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Meet the candidates running for Sport and Student Development Officer in the SU elections

Voting closes on Thursday


With this year's SU election fully in swing, it's time to meet the candidates who could be running Bristol SU next year. Take a look at their answers to get more information on who to vote for. But, be quick — voting is only open from 12-14 of March!

Marlo Boyd

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What makes you the best candidate for this role?

“Well I’m here as a post grad, so I have only been here since September, but my experience at a different uni could help a lot. I’ve seen a lot of differences, both positive and negative in the two places that I’ve been. I’ve thrown myself into sport a lot harder here than I did as an undergrad. I was a rower but here I’m playing rugby, so being part of a club like that, that’s so prestigious and well-known, I’ve seen a lot with how Bristol does things.

“My love for sport is 24/7, it’s what drives me, it’s really the only thing I care about. Sport has given me so much in life, that I just want other people to experience that in whatever way. Giving people the opportunity to do sport on their own terms is the best way of getting them to see the benefits.”

What is the most impressive part of your manifesto?

“The biggest thing that personally I’ve experienced is the lack of sport for post grads. I leave class and the faculty aren’t very happy about it. There’s a really weird attitude problem where post grads are maybe seen more as professional workers than students and for some reason that means our physical and mental wellbeing is less of a priority.”

What’s the biggest change you want to bring to UoB students?

“Improve overall participation for anyone who identifies as a woman, and making sure that no one is discriminated against or left out for any reason whether that be self-identification, race, religion. No one should have those kind of barriers in front of them.”

Where’s your favourite place to go on a Bristol night out?

“I am a fan of the classic Wednesday night, sports night. Having been out in the real world after graduating from uni, you miss it, and the whole notion of just blowing off steam mid-week just isn’t a thing.”

Antoine Macquet

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What makes you the best candidate for this role?

“I have a varied experience of Bristol uni sport. I have been a member of UoB Volleyball Club for three years now. I also volunteered in the sports leadership award program. We would run sports programmes for local schools which taught me about participation in general.

“In my second year I worked with SEH as a sports activator, helping to include people in sports. I got to meet people from very different backgrounds and enjoy sport with them, making sure they got the best out of it. This year I have been part of the volleyball committee and the sports network, getting to know behind the scenes.”

What is the most impressive part of your manifesto?

“One of the most interesting things I want to do is bring more support to clubs. If clubs don’t have the support they need they are going to struggle to give the best support to students who just want to try something new or play sports socially.

“I had a look at the university’s wellbeing strategy for the next couple of years, and I noticed that sport isn’t really mentioned except as an after-thought. Sports is such an easy way to include many students into uni life. Investing more into sports is always going to be beneficial for students, but is often overlooked.”

What’s the biggest change you want to bring to UoB students?

“I want to make sport more accessible, more affordable for everyone. An example would be the We Are Bristol pass. It’s £54 a year which is very expensive. Also, if you are paying your membership for a club which can go up to hundreds of pounds, and then on top of that you’re paying £54 to SHE to use time slots that are already granted to your club.

“The gym passes are also much too expensive. The fact that some students go out of the way, walking 20-30 minutes to use a cheaper gym, is just a bit ridiculous.”

Where’s your favourite place to go on a Bristol night out?

“Sports Night is always a big laugh. You get to dress up, put all these crazy outfits on and hang out with your mates. Other than that, I’ve been loving the Lanes a lot at the minute, going to hip-hop and trap nights which are always good fun.”

Amy Brook

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What makes you the best candidate for this role?

“I’ve been heavily involved in sport during my time at university, I have been Club Captain and Alumni Secretary for women’s football and have also been involved in the Sports Network. I’m also a regular gym goer, so I understand sport from a lot of different perspectives.

“There’s a handful of things I think are great about sport at uni, but there are some things which are worth altering.”

What is the most impressive part of your manifesto?

“There’s quite a lot of depth to it, it covers a wide range of things. I want to get as many people involved in sport as possible. But in terms of performance, I want people to play to as high a level as they possibly can. I want sport to reach out to a lot of people within the uni."

What’s the biggest change you want to bring to UoB students?

“I biggest change I want is getting as many people participating in sport as possible – a lot of my manifesto cover this. For example, introducing virtual classes to the gym to get new people coming, and ensuring the uni work towards getting a bus to Coombe Dingle so people can get there who otherwise couldn’t. I also want to make strength and conditioning more professional and affordable so more people can engage with it.”

Where’s your favourite place to go on a Bristol night out?

“It would have to be Wednesday sports night at Gravity. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces and celebrate everyone’s successes."