Journal
31st August 2010 - Life after the Europeans
Hey guyssss,
It doesn't feel like two minutes since my last post but a lot has happened since then. Since the Europeans i have been to barcelona, got injured =( , had a great holiday in corfu and i'm now building my way back up and getting ready for the World championships / commonwealth games which are both in October later this year.
My first international competition after the europeans was the JOAQUIM BLUME competition which was in Barcelona. I had never been to barcelona before so i was really looking forward to going and felt ready to compete AA again. This competition was a new competition to me and I competed for GB girls while Sam Hunter competed for the GB boys.
We both went out to compete with no expectations and we both had a great competition, i finished in 3rd place and Sam went on to take the Gold for the boys. The day after the competition we got to into Barcelona to see some sites and go shopping and can you believe that i got spotted by one of my fans in the middle of Barcelona !!!
As soon as i got back from barcelona i went straight back to the gym and it was time to get ready for my favourite competition of the year the BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIPS. Unfortunately just 3 weeks before whilst i was preparing my new tumble on floor which i will hopefully be able to compete in the next few weeks, i rolled my ankle and the hopes i had of retaining my title as British senior champion went straight out the window.
It was really hard to accept at first, not being able to compete and not being able to wear my awesome new leotards but then at the same time all the pressure of having to retain my titles had disappeared which was kind of nice. I then realised that it was kind of a blessing in disguise and i could start my preparation for the world championships ahead of schedule because of it. I then decided to take a holiday, i had a fabulous time in Corfu with my family and by the time i arrived home i felt so ready to get going again.
Since then i have been through a long rehabilitation programme for my ankle, worked a lot on improving my fitness and have had fun trying out some new skills which i'm still working on now. Some of them i have recently competed and some of them are still in progress.
My most recent competition was the Great Britain v Switzerland international in gateshead and that was my first AA competition since my ankle injury. My target was to prove that i'm back and although i missed out on the british champs because of my injury, i'm now fit and ready for action. I didn't compete my full routines and i know still have a lot of work to do before october but i'm ready for the challenge.
The next stage of journey starts in a weeks time as i begin a 5-6 week training camp with the girls at lilleshall as part of the preparation for the worlds and commonwealths.
I almost forgot to mention my new leotard collection with milano-pro sport =) which i'm so excited about. I love designing leotards and once the opportunity came around to design my own collection i just had to say yes. It took me so long to design them and it feels amazing to know that my dream of having my own collection one day is finally real. I hope you all like them !!
Well that's pretty much everything covered for now, thanks again for all your support.
Luv Becky xoxoxo
5th May 2010- EUROPEANS
Hi guys,
Well i'm not sure where to start !! shall i start with us making history in qualifications and finishing in 3rd place or Beth retaining her titles as double european champion or the fact the boys won a team silver and the juniors boys dominated the whole championships, oh ye and one more thing we are the 2010 EUROPEAN TEAM SILVER MEDALLISTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You don't no how good it feels to be able to say that. I finally have my first european medal and we made history all in one weekend, I still can't quite believe it myself. I think i had the BEST competition of my life on the day of team finals and still am amazed by what we archived.
Before we went to the europeans there were quite a few ups and downs at the camp. I picked up a hip injury, we lost Jenni Pinches through a foot injury and right at the last minute we lost Danusia due to a hamstring injury. This allowed Jocelyn hunt to step in the team and as we left for the europeans we could never have predicted that with the team we had a silver medal was possible.
After the qualifications day we were all amazed at the outcome but we knew that some other countries had mistakes and we all wished that we could have had the medals there and then. Little did we know that two days later we had the best competition ever lying just ahead of us and that the silver medal was going to end up around our necks.
On the day of team finals we all felt pretty good going into the competition and we knew we had nothing to loose. Our warm ups went well and we knew we just had to go out there and enjoy it. We started on vault and we did have a slight mix up with the order and whilst i was chilling with my ipod in i was meant to be getting ready to vault. As soon as i realised what was going on i didn't have much time to think about what i was about to do and it ended with me doing my vault to STICK !! as soon as that had happened i could just feel a good competition was coming our way.
