Veteran John Owens was at the top of his military career when a stroke left him hospitalised and facing an uncertain future. With support of The Open University’s Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund, he’s now working towards a new career as a personal trainer. chapter in his ongoing recovery.
After facing his own challenges, John, from Kilmarnock is determined to show other disabled veterans that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“I was operating weapons in a war zone when I was still a teenager,” says John, who signed up for the Army after leaving school at 16. His passion for fitness led him to begin as a personal trainer but was soon seconded into Weapons Support.
“When the First Gulf War started, I was possibly the youngest soldier there aged just 17. I couldn’t help thinking, here I am in a war zone, but when I go home, I won’t be considered old enough to buy a beer in a pub!”
John’s military career took him around the world, where he travelled to conflict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan to provide weapons support to the frontline troops. After his tours, he was promoted and began to teach the next generation of recruits at the Army’s Specialist Weapons School. All while continuing his passion for running whenever he could.
It was then, while at the top of his 24-year service, that John suffered his first stroke.
Adapting to civilian life
“After my MRI scan, the doctors found evidence that I had suffered an earlier stroke whilst serving in conflict zones in the 1990s. I then suffered another stroke in May 2011, which was more serious.
“In my typical fashion, I thought I could just run it off and went for a five-mile run! Very soon afterwards, I collapsed while walking to work. Later tests showed I had been born with a hole in my heart which I had no idea about!
“I was at the pinnacle of my career and now my whole world was collapsing around me.”
After spending his whole life constantly on the move, John was now wheelchair-bound and faced a tough recovery, including speech and language therapy.
“I had to be medically discharged from the Army which was a massive blow. I wasn’t sure what my future might hold and didn’t know what I was going to do. My Resettlement Officer mentioned The Open University, but I thought [the OU would never happen as I have no qualifications and a brain injury.] I was also concerned as to whether I would be fit enough to study.
“But with nothing to lose, I applied for the Disabled Veterans’ Scholarships Fund (DVSF).”
Starting a new journey with the OU
John is just one of hundreds of former servicemen and women studying through a scholarship. The DVSF was specially created to fully support disabled veterans injured in or due to service as they transition to civilian life. It enables veterans to access free education and wraparound support so they can rewrite their futures and unlock new careers.
“I was absolutely overwhelmed when I heard I had been accepted to study for a BSc in Sport, Fitness and Coaching, and was totally over the moon as it gave me a new focus. I was determined to build on my previous experience and become a qualified personal trainer.
“I began studying with the OU in 2020 and they’ve been brilliant. I had been worried about resources for disabled students, but the OU provided me with a laptop computer and a Livescribe pen with tuition on how to use it all.”
Giving back to society
Through sheer determination, John went from being in a wheelchair to completing a 10,000-metre run within a year following his debilitating stroke.
“I thought to myself, what if I can give this [drive] to someone else?
“My aim is to work with other disabled veterans and individuals to show them the benefits of training. And I’m already doing this by coaching young kids to teach them about discipline, commitment and focus.
“It’s my way of giving something back to society. And that’s really my main message to donors [of the Scholarships Fund], as well as saying a huge thank you for helping to give me a new future. I believe teachers and coaches are pivotal to our children’s futures. So the more disabled veterans like me who can be helped to do similar things, the more it benefits our society as a whole.”
Ballet dancer Constance Devernay-Laurence graduated from the OU in 2022 (Credit: Julie Howden)
An acclaimed Scottish Ballet dancer shares how she achieved her first-class Open University degree alongside a full-time career as a professional ballerina.
Constance Devernay-Laurence is used to wowing audiences as a Principal dancer in Scottish Ballet. She’s now added another achievement to her bright career by completing a degree in Sport, Fitness and Coaching.
“It’s great to be able to inspire other people through dance both on and off stage,” says the 32-year-old. “Studying with The Open University has also boosted my confidence and promoted my own inner drive to keep learning.”
Swapping ballet slippers for books
Through the six years she studied part-time for her OU degree, Constance performed in over 17 different productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella and The Snow Queen.
Surprisingly, she says that the backstage dressing rooms proved the perfect place to study:
“I studied mainly in the evenings after rehearsals, or during the day, between performances,” she says. “My favourite place to study is in my dressing room in theatres, as it is a quiet place where I can find my focus.
“Touring nationally and internationally with Scottish Ballet meant that I could find time to study during our travel.”
