DMU Students prepare for Derby day in Varsity

March 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment

By Alex Murray

Students are gearing up for what looks to be yet another fantastic week of action in the 2017 Varsity.

DMU sports teams are preparing to face their counterparts from cross-town rivals the University of Leicester in a variety of sports ranging from American Football to Ultimate Frisbee.

Arguably the biggest event in the DMU sporting calendar, this is a chance for DMU students to prove that they are in fact the pride of Leicester, in what has been a fantastic sporting year for the city.

The action gets underway on Thursday, March 16, with the Mixed Trampolining, before coming to a close on Wednesday, March 22, where a final victor will be crowned.

Students are rightfully excited for the coming tournament, with university pride at stake.

Jade Parkin, a drama student, said: “Varsity is a big thing at university and I’m excited to see what happens in my first ever one!

“I won’t be competing, but the buzz around campus and watching events will be great!”

Filed Under: DMU News, First Year, Latest

Journalism student gears up for Varsity

March 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment

By Ross Barnett

As Varsity approaches for DMU, one Journalism undergraduate student and American Footballer will be hoping to make an impact for DMU Falcons this Sunday (March 19).

DMU FALCONS

DMU Falcons scrum down against league leaders, the University of Leicester as part of their Varsity campaign.

Sitting in 7th position in the league table, the Falcons are firm underdogs, particularly as they succumbed to a 22-0 defeat the last time the sides met at Stoughton Road playing fields on November 27th last year.

Falcons’ wide receiver, Tyler Arthur, believes that the underdog tag will serve the side well: “We are underdogs based on the season but we are very determined and have good form after our last game of the season.

“We feel confident that we will give them a good game.”

Describing the fixture as their equivalent to the Super Bowl, the Falcons will be hoping to emulate the New England Patriots, as they upset all the odds to come from 28-3 down with 2:07 left in the third quarter against Atlanta Falcons to score 31 unanswered points and claim the coveted trophy.

Tyler said: “The preparation is extra intense, and the game will be hugely important to both teams. We even have an extra training session this week!”

He also believes that how they approach the match is paramount to success: “We have undergone a drinking ban for weeks before the game and we have traded usual socials for a team meal and some Madden to keep us in the mind-set for football.

“I will personally eat lots of carbohydrates, drink lots of water and play lots of Madden.

“When training for this game, we’ve had classroom sessions to prepare a game plan and be ready for the game.”

The Falcons previously faced Manchester Metropolitan on February 26th and recorded a resounding 38-0 victory which Tyler believes will give them confidence once they don their jerseys on Sunday morning:

“That has shown us our strengths, and now we can use them and adapt them for Varsity, where our opponents are much more physical,” he said.

“We’ve been training extremely hard and we’re ready for a fight.”

See Tyler and his team mates take on UoL on Sunday, March 19th, in Stoughton Playing Fields. Kick off 12pm.

Filed Under: DMU News, First Year, Latest, Sports

Student talks of struggle following beloved team across the country

March 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment

 

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By Ruairi O’Connor

A huge number of the population follow football religiously, but for Luke Smith, a De Montfort University student, being away from his team’s London home is particularly hard.

Smith, 19, has been a lifelong Fulham FC fan, but has not been able to attend as many games this year due to being at university in Leicester, where he studies Journalism.

“It’s tough supporting a team over 100 miles away, especially due to me having to give up my season ticket for the first time in 12 years,” he said.

This is not an uncommon problem with football fans, or supporters of a sports team in any sport, at university.

The price of tickets in professional sports continues to sky-rocket and the current prices of trains around the country is also on the rise.

However, Smith thinks he is lucky due to the current competition his team faces.

“Being in the Midlands makes a lot of games quite accessible for me as many of the teams in the Championship are in the surrounding areas.”

It does appear that this particular fan has been fortunate in where he has chosen to go to university but, like many, he still misses the buzz of a home game.

“Every weekend I miss not being able to go down to Craven Cottage and watching the team I love,” he said.

 

 

Filed Under: First Year

DMU students to feature in Cookie charity gig

March 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment

by Ollie Heppenstall

A DMU student is taking part in a charity concert being held at The Cookie later this month.

 

The concert, hosted by the DMU Acapella Society in support of mental health charity MIND, hosted by Dom Whiting and taking place on Thursday 23rd of March, features individual students and groups as well as a raffle including prizes from Lush, Flappers and Gentlemen St Martins and the Body Shop.

Both DMU’s Acapella Society and Gospel Choir are set to perform, as well as students Kelechi Stevenson and Kait Baker-Smith, in addition to Double Shot.

Kait, a first year English Language and Creative Writing student, said: “I got involved with the gig through information being posted on the music society’s Facebook group and contacting the hosts.

“The Acapella Society and the Gospel Choir are definitely worth looking out for. Kelechi as well, he’s got a fantastic voice and a lot of original music that’s been on show at Music Society open mic nights.”

She added: “If you’re looking to get into music at De Montfort, joining Music Society’s the best way, they upload videos of every open mic night and you’ll get to know the music scene in Leicester a lot better from being contacted by local promoters looking to book acts.”

Tickets are available from the Students’s Union website or on the door.

 

 

Filed Under: DMU News, Entertainment, First Year, Latest, Music, News, Video

De Montfort praised

March 14, 2017 by Leave a Comment

By Lucy Billington-Groom

 

Having been named the eighth most popular university in the UK, as rated by UCAS, students were more than willing to sing the praises of DMU.

David Lomax, a first year Politics student, said: “DMU provides you with the opportunity to get what you want for your future, they understand that I chose them so they’re going to do everything they can for me.”

The university, which turned 147 years old on March 1, has steadily climbed league tables and gained popularity over the years.

Tyler Arthur, a first year Journalism student, said: “It’s one of the fastest improving universities in Britain.

“Since coming to DMU I have developed as a person, both academically and socially, it’s a great environment to be in.”

Molly Bahram, another first year Journalism student, added: “There’s always something going on. Never a boring day on campus and the opportunities for travelling and other experiences are so great.”

Filed Under: DMU News, First Year
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