Next we went to bars and the whole team stepped it up a level and produced some fantastic routines. After bars i had no idea where the team was lying but we went to beam feeling confident. Once Nicole and Niamh had stuck their routines i knew that i had to keep it going and the routine i was about to do could depend on where the team ends up. As i waited for the light to turn green i just thought to myself; "everyone is counting on me now and i'm not coming off this beam". I just had to stay calm and just do what i train every day and that's exactly what i did !!! I think i did the best routine of my life and when it mattered the most. I can't even explain how i felt after that routine, i was soooo happy and i knew that i had done my part for the team and it was all left in the hands on BETH, NIAMH and JOS.
When we marched over to floor i looked at the score board and saw we were in 2nd place with a pretty strong piece to go and couldn't quite believe what i had seen. I had never been so nervous for my team mates and as the went through floor that medal was getting closer and closer to us. Jos, Niamh and Beth all did amazing floors to finish the competition and leaving our team in 2nd place, ahead of the reigning champions ROMANIA !!!
We were all so happy and it really was just the best feeling ever and it still hasn't sunk in yet. On apparatus finals day we were all still buzzing and we just went out to enjoy it. We all competed well and the crowd were amazing.
Right now i'm back home and trying to prepare for the British team championships, which are a lot closer then i thought. It's been pretty hard getting back to routines after such a high at the europeans but we are all looking forward to it.
Well that's all for now from me,
Speak soon
Becky xxx
18th April 2010
Hi,
I can't believe how time is flying by, it doesn't seem long since my last post and looking back its been 4 months already. I have had a really busy 4 months, lots of ups and downs and quite a few competitions but overall things seem to be moving in the right direction. It feels so good to be back as a team again and we are all excited for the European championships that are just around the corner.
I have had 4 competitions this year so far and hopefully the Europeans will be my next. My favourite competition this year has probably been the Paris world cup. Just the whole experience of the competition and getting to see all the gymnasts again just added a bit more excitement to the competition. Over this last week I have been at Lillishall for national squad training and really working as hard as I can so we can try and archive the best results possible at the Europeans. Its so great just seeing all the girls again and watching how everyone is becoming stronger and stronger gives us a lot of confidence leading up to the championships.
Besides the gym i am trying to fit in all of my 6th form work which is quite hard but i'm sure it will be worth it in the end. I also have some really exciting news that i can't wait to tell you all but it's a secret for now !!!
I don't really have much more to say but i will try and keep you posted throughout the Europeans and if not after.
Speak soon
Becky xoxxoxox
4th January 2010
Hey guys
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!! I can't believe its 2010 already, that means its been two years since Beijing and only two more to go until 2012 !! time has seriously flown by. I hope you all had a good christmas and new year, I defiantly enjoyed the break and am now ready to get moving again for this coming year.
Over the past few months i have been concentrating a little more on my 6 form work, driving and have been playing with some new skills and now i'm back and ready for action. I recently took a look at this years schedule and boy am i going to be a busy bee but i'm ready for it all to start happening. Looking back at 2009 i didn't have the best year, there were a few highs and probably more lows but i can defiantly say i learnt a lot that year and hopefully i can turn this year around and show everyone what i can really do.
My goal for this year is just do my best and i'm super excited at the fact that this year we are back in teams !!! I honestly missed going around with a team in 2009 and it was a whole new experience going out alone. I just can't wait to be all back together again as team GB and to have everyone there altogether supporting each other again.
The first main competition of 2010 is going to be the european championships which are being held in BIRMINGHAM and yes we do have another home country event which makes it even more exciting but before all that starts i have a couple of national camps and some other competitions first. My first competition of 2010 is going to be the English championships which is at the beginning of march and i possibly have a few international competitions after that, all in preparation for the european championships and to just get me used to competing again.
I think that's everything for now but i will keep you all updated if any news comes my way.
