Alpine Skiing | my sports thoughts

TIM FARR: NEW ZEALAND FLIGHT

Posted on July 4th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

As I may have mentioned once or twice n my past few blogs, this year has been tough for me. Complications with injury put me out for a lot longer than it should have and it has been a long process of rehab and operations, as well as mentally, knowing my competition was getting the time on snow, training and getting race experience putting in good results at events like the world Champs and just the fact that I wasn’t skiing.

I also want to take this time to thank my sponsors who have stuck with me over the past year. Training is expensive (even when not on snow) and if I want to stay at the top I have to do anything I can to ensure I have done the best to be on the podium. It’s with the help of my sponsors that give me that chance. I know that with government funding cuts the next couple of years are going to be even tougher. Having the continuous support from my sponsors really does keep the dream alive.

Thank you Mars Drinks, TASS, Frederick’s Foundation, Lions Rampant and Get Kids Going.

All that time rehabbing and training in the gym has all been leading to this point – getting back on snow. Having had time off I have been able to concentrate on my fitness and feel in great shape the bone is all healed although not in perfect position but it’s as good as it’s going to get! And most importantly I am well rested and hungry for it. I left London on Thursday and after a couple of days stay in Hong Kong with some friends have made it to New Zealand. It’s time to put everything to good use and make my sponsors proud.

Landing in NZ today there doesn’t appear to be much snow at the moment which is a slight concern as I have just travelled around the world but apparently the snow storm is coming and as I’m out here for two months I have a bit of time to wait. I have had a year off I’m sure I can try and wait a little longer.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.. @timfarrski

Posted in Alpine Skiing, Skiing, Tim Farr, Winter Olympics | Comments Off

ANNA TURNEY: NATIONAL CITIZENS SERVICE

Posted on July 1st, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

16 year old school leavers participating in the National Citizens Service, complete the ‘Community Residential’ of their Summer of a Lifetime today.

This third phase of the project involved another week away from home, getting out and helping in the community, from helping out in an Old People’s Home to the Fire Service. I spent the evening, focusing on overcoming challenges and getting involved with evening teamwork activities. We had loads of fun and I was really buzzing as I drove home.

Olympic high jumper, Brendan Reilly, also got involved through the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust. Brendan did a 20 minute talk at the beginning about Dream Goals….to plan…to believe…to succeed. They had a go at a few machines, and did a medicine ball throwing competition which went down well.

This week the young people have had a taste of working in the community and chosen and project to design and implement over the next month.

Since starting the project I have noticed a monumental change in confidence, self-belief and group dynamics, a quarter of the young people have enrolled in college courses. Brendan also spotted a couple of good athletes and is facilitating try out sessions for them in athletics.

The message at Deloitte sponsored CBI West Midlands Summer Banquet, fundraising for Local Disability Sport, was reducing inequality through education. I had the pleasure of hearing World Champion, David Moorcroft speak as well as CBI Director General, John Gridland who highlighted the worsening and educational inequalities in the UK.

Schemes like the NCS and Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, striving to create life chances for young people, make a real difference and I am very pleased to be involved.

Everyone deserves a shot at success.

Posted in 2012 Paralympics, Alpine Skiing, Anna Turney | Comments Off

ANNA TURNEY: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Posted on June 2nd, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

It’s also been a busy month in terms of career development…

I started with the Athletes Direct Seminar on the delivery of talks in schools, led by Brett Taylor. Great ideas from my teammate and ex-teacher, Talan Skeels-Piggins, and golfer, Louise Davis. The British Olympic Association run the Athlete’s Direct scheme through which schools can apply for high achieving sportspeople to give talks and workshops to pupils. It has given me a good deal of invaluable speaking experience.

This was followed with some exceptional presentation skills training at The Media Group, Nottingham. Alongside other Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust Athletes, I spent a very productive morning being filmed, discussing and learning skills from Keith Daniell who has had many years experience as a TV presenter, speaker and trainer. I have since been practising and am looking forward to putting my new skills to test!

