36th European Junior & Cadet Championships, Paris, France 2009
Live reports from Paris
Posted 29th January 2009
Day 4
Thursday, the quietest day so far and most certainly the lull before the storm. The squad has been resting all day, no training, just relaxation in preparation for the start of the tournament tomorrow. The coaches have spent the majority of the day registering the athletes at the official HQ hotel, a very slow and methodical process.
Saw a few more National squads, the Welsh and Italian teams are camped in the hotel next to ours with the Italians lunching in our ‘Courtepaille’ hotel restaurant late afternoon. The England squad certainly don’t look nervous, they are more fidgety with anticipation eager to get on the mat. Let’s hope they keep their positive attitude going all weekend long.
The coaches returned from registration shortly before dinner and called a team meeting. The team were given their competitor passes and were split into 4 groups assigned to a specific coach for the duration of the championships. The groups were mixed and they were given a final ‘Pep’ talk by their coach.
The team then sat down to dinner and everyone looked relaxed. Not before too long the squad left for an early night ready for an early start in the morning.
The team are in high spirits and have formed a good team bond. Everyone is looking forward to tomorrow, let the competition begin . . .