Speak soon
Becky xxx
21st October 2009
Hi everyone
First of all i want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that came down to the 02 last week to support me and the rest of team GB at the World championships. I had a fantastic time at the world champs in London and even though my competition didn't quite turn out the way I had hoped, i gained a lot of experience from it and i'm ready to start over again. After the competition i was really disappointed and quite upset but i have to thank my fans for helping to cheer me up again.
Whilst we were at the world championships we trained at the David Beckham Academy which was absolutely amazing. The football pitches were transformed into world class training halls for all the gymnasts and i really couldn't fault anything about it. Every where you looked had something to do with football, even the toilet doors were covered in footballs. On our way into the gyms we got to see some of the England footballers signed shirts and boots which were all framed and very much appreciated especially by all the male gymnasts and coaches.
The competition arena was also amazing although i have been to the 02 before for concerts, but to actually be able to compete there was a whole new story. I felt so privileged to be able to compete at the 02 because it gave me the opportunity to experience what it could be like for the 2012 olympics and also because we were going to compete in front of a home crowd.
Competing in front of a home crowd was a new experience for me and i just can't wait to do it again !! Just knowing that no matter what happens everyone or almost everyone in that arena is there to support you is just the best feeling ever and we all enjoyed every minute of it.
Over the next few months i will be working on some new skills ready for next year and could possibly compete again in a grand prix but i'm not 100% sure yet. I will also be concentrating on my 6 form work and learning to drive !!!
Another exciting thing to look out for is a FILM about the whole British olympic team and our journey to Beijing. The whole team was followed from December 2007 until just after Beijing by the BBC and it ranges from us being all together at squad camps, at home, in the gym and out the gym and hopefully we will get to see it soon. We are then suppose to be having a movie premier towards the end of the year and it is possibly going to arrive in the cinemas !!!!
Thank you all so so much
speak soon
Becky xxx
13th September 2009
I hope everyone has had a good summer, I sure did but sadly summer has come to an end , on the bright side worlds are just around the corner !! Over the summer i have been training hard and trying to get as fit as i can ready for the World championships which are now only a month away. I have a few new skills which i have been working extremely hard on and i'm hoping they will be ready in time for the world champs. I have my second worlds trail in just a weeks time which will be held at Lilishall national sports centre and this will be followed by the english championships at which i am a guest competitor ( I think ).
Apart from training i have finally completed my GCSE's which is a huge sigh of relief and I have now started at Rushcliffe 6 form where i am taking AS Biology, P.E and media studies. I have also recently filmed some TV adverts for the world championships which will be aired 2-3 weeks before the event on the BBC so make sure you keep an eye out.
On August 27th I joined the olympic team for the Milano fashion show which launched there new Autumn/Winter collection. They had huge posters of us all which we then stood under as we signed autographs for the fans and had pictures taken. It was definitely a day to remember.
I think that's all for now,talk to you soon
Becky xxx
24th July 2009
Hello =)
I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything for so long, I am definitely going to try and update my journals more often. Well I 'm not even sure where to start so I think I 'll go back to europeans. I flew out to milan near the begging of april and stayed in a lovely hotel with all my teammates. Me and beth had our own rooms and Becky wing and hannah shared a room together. we started with a few days of training just getting used to all the new equipment and experiencing the venues and different gyms. Then we were split into two different rounds for the competition and I was in the first round with Becky wing and we started on beam. I started beam pretty well but then I had a fall on my flick tuck back which at the time was a bit disappointing but I knew I could still pull it back if I competed well on the other apparatus. With that in mind i just tried to compete what I had been training and I did and qualified for the individual all around final and the vault and bars final.Through out the finals I did have a few mistakes which did cost me a medal but I feel it has only made me stronger and has given me more confidence because I now know that I can be up at the top if I can learn to be more consistent with my routines.