Also had fantastic training at last weeks’ Sporting Champions Recruitment and Training Day in Birmingham. Picked up lots of useful tips on leading sessions and workshops with young people from Tim and Emma of DKH Legacy Trust, as well as numerous experienced and talented athlete mentors including Neil Danns (British and European Skateboarding Champ) and Sara McGreavy (GB hurdler).

And squeezed in time for my first wedding dress fitting (very exciting). Plans are finally coming together!

Yesterday’s National Citizens Service development day for the ‘Summer of a Lifetime’ was also really useful. Here’s to getting stuck in and making a difference in a few lives! They say you should learn from the best and I certainly have been given the opportunities to. Many thanks to the DKH Legacy Trust National Support Programme, The Media Group and the BOA.

Summer of a Lifetime

The project enables 16 to 24 year old school leavers to develop life skills through a series of active and exciting outdoor challenges away from home. Participants will plan, design and deliver social action projects within their local community.

The project launch was presented by two young people, Mo Ahmet and Matt Hutchins (17), who interviewed project coordinators as well as other young leaders, myself, athlete Jenna Downing and Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson in front of 200 people.

The most rewarding aspect of work as a mentor is seeing young people progress and having worked on the 2012 Young Leaders project with Matt and Tanya, I was seriously impressed.

My role as Midlands Team Leader is to work with City of Wolverhampton College and Stoke on Trent YMCA to facilitate elite athletes to ‘create chances for young people’. Athletes will motivate and enable the young adults to develop valuable skills such as teamwork, problem solving, leadership and communication, working alongside.

More than 11,000 young people are offered the chance to get involved and those who seize the opportunity will benefit themselves and local communities and have a lot of fun in the process.

Yesterday I helped develop the scheme with elite athletes involved in the 12 pilot projects, including Olympic swimmers Adam Whitehead and Ross Davenport; boxers Courtney Fry and Dermott Gascoyne; and BMX champion Mike Mullen. I am really looking forward to working alongside these athletes to get to know the young adults and see them develop this summer.

Posted in 2012 Olympics, 2012 Paralympics, Alpine Skiing, Anna Turney | Comments Off

TIM FARR: I’M BACK

Posted on May 5th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

I hope everybody has been enjoying the sun and had a good Easter/Royal wedding period. I have been out making the most of the weather. As usual, I seem to have a million things going on. This last week has been a lot of fun and very exciting. But I don’t think I can tell you about it quite yet so you will just have to wait to find out more.

The most exciting thing though recently is that I’m back! I have now got back on the snow. Only up at Hemel Hempstead at the moment but the important thing is the hip is holding up ok and the new equipment is amazing, just wants to go fast. I have blown away all the cobwebs that have built up over the past year and now I’m really ready to get out to NZ and do what I’m supposed to be doing. Not sure I can wait that long, although I know it’s going to come quickly and I’ll be wishing for more time to sort out some final bits before I’m off at the end of June.

Finally I feel the injury is behind me and I am now ready to ski. The next step, getting back on snow, you would have thought should be the easy part but I think it’s going to be a mental battle. At least with the physical rehab I could really see improvement all the time strength, flexibility, xrays showed the bone had healed etc..

Getting back to technical skiing is going to be harder than I think starting back from where I left off after the paralympics. I have to go right back to basics even though I may want to rush on. Focus on myself and not on others. As I’ve mentioned before it was a hard time watching all the results and knowing everyone else was training and improving while I was on land. But this is an opportunity to start again and really stamp out the bad habits and technique. And I need to keep out those fears of injury that can finish off an athlete.

My first couple of trips to the Snowdome however have filled me with confidence as I had been worried that my hip would still restrict my skiing despite the operations. Within a couple of runs, I had, for the first time in a while forgotten about the past year and it was as I had never stopped skiing, I was where I belong. So far so good and I’m looking forward to getting back to training and on the race circuit.

Posted in Alpine Skiing, Skiing, Tim Farr | Comments Off

DAVID KING: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS MOVED TO MOSCOW

Posted on May 3rd, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

The week we were supposed to fly to Tokyo the devastating tsunami hit and The World Championships was put on hold. Weeks of discussions passed and was finally announced to take place the end of April in the city of Moscow home of the great skating nation of Russia.

