Intercollege competitions are referred to as cuppers. Most sports available at Oxford have a cuppers event at some point in the year. Cuppers are an informal “have a go” sort of competition where teams from different colleges, or a group of colleges, have a tournament.
I decided to put my name down for water polo cuppers, despite never having played before! The team was organised by someone in my college who plays university level water polo and so was able to give us some tips etc. I was initially worried that I would be terrible and no use to the team, and, while this may have been true it didn’t matter. The emphasis really seemed to be on giving a new sport a go and just getting involved and having fun. The training sessions run by university water polo players were great fun and a nice introduction to the sport.
I had a great time competing with friends from my college against other college teams and we even managed to get through to the semi-finals! I’d recommend trying cuppers to anyone, it’s a great way to try a new sport in a relaxed but fun setting.