Photo: Joshua Holt
The first day of Winter Varsity 2010 ended all square after the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam scored two points apiece on an intriguing Friday night of skiing and snowboarding at the Sheffield Ski Village.
Students supporting both universities flocked to the Ski Village on Vale Road for the start of the weekend’s sporting action, with points earned also counting for the main Varsity competition in the spring.
The night started off with competitors from both universities warming up and impressing the partisan crowd with an array of stunts and tricks.
When the real action got under way featuring the best competitors from both sides of the divide, Hallam drew first blood and took the opening point of the two-day event, winning the snowboard slalom after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in a best of three race series.
It did not take long for Uni to respond, with a closely fought 2-1 win in the ski slalom squaring Winter Varsity, giving every indication that this year’s tournament would be another closely-run contest.
However the skiing was delayed due to rumours that one of the Hallam students was in fact not a student there. A source said that the skier in question may not have been “part of the club and not part of the team”, in breach of British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) regulations.
After the racing, it was time for the freestyle events, Uni’s snowboarders kicked off the first of their three runs with a slight advantage over Hallam, but just as in the snowboard slalom it was Hallam who ended up taking the point to give them a 2-1 lead.
However Uni’s skiers were already dominating the skiing freestyle event, where after the first one Uni skier had a higher score than the entire Hallam team, and then the event was won to level the scores at 2-2.
A final twist occurred when the result of the snowboarding freestyle had to be officially confirmed, but after a long wait the result stood, and the evening on the slopes ended all square.
Commenting on the night’s action, Andy Cox, Uni’s Club Sport Manager, said: “I’m surprised but it’s good for Winter Varsity. I’m excited; I can’t wait [for Saturday's ice hockey game]. I hope it’s a close game but Uni are the underdogs.”
When asked about the incident in the skiing concerning the ineligible Hallam student, Cox, said he was “surprised”, saying “we discussed the rules and how it goes beforehand.”
With the score at 2-2, Winter Varsity will be decided by Saturday’s ice hockey game. Face-off at the Sheffield Arena is at 2.45pm. Visit forgetoday.com for live updates and live radio commentary on the crucial match.
Related posts: