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‘When the wind comes sweeping down the plain…when the wind comes right behind the rain.’
Not a Scottish weather report, but the lyrics to the famous song Oklahoma. And for Scottish middle distance runner Chris O’Hare, Oklahoma is now a home-from-home.
The 23-year-old from West Linton in the Scottish Borders spent four and a half years at the University of Tulsa, graduating in sports science and kinesiology.
And, following a brief return to Scotland, O’Hare plans to head back to his adopted home as he builds towards competing for Team Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
It wasn’t, however, any meteorological matters which convinced O’Hare to settle in Tulsa.
“At that point I didn’t know if I was going to be able to run professionally,” explained O’Hare. “It was important for me to get a good education so Tulsa was the best fit academically and athletically. The coach was saying all the right things and he was right, I loved it.
“I didn’t have any time to go and visit before choosing Tulsa, what with a pretty intense race schedule and school schedule. It was still a very informed decision and I spoke to some of the British guys already out there who vouched for the university, the coach, the training environment.
“I don’t think I would have been as successful up to this point if I hadn’t gone to the States, taken that leap of faith and gone for it. It really worked for me and drove me forward. Having the track and the weight room and everything only two minutes’ walk away is a perfect training environment. You have the medical support right at your fingertips. When you’re hurt you’re out for two or three days instead of two or three months.”
O’Hare returned to Scottish soil in January for the British Athletics International Match at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, his season opening 1,500m delivering a win by 0.03 seconds from Kenyan James Magut.
Next up is the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland from 7-9 March where the former City of Edinburgh runner hopes to build on his form from 2013, his most successful year yet.
Putting aside the disappointment of narrowly missing out on qualification for the London 2012 Olympics, O’Hare set the Scottish record for the fastest indoor mile – 3 minutes 52.98 seconds – at the Millrose Games in New York.
Not even a mid-season hamstring injury could damage his confidence as O’Hare made the most of the Oklahoma medics to return ahead of schedule and qualify for the World Championships.
O’Hare said: “Moscow was the icing on the cake for a great year. Being so close to making the team for London, it drove me on to show what I’m capable of. If a couple of things had gone right in 2012, I might have been there, but a couple of things went wrong and that’s all it takes.
“It drove me on to a successful 2013 and after making it to the World Championships I knew I had a good chance of being picked for the Commonwealth Games.”
O’Hare was right, his Team Scotland selection confirmed 300 days ahead of the Games commencing and the proud Scot can’t wait to meet up with his team-mates, recalling memories of competing at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune, India.
“Part of my excitement for Glasgow is knowing what the Commonwealth Games feels like and remembering the team environment from being in India,” added O’Hare. “India was great, with all the different sports coming together as one team. We became close-knit, almost like a family.
“I’m looking forward to that team environment and racing in Scotland in front of the Scottish crowds will be fantastic. The event at the Emirates gave us some indication of how Scottish fans will be like; the crowd really got behind us and it was like nothing I had ever witnessed before.”
O’Hare is one of four Team Scotland athletes named in the Great Britain and Northern Ireland team for the World Indoor Championships, joined by Eilidh Child (400m relay), Eilish McColgan (3000m) and Laura Muir (800m).
You can follow Chris on Twitter @chrisohare1500
Photo Credit: scottishathletics via Britishathletics
Yonex has been unveiled as the Official Provider of Badminton Equipment and Services at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
The sponsorship will see Yonex provide 15 certified international standard badminton courts, tournament shuttles, nets, posts and a players’ stringing service as well as having branding rights for court mats and net posts.
The Badminton Competition will take place at the Emirates Arena and will be played across all 11 days of sport competition at Glasgow 2014 (24 July – 3 Aug).
Established in 1946, the firm has previously been the Official Badminton Equipment Supplier at all the Olympic Games since the sports induction at Barcelona 1992 and is a long time title sponsor of the Yonex All England Open Badminton Championships.
Glasgow 2014 Deputy Chief Executive, Ty Speer, said:
“Yonex is synonymous with Badminton across the globe and we are delighted to welcome them as the latest addition to the Glasgow 2014 sponsor family.
“The firm has a strong track record in providing world class equipment and services and with their expertise and support we are sure the Glasgow 2014 Badminton competition will be first class and one not to be missed by fans throughout the Commonwealth.”
Managing Director (UK) of Yonex, Paul Jepson, said:
“Yonex is very proud to have been selected as an Official Provider to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Part of our company mission is to contribute to society through sports and our involvement in these Games is representative of the investments we make at all levels of badminton to stimulate participation and inspire tomorrow’s champions.