Constance admits that it was a fine balance to complete her studies at the same time as a physically taxing performance schedule. Which is why the flexibility of an Open University qualification was so important.
“It was definitely challenging at times to fit my studies around the company’s heavy rehearsal and performance schedule and its inevitable toll on my body, but, in a way, it allowed me to have an escape from ballet and get some perspective on what is a demanding career,” she says.
“I have also learned valuable psychological and physiological skills with each module, which in turn helped me become a better and stronger dancer.”
Career-boosting skills
Credit: Julie Howden
Constance was born in Amiens, France and started dancing at just five years old. After training with the English National Ballet School in London, Constance moved to Glasgow in 2009 to join Scottish Ballet and has been a Principal dancer since 2016.
Reflecting on her journey so far, Constance says that completing a degree has helped her to apply her skills to her current career and set her up for one in the future.
“I now feel better equipped to transition from my career as a professional ballet dancer when the time is right, but also to tackle everyday challenges,” she says.
As a proud graduate, Constance had this advice for anyone looking to invest in their futures and start a qualification with the OU:
“Studying with the OU was the best decision for my future, and I would encourage anyone who is thinking of starting a module or degree to take that step.
“All the tutors and staff were so supportive, I never felt out of my depth, even though English isn’t my first language, and I knew that I could always ask for help or extra time if needed. Graduating felt amazing and I have loved my time with the OU.”
After crossing the stage with fellow graduates at her OU degree ceremony in Glasgow, Constance is now back performing with Scottish Ballet as The Snow Queen.
Congratulations to @scottishballet principal dancer @BalletCoco, who received her degree in Sports Fitness and Coaching at our Glasgow ceremony today 🙌
In the video below BSc (hons) Sport, Fitness and Coaching graduate Robyn Drummond discusses how studying at the OU allowed her to pursue her dream of a career in the fitness industry.
Candice Lingam-Willgoss (The Open University), David Lavallee (Abertay University) and Caroline Heaney (The Open University) recently wrote an OpenLearn article titled ‘Life after sport: giving back‘ exploring how retired athletes can use their transferable skills to ‘give back’ to society. The article supports the free Badged Open Course (BOC) The athlete’s journey: transitions through sport, which examines the psychological impact of the various transitions athletes face on their journey through sport.
As outlined in the article, retirement from sport can be a particularly challenging time for athletes which can have a negative impact on their wellbeing and mental health. Supporting athletes through career transitions and providing them with opportunities to ‘give back’ to society can help minimise the risk of negative responses and has benefits for both the athlete (e.g., self worth) and wider society.
Multiple Paralympic champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, a strong advocate for athlete welfare, and author of the 2017 government ‘Duty of care in sport review‘ report, had this to say about the ‘Life after sport: giving back‘ article:
“The OU have teamed up with Abertay University to produce a really valuable piece of work, first of all acknowledging that athletes go through many phases in their career. When you are on the outside looking in it is not always easy to see it. Retirement is hard for athletes who have dedicated often many years of their childhood and life to the sport so for them to understand how what they have learnt is transferable is really important. Often there is not much notice for an athlete approaching the end of their career and they don’t always have the time or inclination to prepare for it. But it can also be hard for athletes to recognise all the benefits they can bring to themselves and others using what they have learnt in sport. Starting the dialogue of what they can offer and how they can give back and benefit wider society it is a vital first step and is excellent to see such free learning available for athletes in helping them prepare for their life after sport.”
On International Women’s Day (8/3/2023) the BBC and the OU launched a 4-part podcast series for The Sports Desk called ‘Women’s Sport Matters’ aimed at exploring important topics affecting female athletes. The podcasts presented by Katie Smith and produced by Jonathan McKeith feature #TeamOUsport academics alongside other experts and several top level female athletes.
Episode 1: We’re not all the same. Period
In this episode the panel of rugby player Daisie Mayes, former distance runner Pippa Woolven, senior lecturer in sport and fitness Simon Rea, Dr Emma Ross from the Well HQ, and sports reporter Fi Tomas discuss how the menstrual cycle affects performance and some of the myths around periods in sport.
From wearing the right sports bra to avoiding white shorts women’s sportswear is important. In this episode Ellie Cardwell (England netballer), Dr Jessica Pinchbeck (senior lecturer in sport and fitness), Laura Youngson (co-founder of IDA sports), and Tonje Lerstad (Norwegian beach handball player) examine how women’s sportswear is evolving.
