The Last Post

And this will be the last entry in this blog. Our Games have finished with two team mates winning gold - in the C singles and C doubles. The Champagne was poured, the toasts made and tonight we have the official closing ceremony.

I intend to continue running with Ev, working out with Alicia (and my big sister Moira with whom I am not the slightest bit competitive when it comes to boxing circuits), having lessons with Victor and playing on Mondays with the Ace Girls.

Thanks to everyone who has followed this blog and especially to all of you who were personally involved in helping me prepare.

And a special welcome to Spike Jimmy George born on Friday 6th August 2010 - love to his parents Marg and Leesa.

Ciao for now...

Redemption (of sorts)

I played the semi-final of the consolation round and lost. We played in quite heavy rain and I found it difficult with my glasses fogging up and getting rain drops on them. Still, I was pleased with the way I played earlier in the day with a hard fought win 6-2.

Tomorrow, Rae and I play the consolation doubles round. We're not expecting too much but will do our best to have fun.

Down and Out in the First Round

Very disappointing day. I lost the singles 6-2, 7-5 against a much weaker but more consistent player. Not happy.

We also lost the doubles 6-2, 6-1 but the quality of the play was much better.

The consolation round begins tomorrow so I'll have a go at that.

And Judy Plays Doubles

Ripper of a match. Suzanne and Judy were outplayed in the first set but they were resolute in the second and came back from 5-0 down to end up winning 3 games in a row. Suzanne won her service game, Judy held serve and they broke one of their opponent's service games. They might have lost the match but they both achieved their personal best and the equivalent (for them) of winning gold. One of Judy's opponents had Googled her and was blown away that she was playing tennis with a celebrity. A couple of other women came up to Jude and said "Are you Judy Small, - the Judy Small". Very noice.

I could not have been prouder of the way they both played that game - they ran, they stretched, they hit that damned ball. Judy hit two beautiful backhand volley winners and everyone had fun.

As for me, well I'm still 49, still fat but I'm a lot fitter than I was and who knows what will happen tomorrow.

The good news is we think Pete will be discharged from hospital and nothing serious has been diagnosed. Whew all round.

We're having a ball meeting people

Opening Ceremony

It rained a little, we made paper planes, the cauldron was lit, the flag raised, oaths taken, long speeches ignored and the party has started - no I mean competition has begun.

Good news. Rae (my doubles partner) has won her first round 6-0, 6-0. And TJ and Michelle (from the Ace Girls) won their first round as well.

Judy plays tomorrow (Monday) - D Grade Doubles and my first match is on Tuesday.

Had a hit today just to keep the serve warm.

We're a little distracted though because Judy's brother-in-law and her sister (who've come specially to the Games) are having some dramas. Pete had to go to hospital this morning after becoming very ill. Looks like he may be there for several days until his condition can be diagnosed. It's very unsettling - especially for Judy's sister Sue and Judy too. Fingers crossed, folks.

We're here...

we're queer, get used to it...

Actually, where we are is the Radisson Blu in Cologne which is mega comfortable and friendly. Fiona and Jon and Rhys are here, Sue and Pete fly in tomorrow.

We've got our accreditation, the Opening Ceremony is Saturday night and my first game is on Tuesday.

And so, it begins...

I have a court booked for Sunday for some last minute practice . Judy plays her first game on Monday - doubles (D grade) with Suzanne.

You can feel the Gay Games buzz - lots of team members on the train from Paris, gays and lesbians everywhere in the City  and the organisers keep giving us girls - wait for it - condoms... ah well - mass production of welcome kits can only be customised so much and one shouldn't assume that the girls who are here might not also sleep with boys..

I've had my first German beer - yuuuum

Paris

Neither of us slept well last night but we caught the 8:17 train to Lyon and then on to Paris today. Jonathan and Fiona and Rhys met us at our apartment which is just a short walk from them in the 11th arrondisement.

I have eaten far too much today but that's all too easy to do in Paris.

We will meet up with J&F&R tomorrow and go to the market and then we get to have Rhys all to ourselves for the afternoon while his parents go on roller blading around the city. Every Sunday, thousands of people gather to go skating. Normally Rhys accompanies his parents in his pusher (with helmet and suitably chic sunglasses) but we will find a park or two to take him to.

Our schedule for the Games has changed. Judy will play on Monday but my first game is now not until Tuesday. And unlike previous games - there will be a play off for the bronze... 

I think this competition will be tougher than it looks.

Au revoir

Day Three

Well, it's really day two and a half - we only played this morning before heading off to a picnic in the Alps - tough eh!

I am pleasantly surprised that all my training has actually paid off. Despite spending five hours a day on the court, I am surprisingly unstiff.

Roy had me working my guts out yesterday - really getting me to run and make every possible attempt to get that damned yellow ball back. He asked me if it was ok to be pushing me like that - and my bravado said "Bring it on!"

