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Transplant Games
2007 British
Transplant Games - Edinburgh
Last update - 03/07/07
The 28th British Transplant Games
I must stress that this Games report is purely personal,
for which I make no apology. This site is recommended on the BBC's search
page by entering Having had my heart transplant in 1999 the Loughborough Games were the fifth that I have attended, having missed the Games in Stoke (2003) as I stayed on in France following the World Transplant Games. I consider these Games to be the most friendly and well organised British Transplant Games that I have attended. The sporting facilities at Loughborough University campus were world class and the meals on site were very good too, served by staff who could not have been more helpful. A look back....
Thursday 25th August I enjoyed a practice round of golf in the morning with the defending champion Ian Lewis-Jones, newly crowned World champion (senior category) Frank Clarke and Martin Hutchinson (Freeman team) who plays off a handicap of 25 and is the current Div 2 European champion as well as the holder of the Golden Glove trophy. Me? I was just happy to be there! Game over and off to the University to register and check into our rooms. As I was with my wife Christine ( aka Mrs Boggy on other pages) we had a double room en-suite booked and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised when we opened the door and entered. I had feared the worst. Never having stayed on campus before, I had heard mixed views. The above paragraph is what I wrote last year. Talking to other competitors it seems that I must have got the short straw when the rooms were allocated this time because my twin en-suite room was so dark and dingy that we had to put the light on at all times to see where were going. If I were a student in that room I would drop out within a week. It was damp, foisty and not the cleanest spot I have ever rested my head in the evenings. I took the opportunity of filling in a feedback form before I left, as presumably you did too. I also told them that room E0B3 was in need of decorating ASAP. In short, our room was a dump! At the time of my arrival on campus (2.25) there was a torrential downpour and finding my way around was very difficult, but the marshals who were out in force and getting a real soaking were very good. To have to stand out in the rain like that and direct folk to all points on campus was above and beyond the call of duty. Thank you! There was a team managers meeting scheduled for 4pm so I had an hour to distribute kit and packs to my team and have a quick meeting and wish them luck etc. That was the plan. On checking in and picking up the packs at registration I was informed the TM meeting was to be at 3pm. I have only one word, no, make that two - absolutely ridiculous. As Rabbie Burns so articulately put it, "The best laid plans o' mice and men, gang aft aglay". If it were not for my wife Christine's help I would never have managed. So to her I say, "Where's my tea"? The march into town and assembly in front of the Town Hall was blessed with half decent weather and I think is a tradition we should stick with. It can be very emotional and especially for first timers at the Games, gives them a feeling of welcome and they can see immediately that they are not alone. Young golf starlet Rachael Reynolds 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 The golf championship today was played at Western Park Golf Club which is a 20 minute car ride from campus. I offer my sincere apologies to those of you who followed me in the lead car (I was a passenger). Some 45 minutes after setting off and when we were about to take the Rugby turn off on the M1 we realised we had been given duff information by a golfer whose handicap is higher than the mythical junction 21A we never found. We, four car loads, made it to the course with about 10 minutes to spare. Once again - sorry! Looking back I have to confess to a little chuckle when Howard Waters and his lovely wife pulled alongside us doing 70 mph on the M1 in their Jag, window down, pointing at a road map and shaking their fists at us. Once again - sorry! Back to the golf. Thankfully and after having been consulted about the golf, Frank, ILJ and I have the format for the day's golf sorted to the satisfaction of most of the golfers taking part, if not the host golf club. I played in the company of Richard Bennett (16), last
year's winner Richard Hill (16) and pre tournament favourite ex Leicester
City footballer, Steve Carr (9). As ever things did not run to plan at the presentation ceremony and some confusion as to who won what. Despite the medals presented on the day I believe this is the correct outcome of the golf. If I have made a mistake I am certain someone will tell me.
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. 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 Dave Donkin and his partner, so DD had to settle for
silver. Others who caught me eye particularly were Juliet Lewis
and Liz ('fish') Hosforth who were unbeatable amongst the ladies. 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 must compliment an angry Jag driver on his swimming ability which is much
better than my map reading - well done Howard. Also to the
svelte Jean Howard-Jones who is truly outstanding in the pool. 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. Lynda 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. I never wish to criticise just for the sake of it and always wish to be constructive, so I will be sending my thoughts and views, as requested, to our chairman. This report / review, which as I said at the outset, is my personal view and I intend to say what I think; who said, "No surprise there then?" Notification of any meeting should be sent to individuals and not posted on third party websites. Just as the postman delivers letters to my font door, means I do not need to enquire at the post office if there is any mail. I am of course referring to the Yahoo site which is really a chat room and also responsible for crashing my computer, which is why I have had my name deleted. There are others who cannot access this site anyway, so there should be no problem in sending personal emails. I imagine if you have taken the time to read this far you are probably a member of the TSAGB, were you there? If not why not? You should at some point in the not too distant future be able to read the minutes on the TSAGB website as was discussed. It is not difficult. I post the minutes of the FHLTA ( Freeman Heart & Lung Transplant Association) onto our website within minutes (sorry for the pun) of receiving them.
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. Sunday 28th August My two events are the 100m and long jump.
These are also two of Barrie Laverick's events and as I have stated before
Barry is a class act and World Champion at both events. I came
second, again, in the 100m with a pb of 13.6 sec to Barrie's fantastic time
of 13sec exactly. I have no problem with my performance and take
comfort that at this moment in time I am the only 50 year old in the world
who can come anywhere near him. Needless to say he also beat me
in the long jump. Nevertheless I am pleased to come away with 2
hard won silver medals. For the first time since I have been coming to the
British Games the Freeman was able to enter the 4x100m relay event.
The reason being that a slip of a girl called Kaylee Davidson was big enough
to put her name down and enter.
I would like to make a special mention to fellow Geordie from North Tyneside, Martin Graham. Martin received a kidney from his dad and although his transplant was done at the Freeman he competes for the Newcastle Team, but I still speak to him. I am not sure exactly, but I know he entered 6 events and won 6 medals, two of which were gold. If he ever comes on to the transfer market we shall definitely put in a bid for him. The track & field competition was very well co-ordinated and the medal ceremonies were extremely slick which made for a much more enjoyable day for competitors and spectators alike. My only gripe was that the caterers were allowed to charge £1 for an alleged cuppa. A polystyrene cup and tea bag filled with hot water? Please! 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. Our tables were at the front and we were able to see OK but I imagine the people on tables a little further from the front had no chance. Why could the stage not be utilised so that everyone could see? 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. I would like to finish on a positive note and say
I was just happy to be there! All being well I hope to see you at the 29th British
Transplant Games The 11th European Heart & Lung Transplant Games are
All competitors must be a current member of the Transplant Sports Association of Great Britain (TSAGB). If in doubt contact your Team Manager or Joyce Gill: joyce-and-ian@supanet.com 6 Year membership costs £25 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.
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This site was last updated 03-07-07
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'. 
