UPDATE ... 05/04/20 - The names have been chosen!
Further to my recent post, six numbers have now been picked by two of the country’s finest netballers, Lindsay Keable and Emily Gulvin, and the king of the netball podcast Andy Lamb … who was good enough to answer the call for the final selections.
The numbers that follow each represent a member of a current Super League squad, and my “challenge” is to try and meet one/some/all of them over the next … well I was going to say “few months”, but it will probably be “year”.
The reason? Quite simply, since 2014 I have been undertaking numerous challenges and sharing my own mental health experiences to try and show that it is fine to talk openly about your feelings or to ask for help if you are struggling.
I became involved with netball after Prem 1 side Grangetown allowed me to display a total lack of talent as a goal shooter to complete one of the early challenges; and I’ve been part of the club ever since, writing match reports and doing post-match player interviews for local radio (I’m as bad at interviewing as I was shooting!).
I’ve travelled to a few Super League games and it’s clear that as well as the competition providing fantastic entertainment, the players are more than just elite athletes … they are ambassadors for their sport, and role models to so many young fans.
So many of my challenges have required me to ask for help – often from people that I have never met before – but I want to show that even if it’s not immediately obvious, there is a powerful link between asking to meet a group of netballers, and that first time I sat down and wept in front of my GP…
The six players chosen completely at random are Jasmin Odeogberin, Hannah Joseph, Kira Rothwell, Sigi Burger, Emily Gulvin (who actually picked herself – how unlucky can you get!) and Laura Malcolm.
The aim is that once we have returned to some sort of normality, I’ll be able to get in touch with each of these young athletes, in the hope that it might be possible to meet - wherever, and whenever that may be.
I may have had a mild but chronic mental health condition for over 40 years, but even though I still find “life” difficult at times, I have gained so much strength from sharing my experiences and from the love and support of those closest to me. These are such testing times … please don’t ever be afraid to reach out if you are struggling.
Take care and thanks for reading x.
The numbers that follow each represent a member of a current Super League squad, and my “challenge” is to try and meet one/some/all of them over the next … well I was going to say “few months”, but it will probably be “year”.
The reason? Quite simply, since 2014 I have been undertaking numerous challenges and sharing my own mental health experiences to try and show that it is fine to talk openly about your feelings or to ask for help if you are struggling.
I became involved with netball after Prem 1 side Grangetown allowed me to display a total lack of talent as a goal shooter to complete one of the early challenges; and I’ve been part of the club ever since, writing match reports and doing post-match player interviews for local radio (I’m as bad at interviewing as I was shooting!).
I’ve travelled to a few Super League games and it’s clear that as well as the competition providing fantastic entertainment, the players are more than just elite athletes … they are ambassadors for their sport, and role models to so many young fans.
So many of my challenges have required me to ask for help – often from people that I have never met before – but I want to show that even if it’s not immediately obvious, there is a powerful link between asking to meet a group of netballers, and that first time I sat down and wept in front of my GP…
The six players chosen completely at random are Jasmin Odeogberin, Hannah Joseph, Kira Rothwell, Sigi Burger, Emily Gulvin (who actually picked herself – how unlucky can you get!) and Laura Malcolm.
The aim is that once we have returned to some sort of normality, I’ll be able to get in touch with each of these young athletes, in the hope that it might be possible to meet - wherever, and whenever that may be.
I may have had a mild but chronic mental health condition for over 40 years, but even though I still find “life” difficult at times, I have gained so much strength from sharing my experiences and from the love and support of those closest to me. These are such testing times … please don’t ever be afraid to reach out if you are struggling.
Take care and thanks for reading x.
challenge no.117 ... 02/04/20
It’s difficult to put into words, how much life has changed for all of us over the past few weeks. Everything that was “normal” as recently as early last month has now become an aspiration … family and friends have become faces on a computer screen, or words in a text message; and the awful reality of this virus is glaringly obvious to all but the most selfish and ignorant.
I work in the NHS; the tiniest cog in an enormous wheel. My “office” is now a desk in the back room; I will admit it’s quite a struggle, but I’m all-too-well aware that I am also incredibly fortunate.
Long hours at home offer an almost unavoidable opportunity for thinking – not an ideal situation for anyone who has any form of mental health condition. I have been reflecting on the fact that it took me fifty years to realise that I had the ability and strength to do something positive, and share my personal experiences to raise awareness of the importance of talking about difficult subjects and being able to ask for help if you are struggling.
Most of you will know that I’ve completed over 100 “challenges”, many of which have required me to ask for the support of others; and an increasing number of which have involved the sport of netball: from venturing onto the court in the vain hope of appearing athletic, to travelling several hundred miles to meet a number of the biggest names in the sport.
I was intending to bring the challenges to an end, but when this is all over, the world is likely to be a very different place as everyone comes to terms with the physical, emotional and financial strain of however many months this lasts. For that reason, I’m going to look to the future and start planning to repeat the “meet a number of randomly-chosen netballers” challenge.
Here is the story of how I met Rachel Dunn, Maryka Holtzhausen, Lindsay Keable, Tamsin Greenway and Kathryn Turner; as I mentioned in the original blog, outstanding athletes and charming young women. I have a new list of 50 current Super League players (five from each club); I’ve used the Excel RAND() function to put the names in a new and completely random order and re-numbered from 1-50.
I’ll ask three people to pick two numbers each and as soon as it becomes possible, I will try to combine mental health with elite sport; an ageing former average cricketer with some of the finest current netballers in the land. The players may be different, but the message remains the same. Don’t ever be afraid of talking about how you feel, and if you are struggling, it is always fine to ask for help.
Take care, stay safe, stay strong … and I’ll look forward to seeing you on the other side.
I work in the NHS; the tiniest cog in an enormous wheel. My “office” is now a desk in the back room; I will admit it’s quite a struggle, but I’m all-too-well aware that I am also incredibly fortunate.
Long hours at home offer an almost unavoidable opportunity for thinking – not an ideal situation for anyone who has any form of mental health condition. I have been reflecting on the fact that it took me fifty years to realise that I had the ability and strength to do something positive, and share my personal experiences to raise awareness of the importance of talking about difficult subjects and being able to ask for help if you are struggling.
Most of you will know that I’ve completed over 100 “challenges”, many of which have required me to ask for the support of others; and an increasing number of which have involved the sport of netball: from venturing onto the court in the vain hope of appearing athletic, to travelling several hundred miles to meet a number of the biggest names in the sport.
I was intending to bring the challenges to an end, but when this is all over, the world is likely to be a very different place as everyone comes to terms with the physical, emotional and financial strain of however many months this lasts. For that reason, I’m going to look to the future and start planning to repeat the “meet a number of randomly-chosen netballers” challenge.
Here is the story of how I met Rachel Dunn, Maryka Holtzhausen, Lindsay Keable, Tamsin Greenway and Kathryn Turner; as I mentioned in the original blog, outstanding athletes and charming young women. I have a new list of 50 current Super League players (five from each club); I’ve used the Excel RAND() function to put the names in a new and completely random order and re-numbered from 1-50.
I’ll ask three people to pick two numbers each and as soon as it becomes possible, I will try to combine mental health with elite sport; an ageing former average cricketer with some of the finest current netballers in the land. The players may be different, but the message remains the same. Don’t ever be afraid of talking about how you feel, and if you are struggling, it is always fine to ask for help.
Take care, stay safe, stay strong … and I’ll look forward to seeing you on the other side.