Welcome
We are the Oxford University Modern Pentathlon Association (OUMPA). We train in Oxford's first-class facilities located at Iffley Road and compete in a range of matches and competitions from College to National level. Past members have gone on to the GB team and even to Olympic success.
We depend upon a mixture of outstanding, experienced sportsmen and total novices to fill our Blues teams. This has ensured an open and welcoming atmosphere in all that we do. It has also resulted in 17 consecutive Varsity victories over Cambridge.
If you're interested in trying an exciting new sport, why not find out more and give pentathlon a go?
What is Pentathlon?
Championed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, Modern Pentathlon has its origins in a 19th-century legend. The sport celebrated 100 years as an Olympic Sport at London 2012.
The story goes that a young cavalry officer was sent on horseback to deliver a message. To complete his mission, he had to ride, fence, shoot, swim and run – the five challenges that face competitors in Modern Pentathlon today.
The first element is fencing, in which competitors are required to fence against every other athlete. This is followed by swimming (200m freestyle) and riding (jumping an unknown horse over a 12-obstacle course). Athletes are given points for each element of the competition. Finally, there is the Combined Event, in which athletes are required to shoot five targets within 70 seconds and run 1,000m (three times over). The winner of the competition is the athlete with the greatest overall score.
For more detailed rules and regulations, see Pentathlon GB or the official rulebook
Training
Most of our training is student run and there are no compulsory early morning starts! Whether you're a serious athlete out to win competitions or you're more keen on the socials and the crewdates, we'd love to hear from you.
You don't have to be proficient at all 5 sports to try pentathlon. We have members with backgrounds in swimming, the Pony Club, athletics, and many other sports. We'll provide training sessions to build your skills and fitness before the annual Varsity Match.
- Novice Varsity: 5th Week Michelmas - results spreadsheet and Facebook photos
- Cuppers (inter college competition): 7th Week Michelmas - results spreadsheet
- Old Blues: Mid-Hilary - results spreadsheet
- BUCS: 8th-9th March - full results and photos on Facebook
- Varsity Match: 5th-6th April - invitation document and Facebook event
| Day | Event | Time | Place | Details |
| Monday | - | - | - | - |
| Tuesday | Shoot | 7 - 10 am | Cricket Schools | DIY session |
| Fence | 4 - 6 pm | Cricket Schools | Novice fence, coached | |
| Swim | 9 - 10:30 pm | Iffley Pool | Coached by Kouji | |
| Wednesday | Shoot | 5 - 6 pm | Cricket Schools | - |
| Run | 6 - 7 pm | Iffley Track | Run sets | |
| Thursday | Shoot | 7 - 10 am | Cricket Schools | DIY Session |
| Swim | 9 - 10:30 pm | Iffley Pool | Coached by Kouji | |
| Friday | Fence | 5:30 - 8 pm | Cricket Schools | Freeplay with OUFC |
| Saturday | Shoot | 8 - 11 am | Cricket Schools | DIY Session |
| Run | 10 am | South Parks | Hills with OUCCC | |
| Sunday | Shoot | 8:30 - 11 am | Cricket Schools | DIY Session |
| Swim | 4:30 - 6 pm | Iffley Pool | Coached by Kouji |
Stash
We have some dashing OUMPA apparel from Nike that can be personalised with your name or initials, see ousportshop.com for more details.
In addition, there are dark blue swimming hats, club-coloured ties and bow ties available to buy from our treasurer. The ladies and gentlemens' teams also traditionally procure an exclusive item of 'novelty stash' for the 18 athletes that compete against Cambridge.