Episode 3: Which heals quicker – the body or the mind?
This episode featuring Paralympian Kadeena Cox, England footballer Esme Morgan, and sport psychologist Dr Caroline Heaney explores the psychological impact of injury and outlines why mental recovery is just as important as physical recovery.
In this episode the panel of Kat Merchant (former England rugby player and personal trainer), Sabrina Pace-Humphreys (founder of the charity Black Trail Runners), Candice Lingam-Willgoss (senior lecturer in sport and fitness), Becky Grey (BBC Sport), and Alexia Clark (Instagram Fitness Influencer) explore the challenges and benefits of staying active.
In this article #TeamOUsport Staff Tutor and Associate Lecturer Marina Postlethwaite-Bowler explores three mind-body strategies that can have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing – yoga, mindfulness and journaling.
Yoga
Photo by Sean Stratton on Unsplash
Movement is the medicine we all need to nourish mind, body and spirit. The need in these challenging times to nourish the connections between the mind, body and spirit have never been more prevalent. These connections inextricably link into the varied types of yoga you can practise and their unique abilities to develop both psychological and physiological aspects. We sometimes forget our mind and body are connected. We cannot work the body and expect a healthy mind and vice versa. Yoga is an activity that strongly emphasis the mind-body connection. The word Yoga means ‘union’ or ‘connection’ and in Sanskrit, the word ‘yoga’ is used to signify any form of connection. According to Bhagavad Gita (1996) “Yoga is to maintain equilibrium of the mind in any situation”. There are many varied forms of yoga offering “something for everyone”. Yoga Nidra or yogic sleep is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping. Hatha yoga is the branch of yoga that typically comes to mind when you think of yoga in general terms. The practice involves breath, body, and mind. Kundalini yoga involves chanting ,singing, breathing exercises and repetitive poses. Its purpose is to activate your Kundalini energy or shakti. In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, the eightfold path is called ashtanga, which literally means “eight limbs” (ashta=eight, anga=limb). These eight steps, commonly known as the limbs of yoga, offer guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. The most recognised limb of yoga is “Asana” which works the physical body and in theory gives the mind a healthy and peaceful place to reside.
Positive psychology, which simply emphasises how and what in our lives is positive and going right, instead of what goes wrong is an important approach to wellbeing and one that is emphasised in yoga. Various studies have shown that positive psychology-based interventions buffer against stress, improve health and productivity, and enhance social connectedness (Vázquez, 2009). Yoga can prove a useful intervention. Positive psychology does not deny the negative; it simply helps you to focus in equal measure on what does work for you and why. Yoga can help to support you in the process of creating a life filled with meaning, purpose, and joyful celebration. Whether it’s a five-minute gentle stretch or a dedicated sixty-minute practice, sometimes it’s all you need to shift gear and turn your day around.
Mindfulness
Photo by Max van den Oetelaar on Unsplash
Mindfulness is best defined as “paying attention in a particular way on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 2004).
You can be mindful in two main ways by:
Doing simple practices (meditations)
Being completely in the moment enjoying something simple like eating your lunch so you really taste and appreciate it rather than just gulping it down.
Neuroscience is helping us understand how our brains work and the effect mindfulness can have upon it. It can help keep you calm. Feeling some stress and anxiety around exams, for example, is natural and indeed can help boost performance. It’s when it becomes too much that it becomes a problem. Mindfulness helps calm activity in the part of your brain (the amygdala) associated with worry. Mindfulness can also help increase the neural connections in the front of your brain (hippocampus). This is part of the brain is associated with memory, your ability to solve problems and helps to manage distraction. Chiesa et al. (2011) concluded that mindfulness improves well-being, emotional reactivity, and psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression, as well as cognitive abilities, such as selective and sustained attention.
One of the simplest mindfulness practices is focusing in on your breath. This helps create a sense of calm which is great for reducing worry and helps increase your focus and memory and helps you to make better, more skilful decisions. Mindful breathing is a simple practice available to all. Regularly engaging in it can provide benefits such as a reduction in stress, increased calm and clarity, as well as the promotion of happiness (Catherine, 2010; Kar, Shian-Ling, & Chong, 2014).
Try to practise this (e.g., using the the video below) for 10 minutes every day. Find a regular time that works. Slowly you should start to notice yourself becoming calmer. It can work more quickly for some people and more slowly for others. The most important thing is to give it a go and explore with a sense of openness and curiosity. Life is happening right now! Is it about time we reframed the way we live – instead of working toward an ideal future, work toward an ideal present!
