NOVEMBER 2008:
Hi Jords here been a little while since I last wrote a journal entry but not much has been happening over the summer.

Since the British I have just been slowly rebuilding my strength and fitness. I took a bad tumble before the British and damaged my ham string and chipped the bone in my elbow so had almost 10 weeks without doing any real work and limited conditioning.

Went on holiday to St Tropez which was fantastic and I really relaxed and took it easy for 2 weeks got a fab tan but couldn’t do any water sports or jet biking which was tough, needed to keep fit but couldn’t do swimming so had to do light jogging for 2-3 miles a day in the 30 degree heat and cycling every other day to keep fit without over using the ham string and not pulling on my arm injury, the last thing I wanted was to get back to the gym unfit with an injury.

Back in the gym it has been a slow steady build up to get fit and then put routines back together. I had the 1st commonwealth trial for Scotland and selection for Northern Europeans in October and had only just started skills 2 weeks before.

Trials went well and back to the gym to prepare for Northern Europeans I have a new beam routine and have been working double front of bars but its just not ready to compete just yet so will have to wait till next competition to put that out. Training and preparation has gone well whilst not upgraded routines managed to get them back to where they were before and after this weekend can start upgrading some of my moves.

I am pretty excited about Northern Europeans as it is a really good competition and I haven’t been able to do it for the last couple of years, the girls in the team are really supportive and the coaches are great especially as they are not my normal coaches and I have only had a 4 day training camp in October to get used to them. But both Sandy and Daniella have been really supportive and have made me feel part of the team.

On Thursday morning and my first flight is to Glasgow it’s at 7am ughh I hate mornings. Then Glasgow to Iceland and a free afternoon on Thursday some light stretching and maybe a visit to the hot springs.

Friday is podium training then Team and all around on Saturday, and the Apparatus finals on Sunday

Will keep you updated on how I get on fingers crossed for a clean competition.

Thanks for visiting my site please leave a message on my guestbook

Jords xxxx

SUMMER 2008
After a mixed team competition it was back to the gym for preparations for the British. I knew my routines were okay but needed to be solid and with less than 4 weeks to prepare it was work work work in the gym.

The Wednesday after the British during training I missed my toe tkatchev and landed on my cox bone and jarred all my back disaster I couldn’t train for a full week. The following week I very slowly started training again and by Saturday routines were coming together nicely. I had the county championships in Rushcliffe on the Sunday but we decided to play it safe and only do bars, during warm up it just wasn’t going to plan and during the competition I completely lost my bearings during my toe tkatchev fell on top of the bar on my back and toppled backwards landing really awkwardly, it was only 2 weeks till the British and I was injured again.

I was so upset and in agony luckily I was seeing the physio on the Monday and Nick the EIS doctor came in to see me he said definitely no competitions for me that weekend but if I could live with the pain and get through routines I could still do the British the following week although I would be very sore it wouldn’t do any more harm to my back. I was pretty gutted as it was the Scottish that weekend and I hadn’t been to Scotland in over 18 months due to squad commitments and injury.
I knew I had to be really careful over the next few days and do a little bit at a time, it was like taking 2 steps forward and 3 steps back.
I didn’t do floor or full beam until 2 days before British as I couldn’t risk the hard landings, and was vaulting onto soft mats.

Friday podium training British.
Routines went okay back pretty stiff but holding up. Vault was not quite going to plan so we decided to play it safe with a straight instead of a full for competition. Beam not as solid as it should have been and floor hasn’t been upgraded in over 18 months.

Saturday competition.
I was really nervous going into the competition, I was in round one and up against some excellent juniors, I knew it was going to be tough my aim was to go clean and stay in the top 6 to keep my squad place but if I could medal then what an achievement. This was probably the worst prepared for a competition that I could possibly have been and in warm up I felt sick with nerves, Clare and Ian both tried to keep me calm and talk me through my routines to keep me focussed, I knew that if I messed up I could lose everything that I have worked so hard for over the years.

