I started orienteering when I was 12 and have enjoyed it ever since. For those
of you wondering 'what is
orienteering?', it's a sport where competitors navigate between control
points on a specially drawn map, with the fastest winning. I love the
challenge of navigating round a course. That and the fact that it usually
takes place in beautiful countryside (forests, fells or parks), mean that
it is far more enjoyable than just going for a run.As a student I've particularly come to appreciate it, because it gets me out into the fresh air and exercised, but most importantly it gets me out of the pressured environment of Oxford. Don't get me wrong; I love Oxford, but it's nice to get away at times. When I came to Oxford I joined the university club; OUOC. However, I'm still a member, and feel very much a part of, my home club; DEE.
Ballroom dancing is a 'sport' (these days it's called a sport & is quite
likely to become an Olympic one at that) I only took up when I came to
university. It was something I had thought of doing and I got a chance to
try it out at the end of my first term at
Merton College's Christmas Ball. I
thoroughly enjoyed it & got dragged along to dancing classes at the start of
next term by a friend (Rachel Ball). Instead of being sensible and starting
with beginners' classes, I ended up doing intermediate classes! Rachel said,
"You can learn fast, can't you?"; luckily I could. Though I thought I was in
over my head when the first lesson started with dancing a spin turn. Luckily
most of the other students couldn't remember how to do one, so we got a
quick recap. Although I learnt many interesting steps, it took me over a term
to learn all the basic steps for the different dances.I've now been dancing for over 6 years and have been a member of Merton's winning cuppers (annual inter-collegiate competition) team for 3 years. I've even got my bronze and silver latin and modern medals. I've achieved all this through OU Dancesport Club (formerly known as OU Ballroom Dancing Club).
I've been fencing for nearly 3 years now through
Merton College Fencing Club
and am now joint captain of the club. I would have taken up fencing sooner,
but the college club used to meet on Sundays, when I was orienteering. When
it started meeting on Saturdays instead, I took up fencing and haven't looked
back since.The club has won novice fencing cuppers for the past 3 years, and I have been part of the winning team for the last 2. Last year I managed to come 2nd despite the competition being mixed (both men & women). This year I won't be eligible to compete, having had too much fencing experience, but we hope the team will win again.
The first time was in 1992, when I went on a Grade 1 (the easiest level) holiday on the Mieminger Platter, near Innsbruck in the Austrian Tirol. If I hadn't been there, my parents would have been the youngest on the holiday! Our instructor was an incredibly fit 75 year old, Einar Ligemar, who decided that I was going to learn to ski. I'd only been on cross-country skis for 2 hours before he got me attempting, on the flat more-or-less, a Telemark turn. I made the turn, but my technique still isn't brilliant. When the others went in for coffee or lunch Einar would take me for another circuit & drum some more technique into me. He taught me a the basics of classic technique and, in particular, how to use my arms properly. I even achieved the English Ski Council's bronze standard.
The second time was a Grade 2 holiday in Kandersteg in Switzerland. This introduced me to skating step and also improved my leg technique. We had several enjoyable expeditions; up the Lötschental, round the Oeschinensee and round the Sunnbühl platter.
The first 2 times I went with my parents, but last time (back in 1995) I went by myself on a Grade 2/3 holiday in Sjusjøen (near Lillehammer) in Norway. I soon found that Grade 3 was the right level for me and thoroughly enjoyed the skiing we did, even the day I was getting blown across the loipe.
Cross country ski world - biased to
America
Complete-skier.com - a European
biased web site
Useful cross-country skiing
links
Braemar Nordic Ski Centre
English Ski Council - Nordic
Committee, includes links to all
affiliated clubs
Manchester Cross-Country Ski
Club
Ski Club of Great Britain