SPORTS

VNO meet AVMS Sport Secretary, discuss the recently-concluded Intra-faculty League and the prospect of the forth-coming Dean’s Cup.

VNO: That was the maiden edition of the Intra-faculty League. Can you tell us briefly about the motives behind the competition?

The motive was to bring more unity between Veterinary Medicine students as well as promote the spirit of sportsmanship. The 100 level students often times believe they are not part of the faculty yet and they have always been acting in such manner but that (the League) served as an avenue to foster the relationship between us; just like brothers and sisters.

VNO: Being the maiden edition, you must have encountered a lot of challenges. Can you briefly tell us something about those?

Actually, when I sampled people’s opinions about it, most of them outrightly told me that it was not going to be easy. It was very challenging to combine such with (my) academics and some other things that normally come in life. I was able to do it because I was focused and resilient. Being the maiden edition means nothing was on ground. The stress of having to write letters, distribute and follow them up for sponsorship alone cannot be overemphasized. Then also came the struggle of securing the pitch. It was hard, mostly at the beginning. Sometimes when matches were fixed in the morning, I would have to be there very early (around 6:30) in the morning to secure the place. That was even more challenging being a lady. Initially, I’d beg a friend (a guy) to accompany me so that we could carry the post to our pitch if we needed to, and also to protect the place. But as time went on, I grew this confidence. I was like, no one can bully me off this pitch I’ve secured. I’d spread the jerseys all over the place and put the football at the centre and the guys there were also mature and understanding. Also very difficult is having to wash all the jerseys. You can’t take unwashed jerseys to the pitch. Nobody would be able to withstand the stench! I also had to wash all of them and ensured that they were all dry before the next match. Having said all, I realized that the help of the members of the executive council and some concerned individuals made it less stressful and I am very grateful for that.

VNO: Can you tell us very briefly about how you were able to secure sponsorship for the league and the sustainability of the league? Should we be expecting subsequent editions later?

Actually, we didn’t really get a sole sponsor for it, but we actually got some help by writing letters to some lecturers and some other people from outside we think would want to sponsor due to their penchant for sports. Though we were not able to get as much as we had anticipated probably because of the economic situation of the country. In fact, some people really wanted to donate substantially but they could not. Nevertheless, we were still able to get something to subsist on and make the league a reality. About the sustainability of the league, since we were not able to get a sole sponsor for the league, someone who would promise to either partly or fully fund the competition in subsequent years, the sustainability all lies in the hands of the next AVMS sports secretary. Before we could finalize our decision this time, it was already towards the middle of the first semester, so everything was in haste and we were not able to secure a sole sponsor. Next session, it should be different. The little time we had to do all those was the hindrance. It shouldn’t be the same next session. The competition has already been launched. The sustainability all depends on my successor. I believe there are still a lot of people out there who will be willing to sponsor it.

VNO: Besides improving the social interrelation between Vet students, can you expatiate on the relevance or impact of this competition in the promotion of sportsmanship?

The competition has improved team selection in virtually every class in the faculty. Since most of us fail to show up in faculty trainings, and thus subsequently performed poorly in inter-faculty exhibitions, the league had served as an avenue for us to be in constant touch with football because it spans almost all through the session. Now, if there is to be an inter-faculty match, team selection, for me, will be easier because I have already familiarized myself with all of them, from 100 to 600 level. I know virtually everybody and that’s very good. Also, the 100 level students gave a testimony that the league was of considerable help for them in the CBN cup. For them, it (the league) also served as an avenue for training and team selection. I believe the forthcoming Dean’s Cup will also be more interesting and fun by virtue of this competition.

VNO: With the first edition of the competition concluded, what lessons did you learn from it? Were there any regrets or were there things you wish you had done another way?

Well, the way the competition ended was a bit disappointing, and it all stemmed out from the rules we engaged in. Being a 6-a-side game, we had to ignore some standard rules, like the penalty for instance. The busy nature of this course (Veterinary Medicine) also demanded we introduced a walk over for those who failed to show up for their games, but the unprecedented fixing of tests peculiar most especially to the lower vet classes made us put some exceptions to the work over rule. Then some classes started abusing this privilege with series of excuses. The 300 level students said they had a general exam they were preparing for and failed to play a match. Some classes also said their coach was not around, so there was no way they could play. Flimsy excuses started rolling in from every corner. Some would present an incomplete squad after waiting for them for more than 30 minutes and they would want to acquire a mercenary to play for them. That was where the problems all started from. There was a time that 100 level and 400 level was to play and both parties present an incomplete squad. I was angrier with the 400 level students because it is my class and I had expected more support from them. I took a rash decision to give them a walk-over. That was all the mistake I made. They rebelled against the decision on the basis that their opponents also did not present a complete squad for the encounter. As a matter of fact, if we want to be fair about it, they were actually supposed to have a re-play. All eyes were on the issue because my class was involved and every one was closely observing how I was going to handle it. The 400 level students demanded I either give both classes a walk-over or I re-schedule the fixture while the 100 level students wanted to go away with the three points without a re-match, at least initially. I had to sample people’s opinion about it and the bulk of the people from the sports committee members agreed that they play the match. The 100 level students also agreed to the proposal. The lesson is, next time, we just need to be less flexible with the rules. If the rules are very strictly followed without any chance for excuses whatsoever, nobody will have to feel cheated when certain decisions do not favour them.

VNO: During the course of this interview, you have mentioned the Dean’s Cup, but some people still believe the Dean’s Cup will not hold this year. Can you make more clarifications about that, and what has been your preparations towards it?

The Dean’s Cup will definitely hold. Contrary to some people’s thoughts, the League was not introduced to replace the Dean’s cup. The Dean’s Cup is the Dean’s Cup and that was the league, a different competition! The Dean’s Cup has always been there before we started this and it will continue. In fact, the time-table for it is out already. We have met with the Dean, the Sub-dean… and everything has been finalized.

BEHIND THE SCENES

During the course of the interview, the AVMS Sports Secretary did not outrightly reveal to VNO the clamour of DVM V students that she was involved in fixing their last match, which they had with DVM IV. The encounter ended in a stalemate, whereas, the former needed to win the match to be crowned champions of the competition. They protested they were only given 25 minutes to play each half of the encounter instead of 30 minutes. In fact, some of them have decided to promote their discontent to aversion and then to stern hostility. A reliable source has it that some members of the biggest undergraduates in the Nigeria’s premier university have made it habitual to snub the Sports Secretary whenever they cross path. It was publicly demonstrated on the Sports’ WhatsApp page as some members of the class traded series of insults and abuses with their junior colleagues while some others exited the group angrily. With the current stance, the DVM V class are still insisting on boycotting the forthcoming Dean’s Cup.

The just concluded competition, which was supposed to further foster the relationship and promote better understanding among Vet students had done exactly the opposite. If I can recall properly, in so many years, there has not been any intra-faculty football competition that did not end in, or at some point, experience chaos, especially in the most ridiculous and least expected of manners. Punches have been traded, head butts, curses, and whatever… it has always been a free-for-all. It’s all the nobility of our profession teaches us. The story has always been like that and sadly enough, it hasn’t changed.

The only gospel we can preach is to admonish every one of us to see the game of football not from an aggressive perspective but just for the fun and unity it brings. To make this work, it has to start from the DVM V students to rescind their decision to boycott the forthcoming Dean’s Cup. No matter how great their disappointment might be with the recently-concluded league, they need to let it pass so that we can move forward. It’s all bygone, and it should remain that way. The example, the legacy they set now will continue for years to come, and others will be proud to emulate them if they set a good one.

Melony