Guess whose back, back again... Haha you get the picture! This week has been fairly full on - not squash wise, but more with thoughts and things I've been up to. So what better way to wrap them up but to send out another blog to hound all of you lovely people with!
As I walked through Huddersfield township en route to the Huddersfield Town v Middlesborough Division 1 soccer match - the love and passion the English have for their favourite game really set it. Blue and white covered the streets as we neared the stadium, clunking of police horses hooves followed us accompanied by dozens of police officers. The vibe as I entered the stadium was electric, sorry Phoenix supporters, but this is what 'football' - as they call it - is all about! 90 minutes of clapping, cheering and chants surrounded me. "Well in, get in, CMON TOOOOWN, what arr yu duuuuin?, av it and Ello Luvs' were common place. After a 78th minute setback, Town came back from the dead to strike twice in the dying minutes to clinch a miracle win. Alaaaaan, Alan Leeeeeee!! Bedlam, carnage and chaos errupted! This is how ALL sport should be played and viewed! I hugged far too many people that night! Haha.
Back to reality - not surrounded by 15,000 adoring fans - instead just a white box, Prince racket and a black ball as company and it was time to battle through another day chasing the dream! Lately I've been working quite hard on ghosting during and after solo sessions [ghosting is practicing specific squash movements around the court at rapid speed and mixing the time limits]. I'm starting to feel quicker and stronger around the court and my court coverage has rapidly improved. I've always been a fan of elegant movement and I think there's no finer example than our very own 5-time national champion Kashif Shuja. Not only have I learnt a lot from Kashif, but I've watched in awe many a time too as he majestically moves around the court. Monkey see - monkey do... Hopefully.
After I warmed down in the gym I chatted to English national coach David Campion about what England Squash offers their athletes. It is well and truly a joke! Hows this for pampered: All of their players have access to and most likely not limited to: 1 on 1 coaching, fitness trainer, conditioner (gym work), nutritionist, psycologist and a massuse/physio whenever they want it. Whenever they want it!! The biggest one there for me is the physio access - I would give up a huge chunk of my funding to source a physio that I could use even once a week. To be able to keep your body - our only and main weapon - tip top is the most crucial thing to an athlete. Having this - no joke - could extend these players careers by over 5 years. Jealousy doesn't even half cover what I feel... During this years summer, there is going to be a 4 day camp for the players (Mon-Thurs) every second week. When I came through NZ juniors, we were lucky to have a 2 day camp once every 2-3 months... Money is a great thing huh? It's with little wonder why England has and will continue to produce world class players. This said though, camps this often, when do the players get a chance to work things out for themselves? To take a break? To relax? What happens when their on tour and have no one to coach them, no one to organise their place to stay, no one to organise all of their meals and no one to wipe their asses?! To me the English are almost coaching the personality out of their players. It's almost like their abit robotic. Where's their flair? Where's their inventiveness? No where! In essence - apart from the obvious distance barriers - I'm happy I've been brought up with the grit, determination and slight arrogance derived from being a Kiwi! Kia kaha, tu meke, chuuuuur bro!
Wednesdays are Yorkshire League nights. Now being me, I've always struggled to taper trainings during the day of a match as I like to get moving and get busy. I managed to tone it down to just a weights session and a 40 minute routine session with world number 11 Madeline Perry. Taking the morning off was a huge accomplishment. Lucky for me, I found the DVD "The Pursuit of Happyness" starring Will Smith. I've always found this film very moving and relevant to life. After all, what is the meaning of life? To me it's being true to yourself, chasing your dreams and doing what you love... pursuing your own happiness - which we each do in our own ways. Life can be so fragile sometimes, that it makes this even more important. Unfortunately for me sometimes though is that my pursuit involves a lot of running! During my league match, I played a guy from Pontefract who has obviously been through Malcolms ringer. He hit clean, tight lengths and had me twisting and turning. Lucky for me, I was quick, accurate and explosive enough to counter attack. I ran away a 3/0 winner but came off slightly frustrated. Drawing board come at me! Still our team won 5-0 which all but secures the league title for Queens. Get in!!
