Category: Participation

TRENT GIRLS CAN

by ntusport, posted in Clubs, Participation

Joining a sports team throughout my time at Nottingham Trent University has been one of the best decisions I have ever made!

Being part of NTU netball over the past four years has hugely developed my character and increased my team work skills and confidence. Weekly netball sessions helped as I felt happier and less stressed after a run around in a period of university deadlines, and they provided a fun social environment with friends.

Wednesday BUCS days included away games, travelling to other universities to play, really emphasising the feeling of being part of a close team. My highlights in the club has included me being delighted when making it into a BUCS squad, and then captaining my team this year, which I have loved.

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The club has everything. Competitive BUCS teams, a development squad, and also social teams for those who just want to play. Therefore there really is space for everyone and anyone who wants to get involved! The club encourages anyone to come and be part of netball. No matter what team you are in, you are a member of the NTU Netball family.

Supporting ‘This Girl Can’, from my experience as part of a university sports club, there is something out there for everybody. NTU offers a huge variety of sports clubs ranging from lacrosse to dance, and women’s football to rowing. Therefore there are so many opportunities, and with nothing to lose from trying something new, I would encourage anyone to get involved in sport at NTU.

There will be some ‘This Girl Can’ activities going on throughout term 3 at NTU, so make sure you look out for them and get involved.

‘Trent Girls Can’!

By Jess Stansfield (Netball)

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Trent Tigers cement their Legacy

by ntusport, posted in Clubs, Participation

Last weekend, Trent Tigers were crowned victorious at the annual Legacy Cheer Inspire Greatness competition in Cardiff. Going into this competition as a university squad, when the majority of the other teams were All Star teams (Cheerleaders who are part of a squad outside of a school or university), could have put the team at a disadvantage. However, the Tigers didn’t see it that way, and it fuelled competitive energy to take out onto to floor, give it their best shot, and ultimately enjoy themselves. The Trent Tigers team were scored on skill level, execution and overall impression in stunts, tumble and dance.

Having introduced a new team into the squad (Trent Tigers Tora, Level 2), The Tigers confidence and ability grew and as a squad they felt stronger than ever. Level 2 have already shown success by coming 2nd at the International Cheerleading Coalition (ICC) National Cheerleading Championships. This being under their belt they took the floor and came second with another 0 deduction routine!

Stefan Warren, Trent Tigers Head Coach commented “Level 2 (all girls) went and did themselves proud. A ZERO deduction routine and a strong 2nd place. For a brand new team they have definitely made there mark in that division.” Introducing a Level 2 squad has been a massive accomplishment for the team and all the girls involved have put their heart and soul into making it the best it can be.

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Level 3 have had a tricky year, but at Legacy they pulled together as a team and gained victory in the Co-ed (Boys and Girls) Level 3 division, as well as winning Level 3 Grand Championship. Scarlett Myers, Coach, said “we may have had a rough year but we brought it back in the end!!! From Future Cheer I was super proud, coming off that mat was the best feeling ever! And Legacy was no different, I finally felt like we just enjoyed it and we really have gone out with a bang. I couldn’t be prouder or happier to have been a part of it!”

Overall, it’s been a great season for the squad, including Varsity and performance success! The whole team want to send their thanks and all the luck in the world to all the Tigers leaving this year and look forward to another successful year next year.

For more information about the Tigers, head to our website.

Chloe Maher – Performance Vice Captian, Level 3 Cheerleading

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Keep active at university

by ntusport, posted in Participation, Wellbeing

Keeping active has always been my way of maintaining my well-being, with football being the sport I play at least 3 times a week. I do also attend the gym now and then as well, but I feel football has always been the thing to keep my mind occupied and my body healthy.

When I started at university, staying active was a lot more difficult as I had to keep up with the heavy work load. As a result I didn’t get as much chance to enjoy my football. It didn’t take me long to figure out even with the mass amount of work and strain on my life, it is important to keep physically active.

It is very easy as a university student to fall into being lazy, but that doesn’t have a positive outcome on well-being. Now as a second year I play football with friends rather than as part of the sports team, and this means it is less of a strain on me, allowing me to keep it as a fun activity.

Second Year Sports Science Student – Male, 19

If you want to play sport, just for fun, then the NTU Play for Fun programme is just for you! Find out more here.

www.ntu.ac.uk/wellbeing.

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Trent Dance put on a show!

by ntusport, posted in Clubs, Participation

At the weekend, we hosted our annual dance competition within the City Student Union building – and WOW what a success it was! With over 300 dancers attending from 10 other Universities, it is fair to say, we organised a day to remember for everyone.

