Winter Tournament

A week from today, about sixty students from VUC, representatives of eight winter sports clubs, will be travelling to participate in the first official New Zealand University Winter Tournament. Their hosts will be Otago University, and appropriately so, for it seems fitting that the oldest and the largest University centre in New Zealand should have been selected as the venue of the inaugural Tournament. The sports which will be represented are: Women's and Men's Hockey, Harriers, Soccer, Men's Basketball, Table Tennis, Fencing and Golf. A debating team will also be travelling to contest the Joynt Scroll.

Noticeable by its absence is Rugby Football, which for reasons nament as a recognised NZU event, these clubs will no doubt increase in numerical strength and general status in future years. Ski-ing is also included in the programme this year, but the proposed arrangements for a competition at Queenstown involves so much time and expense tha VUC has found it impossible to send a team.

A superficial examination, however, reveals that the major winter sports are, in general, co-operative rather than individualistic as in Easter Tournament, The mode of competition is such that more time is better known by the NZU football clubs has not been incorporated.. Noticeable by their presence are some newer clubs whose rejuvenation was encouraged by the prospect of a tournament, viz.. Men's Basketball, Fencing and Golf. With the establishment of the Winter Tour-necessary to play out the requisite number of matches for any one particular sport. With only three or possibly four playing days in which to conduct the large number of events, the problem of arranging a suitable programme with the minimum of clashes becomes a sticky one. Further, there is likely to be a tendency to overload the Tournment, if, indeed, it is not already overloaded. Much will no doubt be learnt by the delegates.

The question of dates this year has also presented a problem, but one which appears to be unnecessary. It will be noticed with understandable disfavour, not only by students, but by College authorities, that the date set down for the departure of VUC teams (August 15) is in the middle of the last week of the term. Such overlapping is unnecessary. Although Otago has emphatically set down the dates for this year, it is unquestionably desirable that, if Winter Tournament is to survive as an annual event in future years, it will have to be run (travelling included) over a vacational period common to every College participating.

However, in spite of all the imperfections and difficulties. Winter Tournament, 1945, will simply be what every participant makes it. There is absolutely nothing to prevent any VUC competitor from deriving the full mental benefits of such an inter-University event—the development of team-spirit and a sense of generous sportsmanship, and the lasting impression of genuine good-fellowship.