After the europeans I had a bit of a break from all the routines and started working on a few new skills ready for the world championships which are towards the end of the year in October. I also rested my ankles because I aggravated an old injury at the europeans. I then found out that I had been chosen to compete at the Glasgow grand prix which was really exciting for me because I had always watched this competition on the TV and now I was actually going to be in it. So for the next couple of weeks I went back to my routines but I was still limited on floor and vault because my ankle was still causing me problems and this is why I didn't compete on floor and I didn't do my double twisting yurchenko, I just did a Full.
The week after Glasgow grand prix was the british team championships and this year Notts decided to take a different approach. We decided to try out some new skills ready for the summer and take the risk of making some mistakes because we had lost some of our strongest team members due to injury and my ankle had still not fully recovered, so I didn't compete on floor and vault. It was really strange for me sitting back for some of the competition and watching my team mates because I am normally doing all 4 pieces of apparatus myself, but even with a few mistake Notts still manages to come in 3rd place which ended the competition on a high.
Now that British teams was over I knew that my next competition would be the British championships and it was one of my favourite comps of the year. The British was now only a month away and It felt like time had just flown by and I knew that it would come around fast. Before I knew it the british was here and we were in the car travelling down to guildford ready for podium training. Podium training went really well which left me feeling confident for the competition the next day and it was really good seeing all the girls again. The day of the competition we got up about 8.30, had breakfast and me and my team mate jordan Lipton spent the next couple of hours glued to gossip girl as I had just received series one from Becky wing and the competition wasn't until late that afternoon. We then arrived at the competition arena just in time to see the junior presentations, then we had about an hour wait to chill and relax until our competition started. When our competition started the warm up seemed to go very quickly and it wasn't long until we were all standing in the corridor waiting to march on and get started. I started on vault and again I was with my team mate Becky wing which made it even better. We both started off well sticking our vaults and then we moved onto bars. As for bars, well this piece didn't go quite to plan for me but I had just rearranged my routine which at the time gave me a lower starting value but this was all in preparation to add in a new skill ready for the worlds. I ended up with a 13.05 score which was the lowest I have scored all year on bars but I knew I just had to go out a prove that I can do a good beam routine especially since my beam this year has been very shaky. I then did one of the best routines I could have possibly done and scored my first 14 on this new code so after beam I was so happy and I then just wanted to finish the comp with a good floor routine. Apart from the big jump out of my first tumble I competed a clean routine and managed to take my second British senior AA title.
Once the competition was over I was so happy that I had done it but I knew that I had to stay focused because I still had another day of competition to go. The next day I did feel quite tired but I knew that I could do the skills I just had to focus extra hard on getting them right. I started finals again on vault and I didn't quite have enough rotation on my second vault and landed on my bum oops but I still came away with 2nd place. I then went to bars and I corrected the mistake I made the day before but then I made another mistake which for me was disappointing because bars is my strongest piece. Despite this mistake i still managed to retain my title as British senior bars champion. My next piece was beam and I knew that all I had to do was compete the same as I had done the previous day and the gold could be mine and I managed to do the best beam routine I have probably ever done in competition to score a 14.90 which I was over the moon at and I took my second title of the day as British senior beam champion. Finally I made it to floor which I was really looking forward to competing, as I could show off my new routine. I then competed another clean routine to take my final title as British senior floor champion!!
The British was now over for another year and I could now finally take a break. I went to majorca for a week with my family and had the best time sunbathing all day long by the beach =) and shopping. I have recently returned to gym and am now focusing everything towards the World championships which are coming to the O2 ARENA for the first time ever so I am majorly excited for that. They will take place mid october so make sure you get your tickets before they sell out!! I will also be joining some of the other British olympic girls and boys in the MILANO FASHION SHOW on the 27th of August at the trafford centre in manchester so make sure you don't miss this because it is going to be an awesome show.
Finally I am planning a new web design which will hopefully be up and running in time for the world champs so if there is anything else you would like to see on my site leave a message on my guestbook and I will see if I can add it in!!! I will be sending out some autographed pictures to in the next month so if you leave me an address I will try my best to get one to you.
