8 6 4 2 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 2 4 6 8

24 18 12 6 0

st

Institution

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

York1 Durham2nd Leeds2nd Bradford1st LeedsMet 1st Hull 1st Newcastle2nd York 2nd

7 7 6 5 6 4 7 6

6 5 4 2 1 4 1 1

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1 2 2 3 5 0 6 5

18 15 15 12 6 3 3 0

st

Women’s Fencing Women’s Northern Premiership Institution Edinburgh1 Durham 1st Manchester1st Birmingham1st Newcastle 1st st

Manchester1st MMUC’shire1st Leeds1st Durham 1st Liverpool 1st Bolton 1st

9 8 9 9 10 7

Premiership, then Northern Conference 1A and 1B, then Northern Conference 2A and 2B and so on. It is important to note that teams in 1A and 1B are competing

THE LOCKER ROOM Tuesday 22nd June 2010

Played 8 8 8 8 8

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

8 4 4 3 1

0 0 0 0 0

0 4 4 5 7

24 12 12 9 3

Women’s Northern Conference 1B

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

Institution

Played

Won

Drawn

Lost

Points

9 6 3 2 3 3

-

0 2 6 7 7 4

27 24 9 9 9 0

York1 Leeds1st Sheffield 1st Durham2nd Northumbria1st Bradford1st Leeds Met1st

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

18 15 12 9 6 3 0

TABLES EXPLAINED The Locker Room thought it best to explain how the BUCS league system is organised for all those who are not familiar with it.

The leagues are divided into a Northern

Men’s Northern Premiership

Woman’s Northern Conference 1A

Men’s Northern Conference 1A Institution Played

Men’s Fencing

Men’s Northern Conference 2B

Women’s Netball Institution Played

st

Woman’s Northern Conference 2B

Won

36 27 18 15 12 12 0

Won

Men’s and Women’s Football Men’s Northern Conference 3B

0 2 6 7 7 7 11

Men’s Northern Northern Conference 1B

Women’s Northern Conference 1A

Won

0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Men’s Lacrosse

Women’s Hockey Women’s Northern Premiership

Points

Played

Woman’s Northern Conference 1A Points

Lost

Institution

Women’s Lacrosse Women’s Northern Premiership

12 9 6 5 4 4 0

Drawn

Men’s Northern Premiership B

Men’s Hockey Men’s Northern Premiership

12 11 12 12 11 11 11

Won

in different leagues, but at the same level.

The selected tables show that Durham athletes are testing themselves in the upper echelons of university sport.

st

Curious for more? Follow us on Twitter at PalatiSPORT Want a career in journalism? Love sport? Palatinate are looking for new writers so please get in touch at sport@palatinate.org.uk

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Tuesday 22nd June 2010 THE LOCKER ROOM

06 GABBY LOGAN INTERVIEW

“The biggest shock is that the alternative t

Profile

Name: Gabby Logan Age: 37 College: Hild Bede Course: Law Grade: 2:1

What you didn’t know Highlight at university: I enjoyed it all really, I can’t think of a stand out moment to be honest. We went to Edingburgh with a play in my first year, which was pretty fun.

Moment to forget at university: I don’t have regrets in life generally and I certainly don’t have any about my three years in Durham.

Best college bar: I used to go out with a boy from Chads so I went there quite a lot. I like Hild Bede because it was a nice big bar and it was like four metres from my room.

Castle had a good bar too.

Best club: I didn’t really go to clubs outside of college bars to be honest because I was working on the radio in Newcastle every weekend.

Career highlight: One of my most enjoyable days at work was my interview with Ronnie O’Sullivan for Inside Sport, because it was the coming together of a good interview, an incredible subject matter and it all clicked on the day.

Career regret: At certain times in my early career, I probably didn’t fully realise the opportunities that I was given and I didn’t take it as seriously as I might have done.

Hero: I loved Des Lynam as a sports broadcaster, Jeremy Paxman as a political interviewer and interrogator... I used to listen to Simon Mayo’s breakfast show on the way to school and I have always been a fan of Oprah Winfrey’s career from a young age too.

Football club: Newcastle United Best footballer in the world: Lionel Messi has been the best player in the world in the last year, but whether he will be the best player in the World Cup – I don’t know.

Best club team in the world: Barcelona have a right to say they are one of the best sides to watch. Inter Milan would say they are the best team in Europe, and therefore in the world, but I would dispute that.

Best rugby player in the world: I’m not watching enough rugby at the moment to tell you that so I will take a sit on that.

Clo

Rajvir Rai The Locker Room Editor In Chief

While most students are attracted to our university by its immense reputation, high standards of education and impressive sporting achievements, television and radio presenter Gabby Logan had other reasons for coming to Durham.

She said: “It was purely because I was going out with a guy who was an athlete and he told me he was moving to Newcastle for his training and I believed him. My A-level tutors were encouraging me to go to Oxford, but I decided to go to Durham because it was closer to Newcastle and this guy.

