100-meter sprint.

Marc has always said that the course at SCA is a bit like the Marathon Des Sables. That’s a 6 day, 156-mile ultra marathon through the Sahara Desert. East right? No, not at all. Imagine each day of the marathon as half terms at SCA and now were coming around the bend towards the last 100 meters. If your anything like me I used to love the last 100 meters of a race because I got to sprint, but you have to be careful. Don’t get cramp like the guy in the London Marathon.

I was thinking about when I played netball at uni and how hard we worked to get to the top of the league. It was tough we trained hard, sometimes we lost, team members got injured but we kept on going. We worked together as a unit as we didn’t want to let each other down. After each goal went in we would clap and celebrate then we would carry on. When we were down on goals we would shout ‘heads up’ to make sure everyone was ok. And then at the end of each quarter, we would huddle and ask each other what we could do better so that when we went back on the court we could smash it. But at the end of the match, we would each pick a players player. Your own man of the match, you would get to celebrate a teammate who you thought had given it 110%. It wasn’t just about winning it was about looking after each other.

How can a sporting mentality help us sprint full pelt towards the finishing line without falling over at the last hurdle?

Sportsmanship – A good sportsman plays a fair game, respects those around them and loses gracefully.
Teamwork – Imagine you and your partner are doubles pair in the final of Wimbledon. You’ve come this far now you’ve just got to keep each other motivated. Most importantly look after each other. Agility – You have to aware of any curve balls that may be thrown at you.

Communication – You will be hitting shots all over the place if you don’t talk to each other.
Team talk – Listen to all the feedback from your coaches, they are watching the match from the sidelines which mean’s they can see things you can’t.
Goals – Have a clear simple goal. If you want to win, win. If you want to break a world record, do it. Keep hydrated, your not as efficient if you’re dehydrated.
Celebrate the little wins with gratitude then keep on going.
Time management – Matches always have a time limit. You might only have 60 seconds left to get that last goal in so use your time wisely and make the right decisions.

Heads up penguins. We’ve got this.