It is OUR turn, Roses should be in Lancaster for 2021

Everybody’s lives have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers have been furloughed, schools have cancelled their exams, and universities have closed campus teaching.

We’re all stuck at home, and it isn’t just Lancaster students who are sat around wondering what they would’ve been up to during Summer Term, had it not been moved online. Would we be out in Sugar? Probably. Would we be lazing around in our flats because we didn’t have any lectures left? Most likely. Would we still be getting over our hangovers from Roses 2020? Definitely.

As a member of a sports exec, it’s already been talked about how much effort we put into our clubs, and making sure that everything runs smoothly. One thing that really is the cherry on top of the cake at the end of the season is the thought of the Roses varsity weekend. Every sports club works towards Roses at the end of the season, and the the clubs of Lancaster and York go head to head in a weekend that can only be described as a miniature Olympics.

However, with all this buildup from last year’s Roses, people were eager to see what the two universities would come up with in light of Roses 2020 being cancelled. Admittedly, it was tough to do anything sports-related online, and the “Virtual Roses” event itself had no way near the turnout or support that the actual thing would’ve had, but to be honest it never was going to.

Regardless, one question that every member of a sports team at university has asked, is this: “Will Roses 2021 be in Lancaster?”

Let’s just get one thing clear: Lancaster University Students’ Union has not confirmed or denied that Roses will be held in Lancaster next year. But at the same time, I think it’s important to stress exactly why it SHOULD be held in Lancs.

It’s OUR turn

First thing’s first – it is our turn to host! This year’s event was cancelled due to no fault of Lancaster’s, so it just makes sense for us to host the event next year. It was in York last year, so to have it in York again next year really makes very little sense at all. Lancaster has just had a new sports hall constructed, and the whole point of that was for it to be ready in time for Lancaster to host Roses 2020 – it would be ridiculous for the next Lancaster Roses to be hosted in 2022; two years AFTER the purpose-built sports hall would’ve been constructed.

Bottom line, Lancaster has just had new facilities been put in place specifically for Roses, so it stands to reason that we should host next year. Also, Lancaster must’ve ring-fenced money from the budget this year in order to host Roses 2020 – with Roses this year being cancelled, it makes sense for Lancaster to actually spend that ring-fenced money on Roses next year, doesn’t it?

Logistically, it makes the most sense for Roses 2021 to be a Lancastrian affair. Not to mention that our campus is 10 times nicer than York’s – sorry, but it really is the truth.

It’s good for students from both universities

Roses obviously is hosted in Lancaster one year and then York the other. With Roses 2019 being hosted by York, if we have Roses in York in 2021 then that means students who started in the year 2018/19 will never have experienced Roses in Lancaster.

For York students, on the face of it this seems like a good deal. If you only get to experience Roses twice, then having them both in York seems pretty convenient. However, a number of students have told me that an “Away Roses” is better, because you HAVE to stick with the people who you go with, meaning that your sports club bonds massively over the weekend. Not to mention, having an away Roses means that you can explore a different city for a night, and everyone is there for the same reason. The university morale, and team spirit is huge, and whether you win or lose it’s just a great atmosphere.

Also, purely for the sake of variation, it really is the best of both worlds being able to have one home Roses and one away – again, it makes sense!

It’s fairer for Lancs students

Look, nobody saw this pandemic coming, really, so there was nothing that anybody could do, and if they could’ve done something then let’s face it, saving Roses 2020 (rightly so) would not have been the Government’s priority. However, with Roses 2020 gone, it means that many Lancaster students will have spent three years at university and may have never experienced a Roses at home. Quite literally “home,” too, as many of us do consider Lancaster to be our home now. Imagine it, though? So many students love Lancaster, and the campus does feel like home to most of us by now. I chose Lancaster partly because of how good Roses sounded. In my two years here, I’ve fallen in love with the city, and most things about the university experience. Combined with the love for my sport, which I’ve been playing for a decade now, and Roses really brings the best parts of Lancaster together.

If it actually is hosted by Lancaster in 2021, then that means that many Lancaster students, like me, can have their friends and families come and support them in an event like this. Having Roses in Lancaster in 2021 makes so much more sense that having it in York, and to be completely honest it’s so much fairer.

At the end of the day, there are so many Lancaster students who either won’t experience a Roses in Lancaster at all, or they will have had to wait a huge amount of time to see Roses at home if it isn’t held in Lancs next year.

Come on, LUSU, do us a favour?

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