Waterpolo in the Olympics, Surely That's Just Something You Do On Your Holiday

Waterpolo in the Olympics, Surely That's Just Something You Do On Your Holiday

This Blog is overdue I did start one a couple on months ago but in my haste to back everything up after a software failure I forgot to back the blog up.

So seems almost every one has forgotten the security issues the weather, the overcrowding on the tube. We are now 3rd on the medal table. The Celeb’s, who don’t follow sport, are out in force and so are the armchair supporters yes it’s the Olympics.

I have been quite busy watching as much as I can ok in some cases 14-15 hours a day. Having had the pleasure of photographing most of our athletes on their road to London has been surreal some times when you think you sometimes have to ask these people to pose. Then you see them on the telly picking up gold

There have been some very surprising and gusty medals for team GB. The Gymnastics team event unexpected silver downgraded to a bronze. A bronze and silver medal in the pommel horse. In 2008 we achieved 1 bronze the first in 80 years so 4 medals this time proves someone is doing something right.

 But on the flip side there has been some competitors who have received the maximum funding and failed to deliver. Maybe the expectation was too much in some cases. Certain members of the media were giving gold’s to people who hadn’t competed. We are not as harsh as some country’s the Australians by day 8 only had 1 Gold hate be them reading them papers if I was their athletes.

Most of the funding the athletes receive is that you & I give via the National Lottery. The other part comes with Commercial partners.

 Funding for Olympic sport starts in a 4 year cycle which begins in the April, after the Olympics so when we only got 1 gold in Atlanta 1996 which was the rowers, was not really surprising the funding was blamed. And this also kicked the governing bodies to restructure and scream for more funding. This duly happened. In 1997

In some disciplines funding comes only after an unexpected medal as Shelley Rudman, proved in Salt Lake City with her silver in the Bob Skeleton. & has eventually seen them receive the most awards in winter sports section.

To understand the funding I have looked on the UK sport website and looked what was the targets expected for the sports and the money allocated to get there.

The full list of funding awards for this Olympic Cycle can be found here http://www.uksport.gov.uk/sport/summer/

And it makes some surprising results more so that wrestling gets more of a budget than weightlifting, but they are still down at the bottom of the funding tree, because they are not expected to get anywhere with medals. But if they do then they will look to get the funding increased to keep the momentum going.

Take the gymnastics the target was 1-2 medals they have doubled that with 4.

Been thinking about this recently over the past week or so, as this comes to my title of this blog: Waterpolo in the Olympics, Surely That's Just Something You Do On Your Holiday

The origin of the title was off a tweet I was sent during the Olympics to which in fairness; Waterpolo has had its fair share of terrestrial coverage this year. With Both the men’s and women’s games given BBC coverage on the red button what people don’t release other than coverage on satellite TV minority sport rarely gets shown  nowadays gone are the times when BBC used to lead the way with showing sport. The majority of sports of the Olympics get more than a fleeting mention over the 4 year cycle on the terrestrial stations Channel 4 has done their bit but it’s not enough if these sports are to gain any popularity

I’m using waterpolo as an example for a reason

I have been covering the GB Men’s and Woman’s teams for the past 5 years & as they are based in Manchester makes it quite handy for me, & to be honest was where I first got my first major press pass. (And learnt 2 quite important lessons to boot)

Now this one of the sport which got a funding cut and had to adapt the way on how to deliver results and as such it has seen the. Men play in Europe’s club league this is a good move as Hungary have Gold medaled at the last 3 Olympics.

The women play in the  Hungary league and regularly take off there to play waterpolo. The reason for this is Hungary unlike Britain, waterpolo is a national sport there and has invested in this sport hence the last 3 Olympic gold’s for their men.

The set-up’s from the Main City clubs such as: Manchester, Liverpool, Rotherham, Penguin, Otter, which recruits from the more local clubs has produced some good players and plenty didn’t get their chance  this time round.

But let it be known I have seen the aftermath of some of these match’s Ice packs held to the face black eyes, scratches from ankle to shoulder, ripped costumes, blood drawn  and that’s just the women’s game. 