Well I think I have now covered everything and I would like to thank everyone again for all their support
Bye for now Becky xxxx
26th February 2009
Hi everyone I know it's a bit late but I hope you all had a good xmas and new year :) I sure did. This year so far has been been a bit up and down as its been quite a hard ride getting back into a normal working routine since the olympics but it all seems to finally be settling down now and things are beginning to get back on track. I have had two squad camps this year so far and really enjoyed getting to see all the girls again and catch up because it has been so long since we were all together.
I have just done my first comp of the year which was the Tyson American Cup which was really exciting because it was my first time competing in america and I got to travel all the way to CHICAGO so that was cool to. I stayed I a really nice hotel and I went with my coach Claire for just under a week and we had a good time training, shopping and of course competing.
As this competition was so early in the season I didn't put full difficulty back into my routines because things still need a little more work and I 'm also working on some new skills for later in the year, but I did get to show off my new floor routine which I really enjoyed. The American cup was also judged on the new 2009 code so all of the scores were lower than normal. I am now working towards the european championships which are in about 6 weeks time and they are in MILAN so I 'm really excited about that. That's about it for now but I will make sure my site is updated with anymore news.
luv bex xxxx
24th October 2008
Hi everyone
Sorry its been so long since my last post but I have had quite a busy schedule recently. Coming home from the Olympics was quite a weird feeling because non of us wanted to leave. We had had such a good time in Macau and Beijing and the team had bonded so well it was hard to say goodbye but at the same time we were all really looking forward to seeing our family and friends because 5 weeks away from home is a pretty long time if you ask me. When I first saw my family it just really hit me what had happened in the last few weeks and just to finally be home was just the best feeling ever. About a week after I got back my friends and family threw me a welcome home party which was awesome. I got 2 see some of my friends that I hadn't seen for ages because I was so busy with training and it was good to know that I could finally just relax enjoy the weeks to come.
The next few weeks after that, were all about settling back in at home, getting back into training and catching up with all the gossip that I had missed. Getting back into double sessions was a challenge its self :) because in China our sessions were shorter than normal, as we had set training times. Shortly after that I received an invite along with Beth,Becky Wing and Abi Kirby to be part of Stella McCartney's new launch for her Adidas range, so on September 15th we all travelled down to London for rehearsals and fittings ready for the launch the next day. The next morning we were up bright and early ready for 6.30am rehearsals, hair and makeup. For the show we all had to do something on beam, so we all did an individual basic routine and then we did a routine with a partner. I was partners with Beth and we had so much fun performing with no judges, and being surrounded by people and photographers :) was really good. We also had baby pink Stella McCartney crash mats under the beam which were so cool and we got 2 meet Stella herself which was the highlight of our day.
Another 2 weeks went by and now it was time to launch the tickets for the Gymnastics World Championships in London next year, so me, Beth, Louis and Dan travelled to London and this time we went to the 02 Arena. We started the day with some interviews then we had a press conference which was a new experience for me, I had a really good time but it was so weird being the one who actually sits at the desk with a microphone and not being the one watching in the audience. After that some schools arrived and we all got to go into the 02 VIP lounge (amazing) to talk and have some pictures taken. To end the day we finished with autographs and more pictures but this time they were with some children that did a gymnastics display for the launch.
After a 2 hour train journey home I then had to quickly change because an hour later it was time for the Nottinghamshire well done Olympians buffet dinner. I went to the dinner with my mum and laura got to come to which made it even better. My coach Claire also came and we all got interviewed together which was funny and for the rest of the night we just mingled and ate.
2 days later it was back to London again but this time it was to meet Gordon Brown! All the Olympians were invited to meet Gordon to celebrate Team GB's success in Beijing. This was a really good chance for all the team to catch up with each other and find out what life had been like since Beijing. It was really interesting to find out what the other athletes have been up to since the Olympics and everyone has done so many different things, it just shows how one competition can change your life. Meeting Gordon was interesting that's all I can really say, he just talked to us about gymnastics and congratulated us on our achievements in Beijing.
