Guy Brearey
The end of lectures on Friday saw a convoy of cars packed full of excited students leave the Union and head into the depths of Devon. The 24/25th of November saw the annual sailing competition for the Exeter Excalibur trophy. A last minute drop out from another university gave Portsmouth’s First and Second team the chance to enter. This was Pompey’s second major competition of the year and the team was keen to see if the hard work would pay off. After scaling some of the biggest hills in the world and passing several signs which all put Exeter twenty miles away we made it. We wasted no time in going straight to Exeter Union bar to catch up with our friends from around this part of the country. After a few drinks it was off to the infamous Timepiece for some dancing. Day one ended well for Portsmouth despite some glaring speed issues, with the First team winning five out of seven races and qualifying for the gold league, and the Seconds winning two of their first ever events, qualifying for the Silver league. After sailing it was back to our hoist for some pre-drinking and much hair straightening by the girls! Another night at the Union ensued, with lots of drawing on people and shirts before it was time to leave for the Uni club. Here it became clear from the general reaction that our new clothes weren’t going to start a fashion trend. Lots of
dancing followed, ranging from the positively co-ordinated to the ‘dadat-a-wedding’, which I’m particularly gifted at! This tragically became clear as Sam announced to a group of girls that he was a UK Break Dance Champion; they were suitably impressed, but it turns out giving them a demo was a massive error! Sunday saw the sharp end of the competition, after a tight Gold league with Portsmouth beating Reading in a play-off to qualify for the semi finals along with Bath Firsts, Exeter Seconds and Exeter old boys. Portsmouth upped their game to defeat Bath two to zero before the final game against Exeter Seconds who had lost both previous matches. The Firsts final race was tight, with Exeter Seconds clinching victory on the line. This meant Portsmouth had to win to stay in and after a fantastic start in their next race Portsmouth Seconds grabbed control and kept it. In the competition’s final race, Pompey and the other boats were in a tight formation. After this close first leg, Sam lead at the top mark for Portsmouth and Guy snuck around to give Portsmouth overall a one and two combination which they held to the finish. This was enough to seal the victory for Portsmouth Firsts and see them pick up their first trophy for eleven years. It was just left to Portsmouth captain Jay Whitehead to give the speech and collect the trophy. Both Portsmouth teams improved lots during the course of the event and did very well adapting to new boats. Bring on the next event!
Ultimate Frisbee
The first major tournament for Sublime this season was the Open University Indoors, with two teams up to London to face the top teams in the South East. The First team dominated their group and progressed with the hope of qualifying for a Nationals spot. The Second team gelled well together and beat a couple of First teams on their way, with their seedings improving as they progressed into the seeded games. With a National spot in sight the First team came up against rivals Mohawks, of the University of Sussex, but unfortunately lost in a hard game.
However, the First team did qualify for a Nationals Division two spot, as they are the top seed from the South East. The second team continued to improve their seeding throughout the seeded stages and came out tenth overall, making the Seconds the best in the South East. The second tournament saw Sublime enter the Mixed Regionals, with Pompey taking three teams to try and defend the title. The first team stormed through the group stages without losing a game. The second and third teams however, continued on page 10
Issue 6 Wednesday 12.12.07 upsu.net/news
Shake it like a polaroid picture! Peppa Barnett & Marisa May
The Sportos Dance Off
Listen Up
Sublime in regional action
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Pompey Sailors Celebrate Long Awaited Win
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PURPLE WEDNESDAYS
Pics: Jacob Leverett
The Sporto’s Dance off kicked off on Wednesday 5th of December, with Ski and Snowboard, Women’s Rugby, Gym and Trampolining, Men’s Rugby and the AU Execs all dancing it off for the title. Throughout the night, the sportos hit the stage in an array of costumes, ranging from war paint to sparkly thongs. Firstly, Ski and Snowboard took us to Madagascar with a surprise appearance from the Cadburys Next came the Gorilla. “Glamourous” rugby boys, who throughly enjoyed touching themselves and each other, shimmying and shaking their clothes off. Gym and Trampolining followed with cartwheels and flips across the stage, with an impressive cheer performance in their neon gear, even when the president got hit on the head. Next up were Women's Rugby, who rocked the stage to Rocking Robin in their super-hero outfits. Finally the AU Execs were up, nodding and stamping to a Queen medley. All these performances left the four judges with a tough decision to make. The AU Execs gained the most sponsorship for the RAG Society and took the main award for their performance, with Ski and Snowboard finishing second and Men’s Rugby in third. After receiving their award, The AU Exec’s repeat performance was the highlight of the night as Darby literally ‘bit the dust’! A big thank you to the Dance Club, Sally Jones and everyone who participated and arranged the great performances. Not forgetting the judges, performers, DJ, photographers, choreographers and all those who came and supported. DVD coming soon!
Boxing News: Stop Press
Update from the UK nationals
As we go to print, Wayne Gardiner, UoP Boxing Coach is texting through results from the University Boxing Nationals in Sheffield. So far; Sarah, Frank and Connor all have got golds, Mutley got Silver and David has taken Bronze. Well done to everyone who took part, a full event roundup will follow in the first issue of the New Year.