Sport Parkinson's Try-athlon

I was privileged to be part of the inaugural Sport Parkinson's Try-athlon last Saturday, 24th July 2021. 

Privileged because it gave me the chance to meet so many whose competitive spirit is undimmed by Parkinsons and watch them take their opportunity to shine.

Privileged to have been welcomed to the line up of Shaketar Dontask, a team of players who I had only met via Zoom a couple of days previously. A great bunch of lads and great players: Stuart, the goalkeeper who had to put aside his walking stick then pulled off a string of amazing reflex diving saves; Richard who covered every blade of astroturf and was 100% committed in everything he did; Sam, who brought us together and read the game perfectly so that he was always there to intervene with a well judged tackle or pass; Gary, who always made himself available for a pass before jinking his way through the opponents defence with his close control; Stu, always finding the right positions and causing problems up front and finishing off our attacking moves. Special mentions too to our friend Nick who wasn't able to make the day due to a bereavement and Simon who joined us for the semi-final to give us a full complement of players and was steadfast in defence.

Privileged to play in front of supporters who really know what the word 'support' means. The family and friends who cheered from the stands of Worcester Warriors impressive stadium had equal respect for the skills of the opposing teams and cheered their feats almost as loudly. It means a lot to play in front of one's loved ones in the knowledge of all they have done for you.

I hadn't really spoken to others with Parkinson's much before attending the Try-athlon. That is partly my own fault. I've had opportunities to join local groups but i've often made excuses why I can't. I don't really know why but the event showed me the value of sharing experiences. Sometimes its good to just talk about things without necessarily expecting solutions. That is not to say that there is no hope of course. One of the key messages of the day was to keep active while we wait for a cure. It was catchier than that but not quite catchy enough to remember a week later.

I was able to put faces to the names that I follow on Twitter. DJ Claire Marie Jones sparked off proceedings before handing over to living legend (he doesn't like to talk about it) Charlie Appleyard, the director of Sport Parkinson's who introduced the event. I was in the presence of UK Parkinson's royalty! Then rugby legend and genuine royal (my wife disagrees on this point but it makes this paragraph work better) Mike Tindall was on stage saying some heartfelt words about his dad's struggle against PD. Later, stand up comedian Phil Badger chatted amiably as I queued for chips.

Most of all, it was a privilege to have been part of such a fun day. I think the overwhelming success of the event was largely due to its positivity. The focus was on new possibilities and how exercise can improve the life of all of us who live with Parkinsons whether it takes the form of football, table tennis or gentle stretching. There was a party mood at the end of the day as we sang along to Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and we left with The Farm's anthem "Altogether Now" ringing in our ears. Phil Badger summed it up perfectly:

At yesterday’s #sptryathlon there were 100s of people with #parkinsons Yet not even a hint of ‘woe are we’ or ‘please pity us’. As a result of events like that we can become a vibrant, determined, and enabled community.

— Phil Badger 🦡 (@Phil_Badger) July 25, 2021

---