We now have the draw for the first round. My first singles match is on the Monday (2nd August) at 9.30 with doubles at 2.00. Judy has also entered the Games and will play her doubles at 12.30 which is great because it means that I can be her cheer squad for a change.

Roy's promised me a bit of singles time which I'm looking forward to. The tennis pros he has here are simply fabulous. Roy's son Antony is particularly good - he has this wonderful graceful style in his own game and an air of quiet authority on the court. His feedback and corrections are both positive and really useful.

Only a few more days of "camp" and then we're off to Paris to play with our favourite four year old.

Starting to get serious...

Last night we went to the opera. Ho hum, I hear you say. Wrooooong. The physical theatre is one thing - red, gold leaf, rising tiers of opera boxes, ushers in black uniforms with bronze medallions around their necks.

And then the  conductor comes into the orchestra pit - oh God - he's very young, and I don't recognise the names of any of the singers. Have I hyped this up too much in my mind?

And then the overture begins and there is nothing but subtle, precise, beautiful strings and an achingly,piercingly haunting oboe - oh yeah.

We're here to see The Barber of Seville - a romantic comedy/farce. I don't have the words for the music but if you ever get an opportunity to hear Joyce DiDonato (Rosina) or Lawrence Brownlee (Count Almaviva) - run to the ticket office as fast as you can. These are musical athletes - not just technically sound but with profound control, perfect timbre.

And the staging was subtle but spot on...

But I digress because the real reason we are in Europe is to play tennis. So it's off to Gstaad for pre-tournament fine-tuning.

We had to change trains in Montreux. So there we were just sitting in our seats and a Swiss woman walks by and yes - it's Ursula - who runs marathons and who is the partner of the woman (Michelle) who beat Judy in the tennis at the Chicago Games. Yes, they're coming to Cologne but no, not playing tennis - just (just!) run the marathon. 

We are here now at the Gstaad Palace Hotel where I will shortly start a 6 day week of intensive tennis training with Roy Emerson and his team of professional coaches.

A relaxing dinner tonight (and a glass of champagne just because I could) and a relatively light day tomorrow. Down to the village to pick up supplies - I don't pay $15 for Heineken if I can help it! A swim and a workout to get the kinks out of the body and then a cocktail reception. Training starts for real on Sunday,

This will be the first real test of my fitness - let's see how that holds up although I have to confess to whinging a bit about having a sore right big toe. Judy, ever solicitous of my well-being, has suggested that it might be gout. I refuse to have gout - and that's final. It's just something else - minor and all will be well in the morning - right??

Flying Out Today!

We had lunch yesterday with Victor and Ev. And Ev has lent me something very special - her Australian Olympian cap that she was given (as were all former Olympians) at the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

We've taken the cats to The Cat Motel - had to do a small detour there today because I had left something behind. Sherlock has settled quite well, Hari was in his cat bed and seemed glad to see me, but Rufus was still hiding in the cat house. Their cat suite has a large run that goes up the wall and gives them lots of room for running like mad things - which I am sure they will do.

I packed my bag today and then re-packed it three more times - kept needing to check that I had the right stuff there..

And now all we have to do is wait to get picked up and taken out to the airport and the adventure starts...

The Last Week

Ok - we've picked up the AceGirls shirts - and they fit and they're great and it was pub night which was good.

My last tennis lesson tomorrow night.

Finals of Thursday comp this Thursday.

Last personal training session on Saturday.

Going away booze up on Sunday.

Fly out on Monday.

I have no brain for work.

Uniforms

We've just come back from DT's - a gay pub where QSAM has hosted the official farewell for those of us heading off to Europe soon. We've got our official Team Melbourne t-shirts and a Games t-shirt - do we need much else - nah.

I had a bit of time on the court this morning - just doing some serving practice. I wish I could take some time each day to do that - just to get the serve solid but I don't think the boss would agree with my doing that!

60 something days to go!

A little over 60 days to go and we are in the air and on our way to Europe. Still training pretty hard and starting to be a lot more focussed about my diet. Alicia is being very encouraging - Tim says I shouldn't bother to come back if I don't win....Ah the pleasures of having a support crew.

Rae and I are going to start having doubles lessons with Victor.

All I can say is that if I don't do well, it won't be for lack of trying...

100 days to go...

Yep, that's right - we're now in the final countdown to Cologne - 100 days until the Opening Ceremony. I'e trained pretty hard this week and the tennis is definitely improving (albeit I was beaten by a 12 year old last night 6-5).

Still, when you consider that I had been for a walk with Ev and then had walked pretty much consistently from 8.00am-4.30pm touring 6of Melbourne's prisons (it's a long story) and then played tennis, I am not too unhappy.

I am really pleased that the volcano in Iceland appears to be settling down - the last time it erupted there were explosions for six months...

Still, I am sure that with sufficient notice we coudl find alternative ways to get into Europe - perhaps via Rome. Still it's good that it ppears that we won't need to worry about that.