“Anyway, he didn’t go to Newcastle and we split up, but I think I made the right decision because of everything else in my life.

I got to work on the radio in Newcastle all the time; it was a much less pressure-filled experience than if I had gone to Oxford and I got a more well rounded experience.

She added: “I think you end up doing the right thing for yourself in life in spite of yourself sometimes”.

Logan studied Law during her time at Durham but she always knew she wanted to get involved in the media industry. Being the daughter of former Welsh international footballer and manager Terry Yorath meant that Logan had plenty of experience of camera crews and journalists from a young age. Furthermore, the fact that Logan was a successful sportswoman in her own right meant she too was under the media gaze and she appeared on Blue Peter as a teenager. Therefore, it was almost inevitable that Logan was going to end up in the media industry.

“I liked the idea of storytelling”, she said.

“The performance element of the whole thing was what initially drew me in. The director of Blue Peter said go to university, and get some experience and so I did”.

Such was Logan’s desire to become a successful broadcaster that throughout the entirety of her time at Durham she worked weekends at Metro FM in Newcastle to gain experience. Radio personality Alex Rowland, a former colleague of Logan, is not at all surprised by the success of the exDurham student.

“Programme Director Giles Squire very quickly recognised her personality and potential”, he said. “I always remember how quickly she moved from reporting and reading bulletins to co-presenting the breakfast show.

“I think it is pretty much the best squad it could be and thank goodness we don’t have to put a squad of forty in” “It wasn’t very long with some grooming that Gabby looked stunning as well as sounding great, so it was no surprise at all when she moved to television and was able to apply her passion for sport to the visual format, and that’s where she flourished”.

Logan has interviewed the likes of David Beckham and Sven Goran Erickson during her 18 year career, and her first major scoop came at the tender age of 20 when she interviewed a fresh faced, teenage Ryan Giggs for Palatinate.

“My Dad was managing Wales and so I

THE LOCKER ROOM Tuesday 22nd June 2010

asked him if I could interview Ryan”, said Logan. “I went to his house in Manchester and it went fine. I don’t think it was the greatest piece of writing in the world, it won’t win a Pulitzer, but it was a good experience”.

As most students know, managing a degree, a social life and other extra-curricular activities is a hard task, but Logan is well versed in time management due to her early gymnastic career.

She said: “My ability to multitask and do a thousand things at once stems from doing 35 hours training a week when I was 13 and still doing my homework. When you have that kind of agenda you become highly disciplined and you don’t waste a second of your day, and that has been instilled in me from a very young age”.

Logan represented Wales at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, an achievement which is often overlooked in comparison to her successful media career, and, while not missing that part of her life, she wishes her career had been longer.

She said: “I don’t miss it like I used to when I was 19 or 20 say but I definitely would have loved a longer playing career”.

It says a lot about Gabby’s pragmatic nature that having returned home from the Commonwealth Games, the highlight of her then fledgling career, she realised that her future actually lay away from rhythmic gymnastics. So aged just 17 she decided to

forge a new career and took the decision to focus on her education instead.

Logan’s dedication, determination and discipline eventually paid off as before the ink on her graduation diploma had even dried she found herself being offered the breakfast show on Metro Radio.

She said: “I graduated on the Thursday and started work on the Monday with a year’s contract. I thought I will only be 23 at the end of the year and will see how it goes after that, and if I don’t like it I am still only 23 and I can go to Law school”.

“It is an amazing opportunity for South Africa. In twenty years they have come so far as a nation” There was no question, however, that she had found the right industry as in 1996, after a successful spell at Metro Radio, she moved to Sky Sports where she quickly built up her reputation as a football presenter. Success followed success as a few years later Brian Barwick, the former chief executive of the Football Association and the then Head of Sport at ITV, took Logan

to ITV where she worked for eight years on programs such as On The Ball, covered two football World Cups, two European championships, a Rugby World Cup final and the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.

A change of management at the top of the ITV hierarchy, however, meant that Logan, at the end of the last World Cup, was sidelined in favour of Steve Ryder.

“I had a boss who didn’t want me to do what I was doing”, she said. “One has to take it on the chin and move on or sit and be grumpy. I was too young to sit and be bitter, so I moved on”.

Logan, much to her credit, has gone on to become an integral part of the BBC, heading up Inside Sport and hosting a new two-hour lunchtime show on Radio 5 live.

The constant change between mediums is something that Logan relishes and is evidence of her ability to be adaptable and flexible.

She said: “I like having the opportunity to do both and they are different, but I wouldn’t say I have any conscious tools that I adopt for either. I’ve worked in radio a long time and I have a sense of what radio listeners need, which is different to what TV viewers need, because on radio you have to be more descriptive and think about the personal relationship as it is just you and the listener really”.