Finally my 2 favourite events out of everything I have done so far have to be the Olympians parade though London and going to meet the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The Olympians parade was just fantastic, I never knew that so many people were supporting us back home whilst we were in Beijing and the amount of people that turned up to show there support was just incredible. We paraded through London on floats for about 1-2 hours and I don't think I have ever seen so many people in one place at once. The amount of people that came to support us was just mad, there were people hanging out of their office windows supporting, people who had come out of their shops to support us, schools who came to support us and the list goes on. Once the parade had finished we were all taken to a hotel to eat and change before we were police escorted into Buckingham Palace :) Being inside Buckingham Palace was immense, everything was so detailed and so perfectly placed it just felt like such a huge honour to be invited there. Once we were inside we had drinks and snacks before me met the Queen and once the Queen arrived you could feel the excitement had suddenly floated into the atmosphere. When the Queen came to meet us we all had to curtsey, shake her hand and say: "Good evening your Majesty" then we just talked to her about gymnastics really which was quite funny because we had to really concentrate on speaking properly.
Right now I am back in training preparing for next year and I have just returned back to school to complete my GCSE'S :) That's about it from me for now, but I would like to thank everyone for all their support so far and to say that it is really appreciated.
loads of luv becky xxx
17th August 2008
All around final and afterwards!
Hey!!
The AA final for me was one of my greatest experiences ever. I really enjoyed competing against some of the worlds best gymnasts and its has just given me so much more motivation to be even better. I just went into the all around to have fun and do my best and that's just what I did. After the competition I had quite a few interviews and thankfully no drugs testing which was even better then I went back to the village to eat then I met up with the rest of the team for sunbathing by the pool. After a few hours of swimming and sunbathing we went to dinner, then I found out I had a live interview with the BBC at 12.45 pm so I then chilled back at our apartment before getting ready to leave.
I left my apartment at about 11.10pm then I went to meet emma our media officer who took me to the BBC studio. The studio is one of the most impressive buildings I have ever seen and it just fits perfectly with this olympic games because at night almost everything lights up. The studio was shaped like lots of diamonds stacked on top of each other and it had flashing lights shooting upwards which looked awesome. When I got to the studio I got to watch some highlights of the competition then I got my make up done and then I surprisingly got interviewed. I though the interview went quite well then afterwards I went onto the balcony to look over Beijing and the view was just breathtaking. You could see all the stadiums from the top of the studio that were all lit up and the Olympic flame was burning away it was just fantastic. I then went back to my apartment to get some sleep before I had to be up for shopping the next day.
The morning after the comp I think it had just about sunk in what I had achieved yesterday, so I woke up feeling extremely happy. Everyone apart from beth who went to training as she still has the bar final to come then had a late breakfast before we were all off shopping. One of the main shopping attractions here is called silk street where and all of us got some wicked bargains then we went and enjoyed a subway with smoothies as we are now free to eat what ever we like for a while as the comp is over. we then went back to the village and now that the comp is over we could explore anywhere we wanted to. In the village so far we have found the pool, an arcade, an air hockey and a pool table room, a fitness gym, a computer room but we don't really need that as team GB has installed wireless into all of our apartments :), and the dining room that we have been to already but now we can enjoy ALL the food which includes the free Mcdonalds. There is also an international zone which has a nail salon, hair dressers and all athletes get a free cut and wash, dvd lounge, merchandise shop, phone shop and there is a huge section where you can sit for the evening entertainment which we haven't yet been to but I am sure we will before we leave.
Over the next few days we are going to go and watch louis and beth compete in there apparatus finals then we are going to visit the great wall, Tiananmen square, the olympic gala and finally the closing ceremony where rumour has it that Leona Lewis and David Beckham are going but we will soon find out. I will write soon to let you know how it all went.
loads a luv beck xxx
15th August 2008
Competition day!! (quailifications)
At about 8.30am we all woke up feeling really excited and ready to go and compete but we still had a while before we could actually do that. We were in round 2 competing with the Italians, Japanese and Americans but we did not have to start warm up until 11.30am so we had a late breakfast at about 9am then we came back to our apartment and had a small rest before we all started to get ready. It took us all about an hour to get ready which included hair, make up and all that jazz, then it was off to the competition.
