BUCS End of Season Article
As the BUCS season comes to a close, it's time to reflect on the highs and lows of the past few months. For players, captains, coaches and supporters alike, this season has been one to remember, full of thrilling victories, heartbreaking defeats, and unexpected twists and turns.
Opportunities Officer, Rachel-
What a year it’s been! Not only have we given every other team a run for their money, we’ve shown that we can do it whilst having a laugh. Seeing you all (usually exhausted and/or hungover) on Thursdays, filling me in on all the drama was the highlight of my week and it’s something I’m going to miss. Massive well done for smashing it this year, now just do it all again next year!
Sports Coordinator, Chloe-
Since I stepped into Paige’s shoes in January I have come to appreciate the complete chaos that is BUCS. From not being able to get officials, injuries and walkovers it’s been a wild ride these last few weeks.
However, I have to mention the admirable resilience of Tim Aber to get their games played! Even though we have to travel long distances, face limitations with the facilities and funds available to us, it doesn't hold us back from showing up and giving our very best to every fixture and competition we take part in!
For some teams, this year has been a resounding success, with hard work and dedication paying off in the form of massive Ws. For others, it has been a year of rebuilding, with a focus on developing skills and laying the foundation for future success. It’s been incredibly rewarding seeing the scores come in every week and seeing the results especially after for the games I know are of special importance to their players.
This years star teams-
American Football- This year was the teams first year in their current division, and have proved a huge improvement from last year. They have played to a level which has seen them reach a 2-2-2 result throughout the season, and only just missed out on the playoffs by just two points.
Equestrian club - Although the club have lost their home advantage this year they have continued to perform exceptionally well. Their commitment to this season has been remarkable, the whole club has travelled at early hours to their home competitions near Swansea to groom the horses for the competitions.
Harriers Athletics & Running club- The team performed excellently in the BUCS cross country championships of 2023. They finished 28th out of every British university that applied. By beating the likes of Manchester University, Harriers have improved the reputation of Aberystwyth.
Women’s Badminton- The women's first badminton team has improved incredibly from last year, from losing the majority of their matches last year to winning all bar one this year and being promoted to the western tier 1 league, the women have done themselves proud. Gloucester's men's captain even stated 'when did Aber get good!'.
Women's Basketball- They have represented the university on a national level at the Women's Western Cup Final against Plymouth and have taken home a silver medal. The team has only lost two games the entire season. Women's Basketball has gone above and beyond the expectations for the club this year and have been dedicated through the entire year to bettering themselves on the court and representing their team and university to the best of their ability.
Women’s Football- Women’s football have played exceptionally well this year, winning 3 of their matches including against Cardiff Met. Although all of their games were during Semester 1 this hasn’t wavered their persistence to play games, turn up to training sessions and do well for themselves at both Varsity and in their local league.
Women’s Rugby- They achieved a winning streak on home ground at Vic Fields after going two years without a win! This is a huge improvement and it’s so lovely to see the girls succeed after such a hard time previously! This is an extraordinary achievement as some of their members join having no rugby experience at all prior to University. The team also won against the (at the time) undefeated league winners.
Regardless of the outcome, there is always something to be learned from a sports season. From the teamwork and camaraderie that comes from working together towards a common goal, to the resilience and grit required to overcome setbacks and adversity, sports offer countless opportunities for personal and collective growth.
Looking back on this year, it's important to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, from the players and captains to the supporters, I have to give a special mention here to the external people that work hard every week to ensure Tim Aber have all the support they need, MidWales Travel, St Johns, the Sports Centre and all other external facilities teams that accommodate us every week- big thanks to you all! Every game, every practice, and every moment was an opportunity to learn and grow, and the experiences gained this season will undoubtedly inform future successes.
As the season comes to a close, it's important to celebrate the successes, learn from the failures, and look ahead to the future with optimism and determination. Whether you're a player, captain, coach or supporter, this year has been a journey filled with ups and downs, and it's the lessons learned along the way that will make all the difference in the years to come.
The remainder of this article will be focused on your team and your stories, however I have to mentions my personal highlight of the season has been having phone calls every Wednesday from a committee member of Women’s Rugby just to keep me updated whilst I’m having a cup of Tea ??
It has been a pleasure to schedule your games, travel and arrangements through to the end of the season and see you through to the end of the BUCS year- I've had some laughs along the way, I hope you have too!
Committee mentions
Futsal
Futsal has had to my knowledge it’s most eventful year since it’s foundation:
One of our biggest plays was in our final fixture where George Downer received the ball in our half and dribbled through the entirety of Exeter's team. On top of that, scoring an illegal goal from a kick in, in our own half.
We broke 2 club records this year getting our first league point in a home draw with Exeter and our goalkeeper (Ikhan) scoring 4 goals over the season.
-John, Treasurer
Women’s Basketball
We’ve had quite a year! We made it to the Women’s Western Cup Final and came second. We beat Cardiff Met and then in our second game against them went into overtime, scoring 16 points in one quarter and then unfortunately losing the game at the end but it was one of our best games ever. Over half of our team has never played basketball before coming to uni and we only lost two games all season! We also came top ten in superteams and overall just had a really amazing season!
- Rugby Fitzer, President
Badminton
I would like to highlight the Women's Badminton Team efforts for performing amazingly all season. We’ve come top of our league, only lost one match but winning all the rest by only dropping a couple or no games. As well as, destroying Bangor 8-0!!
In addition, this is my last year at Aber and I’ve not lost a single end in the years I have represented Aber.
Everyone in the team played so well and I think they deserve some recognition.
- Ellie Reed, Women’s 1st captain
I would say that badminton’s greatest achievements this year were the great improvement in playing standard due to the extra team training sessions held this year, and the clean sweep at Varisty where all 3 badminton teams beat Bangor.
The women's team saw particularly good BUCS results, reaching semi finals in the cup and doing very well in the league.
- Matt Sculfor, Men’s 2nds Captain
Women’s Rugby
Funny memory of AUWR , our freshers wrapping our presidents car in clingfilm
Club achievement, Winning for the first time in 3 years
- Georgia Vardy, Social Sec
For some clubs the BUCS season hasn’ even started- best of luck to our Cricket club on their upcoming fixtures. Looking forward to the future, we hope all our BUCS teams continue their success from this year.
This year’s BUCS team of the year will be announced at the Sports and Societies Awards on the 3rd of May. Check out the teams shortlisted https://www.abersu.co.uk/aboutaber/celebrate/ for the award this year, and purchase your tickets to the award ceremony here https://www.abersu.co.uk/aboutaber/celebrate/.