Journaling
Journaling is the process of keeping a record of your personal thoughts, feelings, insights, and more. It can be written, drawn, or typed. It’s a simple, low-cost way of improving your mental health that has been shown to help us shift from a negative mindset to a more positive one, especially about ourselves (Robinson, 2017). Journaling is a great way to channel what’s weighing heavy on your mind and allows you to jot down everything that feels relevant in a safe and non-judgemental space. When you first start journaling it can be hard to know what to write – the fear of the blank page is real! How we overcome this to get us to start writing and break down our barriers is important. Try not to hold back – when we listen to the voice of caution, we deprive ourselves of those exciting and scary experiences and we increase the likelihood of the dreaded ‘what if?’ Keeping a journal can help you fully explore your emotions, release tension, and fully integrate your experiences into your mind (Scott, 2018).
The words of William Wordsworth echo here: “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”
Here’s a few prompts to get you started…
Daily Journal Prompts
Set yourself up to keep writing for two minutes – write anything even if you write the same word over and over until something comes into your mind-a great way to “unblock”
Jot down your thoughts – think about the event/experience you want to write about and have a good old vent about life. Ask yourself what is working? Don’t worry about “rambling” or getting a bit off-track; you can also revisit what you’ve written and clarify or organise it later (Hardy, 2018).
What isn’t working? What can I change?
What is important right now? What can wait? How can I prioritise my happiness today? “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life” (Tolle,1999).
Ask yourself what have I done recently that I am proud of?
Take time to recognise your hard work.
Make a list of your aspirations for the future and set some goals to get excited about. Setting goals are linked with higher motivation, self-esteem, self-confidence, and autonomy (Locke & Latham, 2006)
Observe/ give thanks for the special things in your life that you often overlook or haven’t appreciate in a while.
Empty your mind on paper, write what feels relevant.
Write a reminder or some kind words in the form of a letter and address it to your future self to read when things get overwhelming
Celebrate any wins, anything you realised, overcame and all the ways in which you showed up for yourself this week.
“Everything you need is within you” Namaste
References
Catherine, S. (2010). Focused and fearless: A meditator’s guide to states of deep joy, calm, and clarity. Accessible Publishing Systems.
Chiesa, A. (2014). Are mindfulness-based interventions effective for substance use disorders? A systematic review of the evidence. Substance Use & Misuse, 49, 492–512.
Hardy, B. P. (2017). Why keeping a daily journal could change your life. Medium: The Mission. Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-mission/why-keeping-a-daily-journal-could-change-your-life-9a4c11f1a475
Iyenger B.K.S (1996) Light on Yoga: The Bible of Modern Yoga, Schocken Books.
Kabat-Zinn, J, (2004) Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life, Piaktus
Kar, P. C., Shian-Ling, K., & Chong, C. K. (2014). Mindful-STOP: Mindfulness made easy for stress reduction in medical students. Education in Medicine Journal, 6(2), 48-56
Latham, G. P., & Locke, E. A. (2007). New developments in and directions for goal-setting research. European Psychologist, 12(4), 290-300.
NhatHanh,T, (1999) The Miracle of Mindfulness, Beacon press.
Robinson, K. M. (2017). How writing in a journal helps manage depression. WebMD. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/writing-your-way-out-of-depression
The British terrain and climate are not really designed for winter sports – there are few mountains suitable for skiing and our winters simply aren’t cold enough. Yet Team GB will be taking a 50-strong squad to the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. So how do athletes from a green and pleasant land come to be involved in winter sports on snow and ice?
Paths into winter sports are varied and often quite different to the more conventional routes seen in summer Olympic sports. There is also a large variation between winter sports – bobsleigh, skiing, ice skating and snowboard athletes, for example, will all have come to their sport in different ways.
The majority of athletes have a background of junior participation, often having made their entry into the sport at a young age, but in some Winter Olympic sports this is not the case. It is very common for athletes in these sports to start late, having begun their sporting career elsewhere.
Take bobsleigh and skeleton for example: these are sports that you can only start as an adult – you just can’t do them as a child. This makes career paths into these sports very different. Olympic silver medallist Shelly Rudman didn’t try skeleton until the age of 21, which is very late compared to athletes from other Olympic sports. This contradicts some models of athletic development, which suggest that investment in a sport as a junior is a requirement for success.