Undoubtedly, Logan is a boundary pusher and an inspiration to many as she

GABBY LOGAN INTERVIEW 07

ockwise: The glamorous Gabby Logan poses for the camera, but she is more than just a pretty face. Gabby (below right) doing what she does best.

is a leading female light in a predominately male-dominated industry. A measure of her desire to succeed in the industry, on her own terms, can be seen by the fact that she decided not to keep her maiden name after marriage.

To those young females, and males, wanting to get into the media Logan says: “Be the best you can be, get lots of experience and take every opportunity that comes your way”.

Of Logan’s contemporary female journalists and broadcasters it is Jacqui Oately that has attracted the most press attention, as in April 2007 she became the first woman commentator on Match of the Day as she reported on the Premiership game between Fulham and Blackburn. Her performance and the BBC’s historic decision, however, was met with anger in some quarters.

Ex-football manager Dave Bassett was

a bit more over the years”.

She went on to say: “Probably the biggest shock is that the alternative to Theo Walcott is Shaun Wright Phillips. I think people are a bit disappointed that we don’t have an abundance of talent and it shows that David Beckham would have probably been in the squad had he been fit.

“I think it is pretty much the best squad it could be and thank goodness we don’t have to put a squad of forty in, because I don’t think we have forty players worth going to the World Cup”.

“It was no surprise at all when she moved to television and was able to apply her passion for sport to the visual format” Logan, however, refused to be drawn on England’s chances though and believes that this is “a really unpredictable World Cup”.

“The stats will say Brazil are the best team”, she said. “Spain are actually not as good as they were two years ago, but I wouldn’t write them off. There will always

be a surprise, there will always be a team that starts off poorly and does ok – like Italy in the last World Cup. “I think we should not get too carried away, but at the same time remember that magical things can happen”.

One must remember that actually this World Cup will be as significant for its off the field effects as what happens on the pitch, and Logan is also acutely aware of the wider picture and what this World Cup can do for a country like South Africa.

She said: “I think it is an amazing opportunity for South Africa. In twenty years they have come so far as a nation and I think there is a lot of hope for this as a way of expressing that to the world.

“I know all sports are integrated but traditionally rugby was the white sport and football was the black sport which empowered 95% of the people there and I think it is important that we remember that.

“It is important that we remember the oppressed majority, who didn’t take their nation to civil war and didn’t end up becoming Zimbabwe, who are now trying to move forward as a nation with equality; this is their World Cup, their moment on the world stage, and I think it’s going to look fantastic on television and I hope people look at the positives.

With nearly 50 people killed a day and 18,000 murders a year there has been much debate as to the safety of travelling fans during the World Cup. Yet, Logan remains adamant that actually the threat is not as great as people perceive it to be.

She said: “I don’t want to be sensationalist but people talk about personal safety, but you can hang out in Black Heath in a middle class area and have a nice afternoon but walk a mile into Peckham and feel less safe.

“I think every country has its areas that you don’t go to after dark unless you know what you are doing and Johannesburg and Cape Town may have more of those areas, but if people are careful and safe they will be fine.

O n e

must not forget that there is more to Logan than just football and sport. Her midday Radio 5 live program sees her handle the latest political and news stories and her portfolio of interviews includes the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the current Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. So does Logan prefer to interview politicians or sport stars?

“They both have their challenges, but interviewing a politician is a lot less satisfying in many ways,” she remarked.

“Often they don’t actually go near the question you are asking, they have their answers pre-prepared and give you the answer they have been trained to give or want to give – which is often not necessarily the answer they should be giving to that question.

It was just over two months ago, on May 6th, that the British political landscape changed forever as the Conservative and

Liberal Democrat parties formed a full coalition government. The recent resignation of David Laws from his position as Chief Secretary to the Treasury shattered the government’s honeymoon period and was its first real test – one which Logan believes they handled in correct manner.

She said: “They handled it quickly and the only way it could be handled. It is a shame that someone’s political career had to take a hit but that is just the way things go”.

Overall Logan has “so far” been impressed by the new government and her contacts in Westminster “seem to feel it has a chance of surviving a whole term in office” which Logan believes “would be amazing”.

A former international gymnast and now the BBC’s leading lady, Logan has come a long way since her Hild Bede days.

It is not hard, however, to see why she has had such a glittering career. Right from her young career as a gymnast to her days in the north-east, Logan had all the qualities and characteristics that meant success was never far away. It is testament to the success that Logan has had that she is known for her work in the media rather than as the daughter of former Welsh international footballer and manager Terry Yorath or the wife of exScotland rugby star Kenny Logan.

STEVE BOWBRICK

“My ability to multitask and do a thousand things at once stems from doing 35 hours training a week”

quoted in the Daily Mail saying: “I am totally against it and everybody I know in football is totally against it”. He went on to say: “Maybe the BBC are trying to be innovative and ground-break but I think it undermines the credibility of the programme and when she commentates at the weekend I will not be watching”.

