FREEMAN HEART & LUNG TRANSPLANT ASSOCIATION

A Review of the Loughborough Games

25th - 28th August 2005.

I am proud, as manager of the Freeman Adult Sports Team, to tell you that we had 23 competitors, 8 of whom were making their first appearance in the adult team,  and 8 supporters.   All of the competitors having had either a heart transplant or a lung transplant at the Freeman hospital in Newcastle.   We also had a children's team competing at the games.

Illness deprived the team of two competitors and a supporter at very short notice and I hope Jamie Woodhouse is getting better and can join the fun next year.   Our best wishes to David and Beverly Robinson in Belfast who were missed by not only the Freeman squad but by lots of other competitors too.   We look forward to seeing them both in Bath.

The Freeman transplant team.

Click on photographs to enlarge.

The Freeman team won 3 Gold  / 14 Silver / 7 Bronze medals.   
Another great effort by everyone who took part
and it compares well with 2004's tally of 2: 9: 14.

All competitors must be a current member of the Transplant Sports Association of Great Britain (TSAGB).

Each competitor may enter 5 individual events, with a maximum of 3 from any one discipline with the exception of the relays.   A signed and completed medical certificate must be provided.   Unfortunately, anyone receiving dialysis treatment is not allowed to enter.

The Freeman Team for Loughborough 2005
Including supporters:

Thursday 25th August

Games debutant, Susie Welsh from Guisborough (pictured with Paul Savage) had the honour of leading the adult team and carrying the banner as we marched into town and assembled in front of the Town Hall.   We had all checked in during a downpour but  fortunately we were blessed with half decent weather for the parade.   I think is a tradition we should stick with.      It can be very emotional, especially for first timers at the Games and gives them a feeling of welcome and they can see immediately that they are not alone.   Young golf starlet Rachael Reynolds from Leicester took the oath on behalf of all competitors and the Games were officially opened by the Mayor, Councillor Roger Wilson.   

Maurice Slapak and Christine Evans,  president and chairman respectively of TSAGB made the welcome speeches and thank you's and we were off and running.   I had the pleasure of partaking in a buffet reception in the mayor's parlour with other guests and have to confess to having more than one sarnie and cream cake, I was famished.

Friday 26th August

Despite getting lost trying to find a mythical Jct 21A heading south on the M1, four car loads of us arrived at the Western Park Golf Club with 10 minutes to spare.   The Freeman had 5 representatives playing in the golf tournament.   Martin Hutchinson (25 hcp), Barrie Beswick (23), and first timer Sid Lamb (20) in the Div 2 competition and another first timer, Don Atha (13) and me; Graham Marsh (11) in Div 1.

With one of the highest handicaps in the field, Martin Hutchinson won the Div 2 stableford competition with 41 points to add to his Golden Glove title he won at Royal Musselburgh and his Gold medal winning performance in Dublin at the European Games last year, a 'remarkable' hat trick!

The rest of us played well but as the standard was very high we had to settle for the enjoyment factor!   The overall winner was Steve Carr, (pictured right) with me and Richard Bennett(l) and last year's winner Richard Mills.

Meanwhile elsewhere the Freeman team was picking up medals.   Unfortunately not in the volleyball, but by all accounts it was very exciting.    The biggest of all participation sports is fishing and our very own John Harrison claimed gold on Braunstone Lake.  It is John's first ever BTG medal, so congratulations are in order and I hope he enjoyed his fish supper when he got home.   Apparently the fish he caught was 'this big'.

Joan Whitney and Games debutant Sid Lamb won bronze and silver respectively in the walk and for the second Games in a row Sue Wrightson finished in the top three of an event under threat, archery.   Sue went one better than last year and took the silver medal.  

Archery was introduced to the Games only last year and has good participation,  it would be folly to drop this classic Olympic sport from the timetable.

In the evening a visit to the Space Centre in Leicester was on the menu and it seems would be astronauts were queuing up for the first available shuttle back to the student's union bar.   The disco in the Space Centre was unkindly dubbed 'The Moon Club' due to it's lack of atmosphere (that was a joke by the way).

Saturday 27th August

By tradition I become the Freeman team supporter in chief on the Saturday with more than a little help from my wife Christine.   Firstly we went to the badminton hall where there were 12 courts set up and all with matches in progress.   From our lofty position on the balcony we could watch any  or all of the matches.   I do not pretend to know much about 'badders' but even my untrained eye could spot some very talented players down below.

My golfing buddy Norbert McGarr and his partner Paul  were too good for our own Dave Donkin and his partner, so DD had to settle for a very creditable silver.   Others who caught me eye particularly were Juliet Lewis and Liz ('fish') Hosforth who were unbeatable amongst the ladies.   I would like to thank them for giving two of our Freeman team's young adults, Kaylee Davidson and Emma Thompson a spot of coaching after their game, good stuff girls.   Another youngster from the Freeman, Hannah Swift went out of the competition in the early stages.   No disgrace at all as the standard in this category was very high.  

