This my final news before tomorrow’s opener. I’m as nervous as hell and haven’t slept that well (not helped by the overnight crying of my new eight-week-old puppy ‘Betty’, a companion for Lily though at the moment not one that Lily seems to want – big stand-offs in our house!).
I spoke with Head Coach Paul Shaw this morning and he was his usual calm self and reiterated that the team just want to get out there and play, a feeling I understand and one which is common ahead of all competitions where the pre-event preparation days of, classification, chair checks, venue familiarisation, anti-doping ,and final training sessions seem to drag. But we are nearly there and we are ready. Whilst I am obviously disappointed not to be in Tokyo I am also conscious that there are many others who are also missing this opportunity, but especially family and friends who have supported the team through the rough and tumble of the past five years. Families go through the same ups and downs of an athlete’s life and here is as good a place as any for me to say thank you for the huge part you have all played in supporting the team to be ready for this moment – our ultimate goal. One person deserves special mention and that is Assistant Coach Rob Tarr who has been unable to travel as he has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. I really feel for Rob as he is a very important member of our close-knit squad – the team will miss him and he will miss being alongside them. Rob will still be working behind the scenes and whilst the team is sleeping in Tokyo Rob will be analysing the latest performances ready to support Paul with feedback.
As we enter the competition the rivalry will be fierce and yet we are a close community joined by shared experiences and common understandings. Paul was telling me that the coaches of the top nations all travelled back in the same transport following the technical meeting last night and all were reminiscing about their time as players competing against one another – they have all been friends and rivals for a very long time!
It is one of the most wonderful things about sport, and maybe I am biased, but I think it especially true of rugby and Paralympic team sports that it is a powerful force for bringing people from different cultures and backgrounds together to experience the sheer joy of play and competition. This sense of shared humanity is especially felt in the wheelchair rugby community and within the Paralympic movement which makes it such a privilege to be a part of. We enjoy the support of many who recognise that we have something special which they too want to be part of. To all of you, our fundraisers, sponsors, and volunteers a massive thank you and do sit back and enjoy the next week. Thank you also for the many good luck messages the team has received. They are really special and have been placed on the flower trellises outside the athlete accommodation. I had a lovely text this morning from an elderly man who is in fact the father of one of our board members and has followed the team and regularly donated to help fund us to Tokyo. He said that he had already pressed every record button on his TV for the entire wheelchair rugby tournament and that he was hoping for success but that whatever happens he could not be more proud of the team. He finished by saying a ‘big lump in the throat time’. That is what this means to many of us and I know that the athletes are determined to do their very best to make something special happen. Canada beckons – no easy first game – a team we all respect. Let’s go!
David Pond
