12. 100m Backstroke

Event: Women's 100m Backstroke
Date: 25th April 2013
Location: Basildon Sports Park
Cost: £3.45
Rules:  Swimmers start in the water and hold on the side or top bars of the diving platform awaiting the start. On the whistle, swimmers launch backwards and dolphin kick underwater until the arms break the surface. Backstroke is swum with alternating arm strokes and fast up-and-down kicks. When swimmers reach the end of the pool, they may turn onto their stomach for one arm pull and then perform a tumble-turn. They then swim to the other end of the pool. At the end of the race, swimmers stay on their backs until they touch the wall with one hand.

   

The Event:

  

Times:

Olympic Gold Medal London 2012: 0.58.33, Missy Franklin, USA.

Sarah: 2.43.61

Ellie: 2.57.49

 

Comments:  

Sarah: It turns out that our nearest 50m Olympic sized pool is in Basildon; an hour away from where we live. Our commitment to the challenge was clear as we set our alarms for 5.30am on a day off work and made the drive. It was more than worth it, as the pool and the facilities are brilliant. It was time to put our swimming lessons with Colchester Swimming Club to the test. We've been practicing a lot- especially on our tumble-turns, and although we've both swam in pools 50m+ before, the 50m is hard when you're swimming flat out! We had to judge our timed attempts to avoid as many people in our lane as possible, but both found that we ended up hitting our arms into the lane dividers on the return leg. We each did three timed attempts, with our best times posted above.       
Ellie: It’s 7am. We’ve been driving for an hour. Well, Sarah’s been driving… I’ve been ‘entertaining’, DJ’ing and navigating (badly). I’m not sure what Basildon did to get such an amazing facility as the Sports Park but it is beautiful. There is a climbing wall at the front of the building with a glass surround so that people can see in. It has a massive athletics track with stands and lights. And it has a 50m pool. The only 50m pool in Essex.

50m is much, much further than 25m. It felt epic… as I swam along on my back I kept thinking ‘I’m nearly at the flags; they’re coming up; keep focused - those flags will be here any second…’ but they never seemed to arrive! The other thing that struck me as I pushed and pulled myself up and down the lane is how difficult it is to stay in a straight line. I swerved around, caught my hands in the lane dividers, nearly clattered other swimmers and generally got in a big, exhausted muddle!

I’m pleased that my fastest swim was under the 3 minute mark and although I felt properly sick when I finished, I think I could keep practicing and decrease that time. I guess that is another interesting thing about this project – we can repeat events and track our improvement.

   

 

11. Women's Trampoline

Event: Women's Trampoline
Date: 2nd April 2013
Location: Brentwood School Sports Centre
Cost: £6.50 per session (three sessions)
Rules: Gymnasts perform a series of ten skill routines, with a variety of single, double and triple somersaults with and without twists. Precise technique and perfect body control are vital for success, with judges delivering marks for difficulty, execution and time of flight, minus penalties. Athletes are judged against a strict set of criteria where every part of the routine must be as near to perfection as possible. The angle of limbs, the position of the feet, the moves and finish must all be of the highest standard.

The Routines:

Sarah: Seat Drop, Half Turn, Star, Tuck, Straddle, Seat Drop, Half Turn, Star, Tuck, Straddle

Ellie: Tuck, Pike, Straddle, Seat Drop, Half Turn, Swivel Hips, Tuck, Front Drop.  

 

London 2012 Winner: Rosannagh MacLennan, Canada.

Comments: 
 

Sarah: My first time on a trampoline was quite nerve wracking and it took me a little while to get the hang of the seat drops (as you can probably tell from my simple routine!). I eventually got there via quite a few grazed elbows and some aching shoulders, and with the help of the coaches decided on my ten 'skill' routine. We were in awe of the others at the club when we were practicing; their effortless routines and moves were so impressive. We didn't manage quite the same grace, but had loads of fun mastering our skill sets.       

Ellie: Trampolining was one of the events I was most looking forward to. I'd been a member of a club as a youngster (I have a certificate to prove it) and always really enjoyed it. The idea of bouncing again really pleased me and designing my own 10 skill routine sounded fun too... In reality, of course, it was really hard. All of it. To say the least, we could barely get on the trampoline. Seriously. 
Thankfully, the coaches at Brentwood were really supportive and it was a pleasure to join their club for a few sessions. To see the young gymnasts throwing themselves around and performing amazing twists and turns was an incredible sight. 
All in all, I think this was a great way to start our challenge in 2013. It was an event that took planning, memory and multiple attempts to get 'right'.