I've been making a little home movie about my Gay Games experience and that's been actually very useful. I've now got some footage of me playing tennis and I can see how I hit the ball. Hmm, I don't really run all that much - more brisk walking to the ball rather heavily.

No training tomorrow - my right knee is very sore (and clicking ominously) and I'm going to rest it.

Week 11 Results and 16 weeks to go

Finally! Scales are moving in the right direction again. And I realised that it's only 16 weeks or so until we fly out.

Not sure if I've outlined the plan. We first fly into Milan for a couple of days - get over the jet lag, see the Last Supper, spend a day in Venice (Judy's favourite Italian city) and go to the opera at La Scala.

The we catch the train up to Gstaad so that I can join the Roy Emerson tennis week at the Gstaad Palace hotel. Six days of tennis - and about 5 hours of tennis a day at that. The last time we went, I could barely move.

At the end of the tennis week, we're off to Paris to see the gorgeous Rhys and his parents.

And then it's Cologne and the opening ceremony.

I hope I get through at least one round after all this!



Weight: 94.1kg

Bad Girl II

I had good intentions, really but this afternoon has been a disaster - chocolate and icecream. It's a fatal combination.

Still what's a girl to do.

We're watching the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics - makes me cry - I'm such a sook.

There's nothing like the opening ceremony of the Gay Games - I've never been so emotional, so proud, so tired, so exhilerated. For newbies, it's going to blow your mind...

Tennis Player Ego

Last night I went to the grading for the Tennis World social competition. I was reasonably happy with the way I played - especially my serve which was pretty solid. Got a couple of aces and didn't double fault once.

I played two sets of doubles with different people. The second set was three blokes and me and they were a lot better at running and hitting the ball very hard. Very chivalrous too - not too much whacking the ball at the sole female!

And I was quite pleased when I was told that the grading assessment was that I should be in B Grade ..... until I found out that B Grade is the lowest grade! The Grades go Premier, A1, A2 and B. B Grade if for beginner to intermediate players - and that's an absolutely accurate assessment of my playing standard.

Just goes to show you how much of your tennis is played in your head and not on the court.

I've opted to play singles at 6.30pm on Thursday evenings. That means I'll have a day's break between Ace Girls and my lesson with Victor before the social comp. Apparently the comp lasts for between 16-18 weeks so that should give me plenty of opportunities to get my head around playing competitively. And I shouldn't be quite so exhausted at the Roy Emerson week and have better stamina during the Games. Well at least that's the plan, Stan.

And my next goal (thanks, Ev) is to get three games off Rae in stead of two. And to be in the low 95kg range. And to survive me lesson with Victor tonight....

Week 5 Results

And the first week of intensive training is paying off! I am 1.5 kgs lighter this week than I was last week.

Had a good night at Ace Girls last night - and especially enjoyed playing out a few points - good to get some match like practice.

Today I go to Melbourne Park for a grading session before joining a regular Tuesday night social competition. I'm not quite sure how the comp is run but I'm looking forward to getting some match practice. I know that I need to get some games under my belt.

Tomorrow is my tennis lesson with Victor and on Thursday I think I will collapse (after being "walked" by Ev the Olympian).

There are a couple of comps coming up - one at the Glen Iris Tennis Club over the Labour Day Weekend and then the lawn tennis comp at Shepparton at Easter. All good practice for August.

Hi ho..



Weight: 95.8kgs

First Week Intensive

Oh. My God.

Ev has "walked" me twice. I've played tennis. And there are 22 weeks to go until we fly out to Europe.

Normally I would had a personal training session with Alicia on Saturday morning but Alicia is away. My sister, Moira, and I decided to keep faith with Alicia so we walked her three dogs in the Darebin Parklands. Not exactly strenuous but still we made the effort.

I have fallen in love with one of Moira's rescue dogs - Ariel - a 9 month old whippet cross. He's black and white, sweet natured and utterly graceful. How could he possibly have been abandoned? He's only a temporary resident with Moira - and if we had a lifestyle (and a house) more suitable, I could be tempted. I suspect our three cats might have something to say about that though...

I'll either be incredibly fit (for a nearly 50 year old) or I'm gonna be mincemeat!

I've added some new links under "Good Stuff" - one is to the group that will co-ordinate Team Melbourne and the other is the Australian Gay Games Facebook site which is full of really useful info.

Week 4 Results

And at the end of four weeks, I have lost a total of 3 kgs and while I naturally wish it was considerably more, at least it's steady.

Judy's friend Ev played hockey for Australia in 1984. Ev feels that she would like to regain some of her former fitness and that training me would provide her with excellent motivation.So, we've had our first training walk this morning - not too bad, certainly raised a sweat but not too much.

My God, I might actually get fit!

I start back with Victor tomorrow - he's my tennis coach and I know I'll work up a sweat then.



Weight: 97.3 kgs