As we went to get changed I thought this is it pull yourself together you can do this.
March on 1st piece vault, nice safe clean vault, onto Bars. During warm up it just wasn’t going to plan I kept missing my toe tkatchev, Claire pulled me to one side and said right take it out, don’t worry about it just get through the routine without it. Clean bars, not as tidy as I would have liked but a nice 13.6 score. Beam and my flic half had been giving me trouble since I hurt my back but I knew that I had to push for a clean beam. A few wobbles then disaster a fall on flic half not a great beam but just floor to go. Nice clean floor but the difficulty just isn’t there so a fairly low score there. Now I just had to sit it out and wait for round two. At last presentations 5th place I was really happy that I had made the top 6 but disappointed that I hadn’t done my best but a good result especially with the lack of preparation. Niamh had done really well with bronze and nic so deserved to win gold she was awesome and had a fantastic competition.
Apparatus finals and I had bars and beam. Beam was clean but wobbly, bars stuck and managed a bronze on bars which I was so proud off.

It’s the summer now and holiday training just starting. We had a lovely send of for Becky and lots of hugs for Laura I was so sad for Laura being so close to that dream that we all have and losing out due to injury. But she will be back for 2012 fitter and stronger.

I am off to St Tropez for some shopping and relaxing but I cant afford to take too long of training so will be doing all my conditioning and strengthening exercises while I am away so that when I get back in the gym in august I am ready to start upgrading my tumbles for the start of the season.

Have a great summer please leave a message

Jords xxxx

Getting fit for the Junior European trials was tough, I had only 4 weeks to get fit and put routines together. The first trial didn't’t quite go according to plan but I manage watered down routines on all 4 pieces, we then had a series of control competitions for the GB France Match. I was quite pleased with my performance at the competition I was still not fully fit but pushed myself really hard and at the end of the competition Adi told me that I was still in the running for the European team and it was back to Lilleshall, whilst I was really excited about Europeans it was my birthday that week and we had a final control competition on the morning of my 15th Birthday.

Friday morning I woke up it was really sad to be away from home on my birthday but I only had to train today and half day Saturday then we were home for 1 day. Control competition went okay, Adi lined us up and said he still hadn’t decided on the junior team I was really down that day. The girls were great they had all signed a jumper with messages and I got lots of cards from them all as well, it wasn’t the same as being home but it cheered me up.

On Monday we went back to lilleshall and had another control competition still no team selection then on Tuesday Adi called me over from beam and said I had made the team I was so happy, being injured is so hard coming back from injury is really tough you have to focus and push and push but at the same time not move on too quickly or you get injured again and its back to rehabilitation again.

Going to the Europeans was great but when Adi told me he wasn’t competing me I was so upset, I had worked really hard and my bars and beam were going great in training, but that’s all part of gymnastics and disappointment and knock backs are part and parcel of the sport.

Back from Europeans it was upgrading routines to get ready for British Teams as defending champions we all knew it was going to be tough but we also knew we were well prepared thanks to all the coaches at Nott’s, we had done so many routines over and over and control competitions that we felt ready to defend our title.

The day of teams arrived and warm up was good except vault, I was fine right up until 5 minutes before march on then I got really nervous this was the first time in 12 months that I was fit and back in competition at Guildford, last year I had taken the highest score trophy on beam. This year I just wanted to go clean and have a good competition to help my team mates defend our title.

Vault didn’t go according to plan and I fell. I was determined to put it behind me bars had been going well all week but the Guildford bars were different to ours and I knew pulling off such a big routine was going to be tough. Disaster - toe full came out early and I fell off. Chalked up got back on bars re did toe full and rest of routine felt good and it stuck all 3 releases. Beam went clean but was wobbly, then to floor I haven’t upgraded my floor in 2 years due to injury just wanted a nice clean floor to build on and I got that I was pretty pleased with my floor.
My team mates hadn’t been as clean and sharp as we normally are as I think nerves were there for us all especially as it was the first Olympic trial for Becky and Laura. We came 2nd which is still excellent but we wanted first, we will just have to work harder and be clean and tight next year - watch out Liverpool.

It’s back to gym and more hard work - routines routines routines, got Counties in a couple of weeks at Rushcliffe, then the Scottish Championships then the British in only 4 weeks time can’t wait.

Wish Me Luck
Jords xxxxx