I just think it was so difficult for the International Skating Union to take decisive action after the terrible disaster in Japan. Yes they should always have contingency plans but so close to the event nobody could foresee this kind of thing. Whatever decision ISU could make it was going to upset people, if it’s the skaters, organizers, fans, TV, judges or corporate sponsors each want different things and without one of these the event can’t go ahead.

So that finally draws a conclusion under our season, 2011 we came 17th at the World Championships at the rearranged city of Moscow. Not the result we wanted but it’s been a difficult few weeks and just glad to get back out there again.

As you would expect from Russia, the crowd was amazing! The noise when we took to the ice was immense and when our marks came up we felt disappointed and they actually booed the result. As ever the judges’ decision is final and our remarks are merely whispers in the whole political scheme of things. We love to skate but it’s never simple, we have a lot of real life decisions to make when we get back from our break and with no money options are slim.

As of right this minute though I’m happy to carry on for at least next season, with Europeans in Sheffield next year it would be great to say farewell properly.

After a good break things will seem clearer and we have quite a few events coming up, starting with us attending a show called Cirque de Glace which is an iceskating take on Cirque du Soleil that our friend is starring in.

Then I have a quick blade technician course I’ve been eyeing up for a while then off to Spain to see Stacey’s brother’s family. I’m really looking forward to not only our time off but also getting stuck in to next year’s programs and our new stuff for next season.

All the very best and I will write again soon.

Posted in 2012 Olympics, Alpine Skiing, David King, Skating, Ski Cross, Skiing, Slalom, Stacey Kemp | Comments Off

ANNA TURNEY: ASPIRING MINDS – DAME KELLY HOLMES LEGACY TRUST

Posted on April 18th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

As an athlete mentor on the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust, I had a fun day on Wednesday in Big Wood School, Nottingham on the ‘Aspiring Minds’ project.

Skills and positive attitude are taught via interactive activities delivered by a team of trained communicators and athletes.

Big Wood School’s Year 9 pupils certainly grasped the opportunity to learn. The Aspiring Minds day is made up of various workshops involving equipment such as batak boards, rowing machines and even equipment that measures how fast you can kick a ball.

We ended the sports psychology lesson learning to juggle – in less than four minutes for the 13 year old volunteer in my group, very impressive!

As an athlete, I am well aware that attitude is central to success. Even though some pupils were shy at first, everyone finished the day with a positive ‘have a go’ attitude and a big smile. I set out to inspire and came away feeling motivated myself – it is amazing how inspirational young people can be.

Posted in 2012 Paralympics, Alpine Skiing, Anna Turney, Ski Cross, Skiing, Slalom | Comments Off

TIM FARR: ALL HEALED UP

Posted on April 5th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

Well, as I may have mentioned in my last few blogs sitting on the sidelines and missing the season has been slightly frustrating. While it feels like the season went on forever, somehow the end of the season has already arrived. While I have been watching the team have had some great results this season. Winning more medals at nearly every race, including the team’s first World Championship medals. I can’t wait to join them all again.

I wasn’t expecting to be out for so long and have had to look inside myself to make the most of the time off and I hope that I have used it constructively, seeing the time off as an opportunity to work on the areas often taken for granted. Weirdly, although I can’t wait to get back on snow somehow I think that I’m still going to end up wanting more time to sort things out.

This week however I had some great news. I had my last meeting with my consultant. He is happy that the bone is all healed. You can hardly see where they re-broke my leg and he is confident that it is strong again (especially with all the metal work in me!) Although this doesn’t mean I am completely fixed, I still need to strengthen muscle and ligaments around the joint, but I can feel real improvement every week.

So now finally after what seems like forever I can get back on the snow and start working on technical stuff and try out new equipment. After rehabbing for so long I feel fitter, stronger and after time off I am rested and hungry for it. I can’t wait for New Zealand.