Trampolining only became an Olympic sport in 2000 and long may it reign as one of the most strenuous and spirited events. 

Thank you to Brentwood Trampoline for all your help!  

 http://www.brentwoodtc.org/

10. Women's Team Table Tennis

Event: Women's Team Table Tennis
Date: 8th December 2012
Location: Brightlingsea Sports Centre
Cost: £16.80
Rules: Team matches consist of four singles matches and one doubles match, played over the best of five games. Each team consists of three players and matches end when a team has won three individual games. Singles and doubles matches are won by the first player to reach 11 points (with a margin of two clear points). In doubles matches, players take turns to hit the ball, with one hit each before alternating.

The Event:

 

London 2012 Winners: China.

The Match:

Singles Game One: Ellie (team odd) vs Laura (team even): Evens win 4-2

Doubles Game : Odds vs Evens: Evens win 4-3

Singles Game Two: Claire (team odd) vs Elaine (team even): Odds win 4-1

Singles Game Three: Sarah C (team odd) vs Sarah P (team even): Evens win 4-0

Winners: Team Evens (Elaine, Laura and Sarah P)

Comments:  

Sarah: What a morning! We thought that two hours would be plenty of time to fit in our team match, but we finished just in time. We were set up in a squash court and chose our teams.  As everyone got more comfortable with playing (and remembered to not return the ball if it hadn't bounced on their side of the table!), the play got much faster and more tactical. Table tennis has been the early hit of our challenge, and I'd definitely play again.     
Ellie: I had 4 hours sleep - last night was my staff Christmas party. This has been my most anger inducing challenge so far as I really felt I could have won at least one of my games... but Table Tennis is a harsh task master. It makes you believe you can win and then makes the table smaller than you think it is so that you lose points and your mind... slightly... Squash courts are rather echo-y if you ever think of swearing loudly in one!
All in all though it was another entertaining experience; another couple of hours in the company of interesting and funny people; another sport centre identified and visited and another sport at least tried, if not fully conquered! 

Thank you to Brightlingsea Sports Centre for only charging us for one hour!

9. Shot Put

Event: Women's Shot Put
Date: 29th November 2012
Location: Southend Athletics Club, Garons Park, Southend.
Cost: Free
Rules: The women's Shot Put  weighs 4 kgs with a diametre of 95-110mms. The Shot Put circle is 2.135m in diametre with a wooden stop board 10cm high on the outside. Competitors may touch the inside of the circle or stop board during the attempt but can not touch the top of either nor can they leave the circle until the shot hits the ground. Competitors must enter and leave the circle from the back. The shot must touch the competitors neck or chin as the attempt begins. The Shot is put, not thrown, with one hand only and it must not drop below its starting position during the attempt. As in all throwing events, the twelve finalists have three attempts apiece. The longest single throw during the final wins.

The Event:

 

Distance:

Olympic Gold Medal London 2012: 20.70m, Valerie Adams, New Zealand.

Ellie: 1. 3.30m, 2. 3.73m, 3. 4.31m (PB)

Sarah: 1. 3.11m, 3.36m (PB), 3. 3.24m

Comments:  

Sarah: Our last event of the night was the trickiest to master in terms of technique. It was really hard to resist the temptation to throw the shot rather than keeping it next to the chin/neck until the last moment and 'put' it.  
Ellie: The Shot Put completes our evening and not only have we completed 4 events in one go but we've met some wonderful people that have really embraced the spirit of our challenge. As for the Shot Put, it's deceptively heavy and large. If you ever try it out just remember - Clean Palm, Dirty fingers... and it'll all become clear. 

A huge thankyou to June and everyone at Southend Athletics Club for all their help and patience! They meet every Tues and Thurs evenings, and have some amazing facilities. 

