Thursday 26th October 2023

We are thrilled to unveil the National Squad Programme for the 23/24 season, and it’s packed with exciting opportunities for students across the nation.

We are thrilled to unveil the National Squad Programme for the 23/24 season, and it’s packed with exciting opportunities for students across the nation. Read on below for the key highlights:

1. Returning Champions: We’re delighted to announce the return of the six sports that brought us stellar action last season. Basketball, Cricket, Cross-Country, Netball, Sailing, and Volleyball are all back with their representative squads, ready to once again display their talent and determination.

2. New Horizons: This season, we’re adding two exciting sports to our lineup – Football and Shinty. Football’s return is particularly noteworthy, marking a triumphant comeback after a hiatus due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We can’t wait to see the new energy and skill these sports bring to our program.

3. A Dedicated Team: It’s not just about the athletes; it’s also about the dedicated individuals who make it all possible. We’re thrilled to see numerous familiar faces within our network taking on the important roles of Volunteer Support Staff. These incredible individuals are the backbone of our program, and you can catch updates about them on our SSS social media channels every week. Keep your eyes peeled; you might just recognize some outstanding contributors!

4. Fostering Student Development: We’re committed to the continual growth and development of our program. One of our overarching objectives is to recognize the tremendous opportunity this program provides to students. It’s a chance to be part of a performance pathway while pursuing their academic endeavors at college or university. We believe in nurturing the potential of our young athletes and supporting their journey towards excellence.

5. An Action-Packed Season Ahead: As we look ahead to the 23/24 season, we’re filled with anticipation. This season promises to be action-packed, with athletes from various sports disciplines coming together to showcase their skills, dedication, and teamwork. Get ready for a season of incredible sportspersonship and memorable moments.

We invite all sports enthusiasts, students, and supporters to join us in this exciting journey. The National Squad Programme 23/24 is not just about sports; it’s about passion, growth, and community. Let’s come together to make this season unforgettable!

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Monday 5th June 2023

The final SSS Medal Table of the 2022/23 season is here!

The SSS Medal Table is a method for institutions to see how successful their student-athletes have been over the course of the SSS season.

The table includes all events in which SSS medals* have been awarded during the 2022/23 season.

All semester 1 and 2 events which took place have been added.

The table defaults to alphabetical but can be sorted by any of the column headings.

 

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Last Updated: June 2023

*Also includes BUCS medals won at Scottish Conference Finals

Compare how your instution got on against the 2021-22 Medal Tracker!

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Tuesday 25th April 2023

It’s Awards Season again!! We are now accepting nominations for the 2022/23 SSS Awards! Read on for more information on the different award categories, the nomination process and where the winners will be crowned.

We are delighted to announce that the SSS 2022/23 Awards are officially open!

The Awards 

We are accepting individual nominations in the following five categories:

  • Female Athlete of the Year- Aimed at high-performance female student-athletes, whether or not they compete for their college or university. This will be awarded to a female individual for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2022-23 season (April 2022 – April 2023) while making a tangible contribution to the institution.
  • Male Athlete of the Year- Aimed at high-performance male student-athletes, whether or not they compete for their college or university. This will be awarded to a male individual for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2022-23 season (April 2022- April 2023) while making a tangible contribution to the institution.
  • Volunteer of the Year- Aimed at students and non-students who volunteer at a local level. This is not aimed at volunteers primarily in a SSS role (please see Dr Rob MacPherson Award); coaches (see Coach of the Year); paid staff going the extra mile (see Honorary President’s Medal). This will be awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to student sport at a local level during the 2022-23 year. The contribution may be in many forms such as exceptional active or administrative services to a club, college, or university; as a faithful club servant, committee member, leader; official; or purely down to their love of sport. Volunteers purely in a coaching capacity should be nominated for the Coach of the Year award.
  • Coach of the Year- Aimed at those who coach student sport/student-athletes at any level of performance. They may be either volunteer coaches or paid coaches. Not aimed at professional coaches based in Higher Education for whom student-athletes are not the main focus. This award will be given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to student sport by coaching during the 2022-23 season. Good quality coaching; innovative ideas; dedication to the sport; and a drive to continually improve their own skills are features of an outstanding coach.
  • Honorary President’s Medal- Aimed at any individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to/lasting impact on student sport at a local, regional or national level. Nominees should be regarded as wonderful examples/ advocates of student sport and their behaviour should resonate with the above SSS values.

