Hi to All,
I'm just checking out this great new system Tufty has implemented. You can all even leave comments now if you want!
So let me know your thoughts, any i'll also try and field any questions that you may have providing they are clean, sensible and predominantley about hockey!!! I'll obviosuly have the right to refuse!
Lets see if this works .............GO!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Monday, September 04, 2006
World Cup Selection
I'm so sorry for not writing sooner. It has been a very busy couple of weeks, it feels like I don't get 5 minutes to sit down. If I'm not training with the team, I'm training on my own doing fitness or busy trying to earn enough money to afford to live!
It's been a very exciting couple of weeks with the selection for the World Cup and then travelling out to Madrid for a recce. Selection was now over a week ago. Once again another nerve racking day was ahead of me. We were told selection would come out at noon but unfortunately I wasn't near my computer during the day as I was having to get a new passport having had my old one stolen whilst on holiday. At about half eleven in the morning I couldn't wait any longer to see if it had arrived, so I got my sister swinging into action on the internet to check my e-mails to see if the team had been announced. It had, I sat in the car on the other end of the phone my sister slowly and painstakingly read out the team, I'm sure she must have scrolled down the letter first to check my name was on the list but finally she got to the W's in the list and sure enough there was my name. I was selected for the World Cup. I was so excited. The smile couldn't have been wiped off my face for the rest of the day. What was even more exciting was that there were three selected from Chelmsford HC in the team. Katie Roberts and Chloe Rogers were also selected. A great achievement for the club.
The team having been selected were straight into training the weekend after selection, then two days home and we flew off to Madrid for a recce. I am now writing this having just flown back into the country. Madrid is a great setting for the World Cup its a beautiful city and the venue 'Club de Campo' is fantastic it's a mammoth sports club with polo, golf, swimming, hockey and tennis all within the same grounds. The pitch is lovely to play on. We have had five training sessions on the pitch over the course of the last few days and experienced the beautiful summer heat of Spain of forty odd degrees!!! (We are hoping for a little cooler later in the month! Apparently its supposed to be around 23 degrees a good temperature to play in!) The grounds seem no where near ready to host a World Cup yet but always the way it gets closer and closer and suddenly stands are built, signs and banners are erected and the place changes in atmosphere. I can't wait to be back. It was a great feeling just walking onto the pitch we will be playing on in the world cup and that was just for training, i can't wait for the feeling I'm gonna get when walking out for our first match.
So in exactly 17 days we will be flying back to Madrid for the holding camp and 23 days we'll be playing our first game. In these next few weeks we are really going to have to focus on world cup and everything will be about preparing to play my best hockey by the end of the month.
It's been a very exciting couple of weeks with the selection for the World Cup and then travelling out to Madrid for a recce. Selection was now over a week ago. Once again another nerve racking day was ahead of me. We were told selection would come out at noon but unfortunately I wasn't near my computer during the day as I was having to get a new passport having had my old one stolen whilst on holiday. At about half eleven in the morning I couldn't wait any longer to see if it had arrived, so I got my sister swinging into action on the internet to check my e-mails to see if the team had been announced. It had, I sat in the car on the other end of the phone my sister slowly and painstakingly read out the team, I'm sure she must have scrolled down the letter first to check my name was on the list but finally she got to the W's in the list and sure enough there was my name. I was selected for the World Cup. I was so excited. The smile couldn't have been wiped off my face for the rest of the day. What was even more exciting was that there were three selected from Chelmsford HC in the team. Katie Roberts and Chloe Rogers were also selected. A great achievement for the club.
The team having been selected were straight into training the weekend after selection, then two days home and we flew off to Madrid for a recce. I am now writing this having just flown back into the country. Madrid is a great setting for the World Cup its a beautiful city and the venue 'Club de Campo' is fantastic it's a mammoth sports club with polo, golf, swimming, hockey and tennis all within the same grounds. The pitch is lovely to play on. We have had five training sessions on the pitch over the course of the last few days and experienced the beautiful summer heat of Spain of forty odd degrees!!! (We are hoping for a little cooler later in the month! Apparently its supposed to be around 23 degrees a good temperature to play in!) The grounds seem no where near ready to host a World Cup yet but always the way it gets closer and closer and suddenly stands are built, signs and banners are erected and the place changes in atmosphere. I can't wait to be back. It was a great feeling just walking onto the pitch we will be playing on in the world cup and that was just for training, i can't wait for the feeling I'm gonna get when walking out for our first match.
