When
I joined the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes
scheme in early 2010, I had no idea about the journey I was about to begin. It is a
journey which is not yet finished – the journey to London 2012 and beyond.
Whilst in my case 2012 may not be such a realistic possibility, the 'beyond'
part of this regularly-used phrase brings into focus several aims and
aspirations. The better we do in 2012, the more chance volleyball has to develop
in the following years.
One year after joining the scheme, the experiences I've had are astounding. I've met such Olympians and Paralympians as Leon Taylor,
Ellie Simmonds, Jonathan Edwards and Ade Adepitan. Meeting them has proved one thing to me –
these athletes, these people, are just that – people. Normal people living
normal lives, who have gone on to become World Champions or Olympic
medallists.
And the difference between them and the Local Heroes that recently
attended the 2011 workshop in Loughborough?
You tell me.
So, they may have
experienced a whole lot more in their lifetime, but at my age, many of them were
going through the same struggles and challenges that we do now. Our job is
essentially to do it better –- with the help of sponsors like Lloyds
TSB and SportsAid.
While
at the workshop, all Local Heroes, parents and coaches alike undertook sessions
on the benefits of using social media such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, as
well as being provided with the tools to deal with the real media. As the next
generation of Great Britain's sporting stars, we've been training hard in more ways than
one to be ready and raring to go!
From being asked to autograph primary school notebooks, to speaking to a room
full of lawyers about sport, down to reducing a bunch of hardened bankers to
tears, being a Local Hero can offer it all. Oh and on top of that, it is of
course an invaluable contribution that allows me to continue to play
volleyball. That part is not to be forgotten – it is after all what it's all
about.
As I write this, I'm 17 years old and currently preparing to play in my first
U18 national final. This will be the first and last junior national final I will ever play, as the following week I will travel to Italy
with the England Junior Men's Squad to play in the Memorial Ferruccio
Cornacchia International tournament.
Doing a minority sport, athletes need all the support they can get and without the help I've had from the Local Heroes programme over the last
year, that paragraph above may have read a little differently.
Local Heroes has given me so much already. Nothing would please me more than to be able to look back in a few years as a professional volleyball player with even more to be grateful for. And you never know, maybe by then I will have graduated from Jordan Dalrymple, Local Hero to Jordan Dalrymple, Olympian.
