Whether you’re an incoming fresher determined to break into the Blues squads or a finalist determined that this year will be the one where you finally use those trainers that have been sitting in the back of your cupboard since your last P.E. lesson at school, getting into sport at university can seem a little intimidating. Luckily for you, Cherwell has put together a handy guide; here is how to enter Oxford’s sporting elite in 6 easy (if potentially a little tiring) steps…

1)      Do your research

If you already compete in a particular sport or know you would like to try a particular one, most clubs have websites or Facebook pages you can look at to find out more about them and contact existing members. Or you can use http://www.sport.ox.ac.uk to browse the many sports clubs so you can show off your knowledge at the Freshers’ Fair when you are the only person to know what Octopush is.

2)      Attend pre-season training

Anyone who is serious about participating in Blues sport should consider attending one of the pre-season training camps run by many of the clubs, including hockey and netball. These are a great way to meet the teams and show off your skills away from the chaos of trials during freshers’ week.

3)      Get your Freshers’ Fair tactics right

Most people do one of two things at the Freshers’ Fair: sign up for every single sports club in sight or run round the sports section faster than Roger Bannister at Iffley Road. Whichever of these approaches choose, you may regret it later on. Instead, you could actually talk to some of the people on the stands, and sign up for a few things that there is a genuine chance you might go to. Remember that these people don’t want to waste their time adding names to their mailing list for no reason, so if it sounds dull then move on to the next stand. After all, there are at least 10 more to get through just in the martial arts section.

4)      Turn up

Possibly the most daring of all these suggestions, particularly if you are a sporting rookie or a fresher who ignored number 3 and signed up for Korfball just so you didn’t have to listen to the entire rulebook being explained, but how about going along to something you signed up for and actually doing some sport? I know this is a bit radical but it might actually be fun and a great way to either bond with some existing friends by dragging them along as well or making some new ones. Many clubs run free taster sessions in the first few weeks of term so if you’re unsure then do have a go because you may discover an unknown talent for a new sport. If this sounds like too much effort, lots of clubs also hold informal drinks evenings, so you can go along and hang out with Oxford’s sporting elite even if you don’t want to train with them.

5)      Memberships

If you decide that sport is your thing then eventually you will have to pay some membership fees. These vary from club to club but if you are relatively talented and/or lucky your college may give you some funding for them. You may also want to become a member of the sports facilities at Iffley Road, which include a pool, athletics track and a gym and are where most sports clubs train. The membership fees for students are very reasonably priced if you opt for a 3 year membership and give you the chance to perfect your physique between lectures. You might even get lucky and attend a college where the JCR pays for membership…

6)      Don’t forget college sport

If, after a strenuous pre-season with the Blues squad, you think something a little more laid back might suit you, there is always plenty of rowing, rugby, football, netball, squash and more to be done at college level, with a good helping of social events on the side. And those who say college sport isn’t serious enough clearly didn’t attend some of the hotly contested Cuppers competitions of last year, which saw last-gasp victories, heartbreaking defeats and even a few broken bones.

As you can hopefully see, getting involved in sport at Oxford should not seem intimidating or particularly complicated, even if you aspire to do it at a high level. Most clubs and teams are happy to welcome novice and experienced athletes alike and you will soon be kitted out in your stash and feel part of Oxford’s proud sporting tradition. And even if you aren’t going to reach the glorified Blues standards, sport can still provide you with new friends, a way to escape from work, endless fun and hopefully a few successes along the way. Good luck, and see you at Iffley.

One year on, I’m still not sure what first possessed me to trek to Iffley for boxing. I think I might have joined OUABC to annoy my parents. Either that or the extreme disorientation of a history degree struck a loose nerve to create some kind of structure.

In the instance of the former, I certainly succeeded. My mother was resolutely horrified. Luckily for her my brother was on hold to offer some expert advice: ‘Oh leave her. She’s just escaped home and is dabbling with the whole rebellion thing. She never went through any of the angst-fuelled phases properly. The emo-fringe was only ever half-hearted. She grew it out when she started bumping into things more often than usual.’ Or words to that effect I am sure.