So in exactly 17 days we will be flying back to Madrid for the holding camp and 23 days we'll be playing our first game. In these next few weeks we are really going to have to focus on world cup and everything will be about preparing to play my best hockey by the end of the month.
I hope to write a little more often now and having checked out the hotel I should be fine to keep in contact whilst I'm in Madrid.
So till the next time.
Adiós.
Monday, August 21, 2006
England 2 Germany (Olympic & Champion Trophy Champs) 1
The camp at Cannock this past weekend didn't exactly run to plan but the final result of our game on home turf against the Olympic Gold Medallists was extremely promising.
The typical English summer weather played a great part in the amount of hockey we played during our four day camp at Cannock this past week. We arrived on Wednesday last week and after 40 minutes on the pitch were faced with an extreme downpour and thunder storm and a waterlogged pitch, hampering our training and being tackled by water so we abandoned training and headed back to the hotel. The session the next day followed a similar pattern but at least we were able to get a full hour on the pitch this time!
Our first game against Germany on the Thursday night ended in a one all draw. We were reasonably happy with our play and felt we were playing much better than we had when we played Japan - at least we actually held the ball for more than a couple of passes! We scored first though a great rebound on a corner from Mel Clelow (Canterbury) but unfortunately Germany equalised through a deflection with seconds on the clock.
Again Friday's training was a wash out and we trained indoors with an hours Pilate's session taken by Rachel Walker (Olton). We also had a meeting from UK Doping about the 'whereabouts' system. This system has been designed to test all elite athletes outside of competition. So drug testers can turn up anywhere to test us at home, at work, whilst we are training! anywhere basically there is no escape and to aid this process we have to tell them through an online system where we are each day for at least one hour a day five days a week. If we don't comply we get three strikes and were out and deemed as a drug user with the consequences that go with that accusation. Its an extremely important aspect of being an elite athlete and we have to take responsibility for ourselves.
Saturday saw our two one win over Germany. The first half was particularly poor from us but we stayed in the game and gave ourselves the opportunity to turn it around in the second half. Kerry Williams (Leicester) opened the scoring for us from a Mel Clelow cross and then Jo Ellis (Doncaster) or Figo also known as scored an awesome reverse stick goal after some great team inter-passing. Germany then came back and scored a corner but couldn't find the second equaliser and we were determined not to let in a goal in the dying seconds again!
I thankfully am getting back into it and managed to play the majority of both games. Despite feeling particularly match unfit! I didn't have my best games in the world but surely if selected it's all about peaking at the World Cup!
We are back to Bisham today for training again and selection is towards the latter stages of the week. So fingers crossed.
Thanks to those that came up to Cannock to watch - Olly Rogers and Taff!
For now - byeeeeee!
The typical English summer weather played a great part in the amount of hockey we played during our four day camp at Cannock this past week. We arrived on Wednesday last week and after 40 minutes on the pitch were faced with an extreme downpour and thunder storm and a waterlogged pitch, hampering our training and being tackled by water so we abandoned training and headed back to the hotel. The session the next day followed a similar pattern but at least we were able to get a full hour on the pitch this time!
Our first game against Germany on the Thursday night ended in a one all draw. We were reasonably happy with our play and felt we were playing much better than we had when we played Japan - at least we actually held the ball for more than a couple of passes! We scored first though a great rebound on a corner from Mel Clelow (Canterbury) but unfortunately Germany equalised through a deflection with seconds on the clock.
Again Friday's training was a wash out and we trained indoors with an hours Pilate's session taken by Rachel Walker (Olton). We also had a meeting from UK Doping about the 'whereabouts' system. This system has been designed to test all elite athletes outside of competition. So drug testers can turn up anywhere to test us at home, at work, whilst we are training! anywhere basically there is no escape and to aid this process we have to tell them through an online system where we are each day for at least one hour a day five days a week. If we don't comply we get three strikes and were out and deemed as a drug user with the consequences that go with that accusation. Its an extremely important aspect of being an elite athlete and we have to take responsibility for ourselves.
Saturday saw our two one win over Germany. The first half was particularly poor from us but we stayed in the game and gave ourselves the opportunity to turn it around in the second half. Kerry Williams (Leicester) opened the scoring for us from a Mel Clelow cross and then Jo Ellis (Doncaster) or Figo also known as scored an awesome reverse stick goal after some great team inter-passing. Germany then came back and scored a corner but couldn't find the second equaliser and we were determined not to let in a goal in the dying seconds again!