As a relatively unknown player internationally, I'm absolutely stoked with the amount of people that are enjoying my blog from all around the world. I'm especially fond of the feedback I've been getting from my close friends I've known since school or even before. One of the draw backs of being a professional athlete is that friends, relationships and outtings tend to be sacrificed all for the greater good. To be able to keep in touch in this manner is amazing as most of the time even my closest of friends are unsure whether I'm in Wellington, let alone the country! Going out after a hard days training is always tough and missing parties, birthdays and visits while I'm off playing hurts. But hearing news of new arrivals on the way and that most, if not all of my closest friends are now in successful jobs makes me so proud! Were all growing up together. I only wish I could play more tournaments at home in Wellington (I currently only play one - the Wellington Open - which is in Masterton of all places this year!) so my friends could see me 'suited up' as such and doing my job. I would love for them to see the mature and professional side of me instead of the goober who just wants to catch up and laugh during the weekends I can get out. Oh, if life was only that easy! Haha.
I'm supremely lucky to have a very supportive family - who I feel I don't thank enough. My Dad helps me (a lot) financially and takes any chance to come away to a tournament with me - he is after all one of the most recognizable faces at tournaments - which I couldn't appreciate more. I mean I'm not saying it's always smooth sailing, I am after all a stroppy, over emotional person - especially when I'm losing. After doing everything myself on all of my tours and enduring season-to-season of long, gruelling and lonley spells away from home, it's fantastic to have someone there who drives me to the tournaments, books my accomodation, cooks breakfast so I can sleep and prepare myself mentally, checks my game times and even gives me my bedtime guidelines! It's almost like I have a manager. This, in turn, allows me to do solely what I'm there for. And that's to play Squash! It won't be suprising that I've won many titles at home and play my best squash there. I would love to get to a point in my career where I could personally employ my Dad as my manager and take him everywhere with me. Where would I be without my fantastic family.
Thursday morning kicked off with a hiss and a roar as I motored my way to the train station Pontefract bound. The afternoon session was only me, and Malcolm was kind enough to run a session with only me on the court. He put me through a series of ball control exercises - something I've worked a lot on my whole life and take a huge amount of pride in. The first one was the simplest exercise - one I often get the charges I coach at home to do - which was to hit forehand drives from behind the service box, into the service box continuously 30 times. For someone 81 in the world, easy! Wrong... Add the pressure of having Malcolm Willstrop watching over you and after 8 attempts I still couldn't get it! Malcolm must've been thinking "jesus - I'm going to be here all day with this kid!" Nerves gone, 9th go, he stopped me at 100. I charged through the next series of exercises and we came to hitting continuous volleys from side wall to side wall - something James Willstrop does at his exhibition matches to wow the crowds. Malcolm gave me 10 attempts to get 30 volleys, 'a hard task' in his words. On my second attempt I got 66. Even Malcolm - father of James who is a former world number 1 [current number 3] and who is known for having the best racket skills and control of a squash ball in the world - was impressed with me. Booyah!! Afterwards, we chatted in depth about a few of my squashing issues and once again I left with a big smile on my face. See you next week Malc!
Even though I've been here for over 7 weeks now I still find that a lot of things fascinate/intrigue/confuse me here. Here's a list:
* there's hardly any rubbish bins around the place
- you can walk around aimlessly for an hour with the same piece of rubbish in your hand
* food especially fruit and bread are really cheap - but things like museli bars and tuna and noodle packets are expensive
* I have an easier time understanding an Irish accent than the English accent - this is vice versa also
* Scottish people may aswell speak in Mandarin
* day to day travel is expensive, but the services run almost back to back so convenience is high
* turns out there are more than 9 people that live in Halifax
* the English luuuuuv wearing make up
- on my 8am train to Pontefract some of the people I see I can't help but laugh... I've seen a couple of girls that are better suited to be from the Capitol in the Hunger Games!
* 70p Skittles is going to be the end of me
This Friday coming I get to catch up with my two friends Nicola and Sally who I've known since College who have just come across to England for a 2 year working experience. I can't wait to see some people from home and hear a Kiwi accent!! Were going to check out Leeds and get all touristy. I only have 4 weeks left over here so it's time to soak up everything thrown at me.
Hope everyone at home is doing well and that the drought isn't too serious!
Until next time, ciao and keep it classy :)