“We very much look forward to what we are sure will be a spectacle of great sport and we are delighted to be able to play a part in Glasgow 2014.”
Glasgow 2014 has revealed that ScotRail, operator of 95% of Scotland’s railway, has become the latest addition to the Games Sponsor Family.
It is great news for Team Scotland athletes, who will be able to fully focus on competition, knowing that their friends and family will be able to travel the length of the country in comfort and arrive to the venue on time.
ScotRail, part of the Aberdeen-based FirstGroup, has been planning for the Games for more than two years – and was a supporter of the original Bid to bring the Games to Glasgow.
The train operator will deliver an enhanced Games timetable of high frequency services on key routes across the city, delivering high numbers of spectators to major venues and associated events.
ScotRail will also provide increased capacity on long-distance trains linking Glasgow with other parts of Scotland.
The full timetable is set to be announced this Spring with the train operator expecting to deliver more than one million passenger journeys over the 11 days of the Games.
Transport on ScotRail services within designated Glasgow city boundaries will be included in the price of the Games ticket for Glasgow 2014 spectators.
The company will also become an Official Supporter of Team Scotland at the largest multi-sport event Scotland has ever seen.
More than 3,000 ScotRail staff are already undergoing specialist ‘World Host’ customer service training ahead of the Games to guarantee a world-class welcome to those visiting both Glasgow and Scotland this summer.
Welcoming ScotRail to the Sponsor Family as an Official Supporter, Glasgow 2014’s Chief Executive, David Grevemberg, said:
“We warmly welcome ScotRail to the Glasgow 2014 Sponsor Family. This summer’s Commonwealth Games will see over 6,500 athletes and officials come to Glasgow for 11 days of fantastic competition that will put Glasgow and Scotland on the world stage.
“The city will be bustling with activity and with ScotRail’s additional services supporting Games spectators, and their highly trained staff greeting hundreds of thousands of new visitors to the city, I’m sure that we will deliver an outstanding Games experience that everyone can enjoy.”
Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said:
“ScotRail were there from the outset, backing the bid to bring the Commonwealth Games to Glasgow and it is excellent to know they will continue to play a key role in a successful Games. Their role as an Official Supporter of Team Scotland will provide a great boost to the athletes knowing many of their family and friends will be able to travel easily to the Games from all parts of the country during such a busy period.”
From Glasgow to Cardiff, London to Laxey, all seven Home Nations have used their landscapes, views or young sports fans to show their excitement for Glasgow 2014 and their support for the Sport Your Trainers campaign for 2014.
Two familiar symbols of the Games – the giant inflatable trainer and a cut-out of Official Mascot Clyde have been captured at a host of locations throughout the Home Nations, from the view of Glasgow from the top of the picturesque Glasgow 2014 Mountain Bike venue at Cathkin Braes, to the Millennium Bridge in the heart of London, the shore line of Jersey and the distinctive Titanic Belfast centre.
The Sport Your Trainers campaign for 2014 once again encourages youngsters to step up and sport their trainers for Commonwealth Day, building on the growing excitement among young people for Glasgow 2014 and encouraging increased physical activity.
David Grevemberg, Glasgow 2014 Chief Executive, said:
“Commonwealth Day is a special moment in the calendar and one which gives all us the opportunity to look forward to the Games that Glasgow and Scotland will proudly host for many of the world’s top athletes from across the 70 nations and territories of the Commonwealth.
“Sport Your Trainers is a central part of Commonwealth Day and puts the spotlight on the passion we share for sport across the city, across Scotland, the Home Nations and throughout the Commonwealth.
“We’re delighted to see Sport Your Trainers embraced through the Home Nations as excitement builds towards our shared sporting moment on the global stage.”
Michael Cavanagh, Chairman of Commonwealth Games Scotland, said:
“These fantastic images bring to life the excitement ahead of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, here in Scotland and across the Home Nations. Commonwealth Day is almost upon us and it provides an excellent opportunity for Scottish communities to show their support.
“That home support is so important for Team Scotland, driving our athletes forward towards selection and roaring them on to excel. I would encourage Team Scotland supporters to visit our Go Scotland website and find out how they can support the team.”
“The crowd was incredible, just a wall of noise. I couldn’t hear myself think. I was so nervous I was shaking. My back foot slipped on the block and I pretty much fell in.”