I thankfully am getting back into it and managed to play the majority of both games. Despite feeling particularly match unfit! I didn't have my best games in the world but surely if selected it's all about peaking at the World Cup!
We are back to Bisham today for training again and selection is towards the latter stages of the week. So fingers crossed.
Thanks to those that came up to Cannock to watch - Olly Rogers and Taff!
For now - byeeeeee!
Friday, August 11, 2006
Welcome Back to The Blog
Hello, avid blog readers!
I have agreed in preparation for the World Cup to continue my blog and obviously selection pending I will continue the blog throughout the World Cup, providing there is an easy Internet service.
Preparation really started the day we qualified for the World Cup back in May. We were given a hockey break back after the league finished, which is as important as the pitch time really as it gives your mind and body a small window of recovery before the hard work starts again, and oh boy did the hard work start!
At the end of this short break we played Australia and Argentina in a couple of tests. They were preparing for the Champions Trophy and we were just coming back from sometime away from the hockey pitch, so all teams were at different stages of the preparation for the World Cup, and it showed with how we played. We were in all quite disappointed with our performances but equally there were key players missing and we hadn't picked up a stick for a month. It doesn't excuse not applying what our coach had asked of us which was the case in one game but in all, the games taught us a few lessons which was best to be learnt there and not at the World Cup, and it proved we were still a long way off from number one in the world!!!!!
After those matches and camp it was again into a hockey break for a month but July was a hard physical month of simply strength and conditioning training (fitness sessions!). Two - three sessions a day of real intense hard work which whilst painful and sickening to complete made you feel great once you had finished them and gave you a great sense of well-being and achievement. Each week I felt stronger and stronger mentally and physically but I knew my body was beginning to fatigue as I drew closer to the end of this month. It's one of those battles that an athlete has to play in their head - continue to train as hard or feel guilty and take an extra rest day, mind says one thing, heart says another and legs and lungs certainly say another! Eventually, oh dear I tweaked my hamstring (should have taken that extra rest day! and as much as those around you supporting you tell you you don't hear them!) but unfortunately that was to be just the start of a bit of a downward spiral and soon after tweaking my hamstring I fell ill.
So a forced two week break off training was hard to cope with. I felt useless a month of hard work felt it was just slipping by into the distant past whilst the pending selection for the World Cup was looming ever closer. Each day felt like a lifetime and it took me a good week to come to terms with the fact that actually if I sat and did nothing it would be better and quicker for my recovery, but more importantly fortunately for those closest to me a little less annoying as they didn't hear me whinging constantly all day! Once I got my head round the fact that what was in the past was in the past and I could only affect the future I began to be far more positive and in all was the turning point as I finally gave myself the rest my mind and body needed and deserved and surprise surprise began to feel a whole lot better. Thanks to the strong support network from the EIS (England Institute of Sport) and the England Hockey Management and Players I began my road to recovery in the best fashion at the end of last week, and now under careful supervision have started training again to ensure I'm at my best for selection and fingers crossed the World Cup.
Everything I'm doing right now from the number of hours sleep in the night and day! (yippee yes that's right I've been advised to have a wld [wee lie down] every afternoon for half an hour to aid recovery) to the type of food I have for breakfast, before and after each training sessions and for each meal is essential for the most effective and efficient road to restore myself back to full fitness and surpass fitness levels of before, and learn/improve anything on the hockey pitch I possibly can before the World Cup.
I'm sure you will have all heard by now that Katy Roberts (Chelm 1st XI GK for those who don't know Chelm Ladies) has returned to International Hockey and is also vying for a place in the World Cup Squad along with Chloe Rogers.
Watch this space - as we may have three Chelm girlies in the World Cup!
For now I'm afraid I'm going to sign off. I will be back. We have matches against Germany next week so will update after those.
Get those positive vibes building we'll be needing every one of them in 44 days!
I have agreed in preparation for the World Cup to continue my blog and obviously selection pending I will continue the blog throughout the World Cup, providing there is an easy Internet service.
Preparation really started the day we qualified for the World Cup back in May. We were given a hockey break back after the league finished, which is as important as the pitch time really as it gives your mind and body a small window of recovery before the hard work starts again, and oh boy did the hard work start!
