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Staffordshire athletes blog their paths to London 2012 |
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As the start date of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games gets closer and closer a few Staffordshire athletes, who are aiming for selection to a GB Team, provide a monthly blog to track their progress over the next 6 months. So read on to hear about their quest and amazing sporting experiences...
Adam Burgess - Canoe Slalom (C1 and C2) January's Blog... Posted: 23 January 2012
In this current block of training all of my physical sessions are just geared around going FAST and making the boat get up to speed quickly from a standing start. From the data we have of recorded 20m sprint times I’ve matched the record and become one of the very few C1 paddlers to reach a sub 7 second time, so already the speed work we’re doing is paying off!
I’ve continued to wear my overnight lenses to correct my short sightedness and now I think I’ve made the full adaption which is great. Being able to see properly for all of my sessions has been great, especially with trying to learn the subtleties of the Olympic courses waves and other features.
I’ve made a semi move to London so now I’m operating out of a base there and a base in Nottingham. My coaching and support services still remain predominantly in Nottingham which means I do need to be here still most weeks but with a room in London as well now I will be spending the majority of my time down there.
Training in London has been great, I’m really enjoying every second I’m spending on that course and I’m finding that the hard physical work I’ve put in already this winter has really paid off and I’m finding that I can really just focus on the technical element of paddling there and just learning the place inside out. Read more about Adam in his previous blogs
Joe Clarke - Canoe Slalom – K1 category
First of all Happy New Year to everyone, better late than never!
So I’m looking forward to a season ahead that isn’t hampered by exams or school commitments it will certainly make my life a lot easier.
After having a short break over Christmas and New Year to recharge the batteries and do a spot of skiing in the German Alps I was fully ready and rearing to kick start my training in 2012.
I started the year with Gym testing and Pool testing and I had improved both in the gym and in the pool by significant amounts, which was a nice way to start the year.
With training back in full swing now it's all eyes on the selection races that will be held on Lee Valley white water course in April. I will be racing for a place at the London 2012 Olympics. There will also be the selection for the Senior and U23 teams taking place at the same time.
So between now and April it’s a case of getting lots of quality time on Lee Valley and continuing to train hard towards that Olympic place and then fingers crossed over the 3 days of racing!
I’m really excited about the season ahead where I can hopefully build on the successes of last year and go a couple of places better to put me on that podium! To find out more visit
www.joe-clarke.co.uk
Kian Emadi - Track Cycling January's Blog... Posted: 25 January 2012
We flew out from Manchester on a Thursday morning, arrived in Bremen and then quickly drove to the track to build up our bikes and sit down for the rider’s briefing before the racing in the evening.
The racing was over six days back to back, starting at 10 pm and finishing anywhere between 1 and 3 in the morning. It was a real party atmosphere with one large hall housing the track itself, and then five other halls contained numerous bars, clubs and bands. It was amazing and on Saturday night, which was the busiest, there were an estimated 20,000 spectators attending. Manchester Velodrome seats about 3,000 – so this was huge in comparison!
The track centre itself was cool as well. Usually the riders are kept away from the spectators to allow them to prepare and warm up without stress, but in Bremen we had to walk through the dance floor of a bar to get to the ‘riders pit’ and the spectators were allowed to come and go as they pleased. This was really good, as it meant you could talk to the people who had come to see you race, and some of the spectators had had a few too many to drink so this made for interesting conversation.
I really enjoyed the Six Day experience, and if I had the chance to go back, I definitely would. I finished the series absolutely shattered from racing the night shifts but it was so much fun. The prizes were pretty cool as well. One night, I won an iPod for winning a race, and on the final night I won a magnum of champagne for finishing second overall for the six days of racing.
Below are two links to British Cycling reports on days three and six of racing: http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyclingteam/article/gbr20120114-Report--Bremen-Six---Day-3-0
For more information visit:
Mark Fosbrook - GB Wheelchair Basketball January's Blog... Posted: 20 January 2012
I now have my new basketball chair so have been getting used to that and think that it will help me to progress further. I am just having to play around with straps and positioning to tweak it and get it feeling right.
We have also had a selection camp in Crystal Palace which was a real pain to get to but the camp itself seemed ok. I felt I was performing ok, however the head coach felt different and has told me that I am not being invited to the next camp.
This means I now need to prove myself in the remaining Super League games and the GB Internal Performance League and show him that his decision was wrong. This was a bit of a knock back and makes my Paralympic dream look more unlikely however I am going to train hard to try and prove him wrong. Worst case scenario is that I don't make it which will be a huge disappointment, however I will be a fitter, stonger and a better athlete ready to step up post
London for future competition.
To find out more visit
Claire Nixon - Water Polo January's Blog...