While, Sportsmail writer Steve Curry said: “It is an insult to the controlled commentaries of John Motson, Mike Ingham and Alan Green that their domain is threatened by a new arrival whose excited voice sounds like a fire siren”.

Logan, however, only has sympathy and praise for her fellow professional.

She said: “A woman’s voice is different and it is really hard for a woman to break into that area, but Jacqui’s knowledge is second to none and she is a very good broadcaster. I think it is a matter of bashing away, she will get more opportunities and I hope people will become more accepting in the future”.

Logan is currently in South Africa commentating on the World Cup for the BBC and she was not at all surprised by Capello’s final 23 man squad.

“Theo Walcott is the massive talking point, but he hasn’t been good for Arsenal this year and I don’t think we can be too shocked”, she said. “It is just a shame for him that he hasn’t come on as a player in the last four years and that he has not learnt

BBCPRESSOFFICE

to Theo Walcott is Shaun Wright Phillips”

Tuesday 22nd June 2010 THE LOCKER ROOM

08 PALATINATE BALL

Team Durham’s elite gather to celebrate sporting excellence DELANEY CHAMBERS

Palatinate Awards Full Palatinates Rebecca Howarth (Athletics and Cross-Country) Matthew Proctor (Athletics and CrossCountry) Anthony Trigg (Basketball) Jo Fitzsimons (Boats) Sandra Hyslop (Canoes) Thomas Westley (Cricket) Hamish Batchelor (Cycling) Alexandra Buchan (Lacrosse) Clare Henry (Netball) Abigail Ryan (Netball) Geraldine Buckley (Rifles) James Crozier (Rugby Union) Oliver Mines (Rugby Union) Paul Loudon (Rugby Union) Alex Waddingham (Rugby Union) A night of celebration: Hamish Batchelor collects his Full Palatinate from Vice-Chancellor Chris Higgins

Rachel Scarfe (Sailing) Jessica Huggett (Shotokan Karate) Katherine Henderson (Triathlon)

Half Palatinates Alex Davy (Athletics and CrossCountry) Matthew Gunby (Athletics and CrossCountry)

Claire O’Neill (Badminton) James Pauw (Badminton) Paul Elderkin (Basketball) Ian Hewitt (Basketball) Helen Holah (Basketball)

Philip Congdon (Boats) Seonaid Crosby (Boats) Peter Hudson (Boats)

Lidia Wagstyl (Boats)

James Zaremba (Boats) Philip Dean (Canoes) Katie Ellis (Canoes) Daniel Gale (Men’s Cricket) John Glover (Men’s Cricket) Greg Smith (Men’s Cricket) Ffion Abraham (Women’s Cricket) Olivia Rae (Women’s Cricket)

Ellie Middleton Ross and Rajvir Rai

On Tuesday 8th of June, three coaches full of Durham University’s top sportsmen and sportswomen made their way to Ramside Hall Hotel for a night of celebration and reflection on another successful BUCS campaign.

The annual event is not only a chance to honour the athletes that have excelled in their respective fields over a sustained period of time, but also a time where those who make such achievement possible are also duly recognised too.

As Quentin Sloper, head of Student Experience, asserted, “It is important to celebrate those who perform, but also those who support the performing. The Palatinate Ball is a perfect podium for this”.

The ‘Volunteer of the Year’ was awarded to Sophie Walton for her contributions to numerous projects over the year including Street League, IMPACT (a program that works with expelled children) and ISSP (which helps youth offenders). AU President Katie Sykes, meanwhile, was given a Half Palatinate for her services to sport and Darren Fowler, a strength and conditioning coach at Maiden Castle, was thanked for his contributions to maintaining the fitness of Team Durham’s athletes.

Sloper also highlighted the very effective 360 degree program, which in conjunction with local schools, works on areas ranging from junior development to the training schedules of Durham athletes.

The main focus of the awards ceremony, however, is the actual athletes themselves, and all those present were acutely aware of the prestige and honour that comes with being awarded a Half or Full Palatinate – as evidenced by the fact that several recipients were clearly emotional upon receiving their awards.

Paul Elderkin, who was recently named

THE LOCKER ROOM Tuesday 22nd June 2010

‘Player of the Year’, ‘Guard of the Year’ and ‘Domestic Player of the Year’ for English National Division Two by Eurobasket, was announced as ‘Sportsman of the Year’. The much-coveted award tops off an impressive season for Elderkin as he helped the Durham Wildcats, a partner club of the University, to gain promotion to the English National Division One and win the Patron’s Cup. He also helped the University First Team to the final eight of the BUCS knockouts where they narrowly lost to Leeds Met Carnegie – the team who went on to win the Championship.

Reflecting on his successful season, Elderkin admits that it “couldn’t have been any better”. Elderkin was quick to praise the impact his father Dave Elderkin, the coach of the Woman’s First Team, Ian Hewitt, the Men’s First Team coach, and Fowler have had on his season.