At the end of this short break we played Australia and Argentina in a couple of tests. They were preparing for the Champions Trophy and we were just coming back from sometime away from the hockey pitch, so all teams were at different stages of the preparation for the World Cup, and it showed with how we played. We were in all quite disappointed with our performances but equally there were key players missing and we hadn't picked up a stick for a month. It doesn't excuse not applying what our coach had asked of us which was the case in one game but in all, the games taught us a few lessons which was best to be learnt there and not at the World Cup, and it proved we were still a long way off from number one in the world!!!!!
After those matches and camp it was again into a hockey break for a month but July was a hard physical month of simply strength and conditioning training (fitness sessions!). Two - three sessions a day of real intense hard work which whilst painful and sickening to complete made you feel great once you had finished them and gave you a great sense of well-being and achievement. Each week I felt stronger and stronger mentally and physically but I knew my body was beginning to fatigue as I drew closer to the end of this month. It's one of those battles that an athlete has to play in their head - continue to train as hard or feel guilty and take an extra rest day, mind says one thing, heart says another and legs and lungs certainly say another! Eventually, oh dear I tweaked my hamstring (should have taken that extra rest day! and as much as those around you supporting you tell you you don't hear them!) but unfortunately that was to be just the start of a bit of a downward spiral and soon after tweaking my hamstring I fell ill.
So a forced two week break off training was hard to cope with. I felt useless a month of hard work felt it was just slipping by into the distant past whilst the pending selection for the World Cup was looming ever closer. Each day felt like a lifetime and it took me a good week to come to terms with the fact that actually if I sat and did nothing it would be better and quicker for my recovery, but more importantly fortunately for those closest to me a little less annoying as they didn't hear me whinging constantly all day! Once I got my head round the fact that what was in the past was in the past and I could only affect the future I began to be far more positive and in all was the turning point as I finally gave myself the rest my mind and body needed and deserved and surprise surprise began to feel a whole lot better. Thanks to the strong support network from the EIS (England Institute of Sport) and the England Hockey Management and Players I began my road to recovery in the best fashion at the end of last week, and now under careful supervision have started training again to ensure I'm at my best for selection and fingers crossed the World Cup.
Everything I'm doing right now from the number of hours sleep in the night and day! (yippee yes that's right I've been advised to have a wld [wee lie down] every afternoon for half an hour to aid recovery) to the type of food I have for breakfast, before and after each training sessions and for each meal is essential for the most effective and efficient road to restore myself back to full fitness and surpass fitness levels of before, and learn/improve anything on the hockey pitch I possibly can before the World Cup.
I'm sure you will have all heard by now that Katy Roberts (Chelm 1st XI GK for those who don't know Chelm Ladies) has returned to International Hockey and is also vying for a place in the World Cup Squad along with Chloe Rogers.
Watch this space - as we may have three Chelm girlies in the World Cup!
For now I'm afraid I'm going to sign off. I will be back. We have matches against Germany next week so will update after those.
Get those positive vibes building we'll be needing every one of them in 44 days!
Sunday, May 07, 2006
England 2 v Korea 1
We Won, We won, We Won. What a great feeling, like this winning habit lets keep it up. Well its the morning after the night before! We had a great night and I'm sure I'll get some pics up later. The hats and hooters were a hit last night and seemed the new fashion craze as everyone wanted to get their hands on a hat or hooter!
The day started with a match of Volleyball against the management team. They were taking the game very seriously and turned up to the court in sweatbands, knee pads and the same kit, they did have an imported player from Italy - Jose our liaison officer. They had all the gear but no idea the Oldies thrashed the Veterans 11-4. We were on fire. They obviously gave the excuse that they wanted to make sure we were psychologically in the right frame of mind! It was great banter and did set us up well for the day ahead.
The match was extremely tiring, but very enjoyable. It was very end to end but not much happening in either circle for the first half. Once the Koreans had scored in the second half we had to up our game, and thankfully it paid off when we scored two goals in open play the first from Becky Herbert with a deflection off a free hit outside the circle and then Lucilla Wright with a cracking strike from the top of the D that fooled all players and thankfully their GK and it dribbled into the bottom left corner.
Now its onto the World Cup. We can't wait to get to Madrid in the summer now, who knows what might happen, another 4/5 months development 'the worlds our oyster!' If we all show the same passion and drive that we have out here then watch out world - here come England!
Love to all that have supported us from back home, a big thank you to the Chelm girls (and men - seeing as our new coach is of the male variety) for your support and cheering last night. Will be back next week on the pitch with the green goddesses! We are at home playing Canterbury on the Sunday.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
