If you could choose to be professional in any sport, which one would you choose? Would it be the sport you still play every week, the sport you were best at when you were at school but regrettably lost form once you found the bar at the Students Union; or the sport you secretly dreamt of being good at? (more…)
- Claire
- Football
- Football is my passion, it's in my blood and it's there to stay. I knew it when I was 5 years old and as I nagged my dad to take me to the park; having a ball at my feet just feels right. I've spent hours of my life playing, watching, coaching, managing and of course talking about football and I get the feeling that it’s not going to change any time soon. There's nothing like pulling on your kit, lacing up your boots, stepping onto the grass and striking your foot through the ball. What a way to meet new friends, stay fit and feel your worries dissolve - not to mention the ultimate high when you slap a teammate’s hand as you share a golden moment in a game. I've played for a few clubs including Arsenal and Barnet and I’m now in my 6th season at Hampstead Women FC. We got promoted this in May so the squad is buzzing. We get together twice a week for training and matches and, win lose or draw, we share something really special. The will to win is immense and every week we try to run faster, jump higher and tackle harder. Nasty hip and knee injuries freed up my time to experiment from the sidelines, with a whistle in my mouth. A friend invited me to give management a go so I led a men's team for a couple of years. Something really clicked and we were promoted two seasons in a row, much to everyone's surprise! I enjoyed it so spent some time with Arsenal and secured my Level 1&2 coaching badges. I now coach a wonderfully talented group of girls – they’re 13 years old and bursting with energy, which keeps me on my toes every Saturday morning! The Football Association heard about my football frenzied weekends and asked me to participate in their national Get Into Football campaign in 2006, spearheaded by Michael Owen. I was subsequently asked to be their Ambassador for Women and Girls football with a view to encouraging participation and raising awareness of all the benefits to playing. My aim is to ‘make active attractive’ and reach the girls at two key stages; 1) as they flee to university, gleeful in their escape of those compulsory school games lessons that they've spent years trying to avoid and; 2) during that post university slump when you start work and have no idea how to fit sport into an already hectic and daunting schedule. Football means the world to me, now let me spread the word.
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Claire's Blog
If you could choose to be professional in any sport, which one would you choose?
Thursday, September 30th, 2010Saturday Mornings
Friday, September 17th, 2010Saturday mornings….what are they for? An overdue mani and pedi? Curled up in bed with a cuppa and chapter nine of your latest read? Emptying the cupboard that no longer closes or perhaps a trip to Waitrose with great intentions for your 5-a-day and those plans to shed a couple of pounds? (more…)
Why don’t more people play frisbee?
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010Why don’t more people play frisbee? It’s free, it’s fun and judging by my aching arm and calves, it’s a great workout! It was a beautiful summer evening so I threw my trainers and a fresh top into a bag and cycled down to Hyde Park with some friends.
Sprinting after the Aerobie, trying to predict where it would land was hysterical. If your technique is right, it can travel for miles so each of us would prepare for a big old chase, propelling our arms to gain momentum, combining a skywards glance to track its flight and using our peripheral vision to avoid the ensuing picnic hampers and family rounders games. We attracted quite a crowd and worked up a real appetite! My tip for the girls; don’t forget your sports bra!
Taking an objective view of the recent heat wave for a moment, it must be a great driver for people to get active – surely you need to earn the right to wear a string bikini on Hampstead Heath? As for the men, don’t they dream of the moment where they can peel off their t-shirt and reveal a finely tuned washboard stomach like the guys in the aftershave ads? I chatted earnestly to a friend about the distinct lack of athletic men on a hot summer’s day in England, compared to the spectacle of Italian or Israeli or Australian men you see on holiday…what a lovely thought to end with…!
Off to the gym…
Another premature exit from a major tournament
Monday, June 28th, 2010Was my first blog really just two weeks ago, when our World Cup dream was fresh out the oven and supermarket trolleys were being loaded with Peroni’s and 2-4-1 burgers? 15 days later and all we’re left with are stale buns and warm beer.
**Cue familiar dull ache at another premature exit from a major tournament.**
I can’t wait to get out onto the pitch this week though. Pre season starts soon so the squad has to shape up pretty fast otherwise those shuttle runs will be mightily painful against those ever-so-keen new girls. I blame my generous hosts for the amount of food I have put away this week so I know I’ve got plenty of work to do!
The weather does help the fitness levels in some ways because I can cycle to and from work every day as it’s so glorious outside. I wonder if my fellow cyclists feel 12 years old again like I do, every time I whizz down a hill…
If I can, I’ll get a couple of hours in on the local tennis court, although finding a local club where you don’t need to be a member is my first challenge. And people question why we’ve got no English women competing in the second week of Wimbledon eh?!
Oh, by the way, my new name is Clairetta di Luis – anything to hide my nationality, I’m an ardent Argentina fan now, don’t ya know?
World cup fever
Monday, June 14th, 2010What better time to write my first blog post than on the very day that England begin their World Cup campaign?
World Cup fever has well and truly set in and I’m bursting with excitement ahead of my friends aptly themed BBQ for our opening match vs USA tonight. My dad and I have travelled far and wide to watch England compete in major tournaments so I have cheekily pencilled, ‘’Fly to SA’’? in my diary on July 10th . For those who don’t know, allow me to explain that on July 11th 2010, I very much hope to be winding my way to Johannesburg to see Steven Gerrard lift the cup, after a spine tingling victory against Brazil in the semi!
I will spend the next few weeks poring over the back pages, wishing I had called to upgrade my Sky Plus package but secretly knowing that it’s better I haven’t otherwise I would be up all night trying to catch up on the goals. I also expect to receive a ‘Are you suffering from lack of motivation’ email from my gym as I opt for a kick-about in Regents Park instead of my customary spin class or swim, to keep fit this month…!