When we arrived at the competition hall all the other teams were there waiting, looking slightly nervous but all ready to compete. Our general warm up went well then we had 4, 20 minute rotations before we got changed into our competition leotards, the numbers went on and we were off. We then wished the other teams good look then we entered the arena, it was sooooooo big, the crowd was huge and at that stage it really kicked in what we were about to go and do. As we marched to our first piece (vault) I just couldn't wait to get going. I was 5th up on vault and as a team we counted no mistakes so vault was done and there were 3 pieces left.
On bars our first 3 gymnasts did a great job, no mistakes so then it was left to me and beth to do our jobs to. That didn't quite go to plan but even though we had slight mistakes we still as a team counted no falls so bars was ok, then we moved to beam. All of our beam warm ups were a bit shaky but as we started competing those errors soon disappeared. The first two gymnasts up were rock solid and we posted some pretty good scores for team GB , then our last 3 gymnasts had a few small mistakes nothing major but still no falls were counted so we just had 1 piece left, floor.
Floor was a good piece for us to finish on as we were all confident with our routines and were ready to show them off to the judges and that's just what we did. 5 clean floor routines for team GB and now all we could do was wait as there were still 2 more rounds to go. After the comp we went back to the village to eat and quickly change before we went back to the arena to watch the last two rounds. The gymnasts in the last two rounds were all very good and this sadly caused us to loose a place in the team final as we finished in 9th place but even 9th place was a new record for team GB. I then found out that even with a few errors, I had made the all around final so I had a second chance to prove what I can really do. I now have 4 more days to work on my routines ready for fridays AA competition wish me luck.
Luv bex xxx
11th August 2008
Hey everyone!!
I'm having a fantastic time over hear in china and I have experienced soooo much in such a short space of time. I started my olympic journey by going to Macau for a preparation camp, which was awesome. I stayed in a 5 star hotel and I shared a room with my team mate Hannah Clowes, where we had a king bed each, a balcony with a sea view and the glistening sun that was about 30+ degrees HOT!! so I didn't find it hard to enjoy my time there. We did do lots of training over there but we definitely made some time for the fun stuff 2. We stayed in Macau for about 10 days and throughout that time we managed to meet Chelsea football club, go and watch Cirque Du Soleil and meet the cast, swim, sunbathe by the pool and the usual eat,sleep and train. So with stage one complete we then flew to Beijing.
As soon as we arrived in Beijing we were treated like royalty so there was no complaining there. Our bags were ready on trolleys waiting for us to collect them, then we went straight through the airport, no waiting around and as we left there we loads of photographers taking shots of the athletes coming through which made us feel like real celebs. After about a 45 minute bus journey we soon arrived at the OLYMPIC VILLAGE and my first impression was WOW!! non of us could believe what we were seeing and in marissa's words it was like sim city.
We are all sharing an apartment together which is pretty big and I 'm sharing a room with my other team mate Marissa. The village is just huge there is so much to see but we can't experience it all until we have finished our competition. We have now been training at the olympic venues for about a week and we are all so excited and ready for podium training and the competition. I will write soon to let you know how everything is going and what it was like to compete in the olympic games.
luv becky xxx
17th July 2008
Hi everyone, I am sorry I haven't updated my website in ages but I have been super busy. I can't believe its olympic year already, it doesn't seem 2 seconds since I was watching Athens on tv.
2007 was an awesome year for me, I started the year by going to texas for a training camp. The purpose of the camp was basically to get fit again and to look at the year plan to make sure we definitely qualified a whole team through to the olympics . We worked a lot on routine parts and conditioning but the best part for me was getting to meet some of the American gymnasts. We went for about 10 days and when I came back I had to prepare for a couple of comps so I got used to competing again.
The comps I did went ok but I knew I still had a lot more work to do if I wanted to make the worlds team.
