Student athletes assemble for pre-season
Published On Thu 4 Sep 2014 by Grant Hill
More than 300 University of Dundee athletes from 23 sports clubs will this weekend begin a six-day training camp designed to get them in peak physical condition ahead of the new season.
Warm-Up Week 2014 runs from Saturday, 6th September until Thursday, 11th September and will see the students take part in sport-specific training sessions alongside a range of conditioning sessions. Participating athletes will gather for a briefing session at 7pm on Friday, 5th September ahead of training beginning the next day.
Warm-Up Week precedes the annual Sports Fair next Friday, when representatives of the Sports Union will encourage new and returning students to sign up for the 41 sports clubs on offer at the University. The initiative is designed to allow student athletes to spend time with top coaches and on team-building sessions which will ensure that the students are ready to maximise their individual and collective strengths on the sports field. Although this is the fourth year of the initiative, it is the first time freshers will be able to join their senior counterparts and sign up for the WUW2014
Paul McPate, Assistant Director of the University’s Institute of Sport and Exercise (ISE), said “We are delighted once again to be welcoming our athletes back ahead of their studies so they can take part in our pre-season training camp and gain an advantage when the competitive season begins.
“The week will be physically and mentally challenging but it gives students the chance to mix and work with members of other teams, building a greater feeling of community amongst the many sports teams at the University. We are also delighted to be able to welcome along first-year students this year to make connections with senior students and immerse themselves in the University’s sports programme from the off.
“Well over 300 students from 23 clubs are returning for WUW2014, 50 per cent more than last year. This reflects the peak in sporting interest on the back of Glasgow 2014, as well as an increased interest from our students in committing to their own sporting performance and success.
“We have teams and activities to suit any taste and our clubs will be delighted to welcome new members this year. There are great physical and social advantages to being an active student athlete and we would encourage any student who fancies joining to speak to the respective club, regardless of their previous experience.”
The twenty-three teams taking part in this year’s Warm-Up Week are: archery, badminton, men’s and women’s basketball, fencing, men’s and women’s football, handball, men’s and women’s hockey, men’s and women’s rugby, judo, karate, lacrosse, netball, squash, swimming, trampoline, ultimate frisbee, volleyball and water polo.
Dundee University Sport is the partnership between ISE and Dundee University Sports Union. They have joined forces to maximise the strengths of each partner in enhancing the provision of sport for students and staff.
The Sports Union represents some 41 member and associate clubs, ranging from archery to volleyball. Several University teams have enjoyed success at a national level in recent years, and many sportsmen and women from the University have gone on to represent their country and achieve individual glory in their chosen field.
More information is available at http://www.dundee.ac.uk/ise/dundeeuniversitysport/.
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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