Gearing Up for Glasgow...

The first part of this summer has been a long, hard waiting game waiting to find out if we have qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow or not. The start of the summer training was difficult for everyone in the squad, as although we all pushed ourselves as hard as we could, it was clear that not knowing about selections was playing on the minds of everyone. I particularly felt this as this was going to be my first games and I had no notion of what to expect unlike some of the other athletes who have been to previous games. Despite this I tried to put it to the back of my mind and focus on what was going to be a long hard summer of training. 

After an agonisingly long wait, we finally received an email from Eddie. As you can imagine my heart dropped somewhat as it was clear that this was the email telling us whether or not we had got into the team for the Commonwealth Games. Opening it up was one the most joyous moments in my life so far. I cannot tell you the amount of emotion running through my body at this moment in time bit ranging from relief to excitement to pride just to name a few. My first instinct was to pick up the phone and call my parents to tell them the good news but as they were in work I was not able to get through to them until later that evening. Needless to say my mum and dad both hit the roof with excitement as well. 

Even though all the excitement of the selections calmed down a little, training did not ease up at all. 6km runs before training, interval training and weights all add to what is becoming a summer of pain. But personally I wouldn’t have it any other way. Matt Hughes is pushing us as hard as he can so we can represent ourselves and our country in the best possible way when we get to Glasgow later in the summer. 

Everything is now really coming together as we head closer to the games. Having picked up the kit and tried it all on I cannot wait to get out on the court and start competing for Team Wales. I feel extremely proud and honoured to be able to represent my Country on this massive stage and I can truly say it is a life-long ambition achieved. Dreams really do come true!