Olympic Outlook: ‘Time to spread some handball love’

Less than 100 days to go until the Olympic Games, what an exciting thought. Luckily we have plenty to keep us occupied in the coming months including international fixtures against the likes of top nations, Montenegro & Russia. With that firmly in mind, training has become even more intense and we can really feel that London 2012 is just around the corner.

With all the training aside I have still managed to keep myself rather busy. Last month I joined more than 150 fellow athletes at the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes Workshop. It was great to meet so many other Local Heroes and learn about their sports and training demands. It’s good to know that there are lots of other upcoming athletes out there in the same boat as me, and being part of the programme really makes you feel like one big team.

As part of the workshop, we were lucky enough to take a tour of the Olympic Park, and I was on the coach with Olympic sprinter Derek Redmond. I of course took the opportunity to quiz him about what to expect from a Games, and couldn’t resist asking him about his hamstring. He told me all about his experiences which was invaluable to me ahead of (hopefully) my first Olympic Games. As well as being a World Champion in his sport he now races super bikes and owns his own super bike team. He kindly invited myself and the rest of the team to watch a race live at Thruxton. It was a fantastic experience and I know my team mates enjoyed themselves too. Derek even made a donation to our team which is something we will always be grateful to him for!

Last week we were given a couple of days rest which gave me the opportunity to go home and spread some handball love. I ended up paying a visit to Warrington Wolves rugby league club, who made me a patron of their Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation. I had a tour of the stadium and got my own shirt with my name on it before heading off to help out with some coaching at a local school. The foundation does an amazing job, going into schools in the community and keeping their youth active. I took around six handball sessions the following day and the kids really took to handball. I got such a good vibe from all the kids I saw that day which is really humbling, as we all know how much of a minority sport handball is in this country right now. The foundation will continue to teach handball in the schools which is great exposure for the sport, we hope putting in a few performances at the Games does the same. Without organisations such as the Warrington Wolves Foundation putting in some ground work it would prove difficult to create the handball legacy we wish to achieve post 2012, so we treasure all the hard work they are putting in!

It’s great for us to get away from the Crystal Palace bubble every now and again, but for now we have some important European Championship Qualification matches to focus on against Russia and Montenegro. London 2012 is our big goal and representing handball at a home Olympics will be a dream come true. It’s the first time GB will enter a women’s handball team at the Olympics and long after the Games, we’ll still be here playing and creating a legacy for the sport.

Holly Lam-Moores is a Lloyds TSB Local Heroes.  In partnership with SportsAid, the programme provides support and funding to 346 of Britain’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond. Follow future stars at facebook.com/lloydstsblocalheroes

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