It is good to see the youngsters coming through from the kids team and taking part, experience only comes with....er, experience.   Our other perennial medallist in the badminton is Judith Burgess and she came up trumps yet again with a silver medal to add to the bronze she had won on the Friday in table tennis.

After a quick bite to eat it was off to the 50m pool and the swimming gala.   Young Dale Mooney made his debut in the Games and his time will come.   Congratulations to genial Irishman Terry Woods who won his first ever BTG medal when he took silver in the 50m backstroke.   Rob Hodgkiss and Brian Knox were both in very strong categories and were unlucky not to pick up at least a bronze medal.  

I have left our newest swim star until last.    Lynda Morrison another debutant to adult competition amazed everyone with her courage and ability.   Lynda will not mind me saying that she suffers from cerebral palsy and is unable to make a dive to start her races.   For her to pick up 2 silver and 1 bronze medal is remarkable especially when she had three races in succession.   Linda pictured here with Rob Hodgkiss.

The AGM

The AGM was held at 6pm when some people were still returning from events or having their evening meal.   The restaurant times were 5.30 - 7pm so for anyone who had competed that afternoon I reckon it was a 'no brainer' (yes, I hate this phrase too) given the choice between food and a potentially exciting annual general meeting.   Last year it was held at 7pm which would have made much more sense but inexplicably and mysteriously to some of those present, me included, a post World Transplant Games meeting had been called for 7pm.   If meetings of this nature are to be called, all expected to be there should at least receive an invite.

Two of the burning issues which had been raised at the AGM were:-

Lynne Holt, who is a member of the team of transplant co-ordinators at the Freeman hospital in Newcastle, has been Peter's deputy for as long as I have been competing, is red hot favourite with the bookies to take over as Team Manager.   In my humble opinion, Lynne will make an excellent No 1.

At the conclusion of both meetings lots of normally sensible people were seen wandering about in grass skirts and flowery shirts.   The Beach Party was very good.

The Gala Dinner

The set up was good and as a result of the athletics finishing promptly everyone had plenty of time to shower and change and arrive at leisure in their best bib and tucker.   The tables were well laid out and the meal was very enjoyable.  

Obviously speeches are an integral part of proceedings, but an exploding microphone (BANG!) is not really needed.   

With regard to the presentation of awards I am none the wiser what most of them are for after five times of asking, so I have no chance of telling the first timers as to the winner's worthiness.   I know I am not alone in this.  A note in the programme or a little explanation would help. 

The speeches over and the band played on until 1am, they were very good.   The idea of the gaming tables was brilliant because not everyone wants to make a fool of themselves attempting to look cool dancing, so being able to play black jack, poker or roulette was very shrewd and allowed leaden footed movers like me to have fun.

In summary:-

All being well I hope to see you at the 29th British Transplant Games
in Bath from August 17th - 20th 2006. 

The 11th European Heart & Lung Transplant Games are
in Naples, Italy from June 21st -26th 2006

I shall set up dedicated pages for both events early in 2006.

If after reading this account of the British Transplant Games you would like to get involved and have a go....

....All competitors must be a current member of the Transplant Sports Association of Great Britain (TSAGB).  
If in doubt contact  Team Manager Graham Marsh
or Joyce Gill:  joyce-and-ian@supanet.com

6 Year membership costs £25
3 Year membership costs £15

Each competitor may enter 5 individual events, with a maximum of 3 from any one discipline with the exception of the relays.   A signed and completed medical certificate must be provided.   Unfortunately, anyone receiving dialysis treatment is not allowed to enter.

The first Games were the brainchild of Maurice Slapak, who at the time was a consultant transplant surgeon.   They were staged in Portsmouth in 1978 and attracted 100 competitors.   This years event is expected to attract over 500 competitors and as many (at least) supporters.

15 cities have hosted the British Transplant Games since their inception; Portsmouth, Newcastle, Leicester, Leeds, Norwich, Manchester, Cardiff, Birmingham, Exeter, Liverpool, Sheffield,   Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast.

Loughborough was the venue for the 2002 Games and since then the sports facilities have been improved and new world class facilities are now in place and will be used by the competitors.   The University has entered partnership agreements with several national governing bodies and Sport England.   As a result there is a 50m swimming pool, water based hockey pitch and pavilion, an  indoor athletics stadium, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) Gymnastics National Performance and research centre.   There is also the EIS Performance Centre, a netball / badminton centre, a National Sport Taekwondo Centre and the English Cricket Board (ECB) National Cricket Academy

The TSAGB website is also very helpful.   It has detailed information on all events and much more.