Lets again go back to Beijing a fairly unknown, British athlete called Sarah Stevenson was fighting a bout of taekwondo she managed to get to the later rounds of the contest and the BBC picked up on it then in one moment of bad refereeing that sport was thrown in to the worlds notice. What happened there not only changed Sarah’s Olympics but the sport world-wide in the way it was judged and the use of video replay. as she got a bronze last time and we have some genuine medal chances this time round.

But to get there more needs to be done

The first thing more exposure: for a woman’s football match to get best part of 75,000 people watching is exceptional but can that being achieved outside of the Olympics?

To have archery contest in the middle of Lords is a real coup and has been heralded as a success. And to be shown nearly every morning on the TV should be exploited.

A beach volleyball contest which has drawn crowds day after day till well after midnight and how the press scoffed at that. 7 years ago when it was announced that it would be played on Horse Guards Parade. 

Basketball matches that have seen GB match teams that have better setup than ours and shock of shock the GB men win a match. And their first since 1948 Alas for the other teams it was not the same.

Yes having UK Basketball players in the NBA are good but they all don’t play in the USA.

What people don’t realise that all these disciplines are fairly new like the handball only 6 years old in the UK (& introduced into the Olympics in 1976.)  Have had to prove that their inclusion is justified to get a home place. And has to have made significant progress to get this far

I heard one Handball player moved to Amsterdam so she can play full time such is the sport over there.

How many people will honestly watch if any these sports get mainstream TV terrestrial coverage in truth not many because “It’s only interesting because it’s the Olympics.”

Secondly Leagues : proper leagues in some sports  need to be set up where our athletes have decent opposition this is long way off you need the sponsors and TV Interested to pay the decent money as well if this is going to take off.

Netball has a superleauge that’s televised regular and is well attended  

I have had seen lots of comments saying “Is this Handball made up” No it isn’t it’s been previewed on the BBC which have been previewing all the sports on the web & TV any one watch the Olympics Dreams series.  

So when you see a score line that looks like they have firmly beat and you shrug and say why they bother. They bother cause they want to represent their country, they bother cause they are good at their sport, and like I mentioned only rowing Gold medaled in Atlanta in 1996 and that was the coxless 4 and if they didn’t Sir Steve Redgrave would only have 4 gold ,11 Gold’s In Sidney, 9 gold’s in Athens 2004, wasn’t till 2008 that we got 19 and the majority of them was in cycling where 12 out the 13 athletes picked up a medal. This Olympics we have beat that.

A lot has been mentioned about legacy about these games if you want to talk about legacy look at Manchester and what has happened after 2002 Legacy doesn’t happen overnight it takes time to talent spot, develop and train and then to deliver the results.

The funding does need to be increased in some cases we also need the grass roots sorted and how to get people interested in the first place but how. if the sport doesn’t have exposure. Its not going to get noticed.

Will we see all the disciplines represented in London compete in Rio but some of them will have to qualify the hard way!

As one BBC pundit said. “How can you expect us to compete when the sport has constantly been under-funded for years.”

The next big test for sport in the UK is in 2014 when the commonwealth games come to Glasgow other sports such as netball and squash get to showcase themselves and get much needed terrestrial air time

I’m not using this blog to make a political statement or take a pop at the setup and funding but to make the people in this country who are only exposure of sports such as Archery, Handball & Waterpolo once every 4 years these sports are available for people to try watch & take part in, nearly 365 days a year.

My own personal view of the Olympics well they are: the Olympic park when I went there is amazing. But what made it. Were the people there the troops doing the security checks, the games makers smiling and selling the games to the sports fans and foreign fans, & the world class venues!

But those Buildings need to be utilised god forbid we do another Atlanta. With the venues they built.

So this again brings me back to

 “Waterpolo in the Olympics, Surely That's Just Something You Do On Your Holiday”

Waterpolo has been a part of the Olympics since 1900

Great Britain has won 4 gold’s in the event 1900 1908 1912 1920

Britain last competed in Waterpolo in 1956

Women’s waterpolo made its debut in 2000

It has a professional setup affiliated to British Swimming with a base and talent spotting under the UK Sport directive

And played by people who are good at the sport & have a passion for it.

