yesterday at Wimbledon!!!

We were v fortunate to get tickets yesterday for Wimbledon.  Sadly not centre Court .....but No I.  We watched the women's doubles semi finals.  Nevertheless really excellent as was the whole day.  Full of excitement and great atmosphere particularly on Henman Hill.  The weather was particularly a challenge....having secured really good seats we found we were then exposed to 24 degree temperatures in open sun.  How people are able to feel comfortable sitting there under these conditions is a mystery.

Apart from excellent tennis you can't help but observe the behaviour of people around you.

You are a captive audience, and although mesmerised by the performance of the players some of the observers seem to feel that they need to work alongside them by eating for Britain.  To our left was a couple of young women in their late 20's.  One v slim and the other was considerably overweight wearing thick leggings, a top and .....a wool cardigan! One of the matches lasted approx an hour during which they ......had a Pimms,  2 sandwiches, a box of Waitrose strawberries each , a giant pack of crisps each .....then a rest, loo break ...on return a choc ice-cream each  followed by popcorn each, bottle of Coke each.........

The larger lady suddenly said she was too hot and didn't  feel good  and the duo made their exit.  No wonder the first aid supporters have a problem at these events!

It opened my eyes to the people who have the considerable challenge of supporting us and protecting us.....................when will people learn not to do things to excess and be a drain on resources!!!

Against All Odds

How many of us watched Andy Murray yesterday and experienced a complete range of emotions? No doubt Andy experienced them too,  although we were only participating - he was involved!

When he lost the first 2 sets I am afraid I lost heart.

We have all been here before, however he somehow managed to control his nerves and the motivation and drive kicked in and he turned things around by winning next 2 sets and then having a truly magnificent 5th set with Verdasco, which ultimately made Andy the overall winner.  Well over 3 hours of gruelling combat. Each player going for every shot and not throwing in the towel!!

What struck me so much was the admiration you have for someone who has true talent, a competitive instinct, a hunger to succeed and someone who can overcome the human frailties to take them to their goal.  Now Murray may or may not win Wimbledon but he must be satisfied that he has given an excellent account of himself even at this stage.  All those years of dedication and endless practise have paid off.

If only we could generate these qualities and aspiration with the young of today. For quite a few years now it has been seen as being unfair to others if someone succeeds and is perceived to be "better" than others. This approach may have denied some raw talent the opportunity to demonstrate what they can really achieve.  I am thinking of schools who would not allow a competitive aspect to sports day.  You do have a feeling that the tide is turning and with role models like these tennis players maybe we can start to instil these values.

I really believe that everyone has a talent, an aptitude, a skill which can be nurtured and developed.  What really is required is parental care and attention to provide support along with teachers.  We do have to move away from the celebrity culture which seems to promote a fantasy existence which is unattainable. Instead concentrate on identifying the strengths of youngsters and provide a motivational environment where they can thrive!