Anyone who watched GB take on Paralympic Silver Medallists Canada in the World Championships on Thursday were fortunate to see a classic match and will have experienced the special thrill of our amazing sport. The game was a nail biter to the end – and it took a long time to get to that end as at full time the score was tied at 50-50. A 3 minute period of extra time followed but that ended all square again at 55-55 and so went to yet another 3 minute period where Canada edged the result to finish the game 59-58 up. For all of us in GB the result was devastating- the team had given every bit of themselves to this match knowing that a win was in their grasp and would represent a major achievement. But it was not to be and everyone in the team had to regain their composure, reset their minds and bodies ready to play a second match in the afternoon against hosts Denmark. This was also to be a nail biter for GB as the hosts threw everything at what was a pretty tired GB team and Denmark led until the final quarter of the game when GB dug deep to edge ahead and finally win the match 52-48. Perhaps this day above all others demonstrates how far GB has come in a very short space of time. The performance against Canada is even more noteworthy when you record that Canada went on to beat World favourites the USA in another thrilling game which also went into extra time. Yes the GB squad still has the experience of trusted players like Alan Ash, Bully, Johnny Coggan, Mike Kerr and Mandip but in the main this is a young, fresh, new look team which is benefiting from quality coaching from an equally fresh (but maybe not quite so young!) coaching team whose technical and tactical understanding and application is really making an impact. Add to this the performance system and team that Lorraine Brown has put in place and we have something which is beginning to look pretty special. Our squad look fit, focused and determined and we have developed a new culture of performance and an eagerness to move into the big time. It is difficult not to believe that we are on the verge of that allusive break through and I am confident that we have the performance director, staff, coaches and athletes to achieve this. We leave the 2014 World Championships ranked 1 in Europe and 5th in the world having defeated Denmark 52-48 in our final match. So much promise ahead but we know we still have much to do. 5th in the world is a good place to be at this stage in our development and with this new look team but in truth we have been 5th before and certainly the athletes and coaches are not pretending that we are anywhere near where we are intending to be yet! We are still learning much about ourselves and particularly how to keep cool heads in pressure situations because as with any elite sport it is that small error under intense pressure that is often the only difference between winning and losing. To that end the team will have gained a great deal of experience from this tournament and will emerge even stronger from it. As we gain in experience we are also mindful of the progress that other teams are also making and the improvement of players like Zak Madell of Canada, voted MVP at the Worlds.
It was great to see so many of the wheelchair rugby family out supporting the team – thank you to those who came under their own steam. There are a few pictures on the website – Becs and Tony, Amanda Thomas and John and Ricky, Nigel and Debbie and of course Johnny Coggan’s mum and dad who are always there waving their flags. Thank you also to the Trustees who dropped in, Andrew Flatt who was here at the start of the week and also attended the General Assembly as an observer, our Chair Kevin Aitchison who made an impressive 24 hour dash to and fro from his London office to be here for the double day of Canada and Denmark. Mike Spence who joined us for the week and of course Richard Allcroft who was here primarily in his IWRF role but also as a Trustee. Ross Morrison was also a welcome addition to the GBWR family and ahead of starting his own family has now stood down as the Athlete representative on the IWRF Board – thank you Ross for all you did in that important role and best wishes to Jens Sauerbier of Germany who takes over. We also welcomed Martyn Salt who we have appointed at Event Director for WWRC15. He took the opportunity to meet as many people as possible and see some of the event organisation. Rebecca Edser from UK Sport Events team also came out at the end of the week and we met to discuss further our WWRC15 plans.
Setting aside the competition where every team does its very best to defeat whichever team it plays, this event is a great showcase for the family of wheelchair rugby. Individual athletes respect one another and enjoy the experience of mixing together. Management, performance and coaching teams do likewise. I had the pleasure to sit and chat for a while with USA head coach Gumby, a real gentlemen whose love of the sport and respect for the athletes who play is an example of leadership which we might all aspire to. I was also inspired by the report Juan Pablo Salazar from Colombia gave about the Maximus Project. Over the last 3 years this has introduced wheelchair rugby in Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay and Peru. Each new country has been mentored by Argentina, Brazil or Colombia. The Maximus Project is funded through a grant from USAID, which covered the costs of rugby chairs,training clinics, competitions, transportation and more. Wheelchair rugby is already making a huge difference in their lives, and the America zone has grown from having just two countries in 2008, to having ten competing in the sport today. In November this year a first rugby clinic will be delivered in Kenya part funded by the Agilos Foundation. Listening to all this I could not help but be reminded of how fortunate we in GB are to be beneficiaries of UK Sport, Sport England and Lottery funding. It was humbling also to meet with Victor Buitendag from South Africa and learn of his many challenges but to see how he was approaching them. This all confirms what we feel and know – wheelchair rugby is more than just a game and for me its a tremendous privilege to be part of it.
Finally, thank you to Denmark and the LOC for hosting a fantastic tournament which we all enjoyed, and congratulations to John Bishop, re-elected as IWRF Chair, Ken Sowden, re-elected as Vice-Chair and Duncan Campbell, re-elected as Member at Large. Well done to Ayaz Bhutta also for being voted the Fans’ Favourite player – he did have an amazing tournament! And of course many congratulations to the new World Champions Australia and to Silver medallists Canada and Bronze medallists USA.
I am off to start my holiday in Crete now with my wife Lesley and 5 year old twins Alice and Edward . The twins are also mad rugby fans with Alice hero worshipping Kylie Grimes whilst Edward loves Steve Brown (yes I know…most people do!) – it will be a short break and then it will be the Invictus Games! I hope you all enjoy a break over the summer also.
David Pond