After our wonderful Timi Oluwasanmi started the day off at 10:30am, and let us hear from all 3 of our judges – everyone was very excited. The morning consisted of; Intermediate & Advanced Ballet, Tap, Jazz & Lyrical, all of which are very technical, challenging and diverse styles of dance. Dancers from all universities immediately proved it to be tough competition from the offset – with some incredible routines showing great technique and performance. The University of Exeter’s tap routine was so FIERCE, they were fantastic. The judges were already onto a very difficult start!

The afternoon consisted of; Intermediate and Advanced Contemporary, Hip Hop and the Wildcard category. By this time, the student union was full and there was not a chair available in sight! Our very own Emily Allen – NTU Dance City Captain – won the Best Girl of the competition for her consistently great performances, and especially for her Contemporary performance. Well Done Em, we’re so proud!!


The atmosphere certainly heated up when the Hip-Hop category commenced… The talent and standard was unbelievable in both the Intermediate and Advanced categories and it was lovely to see every University cheering each other on. Who knew David Attenborough could be interpreted into dance? Credit goes to the amazing Leeds Beckett…

The Wildcard category was certainly the best way to end a fantastic day. From Irish Dancing to Dancehall, it was definitely entertaining. The two male solos from the University of Exeter and Leeds Beckett University were both so different but breath-taking. NTU Dance loved them both!

If I could talk about every dance then I would because they were all AMAZING and NTU Dance are so proud to have hosted such a successful and fun day. Thank you everyone.

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We would like to thank our lovely committee; Izzy, Charlotte B, Hannah, Emily, Charlotte R, Katy Law, Lib, Beth, Lauren, Milly, Natalie and especially our Competition Co-Ordinator, Beth Waller-Scott, who ensured this day was perfect in every single way and we are so proud of her. She even took home a Win for her Intermediate Contemporary piece, which is something very special to the whole of NTU Dance. We love you Beth!

Thank you to every University which attended, you were all FABULOUS and we hope you come back next year.

Also, a massive thank you to Timi for presenting the whole day for us and keeping the audience entertained and engaged – he did us such a great favour and was the perfect person to host!

Our judges, thank you all for coming and spending the day with us! Your expertise in all aspects of dance ensured we held an equally fair result in all categories. We really appreciated it and so glad you had a great day!

Finally, the wonderful Trent Dance. We are so proud of you all and everything we achieved – 7 wins, two 3rd places and Best Team Spirit!!! None of us expected those results but my goodness we did smash it out of the park. For some of us, it was our last NTU Comp and what a way to finish. Thank you all so much for making it even more special – I am getting tearful. LOVE YOU ALL.

Lots and Lots of Love
Trent Dance
xoxox

By Charlotte Bailey

The benefits of volunteering

by ntusport, posted in Participation

1. Volunteering experience can enhance your employability skills for the future. It can develop skills such as leadership and organisation.

2. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people and contacts at university. It can broaden your support network as you will meet a diverse range of people.

3. Volunteering improves social skills and confidence. It can also lead to a sense of pride and identity.

4. Volunteering helps you to stay physically fit and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

5. Volunteering combats depression. Regular contact with others helps to develop a support system which can help fight against depression.

6. Volunteering strengthens ties to the local community. Volunteers support families, improve schools and support youth development.

7. Volunteering helps you to learn. Volunteering can help you to discover hidden talents that may change your view on your self-worth.

Current Opportunities at NTU

  • Hockey and Lacrosse volunteers – must commit to one coaching session a week for six weeks from 20 February – 31 March, 2017
  • One-off Hockey tournament hosted on Tuesday 28 March, 2017
  • One-off Lacrosse tournament hosted on Tuesday 28 March, 2017
  • Media volunteers to assist with photography, videography and match-reporting for NTU Sport

For further information please contact Sport Volunteering Officer, Stacey Trainer.

Mobile: +44 (0) 115 848 3214
Email: stacey.trainer@ntu.ac.uk

By Joe Junkovic – Student Volunteer

Give Self Defence a go!

by ntusport, posted in Participation

Most people (myself included), may believe self-defence is a quick lesson into the correct technique, and outlining when it may be appropriate, to drop kick someone in the face… I was very quickly corrected.

Self defence is not just about the movements you make, not even is it about dodging a hand as it reaches for your phone! It is much, much more.

Self defence is about not making yourself a target by walking, like a zombie, phone glued to your face, not looking where you are going or looking at what or who is around. Obviously it’s not possible to perceive every threat that may occur before it does, but being aware of, and alert to your surroundings will definitely help!

The class had an even mix of students in attendance, and a great mix of sports showed up. This is something really beneficial in a self defence class, as it gives you the opportunity to practice basic moves with lots of different people – especially when you are not familiar with them, as you can make a more realistic encounter with a stranger.

