Dismal

Were it not for the last ten days of World Athletics I would not have realised it was August. I do love to watch sport on television but struggle in the summer as I cannot bear to miss out on the glorious weather and long hours of daylight. Considering the disappointing August we’ve just had, the British team should have had plenty of people cheering them on from the sheltered comfort of their living rooms. Those that did tune in were treated to some truly top class performances. To top off a month of great sport England women’s hockey team brought home the European title, winning on penalties over the Netherlands.
The poor weather wasn’t bad news for everyone though as there was a tourist attraction that timed its opening to perfection. As the rain poured down on queuing visitors, the artists and owners of Dismaland must have rubbed their hands with joy. The new ‘bemusement’ park influenced by Bristol artist Banksy has prided itself on being ‘the UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction’ playing off the reputation of its location, Weston Super Mare. The opposite and alternative to Disney Land has already sold out for the next week and as we leave summer behind they can relax in the knowledge that winter is on its way.
It seems the holidaymakers in Cornwall had already had enough by the time I joined them in unexpected queues heading east on Friday afternoon. I thought I would be escaping in the right direction, before the county became full with the weekend traffic, but sadly not. Disappointingly the North Cornwall coast was not the best advert for a water-based holiday as many of the beaches were closed due to a raw sewage leakage. This is most unfortunate for a county that relies so heavily on tourism and prides itself on good water quality. It does sadden me that Southwest Water cannot deal with a bit of rain at such a crucial time of the year for the Cornish economy.

The saviour of athletics

Can two men save a sport? I am referring to the sport of athletics, it took a big step forward this week as a result of a boardroom vote and a performance on the track.
Just ahead of the start of the World Championships Lord Sebastian Coe was voted in as the new IAAF president. This is naturally a positive move for Great Britain and the sport as a whole, which seems to have been plagued by doping scandals. There have been numerous positive results cropping up as well as questions raised due to leaked blood data in recent weeks.
An old story that requires no interpretation of the facts is that of Justin Gatlin, the sprinter has already served two separate drugs bans. Until the all-important World Championship race he had remained unbeaten this season and it seemed there was only one man who could stop him – Usain Bolt. Bolt has not been in perfect form for the past two seasons and, if I were a betting girl, I would have felt uncomfortable parting with much at the bookies for a Jamaican victory. In the end the finish could not have been any closer with just one hundredth of a second separating the gold and silver medal, the clean athlete and the cheat, Jamaica and USA. Thankfully it was another victory for the six-time Olympic Champion and you could feel the world of athletics breathe a sigh of relief. The slow motion replay confirmed the crowd’s favourite had won. The question now is - can Bolt produce another winning performance when it really counts next summer in Rio?
Following on from my previous column this has been another week packed with fantastic sport. I was fortunate enough to commentate on the Modern Pentathlon European Championships in Bath. It was a slightly disappointing display by our athletes although two Olympic qualification slots and a victory for the women’s team were the silver lining at the end of a tough season.

To watch or to do?

I showed my age recently when referring to the popular Saturday night television show Blind Date. The young people I was speaking with had never heard of the late Cilla Black and the nearest thing to the infamous dating show they have known is the current Take Me Out. I am not old enough to remember Cilla Black for her singing but I do have very fond memories watching the elimination round of Blind Date as three hopeful candidates were whittled down to one. Growing up I watched a very limited amount of television; a Saturday night when I wasn't attending a swimming gala was a rare treat.

I am not sure if it is purely due to my increased awareness and interest but there seems to have been a significant rise in the variety of sport available on our screens. I like to think that even in my teens I would have chosen to watch the swimming world championships, for example, over a less educational entertainment show.

I do still find myself torn between watching the wonderful performances of our athletes and participating in sport myself, especially at this time of year. We are spoilt for choice at the moment with iPlayer, the red button and regular terrestrial all showing ever increasing amounts of top level sport. It always seems to peak towards the beginning of autumn as we see winter sports hold warm up games and the summer sports stage their big competitions.

So far August has seen the British swimmers come home with a record medal haul, the England netballers pick up bronze in the world cup and our men's cricket team secure a historic Ashes victory. Still to come we have the athletics world championships, the rugby world cup and one I cannot omit - the pentathlon European championships on our doorstep hosted by the city of Bath.

English summer

I had not intended to mention the cricket for a second time in three weeks however our historic Ashes victory was too significant to omit. Those of you who read last week's column will note I describe the English men's cricket team as "ours"; a term I would probably have avoided had the score been different.

Perhaps I was too quick to join the naysayers after the second test when we suffered such an embarrassing defeat. It looked as though we had our work cut out until England started to capitalise on their home advantage and exploit pitches that suited their style of play. England finally found their momentum and never looked back. I am just starting to plan a trip to Australia so obviously "had" to contact my friends down under - let's just say I am glad not to be visiting for another few months.

