2012 Paralympics | my sports thoughts

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

BOBBY WHITE: CATCHING UP AFTER INJURY

Posted on May 20th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

It’s been a while since my last blog so I thought I should bring you all up to speed.

The season in Greece was going very well. I had settled in fairly quickly and put some decent performances in to help put some points on the table. The club had been very happy with me and I was happy at the club.

I had been having some injury issues for a while in my left hip and took the opportunity at our GB training camp in October to investigate the problem further. The injury had been impacting on the quality of training and also my performances. After having an MRI and consulting a specialist it was decided that surgery would be the only way to correct the problem so that I could once again train and play at 100%, which ultimately, training for an Olympic Games is all about.

I left Greece on the 23 December, just when all the flight chaos was going on back home because of the snow. I left directly after a cup match vs AEK Athens, where we almost stole a win but once again AEK were too strong and as I write this they are at the top of the championship. I had left on a good performance and on good terms with the club so hopefully that will bode well when they consider re-signing me for next season.

I had surgery on my left hip on the 29 December, anticipating a four to five month recovery period. I have been progressing very well and the surgeon and GB team doctor are happy with the way things are going, so for now I just need to stick to my rehabilitation plan and be patient.

I have been fortunate enough to have spent two separate weeks at the Olympic Medical Institute at Bisham Abbey. There is an Intense Rehabilitation Unit there where I can work with world class physiotherapists, strength and conditioning coaches and a whole host of other sport science support I could possibly require. I am having my third stint there next week where I hope to step the training up a level, and hopefully start running again.

For The GB team things have also been progressing nicely. In March we played Italy and Turkey at Loughborough University in a friendly tournament. The lads triumphed 33-25 over Italy which is our biggest victory to date, putting in a strong, disciplined performance to compliment the hard work that had been put in off court over the last year or so.

Turkey put in a solid performance against us and came out 28-26 winners, had we shown the same discipline in defence as we did against Italy it could have been a different story. To sum it all up, these were great results against teams that would have been considered a big step up for GB, but the lads certainly showed that GB are well and truly on the Handball scene and the only way is up from now until 2012!

Posted in 2012 Olympics, 2012 Paralympics, Bobby White, Handball | Comments Off

JODIE STIMPSON: WOW, WOW, WOW, IT’S ALL HAPPENING AT ONCE

Posted on May 16th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

It’s all happening at once, I have been back from Australia now for four weeks and when I was in Australia I knew something wasn’t quite right. So finally now I am home sweet home I can get it sorted.

So, I thought, a day in and out of hospital and it will be sorted. A small procedure will take care of this, well, that’s what I thought, anyway I won’t go into too much detail but to cut a long ongoing long story short, that “small procedure” I had really knocked me about. Bad timing or what, as I flew to Germany the next day for the Siegerland Cup Triathlon, in Buschutten Germany.

So off I flew, not feeling great and in some need to catch up on some sleep. With me travelling on the Friday and racing on the Sunday, there wasn’t much time to chill, but Michelle made sure I was rested just enough to race and thankfully I had a good race. Happy Days!

So, the race itself, started with a 1km open air pool swim. A little different to what we’re used to but there we go. There were eight women in each lane, who all started together, which meant it was a first come first serve to lead the lane, so I took the front.

I have to say it was very strange racing a pool swim, it felt like I was nine again and racing Wombourne Tri or something. I stayed at the front of the swim and got onto the bike first and managed to stay there for the whole of the cycle. It was a non-drafting race.

The course was really windy to say the least and with most of the other women on full TT bikes and me on my road bike. I just dug in and kept pushing, however, I knew the second and third girls were not far behind me, so I kept wishing the run would come sooner.

Once on the run I felt good. It was eight laps and each lap there was a steep short hill and the rest was a twisty turner, which made it quite difficult to get into a rhythm. But I was happy with winning the race. It was great to race in Buschutten for the first time and I am looking forward to racing for them next year.

Since I have been back, my sponsors have really been spoiling me and I have had the best gear from Saucony, Orca, Oakley and Powerbar, truly the best products around and I cannot thank you guys enough for supporting me. I have such a great team behind me.

Now for some more news…

I have been holding back on this news for a while and now I have permission to spill the beans. My new ride for 2011 will be the Scott Addict R1. It’s the sweetest ride I have had the pleasure of riding. It’s stiff light frame and handles like a dream and I have Tri-1st Triathlon Shop to thank for this!

These guys are the biggest triathlon specific shop in Birmingham and know the business of triathlon though and through. Please check them out http://www.tri-1st.co.uk/ a huge thank you and welcome to Tri-1st.