Next year is Elderkin’s last as an undergraduate, but he is relishing the prospect competing with the BUCS team in the Premiership and in National Division One with the Durham Wildcats: Elderkin hopes to “go all the way”.

Abigail Ryan, Durham University Netball captain, was named as ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ having helped the University First Team win promotion to the National Premiership, as well as being capped by England. Ryan told The Locker Room, however, that she had “no expectations” about picking up the award and was merely at the event to “have a good night”. Ever the professional, Ms Ryan also said she was encouraged by the season and that her main aim for next year is to retain their Premiership status.

Durham University Hockey Club (DUHC) and Durham University Boat

Honorary Life Memberships Matthew Proctor (Athletics and CrossCountry - England U23 Level)

Nick Zissler (Modern Pentathlon Great Britain Full)

Anthony Trigg (Basketball - Wales Full)

Jenny Arnold (Rowing - Great Britain U23)

James Atkinson (Cricket - Hong Kong Full) Serena Waters (Cricket - Kenya Full)

Sarah Cowburn (Rowing - Great Britain Full)

Holly Colvin (Cricket - England Full)

Matthew Rossiter (Rowing - Great Britain U23)

Daniel Coultas (Hockey - Scotland Full)

Rachel Scarfe (Sailing - Great Britain U21)

Adam Williams (Hockey - Wales Full)

Stephen Barratt (Triathlon - Great Britain U24)

Lisa Stevens (Judo - England Full) James Prescott (Lacrosse - England U23)

Katherine Henderson (Triathlon Great Britain)

Club (DUBC) jointly picked up the ‘Club of the Year’ award. Both clubs have had successful campaigns and it was widely agreed that they each were rightly deserving of their award.

DUHC enjoyed success across the board with the Women’s First team winning the England Hockey National League North title for the second season running.

The team, however, were unable to maintain their form and during the May playoff weekend, they were unable to clinch promotion to the England Hockey Premier League.

Meanwhile, DUBC retained the overall national BUCS Regatta title for the seventh year in succession and shared the spoils with Newcastle University at the 14th University Boat Race.

Sykes informed The Locker Room that she saw the Palatinate Ball as a “platform for both small and large clubs to be congratulated and to shine”. She expressed frustration that despite smaller clubs such as cycling and sailing doing exceptionally well, it was often the larger clubs that dominated discussion. Of course, she conceded, the larger clubs such as DUBC and DUHC have done fantastically this season, which is why they picked up the award.

An integral part of the night is the awarding of Half and Full Palatinates which are given to those athletes that have excelled in competition for the University as well as making a significant contribution to their respective club; from being a member of the executive committee to developing the club in some way.

To receive a Full Palatinate, an athlete must have competed for their country at international level, while Honorary Life Memberships are given to those individuals who represent their country at Under 20 international level or higher.

The Locker Room caught up with those

Ewan Brown (Cycling) Mathilde Matthijsse (Cycling) Michael Turner (Fencing)

Craig Ashby (Men’s Football)

When asked about the nature of Durham’s elite athletes, Sloper said, “Durham is very lucky to have a set of high performing athletes who, on the whole, understand that they are part of a bigger programme.

“One of the key elements of our success is the fact that we are able to get most of our students feeling that they are part of a team and our genuinely high-performing athletes help to lead the way on this.

“It is often a tough balancing act to get right as performing at the highest level leaves you very little room to manoeuvre and student sport is not always scheduled to fit in with international calendars. That said we get it right most of the time and this is due, in no small part, to the mature and sensible approach adopted by our students.”

The next time you are gasping for breath in the final minute of that crucial match, or have to wake up at the crack of dawn to travel halfway down the country, or the next time you question whether everything you are putting in is worth it, remember that at the end of the season your blood, sweat and tears will be rewarded by Team Durham.

Sportswoman of the Year

Gemma Rishton (Women’s Cricket) Matthew Perks (Cue Sports)

John Meehan (Men’s Football) Freya Liiv (Women’s Football) Amy Perch (Women’s Football) Jack Lewis (Golf) James Rowland Clark (Golf) Andrew Evans (Hockey) Gabrielle Foster (Hockey) Ruth Gordon (Hockey) Chris Kessie (Hockey) Ruth Pitts (Hockey) Andrew Gardner (Lacrosse) James Prescott (Lacrosse) John Wheeldon ( Lacrosse) Floating to success: ‘Sportswoman of the Year’ Abigail Ryan been the driving force behind the success of Durham University Netball’s season.

TEAM DURHAM

Winner

“Half and Full Palatinates are given to those athletes that have excelled in competition for the University”

Rising High: ‘Sportsman of the Year’ Paul Elderkin has had a great season

TEAM DURHAM

individuals who were fortunate enough to be awarded both Full Palatinates and Honorary Life Memberships.

