IMPACT Sport spoke to Alex Kirtly of the UoN Swimming Team, on continuing their success in Varsity.
How has the season gone so far?
AK: “It’s been pretty good, I’ve really enjoyed my year as Captain. At BUCS (British Universities & Colleges Sports) we’ve been up there with some of the top universities and we’ve been challenging for finals. The season so far has been pretty good.”
How many teams have you got?
AK: “We’ll have four swimming teams at Varsity; we have 2 at BUCS.”
Have there been any new players for this year that have really impressed? Will we see them at Varsity?
AK: “We’ve got a decent bunch of freshers who have complemented the team really well. Look out for Becky Buckfield. Matt Sherriff is also very strong.”
How is the preparation for Varsity going?
AK: “Well, we’ve made the final for the BUCS teams and that’s in April, the week before Varsity. So we’ll be training for that as well. I’ll be looking for people to get into the pool a lot to get fit but I’ll give them a bit of a rest after BUCS so they can be nice and sharp for Varsity.”
Swimming has never lost in Varsity. Do you feel pressure to uphold that?
AK: “We’re going in with confidence but we won’t be complacent. We just happen to have better swimmers than Trent. We’ve come across them before at BUCS and unless they’re saving something for Varsity, we should be fine.”
What is your favourite thing about the Varsity series?
AK: “It’s two weeks of showcasing sports teams and everyone is talking about it, so probably the height surrounding it and the support that you get. The atmosphere.”
It’s in the middle this year – do you think that will be good to generate a better atmosphere?
AK: “Last year, it was almost a conclusion so perhaps that was putting people off. Having it in the middle should mean people are still there and still on the hype.”
Are you looking to go to any events aside from yours?
AK: “I have tickets for ice-hockey – that’s the one everyone wants to see. I might go to Football but there’s a bit of split loyalty because I’ve got a friend on the Trent team. I obviously won’t be going to support him though.”
Varsity Swimming is on Saturday 30th April, at the University of Nottingham Swimming Pool. Tickets are free.
For more information on this year’s Varsity head to the official website.
Interview conducted by Connor Higgs
Words by Tamsin Parnell
Image: IMPACT Images Team
Follow @ImpactVarsity16 for all the updates on Nottingham Varsity 2016