What was immediately apparent was my family’s dogmatic perception of the incompatibility of boxing with myself. ‘You’re just not, you know, built for that. There looked to be lots of nice dance societies in the prospectus. I know you’re not very good at that sort of thing but you might surprise yourself with proper training!’ Ugh. The bitter sting of familial disapproval. With this, I finally felt like a fully-fledged student ready to embrace socialism, Doc Martens and most ardently of all, the now ancestrally verboten boxing.

The fact my family were surprised is, of course, unsurprising. Women’s boxing is not a hobby often slipped into idle conversation. Nor should it be expected to be so. Women’s right to professionally fight was the result of lengthy battle.

Interestingly, the incompatibility of femininity and boxing was institutionalised later in human history than might be expected. In terms of bare-knuckle ‘fisticuffs’, women have been ‘boxing’ for just as long as men. In the 18th century, men and women even shared the same arena; the Bear-Garden. However, what was different was the content of the ensuing match reports. Rather than commenting on any technical skill or physical prowess, as was custom in the reports from the men’s matches, it was the fact that the women were so scantily clad that put pen to paper. Reports of female boxing thus became little more than romantically adroit erotica.

The explicit exclusion of women actually arrived with the reforms made to boxing that transformed bare-knuckle prize-fighting into the sport we recognise today. In order to maximise appeal to the upper classes, the presence of women and backdrop of gambling were replaced by the introduction of the large, padded, and now emblematic, gloves. From then onwards, women were automatically associated with the plebeian and paltry character of illegal prize-fighting.

Today, female boxing seems still to be masked by the outmoded head guard of sexual voyeurism. The origins of this may well lie in 18th century match reports but fault now rests with popular culture. Whilst the feisty-feminist look of the early 2000s may be felt to be empowering, Christina Aguilera’s pre-Miley Cyrus twerking in a boxing ring does nothing to rescue female fighters from associations of farcicaland sexual spectacle.

This aside, the fundamental problem is that women in boxing have alwaysfallen foul of a double jab from social expectations. The first punch is the belief that it isunnatural for women to hit, and the second, that it is equally unnatural for women to be hit. Written in 1840, Thomas Ingoldby’s poem epitomises the first blow:

Within a well-roped ring, or on stage,

Boxing may be a very pretty Fancy,

When Messrs. Burke or Bendigo engage;

– ‘Tis not so well in Susan, Jane, or Nancy:

To get well mill’d by any one’s an evil,

But by a lady – ‘tis the very devil.

A century and a half later, Amir Khan, without the furnishings of a Venus and Adonis stanza, delivered the second, “Deep down I think women shouldn’t fight …When you get hit it can be very painful. Women can get knocked out.”

Since 2004, Khan has changed his mind. Recently, women’s boxing has come the furthest in the shortest space of time. It was over a century ago when women’s boxing was first showcased at the Olympics in a demonstration bout in 1904, yet it was not seen again till London 2012.

Here in Oxford, we’ve reached the title fight too. By that I mean more than just Varsity. Although, now that elephant’s entered the arena, it is worth mentioning that three of the club’s female boxers fought this year. This included an inter-club bout because Cambridge had no girls to compete. Regardless, it must be stressed that OUABC is not all about Varsity. It’s about boxing and this comprises two components; training and sparring. The endgame of being a member is to be just that, a part of the boxing club. In the words of women’s captain Lucy Harris, “You aren’t really mates till you’ve punched each other in the face repeatedly.” At the same time, sparring occupies just one corner of the ring. Girls are welcome who have no interest in actually fighting, but just want to get fit. There’s a lot of solidarity to be shared in the physical grilling of training.

The women’s club is not an isolated sorority. Its raison d’être is to honour that the decision to fight is a right to have and a choice to be made. In just 2000, this decision was referred by a Daily Mail columnist as the result of “the raging politically correct lobbies who determine in this deranged nation that women must have the same right as men to be struck in the head and the chest.” Injected with an antidote for prejudice, this opinion translates to the cause well. Why is it acceptable for men to choose to hit each other in a professionalised arena, yet unacceptable for women? Opponents of female boxing should only make their case grounded on objections to boxing as a whole. The point is that it is the individual’s choice whether they don gloves, not the expectations of society.