We are accepting group nominations in the following two categories:

  • Club of the Year- Aimed at the all-round best performing Club, on and off the field of play. Not aimed at clubs that have had a successful competition year only. This will be awarded to a club that can demonstrate impact in the 2022-23 season. Increasing memberships, upping participation, innovative projects, developing volunteers, promoting the role of officials; fundraising, community links and involvement in institutional activity are just certain elements that would demonstrate excellence.
  • Team of the Year- Aimed at the most successful, high-performing student teams in the country, whether within SSS/BUCS competition or further afield. Not aimed at a team that performs to the fullest of its potential in the lower levels of competition e.g. a third team that has a 100% season is still unlikely to win this award. This will be awarded to a team for outstanding sporting achievement at the highest level during the 2022-23 season (April 2022-April 2023). This can include international performances.
  • The final award is the Dr Rob MacPherson Award. This award differs slightly from the rest of our awards – there are no nominations, instead, the winner is selected by the SSS staff team as opposed to the Executive Committee. The award is aimed at any individual who has made an outstanding contribution to volunteering with Scottish Student Sport.

The Details

  • Nominations for each category should be a maximum of 250 words, in bullet point format listing out key achievements.
  • Institutions can nominate in as many categories as they wish, but may only put forward one entry per category.
  • Past winners can receive the same award again.
  • Only member institutions can nominate. All member institutions have been sent login details to the online portal where nominations should be submitted.
  • Nominations close on FRIDAY 5th MAY at 18:00 and the Executive Council will then decide on the winners.
  • Winners will be announced at the Awards Dinner on Wednesday 7th June, as part of the SSS Conference.
  • Please contact Totty with any queries.
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Wednesday 1st February 2023

Want to know more about Cross Country before joining a society? Here’s a quick overview of the sport and what SSS has to offer.

Cross Country is a style of long-distance running. Unique to the sport, Cross Country takes place on natural terrain, usually found within the countryside area. This means that runners may potentially run along roads, grass, mud and wet areas. Cross Country was first introduced in 19th century England and has become a very popular school sport.

The rules of Cross Country are very simple. A group of runners compete against each other to run along a course (typically 4-12km), which can either be one long track or a lapped shorter track. In individual races, the winner is the racer who reaches the finish line first. In team races, the winner is determined by the placement of each team’s individual racer. The team with the highest average placement will be deemed the winner. There is also a more immediately accessible version of Cross Country called the slow race, the goal of which is to finish in last place without stopping.

Cross Country has a peculiar relationship with the Olympics. The sport was contested between 1912-24 but fell into controversy after a heatwave at the 1924 Paris Games where some runners fell unconscious under the heat with two runners falsely being reported as having died. Cross Country does still exist in the Olympics, being a discipline in the Modern Pentathlon event.

The most prestigious Cross Country event is the IAAF Cross Country Championships. In the 2019 edition, all gold medals were won by athletes from either Ethiopia, Kenya or Uganda. The last medal won by Great Britain at the event was the Junior Women’s 6km team event, where they gained bronze.

Cross Country is a very popular sport with many events for potential runners. These include the Winter League, Cross Country Championship, 5km Relay Championship, Half Marathon Championship, 10km Road Race Championship, Hill Running Championship and Inter-District Championships. So, there is plenty of opportunities to get involved.

To learn more, click the following link: Cross Country – Scottish Student Sport

If you’re interested in joining a Cross Country club, click the following links (note, these are mostly Athletics societies, so it is best to contact them about Cross Country before joining):

 

Abertay University: https://www.abertay.ac.uk/life/abertay-sport/university-sports-union/athletics/

City of Glasgow College: https://www.citysa.co.uk/get-involved/sports-societies/sport/running/

Edinburgh College: https://ecsa.scot/activities

Edinburgh Napier University: https://www.napierstudents.com/organisation/sports/napierathletics/

Glasgow Caledonian University: https://www.gcustudents.co.uk/groups/athletics–8

Heriot-Watt University: https://sportsunion.site.hw.ac.uk/athletics/

RGU: https://www.rguunion.co.uk/getinvolved/societies/athletics/

University of Aberdeen: https://www.ausa.org.uk/sports/club/auac/

University of Dundee: https://sportsunion.dundee.ac.uk/clubs/athletics/

University of Edinburgh: https://www.eusu.ed.ac.uk/organisation/athletics/

University of Glasgow: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/sport/whatson/club/athletics/

University of St. Andrews: https://athletics.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/

University of Stirling: https://www.stirlingstudentsunion.com/sportsunion/clubs/athletics/

University of Strathclyde: https://www.strathunion.com/sports-union/club-sport/club/6408/

 

Sports Chair: Gregor Malcolm – scotstucrosscountry@outlook.com

Governing Body: Scottish Athletics – https://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/

Follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ScottishStudentAthletics

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