Carnival on Ice at the 30th EUC
For over three decades now, the Ice-Hockey Uni-Cup (EUC) has stood for the combination of sporting prowess and fun. Not only on the ice do they give it their all, but also the fans give it everything they’ve got, supporting their teams with loud cheers and imaginative costumes, which are oriented on the chosen theme of the team, which changes every year.
It is “THE event for fun and party”, believes Professor Dr. Ernst Schmachtenberg, Rector of RWTH Aachen University. Usually at RWTH it is very important to concentrate hard and perform well, but not here. This evening, instead, stands is a fun and relaxed gathering. “If you want to understand the soul of the university, then you need to visit this event”, explains the rector. The closeness experienced and fun shared between the rectorate and students at this event are very important to him.
This enjoyment is also very important for Peter Lynen, the head of the University Sports Center. He described the event, fittingly, as a “carnival on ice”, an event that is characterized by joie de vivre and funny and imaginative costumes, adding that it is events like this one that make Aachen such an attractive place. Around 14 different sporting events every year make the city stand out above the rest, contributing greatly to the popularity that Aachen and the university enjoy.
The Ice-Hockey Uni-Cup, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, was initiated by one of its founding members Professor Dr. Christian Mittermayer. He sent his greetings to the “ice warriors” by post and highlighted how important the event is for him, even after all these years, as event coordinator Melih Özkardes explains after a meeting with him. Additionally, Özkardes talked about the highlights of the evening, which included the acrobatic cheerleader shows and the After-Show Party in the Starfish.
While fun, enjoyment and celebration are very important aspects of the event, the Uni-Cup is still about playing ice hockey. Carl Hemprich of the Aachen Ice-Emperors was “very happy” about his team’s 11:2 victory against Eindhoven, but what made him even happier were the new friendships that were formed by playing matches against various partner universities. The student body representatives were also very happy with their teams. Although in the past the electrical engineers have only been able to take home the trophy once, Marlene fron Monschaw was confident that “mulled wine and Mario-Cart “would raise team spirit. Jan Clusmann from the Medical Strikers was also very confident about his team, as they had been able to strengthen their team spirit and “prod” the professors, who in the past had not always given the strongest performance. Matthias Glinke from the student body for mechanical engineering was of course equally convinced that his team would again take trophy and thereby defend the title, as the “simply have the best team”.
A good team are also University Sports and its sponsors. For many years now Thyssen Krupp has stood behind the EUC, which in Stefan Cassel’s opinion has to be supported, as it trains a kind of dedication that is “also very important in one’s career”. Sponsors aren’t only important, they are indispensable for the Uni-Cup, as without sponsoring “such an event would not be possible”, Peter Lynen explained.
The Uni-Cup would be equally impossible without charity. It is a long tradition, that around 1’500€ are donated to the organization “Right to Play”, which helps children in in less privileged countries play happily and freely. Another 1’500€ went towards supporting the Kinderschutzbund Aachen, this year, to go towards their adventure playground project “Kirschbäumchen”, which gives the children of Aachen a place to have fun and explore.
The recipients of the donations show the importance that fun and games and zest for life have at the Ice-Hockey Uni-Cup. The Medical Strikers must have had a particularly large amount of it, winning with 21 points. The electrical engineers came 2nd while, following a series of exciting matches the mechanical engineers took bronze.
The ET Lions did particularly well in the contest between the cheerleaders with their fantastic choreography, something which was of course happily celebrated at the After-Show party in to the small hours of the morning.