What made Roses 2012 such an incredible event? Was it the vivid display of sequins and feathers in the dancesport? Or the future YUSU President Kallum Taylor’s disgraceful home-made shorts worn in a college football match? These were, obviously, momentous highlights of the weekend, but what really made this year’s competition bigger and better than ever before was the support and facilities Lancaster displayed.
York’s hosting last year was good – really good – and while winning always leaves a sweet taste in the mouth, the main success of the 2011 white rose victory was the rugby final XV competition.
This was, undoubtedly, the match that made last year’s tournament such a success. Under the floodlights of Huntingdon Stadium, home to local rugby league team York City Knights, 1400 spectators gathered. It was a stroke of genius from York sport president Sam Asfahani, and a major coup for university sport as a whole. This match was great, but for all of you that didn’t go to Lancaster Roses 2012 I’d like to tell you why their competition trumped ours the previous year in all other respects.
Lancaster’s sports facilities certainly had the wow-factor. It is true that York’s Heslington East complex was not scheduled for completion in time for last year’s competition, but having spent nearly twice as much on the facilities as York are planning to spend on their new complex, Lancaster catered for a multitude of events that York were not able to in Roses 2011, and still won’t be able to in 2013. Most notable was Lancaster’s state of the art climbing wall – something that is not being incorporated into the Heslington East plans, yet is worth 12 points in the Roses competition (all 12 of which we lost this year, abysmally). While the Hes East complex will be spectacular, and a jacuzzi and sauna will be great for the other 362 days a year, Lancaster’s facilities seemed tailor-made for the Roses competition.
Not only this, but the atmosphere was noticeably different on the away territory. As usual, the Lancaster crowds were rowdy, boisterous and off-putting to the York sportsmen and women over the three days; York supporters, home or away, are not.
Huge crowds of Lancaster fans turned out in abundance to every event, however big or small. Hundreds of red rose supporters were up in time for the first matches of the day, all cramming around the sidelines, crowding into viewing galleries and squashing into the designated seating areas. This year, the support was phenomenal and this home-team spirit was a huge motivation, perhaps a major factor, in a Lancaster victory. You could hardly move for people wearing red ‘I am Lancaster’ T-shirts over the whole campus.
It was always improbable that many York supporters would travel for two hours to watch a handful of games they might be interested in. But at last year’s home competition, the support was also minimal. Yes, the stadium for the rugby 1sts was popular, but the enthusiasm and turn-out to any other game was poor in comparison to any from Lancaster’s efforts this year.
Before I’m accused of being a blushing white rose, I’m not saying York’s sports facilities won’t be magnificent once the new sports centre is finished. I’m not saying that York won’t win Roses 2013. But Lancaster’s facilities seemed tailor-made to the Roses competition in a way that ours are not. York’s sportsmen and women are not lacking in spirit or talent, but the rest of York need to show their support too. I would like to think that York will turn out in their thousands to watch all sports big or small in 2013, but only time will tell if York can beat Lancaster in this respect too. As Charlotte Winter, future York Sport President said, we need to create a ‘Team York’ feeling and what better time to show this than Roses 2013.
Lancaster ftw.
Bit late mate.