Playing on the world stage
Earlier this year, Maths and Sport Science graduate, Eva, competed at the Bandy World Championships in Växjö, Sweden, as part of the first ever women’s team to represent Great Britain.
Popular throughout Scandinavia and Russia, Bandy is the second largest winter team sport behind ice hockey.
The sport was created in England on the frozen Bury Fens in Cambridgeshire. It is an 11-a-side game played with sticks on ice the size of a football pitch and, unlike ice hockey, uses a ball instead of a puck. With its similarities to ice hockey, many of the Team GB players were previously notable ice hockey players, including Eva, who previously played for the Nottingham Mavericks.
Getting into Bandy
I had played ice hockey since I was 16, and through connections in hockey, was asked to pick up a sport called Bandy! My previous experience playing had meant that the sport was easy to adapt to, and we got a team of both previous hockey players and Brits who lived out in Sweden and played there.
Eva describes Bandy as “quintessentially British”, combining football with field hockey to make a product that is fast, exhilarating, and an all-round thriller.
Journey to Loughborough
I chose to study at Loughborough due to its amazing sports science reputation, its status as a top 10 university, but also as it provided a foundation year which I found really beneficial, as many top universities do not (I had extenuating circumstances in my final year of A levels, and thankfully Loughborough understood this!).
My hockey playing for the Nottingham Mavericks while at Loughborough definitely prepared me to succeed in Bandy. My degree in Maths and Sport Science was also key because it gave me the psychology/physiological knowhow that others didn't have. Plus, having a house in Loughborough made it easier to commute to Sheffield for late night training!
Opportunities aplenty
My favourite thing about studying at Loughborough was the connections/opportunities available. While my year was unfortunately most affected by the initial COVID-19 wave, in normal circumstances I could've had placements in a myriad of industries and gone in any direction of working in the sports industry.
If I had to give one reason for future students to choose Loughborough, I’d say that there is really something for everyone! A fantastic range of courses are offered and the opportunities the University provides are second to none.
