YORK UNIVERSITY is bracing itself for a momentous year of sport. Just as the Olympics will set London alight in the summer, York will see its own sporting revolution when the £9m sports village opens on Heslington East in July.
Vision received an exclusive tour of the new complex to see how it is taking shape, and with the grand opening six months away it is taking shape very rapidly.
On taking the tour, it was easy to visualise how this important addition to, not only the University, but the entire city of York, will look when complete, and it’s sure to become a jewel in the crown of York’s sporting scene.
The centre is situated close to the new Langwith College, due to open in time for the next academic year, and there will also be transport links from the main University campus, with buses extending their routes.
To go with this facilities boost, both Keith Morris, Head of Sports and Recreation at the University and York Sport President Sam Asfahani have a myriad plans for this exciting sporting year, focussing largely on getting people active and increasing participation in sport.
With Varsity and Roses also to look forward to, Vision is eagerly anticipating this Olympic year to be York’s best.
A SWIMMING pool has been a gaping hole in York’s sporting scene for many a year, and so for many, the 25 metre pool and smaller training pool will come as a very welcome addition. The pool is the centre-piece of the complex, not only aesthetically but also since it is overlooked by a 120 seater viewing gallery, allowing it to stage galas and other competitive events.
Not only will University sports clubs such as swimming and water polo benefit hugely, but so will student and community members alike who swim recreationally. Swimming club member Helen O’Brien is overjoyed at the prospect of a pool on campus: “This development will benefit our club and the city of York massively. It looks classy and we even have a specialised training pool.”
Another area in which the University has previously lacked is in gym space. The current campus gym is on the small side, with only 65 stations, due to rise to 90 when TechnoGym take over the equipment, but the new sports village will include a large, open plan 120 station gymnasium.
There are set to be treadmills lined up along the windowed side, with other cardiovascular equipment behind them. All these machines will also feature individual entertainment screens on which gym-goers will be able to watch television whilst they work out. This same equipment will be used in the Olympic Village in London, since TechnoGym are the official contractors to the British Olympic Association (BOA).
The centre of the gym will feature resistance equipment whilst numerous rowing machines and the free-weights section will fill the other main walls.
The members’ changing rooms will have a high class finish, with under floor heating, vanity areas and access to a unisex health suite, containing a jacuzzi, sauna and steam room.
There will be three multi-use studio spaces upstairs for such activities as aerobics, spinning and yoga, whilst downstairs there are treatment rooms suitable for physiotherapy and massage. A Costa coffee bar near the reception will provide refreshments.
Finally, four team changing rooms will cater to the outdoor facilities, namely three five-a-side football pitches and a large 3G grass pitch for football and rugby. This will be used for BUCS fixtures and college sport and there is a possibility of York City FC having some training sessions on the pitch.
Discussions are ongoing regarding the construction of another phase of development in the future, in conjunction with the community stadium to be built at Monks Cross. A cycling track would be built (which would be the best in Yorkshire), as well as a county standard athletics track and 500 seat stand.
Thanks to £1000 of funding received from the NUS ‘Be a Champion’ scheme, associated with the Olympics, the sports village will be home to a piece of art work. A competition, open to all students, will create a piece of art that commemorates the legacy of 2012, with the winning piece being placed in the new village. The rest of the money is due to be spent on a torch relay from York to Lancaster for this year’s Roses, giving our own premier tournament an Olympic feel.
The university have launched, or are in the process of launching initiatives to increase participation in fitness and activity this year. Sport chief Keith Morris says that “from our perspective, we intend to encourage as many students and staff at the University of York to be active in 2012.”
They have introduced discounted membership prices for students, where £40 could be saved off six month packages, with the hope that people will make a solid committement fitness in 2012. Second year maths student Will Hanby said “One of my new year’s resolutions was to start attending the gym regularly, and now with these lower priced memberships and the new facilities due to open, it has tempted me to join up with the university instead of David Lloyd.”
Looking ahead to February, North Yorkshire Sport have teamed up with the University in a bid to entice those not currently active to become so in the form of new activites they might not have done before. The ‘Sportivate’ programme will contain beginners zumba, piliates, gym and spinning courses, each lasting six or seven weeks, and funding is currently being sought that will enable participants to receive subsidised fees as well as the provision of coaches, equipment and facilities. The spin bikes have already been bought and we be implemented into class sessions imminently.
Also going live in February will be the ‘ipledge’ scheme. It is a country wide initiative which encourages people to pledge to be active in 2012 and to become part of ‘our greatest team’, the idea that by everyone taking part in sport and fitness, the entire nation will support the actual olympic team this summer.
The University will also be tracking how many students and staff in the entire institution pledge to be active through a computer application which will allow the university’s overall performance against others. Those who pledge will also be directed to the sports centre facilities, clubs or college sports.
Individual sports clubs also have much to look forward to in 2012. The boat club have organised the White Rose Head event for the 28th January which will attract up to 500 rowers, whilst a number of men’s and women’s rowers are going to Olympic trials in preparation for the 2016 games. Meanwhile, the netball team have been asked to join with the University of Hull to take on a team of players from Leeds and Leeds Met. universities as the warm-up for a Yorkshire Jets Super League match being played in Hull.
There are of course old favourites Varsity and Roses to look forward to. Varsity will be on Sunday 24th February and will be contested against Hull for the second time after last year’s success, once again at home. There is to be a closing ceremony in the Roger Kirk Centre before everyone moves to an after party at Vodka Revolution, with late buses back from York allowing the Hull students to join the frivolities.
Roses will commence in Lancaster on the weekend starting the 4th May, and York’s travelling teams will hope for a repeat of last year’s victory over our old foes in Europe’s largest inter-university sports competition.