Find out more here:  http://www.southend-on-sea-athletic-club.co.uk 

 

8. Discus Throw

Event: Women's Discus Throw
Date: 29th November 2012
Location: Southend Athletics Club, Garons Park, Southend.
Cost: Free
Rules: The women's discus weighs 1kg and has a diameter of 18cms. The discus is thrown from a circle with a diameter of 2.5m. All discus throws are made from an enclosure to ensure the safety of by-standers. As in all throwing events, the twelve finalists have three attempts apiece. The longest single throw during the final wins.

The Event: 

 

 

Distance:

Olympic Gold Medal London 2012: 69.11m, Sandra Perkovik, Croatia.

Ellie: 1. 13.45m (PB), 2. 12.54m, 3. 12.64m

Sarah: 1. 11.62m (PB), 2. 10.83m, 3. 11.00m

 

Comments:  

Sarah: This was the quickest event of the night, which may or may not have something to do with how cold the actual discus was.. it was freezing! Despite the best efforts of our coach Billy, I found it really hard to spin the discus off my fingers- a movement which should have made it glide through the air rather than wobble about all over the place.  
Ellie: The Discus seemed the more natural of the 4 events; I like to think that is why we powered through this event. It was very interesting that we PB'd on our first attempts... perhaps the wind-up technique was more tiring than it felt? One interesting thing to mention for each of these events is the way in which each distance thrown is measured. The adjudicator measures from the midpoint of the throwing circle to ensure an accurate result because the arena that you throw into is arced.  

7. Hammer Throw

Event: Women's Hammer Throw
Date: 29th November 2012
Location: Southend Athletics Club, Garons Park, Southend.
Cost: Free
Rules: The Hammer is a three part device that includes a metal ball attached to a steel wire with a grip or handle at the end. The Hammer is the only throwing competition in which throwers may wear gloves. Women throw a 4kg ball with a diameter of 95-100mm's. The Hammer is thrown from inside a circle which lies within an enclosure. As in all throwing events, the twelve finalists have three attempts apiece. The longest single throw during the final wins.

The Event:

   

Distance:

Olympic Gold Medal London 2012: 78.18m, Tatyana Lysenko, Russia.

Ellie: 1. 9.46m, 2. 10.56m, 3. 11.81m (PB)

Sarah: 1. 9.44m, 2. 9.50m (PB), 3. 8.58m
  

Comments:  

Sarah: Hammer was initially fairly terrifying; it took a little while to get the hang of swinging the hammer round the head, and figuring out when to let go. Our coach Sam gave us lots of tips, and put our efforts to shame when he showed us at the end just how far it is possible to throw it. 

Ellie: Why? Why are people like us allowed to throw the Hammer? It's clearly very dangerous. And heavy. The phrase 'with great power comes great responsibility' has never rung truer and I spent a lot of time between throws feeling very worried. Thankfully we had experts on hand and the assistance of Toby, a Southend Athletics Club youngster, to collect the measurements and the Hammer which gave us time to summon our courage for the next throw. 

6. Javelin Throw

Event: Women's Javelin Throw
Date: 29th November 2012
Location: Southend Athletics Club, Garons Park, Southend.
Cost: Free
Rules: The women's javelin weighs at least 600g and measures between 2.2 - 2.3 metres long. The runway is between 30-36.5 metres long. Throwers may place as many as two markers in the runway. The javelin is held at the grip and thrown over the shoulder or the upper part of the throwing arm. Spinning is illegal. To constitute a legal throw the javelin's metal tip must break the ground. As in all throwing events, the twelve finalists have three attempts apiece. The longest single throw during the final wins.

The Event:

Distance:

Olympic Gold Medal London 2012: 69.55m, Barbora Spotakova, Czech Republic.

Ellie: 1. 7.63m, 2. 8.18m, 3. 10.22m (PB).

Sarah: 1. 7.74m, 2. No Throw, 3. 9.00m (PB)
 
Comments:  

Sarah: We had been looking forward to our evening of athletic throws for weeks, but hadn't quite been expecting it to be such a cold night! Everyone from Southend Athletics Club was so lovely and helpful, and gave us some excellent coaching and tips. I seemed to be much better throwing the javelin stationary; the inclusion of the run-up seemed to confuse me, and I was really disappointed with my no throw. I really enjoyed this one, and would definitely like to give javelin another shot in the future.
Ellie: After some superb guidance from Anne; I really thought Sarah had this in the bag as her technique outstripped mine by miles. So, I can only conclude that my Javelin PB was a massive fluke.