All Sports Are Equal (Except Within These Walls)

By Chloe O’Malley

The age-old recommendation when you start university… “Get involved!” “Join a sport!” “Try new things.” “Put yourself out there… gowan!” Now that we’re past the midpoint of the semester, it’s safe to say freshers (and returners alike) have tried as much as possible and socialised more than many of our own contact hours. And many will regale how a sport is the best way to make new, or even more friends (because can you really have enough?).

Nestled among the greenery of Botanic Gardens, the glorious doors of the PEC welcome tons of students and members of the public alike. They, dear reader, are the gateway to every indoor sport’s training session. At the beginning of the semester, the doors (or rather barriers) of the PEC are open to all students to try out all sporting activities. These are lovingly referred to as ‘taster sessions.’

Queen’s PEC – Photo Credits – The fabulous Queen’s University Physical Education Centre (PEC), an impressive investment in Belfast’s Botanic Gardens, will be hosting handball at the games

 However, for many students struggling with the current cost of living crisis, the welcoming attitude expired after those 2 weeks. Hearing someone at the gate saying, “that’s £5” if you said no to “do you have a membership?” felt like an annoying Redditor replying with “Erm, actually”.

Ah, the glorious PEC, the home of physical activity and sport in the heart of Belfast. Whatever activity takes your fancy, here, there’s a facility for it: hockey, rugby, swimming, basketball, cheerleading. You name it, you’ll probably find it. And students have the same access to all these facilities, right?

Don’t make me laugh. Any sport that trains indoors is subject to the PEC paywall. Pay £5 on entry every time or else get a Queen’s Sport membership after your society membership. So, a student playing an indoor sport will pay £60 cash in hand minimum, if they are only going to one training session every week of the academic calendar.

That doesn’t sound like a lot, but let’s be real, who’s only doing that? A cheerleader, depending on their teams, could be in the PEC three times a week – twice for training, once for their Sunday session (if anyone has the energy for that halfway through another semester).

The alternative? Buy a Queen’s Sport membership: peak, off-peak, 9-month, 12-month, paid monthly, paid annually.

En está economía? Nights out, food delivery during study season, or weeks of groceries cut from your already tight budget in an instant. For a membership you might only use to get into training?

Honestly, it’s only a matter of time until someone creates a 12-foot ladder to get past that.

If your bank account wasn’t already drained from all the society membership fees you paid over freshers and how much you blew at all the events, the end of the free two-week access for sports taster sessions came along and knocked you out while you were already kind of down. Like taking candy from a baby.

Of course, there’s another discrepancy… accommodation. Understandably, Queen’s accommodation students get an off-peak Queen’s sport membership over their stay. Those in BT2 or BT9 benefit not only from access to the high-quality equipment that the PEC has to offer, but also the best cool down service that I’ve personally ever seen (walking back up the Stranmillis Gardens’ hill after leg day) as they begin their journey back to Elms.

However, for the lucky few in BT1, a gym is but a simple lift button away from your front door. This perk is strictly available to those who win the lottery in getting an overpriced room in either a shared apartment with a questionable shared bathroom arrangement, or an even more pricey, compact room in the city centre. At least 12 minutes away from campus entirely.

Congratulations, residents, it may not be sunshine and rainbows, but you are the chosen few! Play whatever sport you want.

If you attended any taster sessions and found yourself hooked on a sport, good luck, babe. Here’s hoping your wallet can handle a hole, or you aren’t overworking yourself with the max number of hours you can get part-time, your coursework, and your sport. I respect the grind, genuinely. As notorious as many industries nowadays, indoor sports reward those who are more well off or have that bit of extra cash on them. No pay, no play.

You know it’s bad when a student officer’s election campaign wanted to address just this. But alas, no force is apparently as immovable as that they were up against. Big gym -v- the broke student cohort. Maybe we have a modern-day David and Goliath on our hands. But ultimately, I guess there’s only one thing left to be said about this current situation.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all the sports on offer to the student cohort aren’t equal when you go to train in the PEC.

Maybe we should all take up running, or something.