Alumna, Pat Ransome (nee Salter), studied PE and Divinity from 1969 until 1972 at the then Chester College. She has remained an engaged member of the University community since, and this week, she is sharing her sporting memories from those halcyon days of student life at Chester College…
“Too many to set down, but it was the leap of faith over the head high buck in the Old Gymnasium at my College interview with Nick Parry and Viv Davies that set me on the path that was Chester.
“Nerves jangling… I really wanted to be a student at my first choice College of Education, but was faced with the seemingly impossible. The nagging voice of “I can’t” became the voice of “but I will” and, spurred on by adrenaline, fear, or whatever, I soared over the buck and landed a place at Chester!
“The rest is having the most amazing three years that determined my future and Sport/Physical Education (not forgetting my subsidiary subject of Divinity) played a key role. One of only seven PE girls in our year, we had only a few years before been granted access to the specialist wing course that had been men only. We weren’t complaining!
“A member of the College Hockey team, I have one abiding memory that remains with me to this day. I wore the College green PE kit with pride and enjoyed playing Centre Forward or Wing, depending who was available on the day. Wednesday oranges and tea in Astbury common room after inter-college matches were the order of the day and I played throughout my years at College with Joan Royle, our tutor.
“So, as is still the case, photos were being taken for posterity, so with great pride and team camaraderie, we gathered for the photo shoot when to my horror I realised I had not brought my hockey boots. Too late to go back, I was told not to worry but as I look back I do wonder why I was stuck on the front row and not hidden at the back! These days, the University’s Audio Visual team would probably be able to Photoshop in my boots, but back then no such technology! So there it is, recorded as Chester College of Education Ladies Hockey team… Pat Salter – bootless! My most memorable unmemorable moment, with apologies to my fellow players…”
If you would like to be a guest blogger, please email alumni@chester.ac.uk.