Now it’s 2014 and we are in the position to pack a real punch. Instead of pandering to the conventional tropes of femininity and whining about the male domination of sport, why don’t we invite it to the blue corner and lace up our red gloves? Boxing is not about pointing the finger at others: it’s an individual sport. If something goes wrong in that ring, it’s your own fault. This attitude must be passed over the ropes. The fight outside has lasted long enough, it’s time to get in the ring.

The 20^th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow commenced on the 23^rd of July and drew to a close on the 3^rd of August. In those ten days alone, an ample sample of athletics has reached us – enough for us to make some verdicts.

Withdrawals

We could in fact, have even made some conclusions before the Games began. The organisers of the Glasgow Games were hit by withdrawals of one big name after another in the lead-up. Mo Farah, who had been due to make an appearance two weeks earlier in the Glasgow Diamond League, was once more forced to pull out, having failed to recover from an abdominal illness. The joint-second fastest man ever, Jamaican Yohan Blake, was also ruled out of the Games owing to a serious hamstring injury he picked up in Glasgow’s Hampden Park during the Diamond League. Another big name, Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Britain’s rising heptathlon star, announced her withdrawal a few days before the opening ceremony, as a result of a prevailing foot injury.

In addition to this news came the revelations that Jamaican track stars Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, both multiple Olympic champions, would only run in the 4x100m relays, opting not to run the individual events. It seemed that the Commonwealth Games was going to be a rather quiet affair.

Not so. The Games were filled with plenty of drama in the athletics department once they had begun.

Success Stories and Dramas

Adam Gemili got the ball rolling by winning England’s first medal in athletics. The 20-year-old shone on the track, coming in second only to Jamaican Kemar Bailey-Cole, who trains with Usain Bolt. The university student was put under the spotlight after winning the World Junior Championships in 2012 at just eighteen, in a time much faster than any Brits had managed for quite some time – 10.05 seconds. The youngster’s feat has prompted many zealous athletics fans, hungry for British athletics success in the 100m, to count down the moments until the sprint sensation runs under the big 10 seconds. Gemili’s not worried: “It’s not about times, it’s about position. The times will eventually come. This is just a stepping-stone for the European Championships and then the Olympics in Rio.”

Adam Gemili is one to watch. This is his first senior medal, and the athlete is steadily improving. With a 19.98 time in the 200m to his name (run last year), he is most definitely capable of breaking the 10-second barrier.  Patience on the part of spectators, however, not pressure, is required. (Ed: Having since won a European gold medal, Gemili is already proving us right…)

Nigeria’s Blessing Okagbare dominated on the track, scooping up the sprint double in the 100m and 200m in Fraser-Pryce’s absence. The athlete, who stands tall at 5ft 11 inches, and is also a skilled long jumper, triumphed in the 100m in a time of 10.85, setting a new Commonwealth Games record and equalling the world leading time. Three days later, the 25-year-old again stormed to victory, winning the 200m in 22.25 seconds, ahead of young English duo Jodie Williams and Bianca Williams.  The two Brits (no relation) showed incredible determination, smashing their personal bests to come into to silver and bronze positions in 22.50 and 22.58 respectively.

There was joy and disbelief also for Jazmin Sawyers, the multi-talented 20-year-old who already has a silver medal in her collection after bobsleigh success in the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics. The Bristol University law student began her athletics career as a heptathlete, before choosing to specialise in the long jump. It was for this event that Sawyers earned silver in the Commonwealth Games. Jazmin is also an aspiring songstress, fitting composing and performing songs for gigs into her hectic schedule.

Yet sadly, whilst three English athletes celebrated medals last Thursday, there was heartbreak for another. Shara Proctor, the former British long jump record holder, withdrew from the final, tearful and wracked with pain from a hamstring injury.

The conditions in Hampden Park cannot have helped. The stadium was very often pelted with heavy showers, and the temperature was cold enough for a considerable number of athletes to complain about the weather during their post-race interviews. Many competed with their leggings still on to prevent injuries.

England’s Greg Rutherford showed those that had dared to call him a one-hit wonder by winning long jump gold with a distance of 8.20m. The Olympic champion has just this season set a new British record (8.51m).