Many athletes transfer from other sports and many are “spotted” as potential winter sport athletes through so called “talent transfer programmes”, such as UK Sport’s ‘Girls 4 Gold’ programme which started in 2008. Double Olympic gold medallist Lizzy Yarnold was a graduate from the Girls 4 Gold programme, having transferred into the sport from athletics.
The slide from athletics
Transition from athletics seems to be a common route into sliding sports: bobsleigh, skeleton and luge. Olympic skeleton medallists Alex Coomber (bronze in 2002) Shelly Rudman (silver in 2006), Amy Williams (gold in 2010) and Lizzy Yarnold (gold in 2014 and 2018) all had a background in athletics before switching to skeleton. The speed and power elements of athletics transfer well into the push start required in both skeleton and bobsleigh.
The transition from athletics to bobsleigh is not exclusive to the UK. For example, sprinter Alexandra Burghardt (Germany) who competed in the Tokyo Olympics last year will also be competing in the two-woman bobsleigh in Beijing, and previously track and field Olympic/World medallists Lauryn Williams (USA), Lolo Jones (USA) and Jana Pittman (Australia) have transitioned to bobsleigh.
Live near a ski slope
Paths into winter sports are often dictated by opportunity. Facilities for winter sports participation are few and far between and so location plays an important part. If you live near an ice rink you are more likely to become involved in speed skating or figure skating.
Kate Summerhayes, who will be representing Team GB in freestyle skiing in her third Winter Olympics in Beijing, learned to ski when she was six at the Sheffield Ski Village, which was only ten minutes away from her home. There are certainly geographic patterns in team membership – for example the GB curling and Nordic skiing teams have traditionally been dominated by Scottish athletes. Is this connected to there being better facilities and infrastructure for these sports in Scotland? A lack of winter sport facilities in the UK could certainly be hindering our prospects and the types of facilities available may limit the range of our participation.
Interestingly, Team GB normally only enter athletes into the short track speed skating event and not the long track events. This could be a consequence of limited long track speed skating facilities.
Money and role models
Finance is also strongly related to opportunity – participation in winter sports often requires overseas travel and expensive equipment. At the upper ends lottery funding and sponsorship is available, but the financial aspects may prevent potential athletes starting a winter sport. Learning to ski as a child, for example, is a privilege largely reserved for children whose parents have the income to afford skiing holidays.
Finally, one of the most important factors influencing why an athlete might move into a winter sport is role models. Medals won in the past four Winter Olympics in skeleton have certainly boosted the profile of the sport and may encourage more athletes to consider taking it up.
Any British athletes gaining medal honours in Beijing will certainly be ambassadors for winter sports and have the potential to inspire a generation to take to the slopes, ice rink or track.
The nature of competitive sport involves athletes putting themselves in high-pressure situations in which they are being constantly appraised, and Beijing is no different.
Subsequently, it is unsurprising that the areas of stress and anxiety are two of the most popular when looking at sport from an academic perspective. While all athletes experience anxiety to some level when they perform, either at a cognitive (mental worry) or somatic (physiological symptoms) level, it is the interpretation of those emotions that can dictate the influence they will have on their performance.
The physiological symptoms associated with anxiety can range from elevated heart rate or sweaty palms, to the classic butterflies in the stomach. The key for an elite athlete is to get those butterflies to fly in formation. The cause of this anxiety is that athletes are having to perform in “appraisal”-driven environments. Will they be good enough? Will they let the team down? Will they remember the set moves? The list of criteria is extensive.
And when we look at winter sports another variable is thrown into the mix – risk.
The Luge has been described as the fastest sport on ice, skiing sees racers get up to speeds close to 100kph, and the ski jump and snowcross carry their own unique elements of risk. Which raises the question: are the performers in these sports less concerned with the appraisal issue and more concerned about staying alive?
Without doubt the psychology related to overcoming fear is an interesting area to consider, and perhaps no one is a better example of this than four times British Olympian Chemmy Alcott (pictured above). Alcott retired after the Sochi 2014 games but in her career suffered 42 broken bones– including her neck – and without doubt knows the risk involved in her chosen sport. The surgeon responsible for her being able to compete in the Sochi games quite bluntly told her prior to the surgery that saved her career: “There are two operations which may be necessary. Either you’ll never ski again or there’s a fraction of a chance you’ll make the Olympics.” The miracle is that Alcott made the Sochi Olympics, and finished in the top 20 in the women’s downhill skiing .