After these comps my next target was to help notts try and win the British team championships. We all new at notts that we had a chance of taking the title but it all depended on how hard we worked for it, so the next step was to move up a level and work even harder, so that dream would become a reality. And it did, about a month later Notts were crowned the 2007 british team champions! :)
After british teams we had a bit of a rest period to work on some new skills ready for our next comp. My next comp was in BRAZIL! this was one of the best trips I have ever been on so far. The weather was amazing but it was hard to train in because it was so hot. This comp went ok for me, I did have a few falls but I competed my Ricna on bars and my double pike dismount off beam for the first time and stuck them both, so it wasn't all bad. The next day we had finals and I came 3rd on bars and 2nd on vault so I came home pleased but not as pleased as I 'd like. Then it was back to more hard work so I was ready for the British.
The british came round so fast after Brazil but I was really looking forward to it because I had to try and defend my title. I had a good comp even though I fell but still managed to defend my title as British junior AA champion. In the Finals I fell on my DTY but still did a good enough second vault to finish in 1st place. Bars went well as I fell the previous day and I also won bars but I did fall on beam and messed up my leap series on floor so there was still room for improvement.
Once the british was over we had to go to lilishall for 6 weeks! to prepare for the World championships. This was the longest I have ever been away from home. Throughout the 6 weeks we had a number of trails and control comps, loads of routines, tears and smiles but all in all we had a great time. Because we were there for sooooooooooo long we really bonded well as a team and helped each other through the highs and lows of the camp.
WORLDS
We arrived in Stuttgart excited and ready to do our job. We trained for about a week in stuttgart before the comp so we could get used to the apparatus and get over any jetlag. On the day of the comp we had a long wait because we didn't compete till the night. When we arrived in the warm up gym in the evening we were so nervous but just couldn't wait to compete, our warm went well then we got changed and waited to march in.
The atmosphere in the comp gym was amazing, the crowd was big, its was quite noisy and it just made you feel like WOW.
We started on beam, beam went really well we were able to count 4 clean routines which was exactly what we needed to do, then we moved to floor, I didn't compete floor because I had bad feet but the team continued to do a good job. Next was vault, we new this was our strongest piece so we were confident and all managed to compete a fantastic vault. we finally arrived at bars, we new we were good on bars but we were not so confident as we had not managed to complete a lot of routines in training. First up was hannah, she went clean did a good routine so we new we just needed 3 more clean routines, next was becky wing who also went clean, then it was ash who scored a huge 14.7 which boosted the whole team then it was me. I was nervous but ready to finish what I started and surprisingly did the best bar routine of my life to score 15.5 this was our 4 routines complete but we still had our best yet to come, last up was beth who did what she knew to complete our comp with a 16.025!
Then we waited. we knew we had to make top 12 then it appeared on the score board GREAT BRITAIN 6TH!!!!!!!!!
We were all over the moon our hard work had paid off and we not only qualified but we made history. This was just the best feeling ever but now we had to do it all again because GB actually made a team final. The team final was the biggest reward ever and we just went out there to enjoy it because we knew we had nothing to loose. Team finals also went well and we finished our championships with happy faces and hugs all round. we had done it!!!!!!!!!!
After worlds it was like finally we are actually allowed a rest. During this rest period I had surgery on both feet to remove some bone that had been causing me problems since the summer and now was the time to get it done. The surgery went well and I was back in the gym within a week, to do conditioning to stay fit. After about 3 weeks I started doing bars again and I was allowed to start jogging.
To end the year we went to china for a training camp, so we could see what it would be like if we went to Beijing. We went to macau first for a week then we flew to Beijing. In beijing we got to train at the chinese national centre which was awesome and we got to see the chinese gymnasts train. We also had a few shopping trips out there which we all enjoyed and we all bought so much that our bags gained nearly 5kg each on the way home. :)
2008
I had a really good xmas and new year and I am now back to working hard and I am almost fully fit. I have got a few squads coming up and am currently preparing for european trails.
loads of luv bex