Kat Henderson, next year’s AU President has had an inspiring year. Competing in the triathlon, she has represented GB and is extremely proud of her GB tracksuit that is currently hanging in her room. Injured with torn ligaments at present, she divulged to The Locker Room, prior to finding out she had received a Full Palatinate and Honorary Life Membership, that winning an award would be “incredible”.

Matthew Proctor, meanwhile, has represented England in the 5000m and told The Locker Room how “out of the blue” he received a phone call from Team GB to join them in a training camp in Switzerland.

Modest when talking about his own abilities, Proctor fully supports the concept of the Palatinate Ball believing that the “club’s dedication is just as important as sporting prowess” and should be equally rewarded.

From talking to Proctor and Henderson, as well as all the other athletes present during the evening, The Locker Room quickly realised that there was an air of mutual respect between the various individuals present, and that everyone was acutely aware that their own individual success was not possible without the help of others.

Arguably this was best summed up by Hamish Batchelor, who was nominated for ‘Sportsman of the Year’ award and received a Full Palatinate for an excellent season of cycling, when he was quick to praise Fowler for working with him in the gym and his excellent motivation throughout the season.

PALATINATE BALL 09

Samantha Chisholm ( Lacrosse) Sarahlouise Fielder (Lacrosse)

Abigail Ryan (Netball)

Sofia Romero-Emberton ( Lacrosse)

• Ryan has been an integral part of the Netball Club, Team Northumbria, who play in England Netball Superleague, and played for the England Universities squad.

Jasmine Coyne (Netball)

Other Nominees Mathilde Matthijsse (Cycling) • Has had a stunning year in which she won gold in the BUCS 10 mile time trial and silver in the BUCS 25 mile time trial.

Emma Wilkinson (Netball) Alex Finlay (Rifles) William Alsop (Rugby League) Martin Hall (Rugby League)

Sandra Hyslop (Canoe)

Gary Crowe (Rugby Union)

• Won gold in the Team Classics Event at the World Championships - the first time in 35 years that GB has done this in river racing.

Timmy Walford (Rugby Union)

Holly Colvin (Cricket)

Polly Crossman (Women’s Rugby Union)

• Is currently ranked 6th in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship Bowling rankings and finished 2009 in number one spot.

Charley Miller (Women’s Rugby Union)

Winner

Sportsman of the Year

Natasha Lister (Sailing) Bryony Meakins (Sailing)

Paul Elderkin (Basketball)

James Benson (Swimming)

• Named National Division Two ‘Player of the Year’, ‘Guard of the Year’ and ‘Domestic Player of the Year’.

Thomas Williams (Swimming)

Other Nominees Hamish Batchelor (Cycling) • Has had a stunning year of cycling which was unfortunately restricted to only four races because of exam commitments.

Thomas Westley (Cricket) • Is fast establishing himself as an integral part of Essex County Cricket Club and scored an incredible 132 against Kent earlier in the season.

James Prescott (Lacrosse) • The Men’s University Lacrosse First Team have a 100% BUCS record this season and Prescott’s contributions on the field saw him gain international recognition.

Chris Littler (Tennis) Stephen Barratt (Triathlon) Ben Howard (Triathlon) Tim Sanders (Ultimate Frisbee) Michael White (Ultimate Frisbee) Edward Johnson (Water Polo) Joe Carr (Water Polo)

Tuesday 22nd June 2010 THE LOCKER ROOM

10 FACILITIES

Durham sports facilities receive £13 million upgrade

TEAM DURHAM COMMUNITY

Clockwise: A 3D image of what Maiden Castle will look like once the ongoing building work is completed. An artistic impression of the new developments at Queen’s Campus, which are set to be completed later this year (below left and right).

GSS ARCHITECTURE

GSS ARCHITECTURE

Sports facilities at Durham are undergoing a £13m facelift as major building programmes get underway at Durham City, Queen’s Campus and the River Tyne.

New developments at Maiden Castle include a 9m extension of the existing sports hall, a purpose built indoor rowing tank, a 28-station ergo gallery, a new dance studio, a world-class fencing sale, a performance analysis suite, new purpose built physiotherapy and sports medicine rooms and a new restaurant and bar area to boot.

In addition, a new boathouse next to Maiden Castle footbridge will be large enough to store the entire Durham University Boat Club (DUBC) fleet, along with the University’s canoes, and free up much sought-after racking space for college rowing boats at Dunelm.

The build at Queen’s will see a new eight court indoor hall, a fitness suite, strength and conditioning area, extended ergo gallery, dance studio and spinning room. Plans are also afoot, outside Durham University, to turn the nearby white water course at Teesside into the second best in Europe.

Through Team Durham’s partnership with Tyne United Rowing Club, two boat storage areas are also to be created at the River Tyne, each with the capacity to store sixteen racing eights.

Peter Warburton, Director of Sport for Team Durham, believes the new facilities will revolutionise the University’s performance sport.

“Durham has had an outstanding reputation for sport for many years. The agenda has been moved on in recent years through our investment in people as seen through our increased coaching teams and performance support teams.”

