Suitcases are getting crammed with swim caps, shorts, shoes, frisbees and maybe a bowling ball, as Curtin student-athletes prepare for the upcoming 2015 Australian University Games, the largest annual sports event in the southern hemisphere. Fondly known as the Uni Games, the weeklong event will be hosted on Queensland’s Gold Coast from 27 September to 2 October.
Over 7,500 students from 42 universities will duke it out in 31 sports ranging from the traditional – athletics, swimming, tennis – to the slightly left of field – ultimate frisbee, kendo and tenpin bowling.
The games are a perfect opportunity for university athletes, many of whom have achieved an Olympic standard, to compete against each other in a national multi-sport event. In 2014, Curtin sent 130 athletes to the 2014 Uni Games in Sydney and placed 13th out of 41 universities.
This year, 140 Curtin students will compete in a variety of sports including baseball, beach volleyball, cheerleading, cricket, fencing, judo, kendo, sailing and ultimate frisbee. For some, it is their first time representing Curtin at the Uni Games, while others will be fiercely defending their titles.
Last year, Curtin’s Beach Volleyball won the competition and this year the team is striving to go ‘two for two’.
“There has been a lot of excitement in the air as well as a lot of competitiveness to want to do well,” says captain of Curtin’s beach volleyball team, Emmily Goff. “We have worked hard as a team and are really looking forward to giving it a good crack. I am looking forward to some really good volleyball as well as meeting and making some new friends.”
Eight of Curtin’s fourth year physiotherapy students will attend the games as sports trainers, to provide support and treatment to Curtin athletes. This is part of a self-directed practical component of their course.
The games also offer a chance for students to build leadership skills, enjoy a social program organised by Australian University Sport and enrich their university experience.
We wish all our athletes safe travels. Good luck and enjoy your ice baths.
