Much like his appendix, James burst out of the badminton scene for a year. However, now he’s back and less fit than ever. He has been a stable part of the club committee as M1 captain and an entz rep. Throughout the years he became responsible for some of the club’s greatest successes such as creating an M1.5 team or getting us disqualified from the European University Games. In lights of these achievements expectations for his presidency are as high as his pre-match paracetamol dose.
Yes he may be studying for a DPhil in SABS R^3 CDT. Yes he may have experience training in the M1 squad of one of the best sports unis in the country. Yes he may have a passed his minibus test and can now transport OUBaC across the globe. But Nathan holds a far more important qualification for President…. he has a spy on the inside. Hopefully, gaining information on CUBaC through his brother will allow him to lead us to yet another Varsity stomping. We all anticipate with bated breath for the rematch of Schofield v. Schofield.
Mar is extending her time at Oxford for two reasons: to officially become a master musician, and more importantly to expand on her growing OUBaC committee experience. Indisputably relevant credentials for the VP role include: a successful W1 captaincy, official BNOC status, and a runner up medal in the coveted OUBaC biggest wingspan award. Mar will undoubtedly draw on of this experience to guide her through her vice presidency. Also, Mar is two rackets tall.
Get ready to meet Scott (2nd year PPE), OUBaC’s lightweight, meme master, designated driver and most committed fresher to date. This man is about to take OUBaC by storm as our incoming Vice-President, after successfully transporting his team to every away match as M2 captain. When he's not acing BUCS matches (#ScottIsCarrying), he's hard at work ensuring that the m2ilf insta page is taken to new levels of dank memery. We look forward to him unlocking new levels to his meme game after being bossed around by a couple of pint-sized individuals (we won't throw any shade by mentioning names) this year. If you're after the filthiest backhand slice, meme expertise, a reliable driver and one-drink wonder - look no further than Scott. This guy's the real deal.
What do an OUBaC private chauffeur and treasurer have in common? Both spots will be filled by our resident medic Ian. Arriving at his bajilionth committee position Ian sure knows his way around a spreadsheet. Famed for his ability to say no (“LMAO get ****”), wise financial ideas (“we should invest in dogecoin”), and strategic mastermind (remember the 6-9 gambit) he will hopefully not ruin the club's successful financial run. Let’s just hope he is better at chasing people to pay than at chasing shuttles around the court.
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Having joined OUBaC just last year, My has taken on the fiercely contested position of Mum of the Club...I mean Secretary. My has had a thorough induction to the Oxfordshire Local League by playing more matches than all of M3 combined, and with powers of organisation beyond any of our understanding, My is sure to tackle any paperwork well in advance, and act as a force to be reckoned with against the ahem 'eager' secretaries of the other clubs.
Back by popular demand is Allen Lee (3rd year DPhil), who last year broke the record for shortest M1 captain tenure after a season-ending ACL injury before the summer holidays! While we never got to see his managerial skills, his ability to still defend better than all of OUBaC while effectively only having one functional leg was still on display. Hopefully now he's back from surgery and raring to go and lift M1 to new heights.
Having injured our promising freshers at last years trials, Mar had no choice but to apply for a masters so that she could captain W1 once more. Still searching for the elusive prEmotion, Mar promises to keep up morale by continuing the team’s two year streak of weekly BUCS recruitment memes. She is also committed to the cause of finding a permanent W1 taxi driver (if this sounds like you please send a copy of your CV to maria.umbertkimura@some.ox.ac.uk). Sharing the role with Mar, we have Sophie, who’s decided to play badminton for some more years (aka apply for a PhD) as she approaches Adult-1-hood. Sophie, with the highest BUCS availability and lowest injury tally in modern W1 times, will provide wisdom from her experience as covid-times captain. Memorable is her strong winning start against current English champion Kirby Ngan which set the score to 1-0 in Sophie’s favour. We are confident she will apply the same winning mentality to lead W1 out of Midlands 1. To prospective undergraduates: not to worry, Mar and Sophie will forever be undergrads at heart.
Fresh off the back of terrorizing Cambridge both on the court and in the club, it was only natural that Zac would step up to the 2nd team captaincy this year. A dedicated player, attending almost every BUCs match, he single-handedly kept service station McDonald’s in business through his post game meals. However, if he ever attempts to throw his weight around, feel free to remind him that he lost to the 3rd team captain at trials.
