So as Autumn approaches and everyone returns to college from the four corners of the globe, a special excitement has been growing amongst the dedicated and growing surfing community at Imperial. Next weekend, the club will travel down to Newquay to compete in the national university championships, known as BUCs and our team has the best chance its ever had of making a mark on this years competition.
Many people do not consider surfing to be a competitive sport, the image of a perfect beach with sun, sand and surf hardly conjures up thoughts of hard training, mental preparation and physiological warfare. However, in reality the sport is as competitive and intense as any. Many people fight for the best waves, which are few and far between and every competitor to use all of his brain and brawn against the elements and everyone else to secure the best position, spot the best waves and catch them ahead of your rivals.
The surfing world tour has also been running for 30 years and is one of the world’s most difficult competitions to win, with many competitors pushing the boundaries of what’s possible surfing and 11 rounds around the world in hugely varying conditions, only the toughest and fittest will survive. Many heroes have been created from this contest, which this year’s team will try and emulate.
The competition is usually dominated by the coastal universities who can train more often than us and attract more surfers, however, this year we have assembled a team who have spent the summer around the globe honing their skills who should give everyone else a run for their money. The team plan to get to Newquay early to practice on the competition wave and receive final coaching from Pete, a surf instructor and old friend of the club. The competition will then begin on Friday, with heats of 5 surfers in the water who are judged on their two best waves. The event is also a great chance to meet other surfers from around the UK and enjoy the nightlife of Newquay, all competitors stay in the same campsite and the atmosphere at the beach is electric as competition begins!
On Tuesday a few of the current members will be representing the club at the freshers fair on Tuesday. The committee has worked really hard to produce a good display of the clubs activities from the past year and also has some freebies to give away. Look out for us in the Beit Quad!
The club was only founded 4 years ago and is one of the fastest growing clubs at Imperial with and big plans for the future and a real buzz amongst its members. What makes us unique is nearly all of members join as novices having never surfed before and leave college with a new found love and understanding of the ocean. Many people are quickly hooked by the mix of adrenaline, excitement and beauty of the places we visit and the club has a real community within the college which is built on by meeting every other week.
– Tom Alpe (Surf Club Captain)
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