If you didn't know, we're sponsoring Alize Clough who's on the Great Britain Ultimate Frisbee team. They're in Japan right now, here's what she has to say...
"After 9 months of a GB selection process and then months of
weight, plyometric and sprint training, plus countless training sessions and
weekends away (usually involving driving up and down the country to train with
the rest of the GB Women) and finally it is time to board the plane to the
World Championships which only comes around once every 4 years.
The final trip to the gym was almost nostalgic. I reminisced
on the first time I went in, not knowing what a split squat or single-leg
deadlift was, and had looked around apprehensively at the seasoned gym-goers.
There was definitely some pride in what had been achieved in those months
(thanks coach Jools for our fitness program).
One gym goer kindly commented on
me being 'strong' and asked "Are you an athlete?". This made me
smile, and I answered "Kind of, I'm training for my sport". I then went
on to explain what Ultimate Frisbee was, and he was fascinated, especially at
the level of training involved.
On top of working a 9-5 job, this season training for the
Great Britain Women's Ultimate Frisbee team has been a glimpse of the life of a
professional athlete. Particularly the taking care of your body aspect. Eating
healthily, sleeping well, being busy almost every day with training.
I realised the importance and benefits of things like icing
swollen muscles, dynamic warm-ups, and stretching. My sponsors at Align Chiropractic, who I saw
once a week, kept me in good shape. Treating niggles, loosening my joints after
strenuous weight sessions or weekend trainings, and ensuring my back was kept
in line and stable, so it could continue to undergo the training program to get
me to this point.
Thank you so much Align!
Align do back-checks free of charge (which is what I
initially did, and uncovered my mild scoliosis), check them out.
Tomorrow, with a couple of team-mates we board the plane to
Osaka, Japan. We are going in to the tournament as 7th seed, but have hopes of
putting all our training into action and coming back with some 'bling'. We are
very excited to play the best teams in the world, including teams such as USA,
Canada, Australia, Japan, and to rematch against Germany, who we lost to at the
European Championships in 2011.
Excitement is at a high. Between team-mates we are sending
out last minute motivational quotes, must-pack items, things to see in Japan,
and there is a huge buzz in the air.
To follow the tournament, and see how we do between 7-14th
July, check out the GB Women progress on this website: http://wugc2012.org/
Thanks for reading and your support,
Alizé Clough"
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