 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
SOCIAL Atalanta's Christmas Awards Dinner
We had the good company of the swimmers and the water-poloers. The food was excellent but the one girl to choose the oysters from the set menu, lulled into security by the pink haze and the sisters all round, was, mercifully, allowed to swap them for the smoked salmon after one gloopy mouthful.
The grant we received will be used towards funding the entries,
travel, kit etc of an OUCC womens team to Women's National Road
Racing Team Series this year. And, with the lifting of the cycling
women's blues probation that Kat had secured earlier that week,
there may be more cycling Atalantas members and their clubmates
at next year's dinner. Pale pink kit anyone?
Ruth Smith
|
Kat
and I took the opportunity of enjoying yet another festive meal
to represent the club at the Atalantas Christmas Dinner. Atalantas,
for the uninitiated, is the social club for Oxford women blues.
Their Christmas dinner is a celebration of women in sport in
Oxford and non-blue squad mates are invited to attend, giving
the evening an inclusive team feel. After cocktails at Baby (which
felt more like someone's small front room), we swooshed up our
pashminas and tottered along to Loch Fyne. Which was pale pink.
Pink balloons rose up from the backs of chairs and gifts of pink
candles with pink labels marked the places. I'd never have
thought of it myself, but they were very pleasant touches. 
Then
came the main reason we were there. No speeches, just the
announcement of the clubs to have been successful in their applications
for Atalantas grants. Kat had not told the OUCC exec that
she had applied for money to launch a women's team in the national
race series. It was to be a surprise or a non-event. When we
heard that competition had been tough and that rugby and netball
had won grants for their tours, we concentrated on the mints.
.."and the cycling club. We wish you well in your new venture." There
was a great cheer of two from our end of the table. The swimmers
were also successful. It seemed, however, that OUCC
women were possibly unique in aspiring to compete as a university
team outside of the university circuit. 