Currently approaching the end of her 3rd year as a medic, Ananya has been a committed W2 member from her very beginnings at Oxford, and this year is stepping up to the plate as W2 captain. The experience she has gained from helping the squad to wins despite catastrophic car journeys up and down the country and being forced to play singles, as well as her endless enthusiasm and energy, will allow her to lead the mighty W2 team to another highly successful season in the Local League!
Well, it looks like Richie is more than just a computer science student who makes memes, he's also the hottest thing to hit the badminton scene since the invention of the shuttlecock! With famous badminton players tagging him left and right, Richie is clearly a certified influencer. Richie will bring a fun and lighthearted energy to the committee while also effortlessly fixing any IT issues that come his way.
As W3 joins the local league, Hui Min has stepped up to be the inaugural W3 captain. A committed member of OUBaC, Hui Min can boast one of the best attendences to squad sessions last season. As a DPhil Chemist she is also the most qualified to deal with the toxic environment of the local league. We are sure she will lead W3 to a successful season.
The Mdan, the Mdyth, the Mdlegend himself returns for yet another year! Fuelled by fried chicken, this powerhouse of recreational badminton organisation is back for more clubnight coordination. With his ever-expanding database of clubnight players and their skill levels, we have no doubt that everyone will have the best time playing varied and evenly-balanced matches. In addition, Rash is taking on the challenges of becoming the new L&C Secretary. Having represented for 4 different colleges in these tournaments (only one of them Jesus), there is no one more qualified to organise the matches and make sure teams turn up on time. Returning members of OUBaC will be comforted by his familiar presence; new joiners will soon discover that he practically lives at Iffley. Just be careful if you happen to face him on the singles’ court: you might just tear your ACL (but it’s ok he’s a medic).
Hussain has joined Clubnight as a fresher and since then he has been a regular member who has gotten quite familiar with the inner workings of OUBaC. He has shown great sportsmanship and always has been a friendly face to every member of Clubnight. Fortunately, Hussain has volunteered to help us with day-to-day operations of OUBaC this year and we are happy to welcome him as our new Clubnight Rep!
As last year's winner of the coveted OUBaC ‘best entz attendance’ award, Charlotte (Regent's 2nd year) was a shoo in for this role. Whether it’s out of pure love for the club, or to compensate for being from a college with six other members, she will never miss a badminton social. Charlotte’s relevant experience includes saving welcome drinks (as a fresher) by running through Oxford in search of a speaker. Enyala (Queen’s 3rd year) took a year to join OUBaC once coming to Oxford, but hasn’t looked back since. A reliable figure at socials, and a vocal varsity supporter, she is not one to miss an event or a chance to sing. Providing some relative age and wisdom to the two younglings she completes a strong trio of entz reps. Scott (Univ 2nd year) has already made big waves in the squad after taking the helm of M2 captain and, more importantly, taking the m2ilf insta page to soaring new heights. Indeed, his commitment to wit and dank memage may only be rivalled by his commitment to having one drink at OUBaC socials before becoming near paralytically drunk, disappearing, and yet still managing a cameo appearance at parkend.
She's been winning over hearts and bellies all year by providing seemingly endless snacks for the club, so what better Welfare Rep than My! We never knew so much welfare support could fit into such a small person, but as the Designated Responsible Adult in every situation, we can't think of anyone better to have a chat with when you're feeling down. My is sure to handle the mantle of Welfare Rep with her usual grace and dignity, and to support anyone (read: the men) with any badminton related welfare issues (read: bruised egos)! After an ungodly number of (failed) attempts to access the OUBaC bank account, we're not sure who needs Welfare more, Rob or the rest of the club combined. Undeterred, Rob steps into the Welfare shoes this year, ready to finally let people approach him, after having to chase everyone else all year to pay for subs, stash, dinner, drinks, more stash, more drinks...Rob is also one of the clubs toughest soldiers; he had to be banished from the court after spraining an ankle at Mixed Varsity, so is sure to be a fount of moral support and empathy for anyone who needs it, making him a perfect Welfare Rep.
This year Samvida has gone a step further than any of her predecessors by actually becoming an alumna. Having won the award for adult #1 of the club at the end of year awards she has chosen to remind people of her wisdom by representing OUBaC’s graduated members. In her wisest move so far, she has managed to negotiate that she doesn’t have to attend committee meetings, we should all learn from her. This decision is surely motivated by the need to fully focus on the usual packed OUBaC alumni calendar.