Disability Sport Wales
Chwaraeon Anabledd Cymru

Blog 4 Caroline Matthews The Long Road to Beijing continues with the 1st blog of the New Year

January 2008
Blog 4

Today is my first day back in the office (after 6 weeks off following an operation)...and I’ve returned to approximately 500 emails! I am hoping that i will be able to delete some of them immediately….otherwise I will be having some very late nights over the coming weeks.

The past 6 weeks has flown past with the usual chaotic rush and over-indulgence that Christmas and New Year usually brings…it has also brought the first significant break from basketball that i have had since 2002!

Most wheelchair basketball athletes play and train hard through the regular National League season (September – April) and then ease off and have a bit of a break over the summer months each year, before beginning pre-season training and repeating the whole sequence again.

For international athletes we never have this summer “break”...because each year there is a significant tournament each August/September – either a European Tournament (held every other year) or the Paralympics or World Championships (each tournament held every four years).

This means, if you are lucky enough to get selected, that you end up finishing the National League season and then having to train hard right through the summer, you attend the International tournament and return home to the beginning of the next League Season! No rest for the wicked!! And I’m not complaining – its worth it to wear that GB vest!

I wish we got to keep our playing vests! The GB Women have historically been short of funding and supplies. Due to this we have only had new match vests once every 4 years (to go to the Paralympics) and following that tournament the vests have had to be returned for the remaining squad to use at every tournament during the intervening 4 years!

I would love to be able to keep one of my match vests….and maybe this might change now that the womens team does have some more financial support. I hope so.

As well as being my first day back in the office, today is also my first day back to GB training.

We have a regional session in Aylesbury tonight (and every Monday night) from 6 – 8pm…..so its going to be a very long first day back!

I’m looking forward to it – but I am also worried about how my fitness levels will be. I have been able to do a little training over the past fortnight but nothing like my usual levels – and i got back in my basketball chair for the first time last Thursday.

I don’t use a wheelchair full time and its amazing how quickly your hands go soft when you are not in the chair….I bet I am aching like crazy and got terribly blistered hands by the time i crawl into bed at midnight tonight!

But its the start of things to come – the next 9 months (hopefully) will be incredibly busy (and crazy) whilst i try to cram in every opportunity to train under a basket as well as all the usual gym sessions. At the same time I will continue to work full time and juggle all the other things that help to keep me sane (like seeing my friends!).

2008 will certainly be an interesting and challenging year for all of the GB athletes….BRING IT ON!!!!

14th Jan ’08

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