file image: 18/19 Women’s Rugby Members
Coming to university is daunting, that is a given. Working out how to get to that awkward lecture on the top floor of the Pankhurst building is overwhelming enough – especially when everyone still refers to them as the Towers and proceeds to give inane directions.
As you claw through the second day of the freshers’ fair, presumably hungover because you’re trying to get your money’s worth of your wristband, you spot all the sports stalls. Yet another thing to figure out and potentially join. The question is, is it worth it, and what is life really like for a woman in the AU?
The Good
Joining a sports club is one of the best things you can do during your time at LSE. This university is infamous for its lack of community and business-like culture. A sports club counteracts that. Speaking as a rugby player, my club is where I have made some of my best friends as the constant matches, socials, and meet-ups foster a great sense of community. Joining up with a lot of freshers, you get a safe and structured place to get away from uni worry for a while, as in all sports clubs, the events and matches are organised by a committee so you don’t have to think about anything apart from getting yourself there. This is really empowering, not just for a woman, but for any new student. You step into a ready-made community with an in-built support network, full of freshers like you but also older students to show you the ropes.
If you’re thinking “Why bother, they won’t accept me anyway”, please think something else. Every sports club will happily accept new members. In the small community of LSE – compared to larger institutions like UCL – new members are a very welcome addition. No club will ever turn you away for being inexperienced, as long as you have enthusiasm for the sport. I remember joining water polo in the middle of term despite never having played and not being able to tread water very well. I agreed to play in their 2nd team varsity and whilst everyone else was zooming from one side of the pool to another after the ball, I was doing my best not to look drowning Teletubby with my neon yellow head-gear. 10/10 most embarrassing experience.
If you are wondering about the quality of a club or how inclusive one is, LSE has input a system, rating clubs a bronze, silver, or gold medal (or none at all). Women’s football, women’s rugby, pole fitness, netball, and athletics have all earned medals. For a full list head to the SU website.
The Bad
This is the point where I could warn you to avoid certain clubs, especially ones which have traditionally been considered to have more ‘lad’ culture than others. The truth is, the members of each club change markedly each year and the problematic chants of one club one year could easily be outshone by some horrid antics of another club the next. There are dickheads everywhere and aplenty. They are unfortunately not bound to a certain club.
There have been incidents of sexism within the AU for the last two years I have been here. The only way to combat this is not avoiding being part of some great clubs, but rather stepping up and being part of the action so future occurrences look pathetic and stupid.
The Ugly
Zoo. In no way, shape or form was this ever going under ‘Good’. As an AU member you will quickly realise Zoo isn’t some fancy LSE club, but a grotty, sweaty mess that lurks in Leicester Square. It’s so bad it’s fun – or at least memorable. On many of the inevitable dress-up nights, you will have glammed up with your teammates only to find your foundation melting off you in ‘the Cage’ – the LSE room of Zoo. Be wary that many consider Zoo their holy mating site. They will trek to it religiously every Wednesday in the hopes of finding ‘the one’ (night stand).
My advice for nights out and generally interacting with anyone in an unfamiliar environment is: stay aware, keep with your club, stick with your friends. It’s common sense but has to be said.
Being a woman in the AU, but really a person of any gender, is on the whole a great experience. Through sports clubs I have met some of the most strong, amazing, and empowered women I know at LSE. The support network you get on this desperate campus far outweighs the negatives you may encounter.