So when you see a score in one of these sports and it looks we have lost one sided be-aware unless these sports have the same chance to be aired then they won’t get the regular exposure they won’t get the people interested and then legacy means nothing.

I know this may be read by people involved in the sports I have covered I hope I have put a genuine point across. Looking at sport from the other side of the looking glass I have done for the last 7 years made me relise how hard it is for some sports  clubs to survive in the digital age.

The Revenge of Bambi

The Revenge of Bambi

I wasn’t going to give this blog a name but decided to after these week’s events.

I found out the hard way this week what I can and can’t eat I had 1 venison steak cooked in the oven and raised so any fat would run off. The result was good few hours of what I called Bambi kicking me from the inside of my stomach trying to get out. The humor I have is quite dry but has always got me through any issues. The result when it stopped was a relief since then I have avoided any meat lean or red. To this end I’m seriously thinking of becoming a vegetarian fish is still ok for me and I have survived chicken this week as always now no skin now just the meat. The biggest issue I have had food this week is the Great Manchester run which I am covering what I eat I simply cant do what I have done in the past and pop into MacDonald’s or any fast food restaurant. Again going to have to use my brain and take some so a trip to Asda for some wraps and chicken with some salad.


I’ve also started keeping a food diary with what I have had day by day snacks and so on, what gives me pain. This may seem a little OCD  but I was advised to and in-fact is a good idea as I can see what gives me trouble.

Had the test results today apart from one or two things I now know that I’m 5’11 and 13.5 stone but in a effort to keep myself in less pain I’m giving up tea and coffee for a day to see if this helps. As I think that gives me pains during the day. This list is now reaching epic lengths I have on there as you know lots of things. so like a Room 101 of food these things go in. As I’m writing this I think of the Dad’s Army sketch you know the one with the German U-boat crew who puts Pikes name on the list. Believe me Bambi will be first up against the wall.


Well the no tea / coffee experiment went well any pain, only other thing I have is I can feel things inside me move which is very weird. Other than this the highlight of my week I had a little wine and I felt good like I have said I can do without alcohol  that’s not the problem this was a very nice treat. In what has been a frustrating week!

The Accidental Blogger

The Accidental Blogger


I really didn’t plan this doing this many blogs. A week ago it was just something to put something down after a very long day. One thing I will say and said it before what ever is going on with me it is not half as bad as something people have wrong with them, in fact in the general scheme of things it’s nothing that cant be changed with a little self-discipline and different attitude, to my lifestyle.

Tonight's Tea Copyright Andrew Schofield

I have to be selective what I eat though, lots of fruit no crisps I have salad during the week anyhow but it’s the other things I have to cut out completely which means that Tea or Dinner (evening ) time meals (what ever you call it ) are starting to get creative, to say the least. One of the best quick teas I have is rice with tinned tomatoes; I’ve added Veg to this now just to give me more variety when I haven’t anything else. One saving grace I can eat jelly so I am making sure I have some vimto jelly always made now I've enclosed a pic from tonight's tea.

In other things I had a interesting proposal with my photography, this week. One I am gladly to take on will be a nice challenge and will get me out and about quite a bit if it happens. I have a major stumbling block well to be honest more like the Berlin wall,to break down. with 1or2 parts of it though but it will part of the challenge to make it work. And hope fully will take off. This is a area I’m not happy with I need to progress or give it up. But willing to try something new that might re-interest me. I’ve done the photography for the last 6 years part time.

I believe in sometimes you meet people for a reason.whether just to chat or to work with or whatever. I say this as Just had a long chat over what kind meat I can have with my butcher.The actual place is local and  on the side of a abattoir & is nice family run little place.  They have recently been in the process of turning out some good flavor sasuages, and will miss having them. The advice I got was invalueble as always.

My appointment with the saw-bones isn’t till later in the week I expect a stern telling off them over my results, but need to know more why there is so much pain when eating certain things.

Go Rin No Sho

Go Rin No Sho Means the Book of 5 Rings.


