2012 UQ Sporting Scholarship Lunch

UQ Sport proudly announced the 2012 sporting scholarships at a special lunch at Hillstone restaurant on Thursday 29 March.

The lunch introduced 26 of the 39 new scholarship holders to sponsors and UQ staff, highlighting the athlete’s achievements to date as well as degrees they will be undertaking at UQ.

The day also featured a special panel discussion which gave guests an insight into the life of an aspiring professional athlete trying to balance training and study.

Among the athletes present during the panel discussion was Paralympian

Image from left to right: Kristian Wan - Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Law), Jaime Krol – Athlete Career and Education Advisor with the UQ Sport Academy, Jarrod Jolliffe – AFL (Bachelor of Physiotherapy), Marcus Daldy – Cricket (Bachelor of Arts)

Brenden Hall who recently smashed his own 400m Multi-Class world record by more than two seconds at the Australian Swimming Titles held in Adelaide.

Mr Hall said he was grateful UQ had provided him with the opportunity to complete his Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Sciences along with a base to train at.

“It is really valuable having the pool at UQ, it means that I don’t have to travel far to do my training,” Mr Hall said.

“If I am in the middle of exams it really helps having everything in such close proximity.

“Training 36-40 hours a week and doing university can be a difficult task but somehow I manage to get it done.

 “I have made it into the shadow squad for the 2012 London Paralympics, so things are going well but it will be even better once the team is confirmed in June,” he said.

Mr Hall isn’t the only scholarship holder preparing for Olympic selection.

Physiotherapy student Caitlin Sargent is vying for a spot on the women’s athletics team in her pet event, the 400m.

Ms Sargent competed at last year’s IAAF World Athletics Championships and is hopeful of either qualifying individually or as part of the 4x400m relay team.

Come’n'Try Week kick starts semester 1

Participants at Come'n'Try Week, semester 1, 2012.

UQ Sport’s Come’n’Try week got Semester 1 off to an energetic start with venues dancing, jumping, running, stretching and buzzing to a healthy beat.

Come’n’Try Week, held this year between 27 February and 3 March, directly follows O-Week each semester and gives the UQ community an opportunity to trial over 80 different activities on offer from UQ Sport.

UQ Sport’s Operations Manager, Paul Clayton, said Come’n’Try Week was a big success with a huge amount of people registering for the week’s activities.

“We had over 1700 people register for programs like pilates, salsa, capoeira, bodypump, boot camp, swim squad, mixed martials arts and many, many more,” Mr Clayton said.

“The best thing about Come’n’Try is that people don’t have to limit themselves to one class, so it was motivating to see a few hard core enthusiasts enrolling in as many as 10 classes for the week.

“UQ Sport has just introduced a new membership package called UQ Sport Gold which gives anyone involved with UQ access to any venue for less than $2 a day.

“Come’n’Try was a fantastic way to let everyone know that they can continue the fun at such a small cost,” he said.

If you missed out on Come’n’Try but would like to know more about UQ Sport’s Lifestyle courses and UQ Sport Gold Membership then visit www.uqsport.com.au

UQ Sport Aquatic Centre re-opens

Swimmers make a big splash at the re-opening of the UQ Sport Aquatic Centre. Image - Matt Taylor

The official re-opening of the UQ Sport Aquatic Centre and David Theile Pool was celebrated with a big splash on Friday 3 February, 2012.

The UQ Sport Aquatic Centre at The University of Queensland was swamped by the Brisbane flood in January 2011 and suffered extensive damage to its infrastructure.

The University decided to upgrade the whole facility, so now swimmers can enjoy the new pool with brand new water filtration system, which has been installed above the flood level, new shade covered areas, and new change rooms, café seating and retail area.

UQ Sport Executive Director, Bryan Pryde, said UQ Sport, which was celebrating its 101st year in operation, decided to mark the pool re-opening with a special event.

“To celebrate this wonderful moment in our 101st year, UQ Sport decided to hold ‘The Big Splash’, where 101 lucky people were the first to jump in the new pool, at the same time,” Mr Pryde said.

“Judging by the number of enquiries we’ve had, we know many people will be pleased to hear the news that the pool is open again,” he said.

The UQ Aquatic Centre is now open and available for “business as usual”.

It is currently operating on the summer timetable, for more information and opening hours check the Aquatic Centre webpage.

UQRFC 2011 Centenary Tour

The tour was a perfect way for the Red Heavies to finish their season on a high.

The Red Heavies recently returned from a hugely successful UK Tour which included wins over both Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Travelling with two teams, the tour commenced with warm-up matches in Hong Kong before heading to the UK.

Oxford University was the first match, with the UQ players clearly earning the respect of the home supporters through some tough running rugby. Despite the 2nd team narrowly losing 22-19, the UQ 1st team came out and outplayed the home team, running out 25-8. Captain and Lock, Tim Buchanan, was a standout for UQ, along with outside-centre Ryan Gilliman and fullback Will Tuffley.

Next stop was Cambridge University, and at last the tourists were met with some typical English weather – cold, wet, and windy. The UQ 2nd team were defeated 40-7 but the 1st team again rose to the challenge to take the match 22-19. Five-eighth Tom Tuffley, breakaway Cam Goddard and half-back Will Thompson were standouts for the Red Heavies.

