http://www.london-olympiad.com/
http://www.london-tours-2012.com
http://www.london2012-tours.com/
As Spyns clients get excited about the holiday we have put together for them, athetes from around the world are increasing their training as the countdown to the Olympic Games builds momentem
Snow? What snow? Nothing was going to stop the British Fencing Team from attending our twice annual training camp for Elite and TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) athletes. Every late December we are invited to train at an army barracks somewhere in the north of England.
We stay in dormitories, sleep in military bunk beds, eat army food, run the bleep test and train our hearts out. It is a great opportunity for the British team to get together across all weapons (foil, epee and sabre) and look forward to the season ahead.
This year won’t be any ordinary season. April will mark the start of our Olympic-qualifying season and will be critical to our qualification for London 2012. It will soon be crunch time and these camps help prepare us for what is to come. So it was with a feeling of anticipation, though with some trepidation, that I approached the guard room on arrival to be security checked.
James Williams, an ex-Olympic fencer (sabre) himself, runs these training camps and knows all about the pressure that we will be under to perform next season. James, together with an enthusiastic group of Army personnel, fencing coaches, physiotherapists, psychologists and sports performance technicians helps ensure that we are given the best preparation available to allow us to achieve our goals.
If I am honest, the one thing I dread most about these camps is the bleep test. Also known as the multi-stage fitness test, we do it twice yearly to test our cardiovascular fitness. What I do like about it is the fact that every time we run it we have a bench-mark result to improve on with each camp. A lot of banter goes around before the test and I get the occasional ‘bleep’ whispered into my ear as a ‘sweet dreams’ the night before.
Happily, I enjoyed running the bleep test. I did well and beat my last result by a whole level which I am proud of. I have a sneaky suspicion this has something to do with the extra boxing fitness sessions I have been doing since Easter.
I think it is important to experience pushing yourself through some level of discomfort. It hardens you and prepares you for the toughest of fights. At elite level, you have got to train hard and at times, break through pain barriers. There are no shortcuts.
We also did some speed and agility drills, a plyometrics session designed to increase explosiveness in attack, pilates (great for the core) and of course, a lot of fencing. Our training sessions were broken up with psychology sessions and performance related lectures that reminded us of our Olympic goals. The camp also allowed me the time to go through my up-coming season with my coach Maciej Wojtkowiak and target the competitions I want to peak at.
I really enjoyed training with the full GB squad and catching up with my team mates. The closer we get to 2012, the more important it is to create a sense of team unity and togetherness.
That said, I was happy not to be snowed in for Christmas. Spending Christmas together in the barracks might have taken team bonding a step too far. I am looking forward to a short break so that I can re-charge my batteries and sharpen my sword for the start of the New Year.
I am determined to make this one a good one. Let the hard work begin.
Spyns is an active travel company based in Whistler, BC (Canada). For more information about Spyns and our package tours to the 2012 London Summer Olympic Games, including London Olympics hotels, London 2012 tickets, and summer games VIP access, please visit our websites http://www.london-olympiad.com/ http://www.london2012-tours.com/ and http://www.london-tours-2012.com/ or call us toll-free at 1.888.825.4720.