 It was written circa 1645 it’s a text on Kenjutsu & Martial Arts written by the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi it’s mainly about discipline. The reason I’ve mentioned Go Rin No Sho . Is that I thought of something someone said to me over 10 years ago the other day  it is basically knowing your enemy and getting your enemy’s trust to defeat them.


The reason I mentioned it was in the last post I needed to be more disciplined in what I eat, & my eating habits so I need the frame of mind to achieve this so looking to this to help me.  


I’ve just gave my blood and Urine to the nurse to be looked at today . I don’t like needles and she nearly had to get me off the ceiling after I gave blood. In fact there should be a door out to the corridor that way that would have be easier to get out.


Now I’m waiting for the results and after illness and pain waiting is the 3^rd thing I don’t well. To combat this one of the things I do is  pace I can cover miles just pacing, when I have something on my mind. It’s relaxing & therapeutic and many a issue has been resolved that way. I’m sure I will need a new carpet soon at this rate. recently I did some yoga I did find very relaxing, it's a shame I cant keep it up because of work commitments. I have to say on this I did it by accident and I thank a night out in a really nice pub I frequent now and again & one of the most random of conversations that made be go to the class. Ok there may have been a pint or 2 involved.


On the diet front has improved a bit I have to be so creative when I’m cooking tea now it scares me I’m succeeding. My stomach hasn’t felt like I have been used as a practise target for the GB Taekwondo team, for the last couple of days, I still can’t have crisps or any other things like that and if I do have any meat then any excess fat must be taken off. I’m looking at alternatives I’m assuming my butcher can rise to the occasion in that department and source something different. One thing I have found out is I’m not getting hungry now if I’m busy this is normal then all of a sudden my body shouts at me to get food. This is not happening so I have to make sure I eat at regular times.




Once again people have been brilliant helping out with this and the advice I have been given is really helpful and invaluable. I still don't know what is exactly wrong tho , & that is what is bugging me


Waiting for the blood test to happen this morning I had time to think, seeing it wasn’t appointment based, I had to go back to the old way of waiting which was nice for a change. I had a unexpected message from someone last week when I told them I had a problem. I’m taking it for what was at the time a genuine message. It’s a regret I can’t speak to the person more often.


I will leave you with this text form the Book of 5 rings

Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things. As if it were a straight road mapped out on the ground ... These things cannot be explained in detail. From one thing, know ten thousand things. When you attain the Way of strategy there will not be one thing you cannot see. You must study hard.

Next ….. The Accidental Blogger

What No Marmite !!!!!

I’m currently in a state of Flux with my diet; I know what sets off my pain and what doesn't. anything spicy does, Pastry does, fatty foods, dairy products , the list goes on ..... So basically anything I like to eat has caused this in the first place. I have been advised to become a label hawk, I have been advised eating out is neigh on impossible. I Have to look at everything I want to eat high fats are out are out as well, that’s means sausages, bacon certain cuts of meats are out. Not forgetting beer and sprits.

Now I believe in everything in moderation I don’t drink heavy and eat a balanced diet don’t over indulge in things too often but somehow I have got this. the first thing I looked at when I found out what I may have give up, was look at the back of my marmite jar and my face dropped if there was one thing I didn’t have to give up would be that. People know how much I like Marmite. Other than Cheese on toast it’s the only thing that makes toast bearable for me. I suppose I will have to look back to jam I’ve not had Jam for ages there’s a diabetic in the house so we simply don’t have jam….

At this point I still don’t what is wrong only what has been surmised by my doctor but the people who I am talking to about things, the advice has been priceless.

I’ve still been out to the pub but not been drinking. The worst thing is not the drinking I’ve done without drink for long periods before that’s fine, but not having a pub snack is something different a packet of crisps, pork scratching, I remembered that I read that peanuts would be ok for me so I had pack. I have never had such a smile on my face ordering a snack seriously I haven’t. Part way through I remembered to look at the contents. Over 50% is fat at that time I was past caring and chomped on the rest thinking well if feel like I have been kicked in the stomach I’ll know not to have them again. That is an attitude I need to get out of fast….

