Alumni Services

Your sporting moment

As part of Edinburgh University Sports Union’s 150th anniversary celebrations we are encouraging alumni, staff and students to share their proudest sporting moment.

Rachel sporting moment
Rachel Roberts' sporting moment at the Scottish Outdoor Athletics Championships.

Your moment can be anything from a single instance of brilliance in a modest sporting environment, to a pinnacle of achievement such as a league title or famous cup win. Feel free to include non-university experiences as well as treasured memories from your Edinburgh days.

Thank you to everyone who has already sent through their moment. We will be sharing a selection of the best alumni entries next month.

Joe Holloway rugby
Joe Holloway and the History Boys, his intramural rugby championship winning rugby team.

Get involved

Tweet your moment using the hashtag #eusu150moment, join us on Facebook or email alumni@ed.ac.uk. Please indicate whether you are a current student, staff member or graduate.

The five best moments, chosen by EUSU’s current alumni officer and rugby player, Hatty Cumber, will win a university sports performance fleece.

The deadline for entries is Friday 4 March 2016 and the winner will be announced in the March edition of Enlightened.

Ball rolling

To start things off we asked the current Edinburgh University Sports Union executive committee and Development and Alumni staff to share their moments and hopefully prompt a few memories.

My proudest moment is being elected as president, but also every time I'm down supporting a sport in game time. No better feeling than having your Edinburgh win.

Marina SergeevaEUSU President

Seeing SU Ball come to fruition. That time I swam 10k in 14 degree water.

Josef BuddeEUSU Vice President

Aged about 14 I once stood in for our goal keeper in an important hockey away game. Our opponents were relentless but through some stroke of enormous luck I managed to keep out all of about 15 shots at the goal. My team managed to convert the one chance we had and we won the game one-nill. As an otherwise mediocre defender I felt on top of the world when the entire team ran up for a big group hug.

Sanne Dijkstra-DownieDevelopment Officer, School of GeoSciences, Development and Alumni

I believe in my case it is virtually impossible to describe ‘a sporting moment. Being part of EUWHC has been the core of my sporting moments at Edinburgh University, despite the small losses, it was the many wins and the strong friendships that formed within our teams that truly made EUWHC for me one of the greatest things at Edinburgh Uni! I cannot write down one particular moment, as each BUCS match, each Saturday league game and each social is a great moment of its own! 

Celia-Victoria PowellEUSU Publicity Officer

Seeing the activity and friendships made from the club I helped create.

Eivind HamreEUSU Vice President Intra-Mural

It'd have to be winning the renewed University of Edinburgh vs St Andrews Varsity match back in 2011.

James WalkinshawSystems Officer, Development and Alumni

Last year my team, the history boys, won the intramural rugby championship at Edinburgh. I'd never played rugby union before joining and the team had only started started 3 years before. In that time we went from losing every game but one to winning the league. That progress, that's what I'm proud of. ​ 

Joe HollowayEUSU Intra-Mural Co-ordinator

My proudest sporting moment was placing 3rd at the 2014 SSS Hill Running champs, as a fresher. I had only started to run seriously at uni, after joining the University's Hare & Hounds Running Club, so it was an amazing way to finish my first year of running and racing. It was also my first ever individual medal!

Alex LuetchfordEUSU Participation Officer

I am going to have to say completing my first ever Race for Life 5k..... We only walked that day and the sun was shining but crossing the finish line felt amazing!

Leisa ThomasDevelopment Officer, Libraries, Museums and Galleries, Development and Alumni

Being selected to represent Scottish Student Sport sailing team in my third year was my proudest sporting moment. The team competed at the Irish University Championships and finished in fourth. 

Helen GallagherEUSU Hon. Treasurer

Placing 3rd in 3k Steeplechase at Scottish Outdoor Athletics Championships.

Rachel Audrey RobertsEUSU Hon. Secretary

Winning primary 3 sports day - I still have the medal somewhere!

Beth MunroAlumni Manager, Development and Alumni

My proudest sporting moment recently was captaining my football team to a 5-0 win. Coming off at the end of the game with all the boys proud of themselves and their team, gave me immense joy. More than that, seeing their desire to replicate the result every week for themselves and their friends, is in my opinion the purest benefit of sport. I'm proud to be helping us achieve that feeling as a team. I would however, really like a goal before the season ends! 

Robin DrummondEUSU Sponsorship Officer

My proudest moment is getting a cap for Scotland Women in a test match against Italy (before breaking the leg) and most recently winning a top of the table clash against Northumbria in our prem north league with Edinburgh Uni Rugby Ladies.

Harriet CumberEUSU Alumni Officer
Hatty sporting moment
Hatty Cumber's (second from right) receiving her first cap for Scotland and experiencing her sporting moment.

Celebrating 150 years

EUSU will be celebrating with a day of competition at Peffermill on Saturday 5th March and a gala dinner at Teviot Row House, it is chance for alumni to challenge current students in reunion match ups and to reflect on the impact of the Union and the sporting careers it has nourished. 

You can find out more about the weekend by contacting the current EUSU alumni officer, Hatty Cumber.

Helen Gallagher sailing
Helen Gallagher and the Scottish Student Sport sailing team.

A sporting tradition

Despite evidence of student sporting activities stretching back to 1596, when the town council erected a court inside the precincts of the University, it wasn't until 1866 that the Edinburgh University Athletics Club (EUAC) was formed.

The first official university sports were a swimming match held at Chain Pier, Trinity and athlectics at Greenhill Park. The first student president was appointed in 1891 and the Edinburgh University Women’s Athletic Club (EUWAC) established in 1900.

1970 saw the amalgamation of EUAC and EUWAC to form the Edinburgh University Sports Union (EUSU) and in 2008 the University opened the Sports Hall of Fame. 27 graduates have been inducted to date including Olympic Gold medalists Eric Liddell, Chris Hoy and Katherine Grainger.

The Sports Union is currently made up of 64 clubs and over 8000 members.

Related links

Edinburgh University Sports Union

Sports Union Alumni Association