It’s true Alcott did experience anxiety or in her case something she terms fear. “I respect fear, fear is me caring about my result,” she has said . The terminology Alcott chose to describe her feelings regarding skiing imply she was fully aware of the risks involved but she chose to channel this to her advantage.
This concept of interpretation is further supported by half-pipe snowboarder Elena Hight who said dealing with fear is more mental than physical . “Fear is a very interesting thing,” she said. “It can be a very good motivator but can also be an inhibitor. It just depends on how you go about dealing with it, and I think in our sport you have to push yourself to be able to progress, you have to walk that fine line of using it as a motivator and not letting it inhibit you.” Hight like Alcott is an example of an athlete who was able to channel her emotions in a positive way becoming the first snowboarder to land a double backside alley-oop rodeo!
Many will ask how Alcott found the courage to step back out onto the competitive scene after such horrendous injuries that left her with a body so scarred that her nephews use it as a track for their toy trains. For these high-risk athletes, it has become something of an occupational hazard. As Cohen, senior sport psychologist for the US Olympic Committee has said : “That return to play after an injury requires confidence when an athlete questions whether they have what it takes to get back there.” This leads us to consider another psychological perspective, something that is a necessity for all athletes to possess – mental toughness.
Sports psychologists Peter Clough, Keith Earle and David Sewell identified four components of “mental toughness “: control, commitment, challenge and confidence. They conclude that mentally tough athletes have “a high sense of self-belief and unshakable faith that they can control their own destiny and can remain relatively unaffected by adversity”. This is how athletes can come to have such positive interpretations of fear.
While Alcott has retired from ski racing, there is a real hope of success for a British skier at Beijing. Dave Ryding (pictured above) is coming off his first world cup win in Kitzbuhel last month. Ryding has prided himself on his hard work, discipline and determination and his ability to keep focused on the task in hand, he is able to use this focus to control the pressure he faces and control his emotions.
All eyes will be fixed on Ryding on February 16th as he takes on the slalom competition and his years of experience should allow him to cope with any anxiety felt at altitude.
On 4th February 2022 the opening ceremony for the 24th Winter Olympic Games will take place in the iconic Beijing National Stadium, also known as ‘The Birds Nest’. The Games will be opened by President Xi Jinping and will signal Beijing becoming the first city to host both the summer and winter versions of the Olympic Games. The Games will run until 20th February and there will be 109 events in 15 disciplines covering 7 sports.
These Winter Olympics are not without controversary. When the games were awarded to Beijing the former IOC President Jacques Rogge stated that staging the winter Games in China would do a lot to help improve human rights and social relations in the country. However, recent events such as the dismantling of democracy in Hong Kong, the persistent persecution of Uighur Muslims, and the troubling case of tennis player, Peng Shuai, have illustrated that this has been far from the case.
Alongside the hosting of the 2022 Football World Cup in Qatar, which also has a questionable human rights record, questions have been asked about the integrity of and motivation behind the awarding processes for major events. Protests have been restricted to diplomatic boycotts but Andy Anson, the chief executive of British Olympic Association (BOA) has confirmed that any British athletes who wanted to protest against human rights issues would be supported by officials.
What is taking place and where?
The Birds Nest will not host any events but will be the site of the opening and closing ceremonies, and is one of several venues from 2008 that will be reused as part of the sustainability agenda of these Games. There are three zones where the events will take place – the Beijing, Yanqing, and Zhangjiakou zones. Beijing will host events at its aquatic centre, including skating, ice hockey and curling. The sliding centre in the Yanqing zone will be home to spectacular speed events such as bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton and also Alpine ski events. The Zhangjiakou zone is where freestyle skiing, cross country skiing, biathlon and ski jumping will take place.
There are seven new events, designed to appeal to female and younger audiences. They include mixed team events in short-track skating, ski jumping and snowboard cross, as well as freestyle big air skiing.
What are the chances of medals for Team GB?
Because the Winter Olympics take place on snow or ice the spectacle of skiers, skaters, bobsleighers taking on the elements offers more uncertainty and excitement than their summer version. However, the UK is not a country that is known for its winter sports. Training and competitions usually take place in venues across Europe – so do we have any chances to improve on the best performance of 5 medals at Sochi (2014) and PyeongChang (2018)?