The first thing we learnt about was how to escape a simple hand grip without agitating the attacker, and simultaneously putting a good measure of distance between the two of you. We split into random pairs and tried it out. It was easy to learn and surprisingly effective, even against people about double or triple my strength. We continued this procedure of watching a demo, trialing the move, and then returning to the group to discuss effectiveness and uses. Every move we were taught was designed to calm a pressured situation, and not agitate the attacker.

After 5 minutes, I looked at the clock and 75 minutes had actually passed. The time FLEW and I feel I learnt so much in a short amount of time. My walk home from the SU, was spent looking at potential dangers that I had never noticed before, and establishing a safe place I could go to if I needed it. I kept my phone in my pocket and quite enjoyed the quietness of my walk.

The self defence class was run by a qualified instructor brought into the university specifically to teach us. They will be running a 10 week course for students to get to grips with self defence – all organised by NTU Sport in support of the New Year, New Me campaign.

All joking aside, taking this class was the best decision I could make. The only comparison I could make to it, would be revision for an exam, something maybe we are tired of, but still see how essential it is. Self defence is practicing and revising for real life, not just for an exam, and I don’t know what could be more important.

The SU is putting on FREE self defence classes every Tuesday 9-10pm in the City fitness suite (downstairs by reception), open to all ages and genders!

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Give it a go and let us know what you think!!

By Rachel Ward (Sports Exec: Marketing & Communications)

8 ways to be more active at NTU

by ntusport, posted in Clubs, Fitness, Participation

It’s that time of year where everyone is struggling to stick to their New Year’s resolution, and most of the time it is based around being more active!

Well look no further… at NTU you are in exactly the right place, as we have many different ways you can get involved in sport and exercise.

8 ways to be more active at NTU:

1. At NTU there are 60 sports clubs for students to participate in, catering for every level of experience.

2. Play for Fun offers an alternative to just going to the gym by giving you the chance to start something new, get back into a sport you love, make new friends and most importantly, have fun!

3. Volunteering is a great way to get involved, and we work in partnership with Nottingham Trent Volunteering to offer a huge range of sport volunteering opportunities.

4. We have very popular intramural leagues in Football, Netball and Rugby, where you can enter your own team. Represent your hall, society, course, or simply round up some of your mates – everyone is welcome.

5. We have two gyms, the City Suite on City Campus, and the Lee Westwood Sports Centre on Clifton Campus.

6. Our Fitness Classes and Blast Sessions are very popular and offer a huge variety of options, with classes taking place at City and Clifton.

7. You can hire our world-class facilities, such as the brand new tennis centre, sports halls, squash courts, and the 3G to have a bit of fun with your mates.

8. We provide sporting opportunities to university staff as well as students, which are aimed to fit in with your busy professional and social lives, whilst relieving some of that day-to-day stress!

Coaching Jack Hughes
Tigers after a Varsity performance

Tigers Cheer lead the way!

by ntusport, posted in Clubs, Participation

The Nottingham Trent Tigers are the home of Cheerleading here at NTU, with around 150 girls, (and some boys). We have progressed in both size and stature over the recent years, adding both a new competition team and performance team, so we provide the perfect opportunity for anyone who wants to give Cheerleading a try!

We have four teams who take the time to not only train their routines (that include dance, stunts and tumbles), but also to condition as a team – a big part of staying fit and strong for the challenging stunts that they learn.

Level 3 Squad
This season, they have also added private strength and conditioning sessions to make sure they stay ahead of the competition, and they will be heading to the same three competitions as the Level 2 Squad. This also includes ICC nationals, which is held at the Motorpoint arena, and they will be looking to be named National Champions for the fourth year on the bounce.

Level 2 Competition Squad
New this year, the squad is made up of 24 girls and they are heading to three competitions. They train four hours a week to perfect their competition routine.

Varsity Squad
This squad represents the Tigers at the Varsity series by committing to performing at as many games as possible, to celebrate our great teams in pink. They will also be performing at half time at the British Wheelchair Basketball Championships and be cheering for all teams throughout the tournament. The squad trains for four hours a week to learn up to 6 routines for the series.

Performance Squad
They train once a week for two hours to get ready for upcoming performances like Run NTU and the British Wheelchair Basketball Championship alongside the Varsity Squad.

If you are looking to join a club with an unforgettable bond then Tigers is the one for you. The girls aren’t just team mates, they have become a part of the Tigers legacy that will continue to grow in future years as more people shape the way the university views Cheerleading.

By Scarlett Myers (volunteer coach/ athlete)