That’s not all, I have one more sponsor to announce that I am so excited about, BMW Sytner Oldbury, yes I said BMW! I have got to admit that when I got the phone call, I was smiling from ear to ear and really couldn’t believe it. Thank you to the guys at Sytner Oldbury for giving me a 1 Series BMW in crisp Alpha White to use for 18 months.

Driving around in a BMW, oh my God – I would never of thought it! Please check out their website; http://www.sytner.co.uk/bmw/oldbury/home.aspx It looks like their workforce are really into cycling at the moment, let’s see if I can give them the Triathlon Bug

So all my exciting news is now out and I am so grateful for my sponsoring team behind me, I really wouldn’t be here without you all.

The season is in full swing, so I am really looking forward to busting those balls again in the next few races and I will keep you guys up-to-date with the gossip and the race report after each race. So my next month is planned as follows – 21 May is the first of the British Super Series Races so I’ll jetting off to bonnie Scotland to race Strathclyde and then onto Madrid WCR on 5 June and two weeks after that on 18 June it’s the Kitzbuhel WCR.

So a fun packed month for me, all the best to you guys and enjoy training and the races coming up, I know I will.

Jode

Xxx

Posted in 2012 Olympics, 2012 Paralympics, Athletics, Jodie Stimpson | 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

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

ANNA TURNEY: 2011 IPC ALPINE SKIING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Posted on January 26th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

The World Championships were the biggest success yet for the seven strong GB team. Kelly Gallagher and guide, Charlotte Evans won silver and bronze; I came fourth in GS; Sean Rose finished fourth, sixth and tenth and newcomers to the team from the Armed Forces, Mick Brennan, Pete Dunning and Martin Hewitt had successful debuts.

Anna Turney (center-front)

I was disappointed to have crashed out in the slalom, and to be out of the medals in the Giant Slalom but look forward to racing in Canada in February before the Europa Cup finals in March.

Many thanks to TASS and Get Kids Going for their support, and to Meteor for their wonderful airport parking services.

Serre Chevalier resort in France gave a warm welcome to the GB team for an excellent Pre-Worlds Training camp.

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

ANNA TURNEY: 2011 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS COMMENCES

Posted on January 17th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

The first IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Sestriere, where the 2006 Torino Games were held, opened yesterday with the downhill where Sean Rose finished 6th for GB. Cheering crowds in the sun, TV cameras and DJ created a great atmosphere. The Italians certainly know how to have a party.

The team is staying at the Villagio Olympico, which hosted the athletes for the Games, and we enjoyed the Opening Ceremony parade through the streets into the stadium, supported by volunteers.

Talan Skeels Piggins and Sean Rose compete in the Super G tomorrow whilst the rest of the eight strong GB team prepare for the Slalom on Thursday and Giant Slalom on Saturday, with a great support team.

As a team, we’re well prepared with excellent Pre-Worlds training, many thanks to Serre Chevalier resort for their support and also to sponsors; TASS and Get Kids Going for their support of this event.

The downhill was shown on Italian TV but unfortunately I don’t think it will be live in the UK, however you can watch the races on www.paralympicsport.tv click on the title for the link.

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

TIM FARR: HAPPY NEW YEAR

Posted on January 11th, 2011 by mysportsthoughts

So the Paralympic year of 2010 has been and gone. An amazing 12 months of spectacular highs qualifying for the Paralympics, participating and the overall experience. It was great just being part of it and having two top 20 finishes then dramatic lows been disqualified in the GS and of course finishing the year with serious injury! Thus I find myself not really going to miss 2010 and wishing in 2011 with new goals, high ambition and expectations for the new year.

I have started the year with an operation on my hip which means I’m starting the year at the bottom, allowing me to build myself up from the beginning to come back fitter stronger and more focused. The rehab is going to be a long process and I’m going to have a lot of work to do in 2011 to get myself back to the top level and then keep the momentum going to be on the podium at the top level. At the moment I feel things can only get better.

At this moment the British Team are preparing for the World Championships which start next week in Sestriere. I wish them all the best and know they will do well if they ski like they can, despite maybe not having the best preperation.

It has been very strange for me not see in the New Year in some snowy mountainous resort but I know I will be back soon enough. In a way having a break from what has been so intensive for the last couple of years has allowed my to step back and examine where I need to improve, how to do it and re-focus my energy in the right places.

Here is to 2011, I hope that is a wonderful year and holds great success and glory for you all.

Keep coming back to check for updates of where I am and how things are getting on (One of my New Year’s resolutions is to write more updates, so watch this space).

Posted in 2012 Paralympics, Slalom, Tim Farr | Comments Off