UK Sport have provided increased funding since 2018 based on the performances at those Games and have set a target of between 3-7 medals from around 50 athletes who will be competing. But where will these medals come from?
Bobsleigh events always attract attention and in these Games Greg Rutherford, the 2012 Olympic Long Jump champion, will be attempting to become the first Team GB athlete to become a medallist at both winter and summer Games. However, any medals are potentially more likely to come from the other British bobsleighs. At the recent World Cup in Latvia, Mica McNeill and Adele Nicholl won a silver medal in the two-person sled as did Brad Hall and Nick Gleeson. At these Games, Brad Hall will also pilot a four-man crew that also includes Nick Gleeson as brakeman. Greg Rutherford will be a pusher in the other crew piloted by Lamin Deen.
There are also high expectations for snowboarders Charlotte Bankes and Katie Ormerod. Charlotte Bankes competed for France in PyeongChang, won two events at the World Cup, while Katie Ormerod was fourth in the slopestyle event.
Will there be more curling success?
For me the Olympic Games are about becoming obsessed with sports that I have not previously watched, or thought I would be interested in. One such sport is Curling, which has its origins in Scotland, and is one where British athletes have enjoyed success. In fact, Great Britain won the men’s event in 1924 and were the holders of that Olympic title until it was reintroduced into the Olympics in 1998.
The most recent gold medal was when Rhona Martin’s team dramatically won gold in 2002 with the last stone of the competition. In 2014 Eve Muirhead was the skip of Team GB’s women’s curling team who won a bronze medal and after a poor performance in 2018 she is back as skip with three new teammates. Bruce Mouat is the skip of an all-new men’s team and also competes in the mixed doubles with Jennifer Dodds.
One to look out for
Finally, one other British born athlete to look out for is Benjamin Alexander who will become the first athlete to represent Jamaica in an Alpine skiing event. He has an interesting background as he is an engineering graduate and a globetrotting DJ. His mother is English, and his father is Jamaica but most importantly he is mentored by Dudley Stokes, who was the pilot of the Jamaican bobsleigh immortalised in the film Cool Runnings. He has only been skiing since 2015 and will be competing in the daunting giant slalom event.
While it may be tough for Team GB to better its medal tally from 2018 there will be plenty of top-class performances to enjoy and we must feel gratitude that these Games are actually going ahead during this global pandemic.
“Mum and dad trained as teachers, so I was always pushed in school. Even when football opportunities came, I was always pushed academically because the average length of a footballer’s career is seven years.
I’ve been lucky enough to be in it for seven years now. Hopefully, I’ll be able to play until I’m 35, but most players have to work so I always thought I need to plan for my future.”
After completing a BTEC in sport, Dominic’s older brother encouraged him to undertake a degree with the university.
“My brother had actually started his degree with the OU a couple of years before me. He said that the course was easy to understand and worked well around football.
We travel a lot, sometimes twice a week for away games, but even in a hotel room you can do your work. I like the fact that I had the flexibility to get on and do my work on flights or at different clubs but keep up with my workload.
My brother’s degree was partly funded by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA). They provide financial support to young players which is brilliant – it pushes players to do something in education. When it came time for me to do my degree, university fees had gone up but the PFA provided a bursary, which made it a lot more affordable as a young player.”
At first Dominic found the course challenging but found his feet in his final year and really excelled.
“Initially, I didn’t engage with my tutors or get involved in the student community, so I struggled for the first half of a six-year course. In one assignment I received 14 out 100 which made me think, I need to understand where I’m going wrong.
I started to engage with my tutors and other students, it made the experience more enjoyable. In my last year, I finally understood how to structure my essays and assignments – the penny dropped. I was averaging 70 per cent in my results.”
Dominic didn’t experience the traditional graduation ceremony as he completed his degree during lockdown, but it was still a special moment for him and his loved ones.
“I organised a small celebration at home. I hired a photographer to take photos of me in my robes. It was a special moment – my girlfriend, my dog, and my mum and dad were there to help me celebrate.
All my hard work has paid off, which was a big moment for not only me but also for my parents. I would have loved to go to graduation, but we’ve all missed out on something this year, and I was just pleased to get my degree.”
Now with a degree under his belt Dominic is hopeful for the future and plans to go into business after football.
“Football is my passion – I still have dreams of playing in the Premiership. But with my degree, I hope that in time I can set up a business, maybe something to do with football, so that I have a career long after my days on the pitch.”
