Varsity is finally back! After last year’s online edition, we are eager to enjoy this year’s fully in-person edition of Varsity. To get a feel for how our different teams are anticipating this big event, we interviewed two of our captains to give us insight into their team’s mindsets.
Eva Radukic – President of KCL Women’s Rugby
Can you describe yourself and your club?
I'm President of KCLWRFC and I'm a third-year student studying International Relations. I've been a part of the club since my first year, but with covid and lockdowns, it doesn't really feel like 3 years. KCL women's rugby is a competitive, inclusive, and friendly team competing in BUCS and LUSL leagues each year. Due to the nature of the sport, most team members have never played before when they join the team, so the team is all about improvement, progression and having fun. As a development squad, we have access to performance training sessions, involving strength and conditioning and discounted gym memberships.
What has it been like to train this year?
Training this year has been very interesting, as we began the year with only 3 existing members. With a big recruitment drive, we managed to recruit over 20 more members to create a full side for our first match. As over half of our new members had never held a rugby ball before they joined, it was an intense 3 week period of trainings to get them game-ready before our first match. Even now, each match we play marks a huge stride forward in terms of development, and I'm so proud of how far everyone has come. We've experienced some difficulties with injuries sustained and players being unavailable due to this, meaning we're often turning out with a 15 woman squad and no subs; further demonstrating the resilience and dedication of our teammates.
What does Varsity mean to the club?
Varsity means a lot to us; it's by far the biggest event on the sporting calendar and the time to showcase our talents. Women's rugby is still a largely unrecognised sport so holding such a big event in conjunction with men's rugby really helps to grow interest in the sport. It's also a chance for friends and family from far and wide to come to support and for us to demonstrate our progress over the year, hopefully attracting new members to the club.
How have you historically performed at Varsity?
For the past two years, we've won Varsity quite convincingly, but I believe the year before I joined it was quite a close match, with UCL coming out on top. Having played UCL this season already in the LUSL league, and won quite easily, we're confident to turn out with a third win in a row this year.
William Yang – Captain of KCL Badminton
Could you describe how your year was so far and how you are getting ready for Varsity?
Hello! I’m William Yang. I’m a 3rd year Political Economy student. I play Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles for the badminton team. KCL Badminton is a sports and social club that caters to both competitive and recreational players, KCL and GKT associates, undergraduates and alumni alike. Our simple motto is ‘Proud to represent.’ I believe that the welfare of the club is the sum of its people’s welfare – so our aim is to cultivate an atmosphere where people trust each other, foster friendships with each other, play badminton with each other, and are therefore proud to represent each other.
It has been very fulfilling to train this year as a whole compared to last year amidst the covid restrictions. The beginning of this academic year was a little rough around the edges as expected. We had to adhere to quite restrictive COVID guidelines and so the social atmosphere during sessions was a little stiff. As the weeks passed and the general attitude around COVID relaxed, team members were allowed to develop their friendships and so the club eventually flourished. Now, the players within the competitive teams are all very close friends with each other. We train together, we improve together, we’ve been through the highs and lows together. Our coaches have also been nothing but supportive and positive. They have been a primary and valuable resource in our success in the leagues and Cups this year. To that, we owe them a lot!
Varsity is a time of testing and therefore a time for unity for the club. It is a moment for us to be Proud to Represent ??. All competitors recognise the status and history of the event and as such treat it with high respect. Despite the competitive rivalry, Varsity also represents an opportunity for cross-relations with UCL, which we value highly. It is not uncommon to meet former members at Varsity – sometimes we will be playing against them! Varsity brings together friends and fellow badminton enjoyers from all corners of London, and even for that gift alone we greatly appreciate it.
Unfortunately, KCL’s last Varsity win was in the academic year 2015-16. UCL has won three consecutive times since then. We are looking to turn the tides!
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