Another English pastime which is vulnerable to our unpredictable seasons is a personal favourite of mine - camping. There is little you can do to conclude a cricket match in the rain however there are a few options to improve your chances of surviving a camping trip in the UK; one of which is "glamping" (glamorous camping). Judging by the fact that my spellcheck doesn't recognise the term I can only assume it's a British invention. Who else would go camping when there is the possibility of being wet and cold? This was my first experience of so called glamping and I must admit it was lacking in what I would call glamour but certainly featured camping.

Perhaps I am being too harsh. Even though I was sleeping under canvas I did have an actual bed and there was even electricity including plugs inside the tent. All that was really missing was room service and champagne.

Chef De Mission

The sound of our national anthem can not fail to provoke that patriotic pride. As an athlete it was always a special moment to be on top of the podium reflecting on a winning performance. I have not had that opportunity for a couple of years but I have just experienced something equally special as I lead an incredibly successful young British team to the European Youth Olympic Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia.  

A few months ago I was awarded the role of Chef De Mission for TeamGB's youth team. This was a magnificent honour as well as a serious challenge. I was expected to lead a team of seventy one including forty four athletes from the age of thirteen to seventeen through their preparation and the week of competition. We were one of the smaller delegations of the fifty participating nations, only fielding athletes for five of the nine sports on offer. However we made up for that with quality, winning a total of twenty medals and finishing an impressive seventh place on the medal table.

As a member of the British Olympic Association Athletes Commission I was qualified to apply for the role, not expecting to even be called in for an interview. On accepting the honour I must admit I was slightly daunted by the challenge. I prepared myself as best as I possibly could and expected an incredibly tough eleven days in Tbilisi. Admittedly there were numerous challenges for the team but the forward planning and efficiency of TeamGB enabled the athletes to remain one hundred percent focused on the task in hand. It is only now that I can truly appreciate how much work creates a successful sporting event. I realise how spoilt I was as an athlete competing in Beijing and just how much TeamGB do behind the scenes in order to help the athletes deliver their best possible performances.  

The right direction

This week saw the start of the Women’s Ashes in Taunton and I was heartened to see the team win their opening match in style. The series has attracted a significant amount of media coverage and both games were played in front of large home crowds; something which would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. I’m sure the men’s poor performance in their second test has helped to switch some of the focus on to the women who seem to be rising to the occasion.

Whilst women’s sport has been enjoying a positive surge in media interest, outside the world of cricket two of Britain’s top male athletes have been receiving some less than favourable coverage.

My sympathy goes out to Chris Froome who has won his second Tour De France in emphatic style despite the French media making repeated and apparently unfounded accusations of doping. Only three years ago Sir Bradley Wiggins was knighted after his Olympic and Tour performances; the public and the press fell in love with him. Froome is now replicating those performances but instead of recognition in the Queen’s honours list he is dodging pots of urine and spit.

Another British athlete who is receiving lots of press coverage for the wrong reasons is double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah. Despite putting in a stellar performance at the Anniversary Games this weekend and winning the 3000m Farah has found himself in the spotlight as a consequence of his coach, Alberto Salazar, who has been the focus of doping allegations. In Farah’s case, there have been no accusations of any wrong doing but his performances are still being scrutinised due to his association with Salazar.

I have always been of the opinion ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and believe we should support all our British athletes. Sadly it would seem that many editors don’t share this view.

Adventures in the attic

There is no such thing as a quick visit to our attic at home. The numerous boxes with piles of dust on the outside and forgotten treasures on the inside are the perfect recipe for hours of time wasting. Despite the fact that on every trip up the ladder more unwanted junk is thrown out the organised chaos refuses to diminish. I held little hope on the latest search as I was looking for an outfit I last wore more than twenty years ago; the only evidence that this was not a figment of my imagination was a faded photo in an equally dusty album.

My search was triggered by a party invite with a Western theme. I am always reluctant to purchase an off the peg, out of the packet, fancy dress outfit as to me that is plain cheating as well as being thoroughly boring. Unbelievably I found it still intact, even the moths had not discovered it. The outfit did more than just inspire me and after a little improvisation I had my costume. Admittedly the dress was now a cropped tunic and the headdress needed extending but the outfit felt more authentic than any money could have bought.

I had a few more trips down memory lane throughout the week. This time of year is not only packed full of exciting international sporting events but also the all important school sports day. I was given the honour of attending a variety of these events as a guest and there was even the threat that I was to be disguised as teacher for the staff race. Sadly I had to make do with cheering from the trackside. It is wonderful to see that this tradition lives on and schools are no longer afraid to have a competitive event in the calendar; after all it is not just sport that provides competition in life.