Part 6

My feet have hardly touched the ground since I last wrote...I have been away with basketball nearly every weekend - and that looks set to continue! 
It would all be quite exciting - IF I wasn't so scared of flying!!!    But, I guess that if I am ever going to get over it - this year should do it!
 
I have been away to Meaux, France from the EuroCup competition with my SuperLeague team, Oldham Owls - it was brilliant to play against teams which consist of male paralympians. The basketball was amazing and I learned so much from just watching the other games. It was thrilling to be involved at that level of competition (it was the first time I have been involved in EuroCup) and it certainly built my confidence to discover that I could compete against players that I have looked up too for years. Unfortunately we did not qualify for the next stage of the EuroCup tournament - but competing at that level is certainly an experience that I would like to repeat in the future.
 
We still have no idea who will be selected for the Great Britain team travelling to Beijing, but I was selected for the two preliminary training tournaments. The first was in Holland (21 - 24 March 2008) and the second was in Belgium (4 - 6th April). These weekends are always VERY physically demanding...the coach (Garry Peel) puts us under as much physical pressure as possible, in order to try to replicate the pressure we will be under at the Paralympics and to see who will still be able to perform. The GB women had a series of matches with the Netherlands Women's Wheelchair Basketball team over both of these weekends (together with as many training sessions as the coach can squeeze in) and I am very pleased to report that the GB women had a very successful trip on both occasions....the Dutch women would certainly seem to be well within our sights!  Unfortunately I had to miss the second training tournament due to a really horrible dose of the "flu" - and I am now nervously waiting to hear whether this could affect my selection for the GB team which will compete at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester (7-10th May 2008) - keep your fingers crossed for me!.
 
The actual experience of selection is horrifying - and I get much more nervous about the day of selection than I ever do when I'm competing internationally in front of thousands! Each coach has a different way of "announcing" selection - and they all have their positives and negatives. Some coaches will read out the team list in front of the whole squad, others will tell you face to face individually in private, some like to tell players over the phone (so that they are at home when they get the news) and others like to tell people in writing. We don't know how Garry will do it - but until we know whether we are going or not, our lives are completely on hold for the next few months. There is now approximately 5 weeks until selection for Beijing - and just writing about it has made me feel nervous.....such a lot of hard work (blood, sweat AND definitely tears) goes into competing for your place at the Paralympics....and the Beijing Paralympics looks like they are going to be particularly amazing. I really hope I am out there to see it all in person!
 
The whole GB squad is currently waiting to hear (on the basis of our recent performances at the training tournaments) who will go to the Paralympic World Cup and we have been told that the team for Beijing will be announced at the end of (or shortly after) that tournament. We have also been told that we shouldn't view non-selection for the Paralympic World Cup as an indication that we are not going to Beijing!! Obviously Garry is keeping his cards very close to his chest!!
 
As well as rushing around with basketball and training and struggling with this nasty flu-ey virus, things have been very busy at work...the team I work in has had to deal with some high profile matters over the past few weeks and it has meant some very long days in the office. This obviously has a knock on effect with my training...and sometimes it makes for quite a balancing act - it sometimes feels like I have two full time jobs!  But no-one said this would be easy!!
 
With just 150 days left until the Beijing Paralympics kicks off, and only a few weeks until I find out whether I am going as a player or spectator, the pressure is really piling on....hopefully I will have some good news for you by the next time I write!
 
WISH ME LUCK!

Keep updated with Caroline's progress as she prepares for the  Womens Wheelchair Basketball competition at the Beijing Paralympics in September.

Check out the Beijing Paralympic website
http://en.beijing2008.cn/83/66/column211716683.shtml

If you are interested in watching some wheelchair basketball, check out the Visa Paralympic World Cup website where tickets are on sale now for the competition from 7th - 11th May 2008.

http://www.paralympicworldcup.com 

Check out the Cardiff Celts website to find out even more about wheelchair basketball in Cardiff and don't forgot to come back in a couple of weeks for part 7.
http://www.cardiffwheelchairbasketball.co.uk/index.htm