Posted in Alpine Skiing, Skiing, Tim Farr | Comments Off

ANNA TURNEY: TWO BRONZE MEDALS AT EUROPA CUP FINALS

Posted on March 26th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

I’m pleased to have finished the season with two Europa Cup Final bronze medals in GS and Slalom, followed by another bronze in Super G. May I continue to improve and have a successful season next year.

I am now training in Serre Chevalier, sponsored by Hotel Plein Sud. It is great to be back in my favourite resort in the French Alps, where I used to snowboard. Snow conditions are good and the weather has been beautiful, ideal for working on technical aspects of my skiing.

Next week I shall return home, continue my motivational speaking and work with the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust. With government cuts, Winter Sports funding looks likely to be pushed aside.

In order to continue with this sport and pursue my quest to win medals in the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games I will be working hard to develop relationships and secure sponsorship. Only two full seasons until the 2014 Paralympics and my skiing continues to improve!

Posted in 2012 Olympics, 2012 Paralympics, Alpine Skiing, Anna Turney, Ski Cross, Skiing, Slalom | Comments Off

ANNA TURNEY: EUROPA CUP FINALS IN LA MOLINA

Posted on March 16th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

As a result of torrential rain and heavy snow in La Molina, Spain, the Europa Cup Final Super Combined and Super G were both cancelled. However the organisers managed to run a successful Slalom today.

Slushy and wet snow conditions meant a soft, rutted course, and my first run was frustrating but I managed to bring it back in the second run to finish with a Bronze medal behind World Champion, Schaffelhuber.

Congratulations to the other athletes representing GB; Kelly Gallagher and her guide Charlotte Evans, who won the Visually Impaired category.

Giant Slalom tomorrow…

Posted in 2012 Paralympics, Alpine Skiing, Anna Turney | Comments Off

MAREK BEHNKE: HEADING NORTH TO BRANAS

Posted on March 12th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

At the beginning of March I headed out to Branas, Sweden for the final Europa Cup races of the season and linked up with the Dutch Ski Cross team, consisting of Yannick Enting and his father as there were no other Brits going.

This time I was flying for a change and I nearly managed to get away without paying excess baggage charges, but with three pairs of skis, full servicing kit and my normal luggage, that was never going to happen.

We met up at Oslo Airport and then drove the two hours from Norway over to Branas. That was a pretty loaded car. When we got to the accommodation which took about 30 minutes from Branas we realised we were the only people staying there and had the entire building to ourselves. It just so happened the rooms were some of the nicest I’d had all season and the entire building had free Wi-Fi result.

The next day we went over to Branas to take a quick look at the course before training the next day and to just have a quick ski around and see what the place was like. Just in case you’re wondering, it’s a pretty small, flat Swedish resort with lots and lots of snow. There are still metres of snow either side and on the roads. It is also an awesome place for spotting moose.

The next day we had training and qualification. Training was going alright, nothing special; just some pretty average runs really. However the course was easily the best course we had had all season long and is by far my favourite course that I have ever skied in my life. During qualification I had some pretty bad mistakes however I ended up finishing the closest to qualifying that I had done all season long and it turned out that I had actually had a reasonable run. I finished in 38th place, my best result yet I managed to get some video of the course.

As one of the Europa Cup races earlier in the season had been cancelled in Germany, it had been rescheduled to be in Branas as well, therefore we had not one but two Europa Cup races to do, making this the last one of the season.

The second day of racing went pretty much the same as the first day with me skiing slightly faster and still, only just missing out on qualifying in 37th place. I really need to work on just having a clean run with minimal or no mistakes and then, I can finally be really fast.

We managed to leave Branas early enough on our way home to stop in Oslo, and had a great few hours looking around. I like Oslo.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Branas especially and all the Europa Cup races this season have been great fun and it’s been a pleasure to take part in them all and link up with guys from all over the world. I hope to see the circuit again next year. I really have to thank VocaLink for their support, this wouldn’t have happened without them. Thanks VocaLink.

Posted in 2012 Olympics, Alpine Skiing, Marek Behnke, Ski Cross, Skiing, Slalom | Leave a comment