While the rest of the Queen's Students were hard at work preparing for school during frosh week, the Queen's University Match Racing Team were working equally hard in the south of France, competing with the top teams from around the world. The 6th World University Match Racing Championship, as part of the FISU games, took place in Nice, France from September 2-8 and Queen's was there in full force.

The Queen's team is comprised of students Roby Douglas, Oliver Neal, Clifton Kartner and Lance Fraser. The team trained hard, traveling to Halifax, Bermuda, Toronto, and Connecticut to practice. They also participated in international events in Rochester, Toronto, and Detroit. Their training in one sense paid off, as they were the top North American team in the championship, handily beating the other Canadian and American teams. On the other hand the team fell 1 point short of the quarterfinals and were unable to even compete for a place in the semis, which was their initial goal in the event. The final result was 11th of 17 boats.

Although them team did not obtain the results they had hoped for, everyone agreed had an amazing time and were proud to represent Queen's on an international level. Every other country was as friendly and welcoming as one could possibly imagine, despite being in tight competition. It was truly a moving and unforgettable experience.

The next University Match Racing Championship won't be for another 2 years, but the team is already energized and excited about the prospect. Excited to see their new friends again, and excited to improve on their results.