The road to the World Championships

This year has seen a few highs and lows to the season but I am definitely back on a high heading to World Championships in Milan.

The team flys out to the World Championships on 30th August for two days of training and scrutineering before the whistle blows on 1st September for our first game. Great Britain go into the competition as the team to beat, as current holders of the World Gold, World Games Gold and European Gold medals so there is a lot of pressure on the team to perform.

I made a positive start to the season, being picked for the A team in GB's first training tournament in Essen, Germany, in May. The team was a little disjointed at times, and we struggled against Italy, a team that we have previously beaten comfortably, showing that there were obvious areas that needed work. However, we pulled together and beat France in the final to become winners at the tournament.

My performance then plateaued over the following few training weekends and I was put into the B team for Mechelen, another training tournament in Belgium in June. I went out to the tournament feeling positive and knowing that I had to put everything into the weekend as selection for the Worlds took place after the final on the Sunday. The tournament was frustrating at times but I ensured that I incorporated all the areas my coach told me to work on into the game as best as I could. For some reason I tend to pass the ball rather than shoot but my coach wanted me to work on this area so I made sure I scored some good goals.

On reflection I had a good weekend and felt I couldn't give anymore, however, selection was very disappointing. The team was announced, but there were only six definite players selected and we were told there were only seven players going, rather than eight as there usually is. I was chosen as one of the other two for selection for the final place which would happen at a training weekend two weeks later.

I felt so demorolised as I felt that I was taking one step forwards and three backwards but had to focus on the points I needed to show at the training weekend if I was to secure the final place. Over the next few weeks I concentrated on my shooting and went to the training weekend with a slightly selfish view that I would shoot rather than passing the ball to prove that I had worked on it.

Fortunately, I managed to perform as the coach wanted me to at the training weekend and was chosen as the seventh player for the World Championships.

Since the final selection has taken place, the team has attended the Welsh Open and London International tournament as more training tournaments. The whole team performed very well and there was some excellent individual skill at the Welsh Open which secured a place in the Div 1 final, against, Dragon, a mid-placed Div 1 team. Unfortunately, Dragon had the home crowd and strength on their side and we lost in a hard-fought game.

Last weekend was our last training tournament at the London International. Due to unavailability and illness there were only five of us at the tournament. I think everyone was a little concerned about this on the Friday night when we arrived, but we managed to pull it out the bag and finish top of our group on Saturday evening. The team of five worked very well together all weekend and finished fourth overall.

There are positive vibes from our training tournaments together heading for the Worlds, there are little areas of the game that have sharpened up and errors ironed out but nerves are creeping in the closer it gets. I know as soon as the whistle blows for our first game there will be no evidence of any nerves and I will be fully focussed on the task in hand - winning a gold medal.

Claire