The tour was to commemorate the centenary year for the UQ Rugby Club, and was a player driven project lead by club captain Daniel Purcell. The UQ Rugby Club would like to thank Oxford and Cambridge Universities for their outstanding hospitality.

Tour match results:

Tuesday 27th Sept
• Kowloon RUC 22 def UQRFC 2nd team 10

Wednesday 28th Sept
• UQRFC 1st team 12 drew with Hong Kong Football Club 12

Tuesday 4th October
• UQRFC 1st team 25 def Oxford University 3
• Oxford University 22 def UQRFC 2nd team 19

Saturday 8th October
• UQRFC 1st team 22 def Cambridge University 19
• Cambridge University 40 def UQRFC 2nd team 7

2010 sports award recipients announced!

Our latest sports award recipients and University Blues were announced at the UQ Annual Blues & Sports Awards Dinner last Friday.

Sportswoman of the Year Danielle Prince with UQ Vice-Chancellor Prof. Paul Greenfield

Sportsman of the Year was won by cricketer Chris Hartley (Sheffield Shield Player of the Year, 2010) while rhythmic gymnast Danielle Prince (Commonwealth Games gold medal, 2010) was named Sportswoman of the Year.

The event is named after its distinguishing award, the University Blue – a form of recognition of outstanding achievement in university sport, awarded at many institutions throughout the UK and Australia.

Recipients of a UQ Blue for 2010 were:

Sportsman of the Year Chris Hartley with UQ Sport Chairman Dr Douglas Porter

Campbell Schmidt (triathlon)
Danielle Prince (gymnastics)
David Watts (hockey)
James Hanson (rugby)
Jacqui Day (hockey)
Joanna Sterling (windsurfing)

Half Blue awards were won by:

Blair Sheard (ultimate disc)
Caitlin Sargent (athletics)
Francesca Paterson (rowing)
Ian Prior (rugby)
Tim Buchanan (rugby)
Marriki Watego (touch football)
Pippa Savage (rowing)
Shane Johnston (hockey)

Congratulations to the following clubs and officials who took out other awards on the night:

Hulbert Bursary: Uni Rebels Touch Football Club
Club Coach of the Year: Mick Heenan (rugby)
Club Volunteer of the Year: Catriona Arthy (rugby)
Club Administrator of the Year: Scott Young (australian rules)
Service Awards: Andrew Lossberg (cricket); Bruce Brown (rugby)

As well as celebrating the fantastic achievements of all of these awardees, the dinner also commemorated 100 years of sport at UQ – a milestone that will officially fall next month.

UQ Sport would like to thank everyone who came along to help celebrate this momentous occasion and once again congratulate all award recipients.

UQ rowers thrown a lifeline

UQ rowers on the now unusable Brisbane River

Thanks to the commitment of UQ Sport’s Head Rowing Coach, Andy Cruickshank, 12 elite rowers have found temporary homes interstate after the UQ boatshed was damaged in the floods.

Six male UQ rowers, all Queensland representatives, have been given free access to the facilities at Sydney University Sport, as well as spots in the Sydney Uni Boat Club squad.

Meanwhile, three of our girls are training with former rowing champion and esteemed coach Ellen Randell at UTS and using the gym facilities at the Sydney Rowing Club.

Two other UQ girls are receiving similar treatment at Melbourne University Boat Club.

Finally, UQ Sport scholarship holder and Olympian Pippa Savage has been given a temporary home by the Victorian Institute of Sport.

UQ Sport would like to thank these clubs and institutions for their kind support of our rowers during this difficult time.

Andy’s success in making these arrangements  in such a short amount of time is a true testament to his passion for coaching and commitment to his athletes. Well done Andy.

Scoreline rings bells for UQ Rugby Club

The grand final scoreline of 19-11 earlier this month resonated strongly amongst UQ Rugby historians.

Fullback Greg Martin playing for UQ in 1993

1911 was in fact the year the UQ Rugby Club was established – an event that will be honoured through the club’s centenary celebrations next year.

UQ Rugby Club General Manager David Enfantie said the grand final win would make next year even more special for the club. 

“I think the fact that we’ve had a really successful year will really cause a swell of old boys to come back and reengage with the club,” Mr Enfantie said.

“Obviously the centenary year is very significant, and we’re hoping that having a team that’s so successful and so exciting to watch will add to that significance,” he said.

Mr Enfantie said the club hoped to continue its dominance of Queensland rugby throughout its centenary year.

“We’re looking to make it back to back wins for Premier Grade, and also to go back to back with the Doughty Shield,” he said.

The Doughty Shield is awarded each season to the most successful club across all grades.

UQ was the obvious choice for this award in 2010, with eight of its twelve teams making it to the finals.

Mr Enfantie said that despite the great season, there was room for improvement next year.

“After getting so many teams through to the finals, only two walked away with premierships,” he said.

“But the experience will do us well and we obviously want to learn from that and get a few more teams to premiership status next year.”

