VP for Sports - Lewis Thompson

 

lewis.thompson@undebbangor.com

 

Lewis is the elected VP of Sport for 2022/23. Following in the footsteps of family members who had a positive experience studying in Bangor, Lewis came to Bangor in 2019 to study Sport, Health and Physical Education. During his time, heโ€™s been heavily involved in the AU; being a member of Menโ€™s Football for three years, two of which he was a member of the committee and, the last year spent as Club Captain.

Lewis is proud of the clubsโ€™ achievements this year, returning to their sports after the challenges of the pandemic, and he is hoping to kick on even further this coming year.

Lewisโ€™ priorities this year are to improve Bangor Universityโ€™s BUCS rankings through more performance pathway structures for clubs, create more non-competitive initiatives, and provide more support for students to gain more experience and qualifications.

Blog 2023

As VP Sport, I oversee 63 clubs, the Athletic Union, and promote healthy living, which greatly enhances the university experience for our students. As a student representative for sport at Bangor University, my decisions prioritise students' best interests and create additional opportunities for them.

I ran for this role due to my active involvement in the Athletic Union during my time as a student and my lifelong passion for sports. When the opportunity arose to positively impact others as I had been impacted, I immediately seized it. Recognising the potential for improvement, I my aim was to enhance both performance and participation aspects. This included attempting to secure external coaches for six clubs to enhance their competitiveness and create a non-competitive initiative specifically for women to encourage their active involvement.

While preparing for re-election, I had the chance to reflect on the significant achievements I've accomplished throughout the year. Writing my new manifesto provided a rare opportunity to assess my progress by highlighting completed tasks in yellow and unfinished ones in white. As the page became fully covered in yellow, I finally realised that I had successfully delivered on my promises. Notable achievements include securing a new kit supplier, hiring external coaches who have helped clubs thrive, and our triumphant victory in Varsity.

Success is not without its challenges, and this year has been no exception. The most challenging task I face is ensuring fair distribution among all 63 clubs in terms of recognition and opportunities. Achieving equal recognition and opportunities for each club is a daunting task. When good ideas come up or money needs distributing, how do we do this effectively and efficiently? Over the past year, I've discovered a powerful approach that ensures we make the most of every great idea and every penny we allocate. It's all about carefully weighing the incredible benefits against any potential drawbacks and keeping our focus on positively impacting as many students as possible. Another significant obstacle arises when introducing change, as people generally resist it, despite its potential for greater benefits. The most substantial challenge lies in garnering support and approval from the very individuals you are representing. In order to ensure the viability of the proposed change, I took the initiative to engage in thorough consultation with senior members of staff and sought the input of student leaders. The presence of significant reservations or worries would serve as a red flag, indicating that the idea may not be suitable.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this role is having the opportunity to contribute to various events, including Varsity, AU Dinner, AU Tournaments, Serendipity 1 and 2. I have actively sought to make every event as big and as best it can be. For example, I ensured that the Women's Rugby Union BUCS Cup Final held at Treborth was a celebrated event, and spearheaded a Healthy Living Week campaign, promoting well-being through dietary choices, exercise, and establishing routines, specifically aimed to engage individuals who may not be as physically active as others.

Throughout my tenure as VP for Sport, I have gained invaluable insights, but the most important lesson I've learned is the power of listening. Often, I have come up with what I believed to be fool proof ideas that could benefit others, only to realise, with valuable feedback that they weren't as popular as I thought they would be. To address this, in Semester 2, I implemented feedback forms to gather opinions and ideas. This initiative has provided me with 30+ ideas and feedback, which has proven to be more insightful than relying solely on my own perspective.

An example is the VEO camera. We initially purchased it to record games for our sports clubs, but its usage didn't match my expectations. By implementing a feedback form, we identified the reasons why clubs weren't utilising it as much, allowing us to rectify the situation. This experience has taught me the importance of efficiently improving even the smallest aspects based on valuable feedback.

As I look ahead to the future, I am excited about the opportunity to further enhance the sporting experience at Bangor University. Building on our progress, my plans involve expanding the pool of coaches available to our clubs, leveraging the expertise of our School of Human Behavioural Sciences (Sports Science) and their talented students to support and elevate our clubs' performance. Additionally, my aim is to ensure sport is more inclusive and accessible, not only for active participants but also for spectators. By fostering an environment that welcomes everyone, I envision a vibrant sports community that thrives on both engagement and participation.