He added: “It is fantastic that through financial support from the University and a contribution from Sport England we will now have world class facilities to support our high performance programme. Everyone connected with sport is greatly looking forward to the next step in our development.”

The University has already seen a sharp increase in the number of high-calibre athletes, especially canoeists and rowers, apply to study at Durham, and Team Durham is sure the new facilities will attract some of the best talent in the country.

But performance sport is not all that hopes to be transformed by these facilities.

Dan Lewis, Deputy Director of Sport for Team Durham, claims “the college sport programme will benefit considerably, obviously with the expansion of space for students based at Queen’s, but also with the greater capacity generated at Maiden Castle by the transfer of some indoor sport to Queen’s.”

Increasing student participation is a key priority for Team Durham. A new £800,000 all-weather rubber crumb surface – the second biggest in the country – has already made a huge difference to Durham’s fixture timetable, and greater coaching provision has seen the number of University lacrosse teams increase from four to twenty-one.

World-class facilities, like the new powered indoor rowing tank and fencing sale at Maiden Castle, will be available not just for University athletes, but college teams too.

Katie Sykes, Team Durham’s sabbatical president, is certain the new facilities “will have a hugely positive impact on college sport”, adding: “There will be increased support for the college sport leagues, which will only make them stronger and more

SPACE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Rich Lowe-Lauri

competitive”.

Admittedly, students may find it inconvenient to travel between Durham City and Queen’s campuses for sports like netball and basketball, but Quentin Sloper, Head of Student Experience, insists the quality of the new facilities will make the journey “more than worthwhile”.

The University is also working with the bus company Arriva to make their timetable more reflective of the needs of travelling students.

Team Durham is also driven by an extensive outreach programme. It currently undertakes 28 outreach projects every week, working with local schools and disadvantaged communities, and is obliged to coach as many as 4,000 school children each year.

Considerable funding for Durham’s new facilities comes from governing bodies like the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) who want to increase coaching provision within these schools and nearby clubs, and significant improvements to an already impressive community programme are expected over the next five years, particularly at Queen’s Campus.

THE LOCKER ROOM Tuesday 22nd June 2010

The future for sport at Durham, then, looks promising. Katie Ford, Team Durham’s Senior College Sport Officer, believes the new build will attract even more students to apply here, “adding to our already strong and growing reputation for sport across the board”.

Of course, Sloper concedes, top-class facilities will always be secondary to top-class coaches and athletes. Yet the developments herald only positive repercussions, and bring Team Durham ever closer to finishing within the top three in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) championship table.

When asked whether they had any more ideas for the future, Warburton smiled: “There’s always room for more”.

YOUR THOUGHTS The Locker Room is keen to know your views on the Team Durham’s facilities facelift. Have they spent the money wisely?

Will you being travelling to Queen’s Campus next year? Are you happy about this? Please email us at sport@palatinate. org.uk.

Maiden Castle Future Developments • 9m extension of the existing sports hall • Powered indoor rowing tank • 28-station ergo gallery

Queen’s Campus Future Developments • A spinning room • 8 court indoor court • Fitness suite

• Fencing sail

• Strength and conditioning room

• A performance analysis suite

• Ergo gallery

• Physio therapy and sports medicine rooms

• Dance Studio

• A new Boathouse for DUBC • New bar/restaurant area • New Dance studio • Two glass fronted squash points • To be fully completed by April 2011

• Spinning room • To be completed by September 2010 River Tyne Future Developments • Two boat storage areas

TEAM DURHAM IN THE COMMUNITY 11

Student volunteers make a real difference in local area

The Locker Room investigates how Team Durham’s outreach programmes are changing the North-East Think of Team GB and the first thing to pop into your head will probably be Chris Hoy powering over the line, Rebecca Adlington reaching for the wall or Kelly Holmes on top of the podium. The same is often true of our imagination of Team Durham, whether it is celebrating a hard-fought rugby victory, or triumphing in the rowing boats. However, just as we rarely think of our national gold medallists at Great Ormond Street or in primary schools, as Durham students we rarely contemplate the community projects that are run by our own Sport department.

85 students volunteered with Team Durham Community Engagement this year on a wide-ranging set of programmes.

Palatinate set about discovering what projects are run, how they affect the locals who take part and why on earth students give up their time to get involved.

One of the very first things to emerge when looking into all things Team Durham is that the Community Engagement department at Maiden Castle do not work independently. Durham partner four other North-East universities to make up SUNEE (Sports Universities North East England), whose aim is to provide a regional sports programme to enhance the level of participation in sport among the local community.

To achieve this, SUNEE firstly run sporting outreach projects and secondly, train and qualify both students and locals in coaching. As those coaches then go on to head up sports programmes themselves, participation in sport across the North-East increases over time.