The UQ Rugby Club will not be alone in honouring their centenary next year.

UQ Sport, the UQ Cricket Club, UQ Boat Club and UQ Tennis Club will also celebrate such anniversaries in 2011, in what will be a momentous and action packed year for sport at UQ.  

To keep up to date on next year’s UQ Rugby Club centenary celebrations, please visit www.uqrugby.com.

UQFC takes top prize at awards night

The University of Queensland Football Club has stolen the show at the 2010 Football Brisbane Gala Awards Evening on Monday.

UQFC's Gala Awards takings

The club won three major awards to cap off one of their most successful seasons to date.  

The most prestigious of these awards was Senior Club of the Year, awarded for outstanding performance across all 14 of UQ’s Football Brisbane teams.

UQ also won the Club Champion Award for their dominance of Premier Division 1, while club captain Peter Moore took out the Men’s Division 1 Player of the Year award.

These awards were the latest in a string of successes for UQFC, having just this month gained promotion to the Brisbane Premier League for 2011.

UQ’s top side will play North Pine in the Premier Division 1 grand final this Sunday at Perry Park in Bowen Hills, in an attempt to secure yet another major prize for the club.

The Division 1 Reserves will also play their grand final this weekend, taking on Toowoomba on Friday night on oval 3, UQ St Lucia.   

A further seven UQ teams contested grand final matches last weekend, with the Women’s Division 3, Men’s Metro Division 3, Metro Division 6 and Under-21 teams all coming out victorious.

An outstanding 11 of UQ’s 14 Football Brisbane teams reached the finals of their respective divisions this season.

In yet another milestone, the club officially became ‘The University of Queensland Football Club’ in July of this year, finally matching the transition from ‘soccer’ to ‘football’ amongst national and local bodies.

UQ Sport would like to congratulate UQFC on a remarkable season and wishes the Premier Division 1 teams all the best for their grand finals this weekend.

For match details, please visit www.uqsoccer.org.au.

UQFC qualifies for Brisbane Premier League

The University of Queensland Football Club (UQFC) has qualified for the 2011 Brisbane Premier League with a 6-1 thrashing of The Gap on Sunday 5 September.

Players from UQ and The Gap in their Premier Division 1 clash

Despite the wet conditions, UQ were able to put away three early goals to take a 3-0 lead at half time.

The Gap failed to respond to the onslaught, conceding three more goals in the second half and scoring only one of their own.

The result secured a second place finish for UQ’s top side, ensuring a promotion from Premier Division 1 to the Brisbane Premier League for 2011.

The promotion will see UQFC’s first appearance in Brisbane’s top competition since 2005.

Club President Ben Gordon said the promotion was a fantastic achievement for the team and the entire club.

“The guys have worked hard for this all year, and credit must go to all of the players, both top side and reserves, but especially to top side coach Glen Volker,” Mr Gordon said.

The Premier Division 1 team will meet either Ipswich or Rocklea this Sunday for a place in next weekend’s grand final.

Another eight UQ teams have already qualified for grand finals in their respective divisions in what has been a remarkable season for UQFC.

UQ Sport wishes all remaining teams the very best of luck for their finals.

For match details, visit www.uqsoccer.org.au.

UQ Rugby Club claims ultimate prize

The University of Queensland Rugby Football Club has confirmed its dominance of Queensland Premier Rugby with a grand final victory at Ballymore.

The UQ Rugby Club celebrate its first Premiership Trophy in 20 years. Photo by Tomme Hanson

UQ overcame grand final debutants the Sunshine Coast Stingrays 19-11 to win their first Premiership Trophy in 20 years.

An early try and penalty goal to fullback Will Tuffley saw UQ off to an 8-0 lead, before the Stingrays hit back with a penalty goal of their own.

A try to winger David Burns before half time gave UQ a 13-3 lead at the break.

Some accurate second half penalty kicking by Will Tuffley was enough to keep the game out of reach for the Sunshine Coast.

The Red Heavies defence was strong throughout, keeping their opponents to just one penalty goal until a try to Tom Cox in the dying seconds provided some consolation for the Stingrays.

Premier Grade captain and UQ Sport Scholarship Ambassador James Hanson said the victory was especially sweet for the veterans of the club.

“It was a great achievement and a pretty special moment,” Mr Hanson said.

“A group of us have been at the club for quite a while without success which has been pretty frustrating.

“For a few years we had a lot of players coming and going but over the last two seasons we’ve pretty much kept the same group of guys together which I think really paid dividends.

“Hopefully we can do it again next year for the club’s 100 years.”

UQ Coach Mick Heenan said the early lead was important given the wet conditions.

“Rain’s always a leveller, I suppose, but I knew that our scrum was pretty solid so the more mistakes, the more scrums really and I knew that was going to be an advantage for us.”

In UQ’s other grand final appearance, fourth grade were defeated 19-8 by GPS.

A remarkable seven UQ teams made it to the finals in what was an extremely successful season for the UQ Rugby Club.

UQ Sport would like to congratulate the club on their impressive season and fantastic premier grade grand final victory.

For more information about the UQ Rugby Club, visit www.uqrugby.com.