There was more home nation victory from the ‘Weirwolf’, with the 35-year-old six-time Paralympic champion David Weir winning gold in the T54 1500m. Visually impaired Libby Clegg brought home Scotland’s first athletics gold in the T12 100m, helping the host nation beat its Commonwealth gold medal record. Eilidh Child, dubbed the ‘poster girl’ of the Games, added to the medal tally with a silver medal in the 400m hurdles. Jo Pavey, forty years old and only 10 months after the birth of a baby daughter, stormed to 5,000 bronze.

The Commonwealth Games, the one major athletics competition in which the nations of the United Kingdom are split rather than united, brought a unique kind of drama to the stage. In the 800m heats, England’s Andrew Osagie and Welshman Joe Thomas found themselves in a scuffle at the finish line. Osagie at first appeared to have blocked the Welshman, but after replays, it seemed there was another possibility: that Thomas had gotten himself into a difficult spot and to qualify, had to push himself out with all his might. The result was that he knocked into fellow Brit Osagie, who then fell to the ground. The verdict of the messy mishap was that Osagie was disqualified and Joe Thomas was put through to the final. One can only hope that this unlucky incident doesn’t create a rift between the two Britons in the future.

There was more drama for the home nations with former 400m hurdles World Champion and defending Commonwealth champion Dai Greene displaying a disappointing performance in Glasgow, finishing in a time two seconds outside of his personal best. The Welshman has been beset by one injury after another and admitted that four months previously, he had not even believed it possible that he would be competing in Glasgow.

Kenya’s David Rudisha, 800m world record holder, was at the centre of still more Commonwealth commotion as he was out-sprinted in the final stages of the 800m final by Botswana’s Nijel Amos.

Drug cheating

Wales and Botswana were embroiled in a different kind of drama when it was revealed that Welshmen Gareth Warburton and Rhys Williams had failed drug tests and 400m Botswanan track star Amantle Montsho tested positive for banned stimulant methylhexaneamine after finishing fourth in the final.

Relays

The relays, as always, provided a positive finish to the athletics of the Games. Jamaican track stars Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce finally made their long-awaited appearances, with the world record holder in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m welcomed fondly by the crowd at Hampden Park in spite of the furore that had ensued earlier in the week owing to claims in the media that Bolt had made disparaging comments about the 20^th Commonwealth Games. The Jamaican men and women’s teams powered to gold in all but one of the relay races – winning not only the 4x100m relays but also the women’s 4x400m, although they failed to medal in the men’s event. England produced performances good enough to get onto the podium after each of the relays, with perhaps the most electrifying coming from Matthew Hudson-Smith, who ran a confident anchor leg to win England an unexpected gold. The 19-year-old from Wolverhampton, who only made the 400m his key event this year, held off experienced Bahamian Chris Brown in a torrential downpour, obliterating three seconds of his personal best based on the time he ran for his split.

The team of Adam Gemili, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Richard Kilty and Danny Talbot earned England a well-deserved silver medal in the 4x100m, while Asha Philip, Bianca Williams, Jodie Williams and Ashleigh Nelson ran strongly after Jamaica and Nigeria to get England the bronze in the women’s 4x100m. The women’s 4x400m relay saw Christine Ohuorogu, Shana Cox, Kelly Massey and Anyika Onuora also claim a bronze for England, after the Jamaicans and Nigerians.

The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow were certainly well received. Despite some memorable names being absent, and the recurrence of drug cheating, the Games have drawn enough respect to be declared “the standout Games in the history of the movement” by Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Mike Hooper.

Conclusions in a nutshell

– The Commonwealth Games is a magnificent opportunity for young athletes to flourish on the world stage

– Glasgow 2014 has done nothing to stop other countries from thinking of Britain as having the worst weather on the planet.

– British athletics is in a good place leading up to the European Championships and Rio 2016. The success of our athletes in the individual sprints and sprint relays is evidence that we will soon be able to really threaten other nations.

– Doping is still rife in athletics.

– Some big names could be out for quite some time owing to injuries they have sustained either just before or during the Games.