Despite being out injured for a while I have been able to focus on other areas of my game, and I have also had time to do some serious revision for my upcoming exams.
My league club, Manchester, had a great month beating fierce rivals Liverpool and are now back on track, to hopefully retain our national league title. Read more about Claire in her previous blogs
Mark Proctor - Canoe Slalom, C1 category January's Blog...
Christmas seems months ago now.
January being an important month (they all are) as I was testing in the second week. Testing consisting of both gym and water tests. All of which are significantly important as it shows what effects the training is having and most importantly, if the training is doing what it's suppose to be doing.
I went into the week knowing I couldn't of done anymore so whatever the tests were to show, they would be a true indication of the effects of the training which I'd been doing since the beginning of November. Thankfully enough I improved on all of my tests. My gym testing went really well, increasing by a big margin of which was expected. Water testing also showed a big step up in raw speed, this showing that the gym work is paying dividends in the boat, which is where it really counts. I'm a canoeist at the end of the day, not a weightlifter!
I will now carry on doing much of the same, the facts are there to show it's working in the way both myself and my coach hoped for.
Happy New Year to you all. 2012 is here and I'm buzzing.
Read more about Mark in his previous blogs
Michelle Ross-Cope - GB Runner
January's Blog...
Christmas was lovely with the family, my 2 youngest girls had new bikes so as you can imagine we were out on the bikes Christmas Day.
Training over Christmas didn’t slacken off at all, I just enjoyed more recovery time without having to do the school run each day. I managed quite a few sessions down Birmingham with my lovely coach Bud and some of the other athletes. I do enjoy training in a group as often as possible as most of my training is done alone and in the dark (all the time as it seems at the minute)!
New Year’s day started with a long run, start as I mean to go on I guess!
I was aiming to race the Four Villages half marathon on the 22nd of January, a race I have done for the past few years, I usually try and use this race just as an indicator as to how my training is going! However, we had quite a busy week with a trip to the theatre on Thursday and my daughters rowing awards on Friday! My usual ritual is to take a day off before I race which I did, even had a bit of a lie in bed! I must say I very rarely go out due to my training load and family commitment, so was looking forward to a chilled Saturday night in! This was not due to happen as my husband told me we were going out and it couldn’t be rearranged! I was a bit shady with me racing as I tend to keep it to myself and announce it a week before! We went out to find that he had arranged a surprise party for my up and coming birthday at the end of the month. This was a lovely evening so I decided not to race as it put me out of my routine. I’m sure most people will not understand this but as an athlete I find this very important to myself.
My husband and eldest daughter had been arranging this well before Christmas, and I must say a big thank you to them as well as my mum and sister in law.
Hopefully my next blog I can say that I have raced, until next time . To find out more visit: http://www.rosscoperunning.co.uk/ twitter@rosscoperunning
Emma Wilkins - Swimming
January's Blog...
In my last blog, I mentioned a long course meet in Corby. I planned to race in the 200m freestyle, an event I am fairly unfamiliar with. I really surprised myself by swimming a 4 second personal best (PB) time, coming 3rd overall. What was even more exciting; the time was a National Qualifying Time, which now means I can swim 200m freestyle at the Olympic Trials, a great ice breaker without any expectations. This now means I qualify to compete in four events, 50m, 100m & 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly. It just goes to show, it is well worth trying different events, perhaps outside your comfort zone, to gauge development and to justify the hard training.
In January, I competed at the Derby long course meet, which was held in Sheffield, however, my coach kept my race distance down to 50m events only, as I was carrying an ankle strain. Again, swimming an event outside my normal routine, I managed a 1.5 second PB in my 50m backstroke. I later found out this was also a Staffordshire County Record, my first in backstroke. PB’s on the back of heavy training is certainly a confidence booster.
On Wednesday I am off to an overseas training camp, which will complete the winter training programme, I go with my Loughborough ITC colleagues, Liam Tancock, Ross Davenport, Jack Marriott, Grant Turner, Francesca Halsall, Elizabeth Simmonds, Lowri Tynan and Joanne Jackson. We will be spending three weeks in the state of the art complex, T3 Training Centre in Tenerife, under the direction of my Coach Ben Titley. Following this, we will return to compete in the BUCS (British University & College Sports) Long Course Championships in Sheffield.
Having had three weeks training in Florida, prior to Christmas, I now know how intense the training is going to be, I just hope all this heavy winter training is going to pay off when it come to the Olympic Trials!!!
Trust you all had a good Christmas and wishing everyone who is following my blog a very happy new year.
You can follow Emma on:- Twitter: @emmawilkins1991 http://www.facebook.com/thegamesandme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-QzV3wgJiI Read more about Emma in her previous blogs
Jacqui Slack - Elite Triathlete
To find out more visit:
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