Skip to main content

Sport Parkinson's Try-athlon

Image
By

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:

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Heard it Through the Grapevine

By
My neurologist is a very nice man. He listens well and is faultlessly polite. It is the sort of job where compassion and good observation are called for and he has both in abundance. I think we get on pretty well. At each appointment he asks me to run through a series of exercises to see how my Parkinson's is progressing. There's "play the piano" - hold your hands level and wiggle your fingers as if playing an imaginary keyboard. The Neurology pianoes were never going survive Andrew Lansley's sweeping NHS reforms as part of David Cameron's government's austerity measures and there is a slight downward trend in the number of organ donations in the UK. In another test he stands behind me and pulls me backwards to see how well I resist. As far as I can tell, he has never made the rabbit ears gesture behind my head or made silly faces. I suppose I don't really know but it doesn't feel like it. This test requires tr...
3 comments
Read more

How Did This Happen?

By
For months, maybe years, after I was diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease I picked at my memories trying to determine how and when I developed it as if I could go back in time and change it. It is a completely pointless exercise since current research is unclear whether the cause is genetic or environmental . I have mentally dismissed the genetics component so that I don't have to contemplate the implications for my children. That leaves me with plenty of scope for trawling through all the stupid things that I have done in my life that might have been the decisive environmental factor. Could it have been the time when, after an all day drinking session I fell into a deep sleep while I was sat on a bar stool? I toppled backwards, still asleep and my fall was broken by the back of my head hitting the corner of the skirting board. Head injuries do seem to be quite a common factor in the development of PD so its possible. That was 20 years ago and I was diagnosed only five years ago so t...
10 comments
Read more

The Conversation

By
"How are you doing? Lovely day isn't it?" I had been lost in a storm of competing questions not including the state of weather when I encountered this friend in the corridor. Sunshine apart, this was turning out to be well down the list of my favourite days. "Yes, it's nice isn't it?" I said. Back in the office another friend asked how my appointment had gone. "I've got Parkinson's". "No, you haven't". From an early age we learn to look on the bright side and reassure each other that everything is going to be alright. We are less prepared for the occasions where a situation is not going to improve but we all need to have those conversations at various points in our lives. I had the conversation with my family that evening and I was touched by their love and support. We talked about the pros and cons of letting work know. British law tries to protect the disabled from workplace discrimination for examp...
Post a Comment
Read more