My habits have to change of what I eat and how approach food. I have started to change I have no option tea and coffee with no milk is a major one for me as I have always had that no more pastry is another, giving up something is just disciplining yourself in what you eat that’s the easy part. making sure you keep to giving something up thats the hard  part.

Like I said this may not be life threatening or as bad as something else other people have but I like I said don’t do any illness well!






Coming Next …….Go Rin No Sho (and I bet you look that up )

Sometimes I Hate It When Arrive Somewhere Too Early

Sometimes I Hate It When Arrive Somewhere Too Early

People who know me as a photographer know I like to be somewhere as soon as possible before a event. It not uncommon to see me at a event 3 hours before it starts. Same goes when I'm meeting someone in the pub etc, I hate being late . I have got in the habit in being early. This has it's drawbacks when it comes to appointments for the doctors or dentist, I like the opposite & do the opposite this was the case this week when I went to see my my doctor.
Now I rarely see my doctor as I consider my myself in pretty good health, I have the odd niggle . But I don't really do illness well, people round me know this.

I arrived moments before my appointment and this to me is too early, & proceeded to wait. Now this was my first visit to the newish health centre where my doc is now based and I have to say it's clinical, but has none of the closeness of the old one. In the waiting room, you have a nice view of another part of the building all of a few feet way through the window,and the chairs are spread out down the room in pods, and several TVs quietly "Bing Bong" then put your details up where you are to go to the consulting room. the pods of chairs dot the space which extends 50 -60 feet or so. and you have 4 pods of chairs.#

I hate these type of places as at least at the old place you had a more closer place to see your fellow sufferers. Where you  have to look round when the buzzer sounds and the expectant looks evaporate as people realise who's turn it is, as everyone shows the numbered slips to show who's next.

Presently my name was called and had to find out where I wanted to go by means of the appropriate signs, all I can say what a maze.

After seeing the doctor and explaining my symptoms I was advised a Blood & Urine test was  needed.
Now in the XX years I have been around Ive never needed something like this. Never even broke a arm. Ok I've had 3 stitches (Long Story) and had the odd scrape but nothing that would a warrant Blood & Urine test.

I have to admit I did singger at the receptionist when she gave me the bag to put the syringe in which will hold my Urine sample in. It has Bio-Hazard on it.

Photo copywrite NWSO.co.uk

Like I said I really don't do illness well, I know it can be one of a few things, and It may not be as serious of some of the things other people go through. But even so this might have a direct impact on a few things I want to do. & It will have a impact on my lifestyle.

Coming Next .... What No Marmite !!!!!

I Apologise For The Grammar

Ok not been one for writing and what I do write is usually about a line in the caption of a photograph I have to send off. you know the thing you see in the nationals describing a photo of a celeb, sports star or axe murder.Even this sometimes is a labour as I hate writing.


 I’m writing this at about 4 am the reason I’m up is because Ive just finished covering the local elections I doubt any of my photos will sell after all they are only really of local interest.

Another reason im writing this (not including the fact i cant sleep ) is through a conversation I had with someone this week pointing out my bad spelling. This made me think about things like this. Other than having a heated conversation about the subject which I hate doing I thought of my teachers remarks on the school report “could do better “ came to my mind.


Infact how many of us had that at school without realsing that some people wont ever get grammar & or spelling and people of a certain age dyslexia was not commonly recognised and people was generally considered thick or stupid. and dumped in the bottom class and then had to fight to be reconised,  Having dyslexia doesnt mean that  person has a low IQ ! I know plenty of people who went to university and got degrees, who didn’t know where to start new paragraph… Im not one of them by the way. I never went to Uni.


Of course you can get spell checks or grammar checks on your work, but sometimes even these are not infallible and things are missed out. To be honest I have more going on in my life at the moment  than where to worry where to put a full stop or comma…


I have to make it quite clear now this blog is not about a dig, attack or being personal about anyone who has OCD about grammar, we are all diffrent. & As such people who dont get grammar should’t be put in the stocks and pelted with rotten veg because they dont know where and when  to use a puntuation mark.

So in this Blog  I Apologise About the Grammar …….

All will be explained in the next lot of blogs

 Comming  Next  Sometimes I Hate It When I’m Somewhere Too Early