Embodying the spirit of Team Durham’s community work is Street League, a football project that began in London and is now organised by Team Durham for the entire North-East of England. While football is very much the focus, a multi-sport aspect has been added, giving participants the chance to try everything from fencing, gymnastics and frisbee, to rock climbing and Aussie-rules football.

Street League’s target group is over 16s who are not in education, employment or training. As a result, the project – run by students - attracts people from drug action teams, homeless organisations and alcohol rehab centres. Whilst providing seven sessions per week in the area, Street League also gives the opportunity to obtain coaching badges, such as the FA Level 1 Certificate in Football Coaching, with the aim of helping participants get back into work and of increasing future sporting development in the North-East.

TEAM DURHAM COMMUNITY

Alex Dibble

“It has given me confidence. I could feel warmth and laughter in the room. This has put me back on track” The Locker Room sat down with Katie Metcalfe, Team Durham Community Sports Development Officer, and asked her all about Maiden Castle’s outreach programme, including Street League.

“One of the great things about Street League”, she said, “is that it breaks down barriers between locals and students. In Durham, there is very much the sense that it is them and us. However, that conception is broken down with sport, because on the pitch or on the court, everyone is equal.

Aside from becoming a little more fluent in the universal language of sport, why should students bother to volunteer with Street League?

“Students get out so much more than they imagine they will. You wouldn’t believe some of the friendships and relationships that are fostered between the students and the locals considering the different backgrounds that they often come from”.

Aside from Street League, Durham students volunteer on a variety of schemes, such as teaching practical ASDAN courses,

designed for school pupils with troubled academic backgrounds. This year, Team Durham assigned six students to work with 15 teenagers selected from a pupil referral unit. They all designed training regimes and nutrition schedules for professional athletes, while also producing a small amount of written work.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Junior High Performance Academy, which in 2009-10 supported 24 of the most promising year nine sportspeople from County Durham. Team Durham aims not only to help the youngsters achieve their sporting goals by nurturing their talent, but also to equip them for an alternative career within TEAM DURHAM COMMUNITY

A student volunteer enjoys one of the many community projects run by Team Durham

Former Ipswich striker Alun Armstrong, who leads the Street League sessions down at Maiden Castle, poses with a jubilant team

the sporting arena, should their dreams of professional competition not materialise.

When The Locker Room spoke to Metcalfe, however, one project seemed to arouse particular excitement: the Second Chance Debate. Since 2007, Durham Union Society has reserved one Friday evening during Michaelmas term for a debate in which previous drug addicts and homeless people comprise both the proposition and the opposition teams. The debate is open to all non-Union Society members, and has its topic chosen by the participants themselves. In 2008 the motion was: ‘This House believes that alcohol is more dangerous than illegal drugs’. The night of the debate marks the culmination of an eight week programme.

“You wouldn’t believe some of the friendships and relationships that are fostered between the students and the locals” At the outset, lighthearted and insignificant topics are the subject of the arguments, such as why Mary Poppins should remain in a fallen hot air balloon instead of Humpty Dumpty. With each session, however, the topics become more serious and are closer to the concerns and past experiences of the participants themselves.

“The difference in confidence between the first session and the later debate is remarkable,” said Metcalfe “In the first session barely any of them have the confidence to speak in front of each other. By December, eight of them are in black tie, standing in the

Palace Green debating chambers”.

After Metcalfe spent a couple of minutes explaining the 101 reasons why students should get involved with Team Durham community engagement, The Locker Room was still slightly skeptical of her encouragement – she would say that wouldn’t she?

For a second opinion, we asked Ben Embleton, student volunteer of the year 2008-09, why anyone should bother.

He enthused, “As a student, particularly in the Durham bubble, volunteering for Team Durham keeps your feet on the ground. It allows you to realise that university is not real life, and gives you a glimpse of the hand that life has dealt many people in this county. If nothing else, it also means you can play an extra game of football once a week!”

Of course, there is also the very important aspect of bolstering the postgraduate CV: “When I came to Durham, I didn’t imagine I’d do any coaching, but I leave with a Level 2 cricket and football badge. I would never have been able to do it without the support, both financially and in terms of time, that Team Durham have given me”.

Many of this year’s 85 student volunteers have been proficient sportsmen and women in their own right, and so the question remained as to whether being the next Wayne Rooney, Andy Murray or Jessica Ennis is an essential prerequisite to giving your time. Metcalfe however, was keen to kick that idea into touch, “You don’t have to be on the sports course, and you don’t have to be a world-beater at anything. The Second Chance debate for example, is not even a specifically sporting programme”.

One local participant says of the Second Chance programme: “It has given me confidence. I could feel warmth and laughter in the room. This has put me back on track”.

It seems that the phrase ‘Team Durham’ means very different things to very different people.

Look out for the Union Society debate in December. For info on how to volunteer with Team Durham, contact katie.metcalfe@dur.ac.uk

Tuesday 22nd June 2010 THE LOCKER ROOM

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