Our holiday in Italy was a lot of fun and we mixed downtime with activities, including climbing a mountain and being joined for a little while by a few mountain goats!
It is rare that I get to spend such a long time at home and although not completely relaxing because I had to train whilst I was there, it was such a worthwhile visit.
I am always struck by how professional, helpful and genuinely concerned everybody from the Guernsey Sports Commission and Rising Stars set-up is with me. It is such a pleasure to come home to Guernsey and have such an interest taken in my career. I am constantly asked if there is anything else that can be done to help me; any other support or expertise that I require. The nature of our island community comes through in the concern and guidance that is shown to me.
This visit to Guernsey was most productive because it allowed me to become inducted at the new Spearpoint High Performance centre down at Footes Lane. This is an brilliant new facility for Guernsey which I saw being used by lots of young athletes with a fantastic support network of coaches. I was also introduced to Tim Newenham and Denis Mulkerrin by GSC's performance director Jeremy Frith. Jeremy is always looking for the best way to support and enhance performance, and I was so grateful for these introductions because I felt that this was one of the most productive meetings ever. Tim and Denis are both hugely respected and experienced in a range of sports and helped me with my weightlifting technique and things as basic but vital as posture, down at the Spearpoint facility.
In addition to working with the Guernsey Sports Commission, Tim has an extensive CV including current Performance Director for British Shooting and National Coach mentor for Javelin. An incredibly inspiring and motivating individual, aside from his practical suggestions I felt I gained a great deal emotionally and motivationally from meeting him. Denis was also very helpful and as a former British Weightlifting coach he was especially insightful when it came to my lifting techniques!
Now, back in the UK we have a rather different start to our typical rowing season. Usually winter is time for long head races (think 5km on a cold and bleak river), but this year British Rowing are changing the format somewhat. For a range of reasons this year we have the 'Jubilee Regatta' at Dorney this weekend. The racing is regatta style (2km on the lake) and done in doubles and fours (Saturday) and quads and eights (Sunday). This is a first step towards a new format for the Senior British Rowing Championships, but it will slightly differ from traditional multi-lane regattas, with heats consisting of time trials over 1900m. The idea is to make the National Championships more of a National Championships! Up until now, the Nat Champs are scheduled in the summer racing season and they do not fit into the National Squad's racing programme. This new format means that some of the Olympic team will be racing this weekend, and they will be racing in their home club colours. This is an exciting prospect for up and coming rowers because it means they will get the opportunity to race with and/or against some of our Olympians!
I am racing a quad on Sunday with Katie Greves (British Olympic 8+ 2008,2012) Vicki Meyer-Laker and Monica Relph (both Medallists at 2012 European Championships). This is a very good line up and I am looking forward to the racing!
Post Jubilee Regatta I will be racing at The Fours Head of the River three weeks later in London, and then two weeks after that we have GB Trials up in Boston, Lincolnshire.
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