School talks, appearances, training/games, niggles and family life!

Well as you can see from the title, it’s been busy!

I first want to tell you about a school talk I did the week before we went to the Lakeshore Tournament. I had an email from one of the teachers the other day to thank me for going to their school (which reminds me I need to email another school with answers to some questions one of the kids had…) and also saying the following:

It was really inspirational for the children and they were really excited to meet a real person who was actually going to be in the Paralympics because they’ve heard so much about London 2012.

In particular, there’s a girl in my class who has been quite condescending to children in school who have special needs in the past and I’m sure she gets negative messages about disability at home. She was inspired by you and really positive! She voluteered to write a short article about your visit for the school newsletter – so you’ve done a fabulous job in truly challenging and changing a child’s perception (and I’m sure many more).

This job I did wasn’t one of the paid ones I normally do, it was a favour, and I really have appreciated this feedback, it brought it home to me just how inspirational I am…and that my life has been extraordinary, but to me, this is normal, I don’t see myself as special or inspirational at all, I just see it as basketball is something I love doing and I’m good enough at it to play at an international level!  So it really does show that there is no such thing as ‘normal’.  And the fact I have helped alter this little girl’s view on disability has really made me smile

Ok enough of the deep stuff!  I also spoke at my old secondary school, which was bizarre to say the least!  It was fantastic though, the kids were really supportive, although one thing I have found is that Primary school children have a lot more questions!!  The older ones I guess don’t want to be seen to show an interest in anything, so a lot of them were mutes!!  It was good though, and I watched some of the year 7′s play rounders, which was fun and all around it was a good day, so thank you Rickmansworth School for inviting me!

Then myself and a couple of the Men’s Team did an appearance at a corporate day out last week.  We held a few 20 minute workshops, with the help of one of the Men’s assistant coaches Haj, where we taught the guys how to push the chair, pick the ball up from the floor, dribble, shoot and play a little game.  It was a busy day, but it was a ton of fun and the people who took part really looked like they enjoyed themselves!

We had another few games against the GB Juniors on Monday and Tuesday and apart from the first game where we all had a bit of a ‘mare, the two days went really well and we have some great positives out of it…And because Lou and Laurie were out injured, I got a LOT more minutes than normal (4 full games basically, over 2 days!) and my shoulder now hates me, so I’m having to rest for a few days, by order of my physio!  He has said, after he massaged and taped it up, that it’s best to rest it right during a week where I haven’t got much on (i.e. individual sessions rather than team sessions), than annoy the niggle more, then have to rest it at a time where the whole team are together and where I should/need to play.  It’s annoying as I hate having to rest and do nothing, especially with London so close, but I need to look at the bigger picture – right now it’s just a niggle, I make it worse now, it could bugger up London…

Josh had his induction week at school this week, Monday Mike had to take him as I was in Telford, he was brilliant and really enjoyed it. I took him Wednesday, and he kept saying he wanted to go home; it was because he hadn’t seen me since the Sunday and wanted to spend time with me rather than be at school…he even went and got his coat to leave, so I asked his teacher for some help, she said that the reason is probably because I was there so I said that I would leave.  Well that didn’t go down too well.  He began to get upset and try and cling hold of me, so I had to just leave – which set him off crying…then I burst into tears.  It’s so hard :’o(  I’m hardly there, so I know that when I’m around he wants to spend all his time with me, so then I feel guilty for not being there and off training/away all the time – horrible vicious cycle.  Well the assistant made me a cuppa and I sat in the music room till she had managed to calm me down – he was smiling again 3 minutes later, just me that was in a mess!  I left a few minutes after, went home then came and picked him up about an hour later…he then didn’t want to leave!!! *sigh*  My mum took him yesterday, and he was as good as gold, then this morning I took him and managed to walk him to his classroom door, help him get his coat off then leave, no tears, no nothing!! So happy… I have had a morning not knowing what to do with myself!  I have to leave soon to collect him, and push up hill to the school, in the rain, again…coming home’s great, it’s all down hill!!  So I’m hoping the last two days will be what happens when he starts school in September, a week after the Paralympics…we can all dream can’t we?!

Right, better get myself ready, update you all soon!

Love & Hugs
S x