For Scottish 100m and 200m breaststroke swimmer Kerry Buchan, the memories of her first senior Commonwealth debut at Melbourne 2006 are still as vivid as ever. Aged just 18, Buchan describes the experience as ‘daunting’.
Rewind two years to the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games – also in Australia – and Buchan celebrated winning gold, silver and bronze medals in a swimming team which included current Commonwealth champions Hannah Miley and Robbie Renwick.
Now 26, Buchan is a multiple Scottish and British Champion. She is bidding to qualify for her third consecutive Commonwealth Games, having learned and competed a lot since her Australian experiences.
In 2008, she came agonizingly close to qualifying for the Beijing Olympics, missing out by just a half second. What the clock didn’t show was the fact she was recovering from whiplash and soft tissue damage suffered in a car crash the previous week.
Buchan hung up her goggles shortly after, but within four months was back in training. She said: “I try not to kick myself about the accident, these things happen. I decided to stop swimming, but I missed it and I didn’t want to leave on a negative note. I want to quit on my own terms.
“I always have my mind on the end goal. This year that’s to make my third Commonwealth Games and hopefully medal.”
Originally from Aberdeenshire, Buchan lives in Stirling and trains at the National Swimming Academy at Stirling University. For her, being part of a team is vital.
“The team pushes each other on,” explains Buchan. “If I missed training, I would feel I had let them down. We congratulate one another and celebrate the team successes.”
Her selfless personality may explain why she was given the honour of captaining the Scottish team at the 2013 Celtic Tri Nations. This altruistic nature also explains her plans once she retires from swimming.
She said: “I think it would be interesting to go round schools and teach kids how to swim. Sport is really important to development in children. They learn from being in a sports team, little things like being able to play with other children. You don’t learn that from sitting in front of a television or by playing computer games.”
But before she can even consider swim teaching and the pleasure of long lies in the morning, there is the not-so-small matter of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.
A sell-out crowd at the recently-refurbished Tollcross International Swimming Centre will make for an electric atmosphere, but this time, should she qualify, there will be no slip-ups.
“If it was my first games I would feel the pressure,” added Buchan. But I’ve been there and done it. Now it’s more excitement than pressure. It’s going to be amazing, for volunteers, spectators and athletes as well.”
Follow Kerry on Twitter @Kez_b7
Photo Credit: Markus Stitz
Article by Aidan McLure, a 4th Year Journalism student at the University of Stirling
Gymnast Douglas Ross has already experienced a multi-sport Games with Youth Team Scotland, and he is determined to make the step up to the senior Games for Glasgow. A gold medallist at the 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man; Douglas has been working hard towards this summer, and he’s clear on what he needs to do to be in with a chance of making the team.
“I’m more focused now for sure”, he says. “After 2011 we sat down and set out my targets for the next few years and absolutely one of those was to make the team for Glasgow and to help the team produce a medal winning performance. I’m working hard in the gym every day to make my routines stronger and more consistent.”
“It’s always good to be able to use that past experience and to have been part of something like Youth Team Scotland will undoubtedly help me as I prepare for Glasgow. The Isle of Man was obviously on a smaller scale, but being part of a multi-sport environment, and how that differs to just being with gymnastics, is something I can use to my advantage.”
Being part of Team Scotland as a whole is something athletes enjoy, and Douglas is looking to build on his experiences from 2011. With some experienced athletes around him, he is also enjoying being part of a strong gymnastics set-up in Scotland.
“I really loved being part of Youth Team Scotland. Waking up in the morning and finding out about the other sports was great. The morale within the team was fantastic and I’d love to be part of it in Glasgow.”
“We have guys like Adam Cox and Andrew Mackie back in the frame, and they are really great at motivating us all and helping us to stay focused. Having guys who have been part of a major Games before is a huge benefit and they can teach us all a lot going into it.”
Last weekend, Douglas finished 11th with a score of 51.533 in the Individual Men’s Artistic competition at the 2014 Scottish Championships in Perth. He will now prepare for the English and British Championships that take place next month. It is likely that the basis of the final team for Glasgow 2014 will emerge through these competitions, which has left Douglas focused on the task in hand.
“The floor and the vault are my best apparatus, and present the best chance for me to make the team. I’ve got great support around me and I’ve been working hard on my routines over the past three years.”
“All I want to do from now is stay consistent, injury free and continue to show the selection panel that I can contribute to the team in Glasgow. After the British Championships we’ll have a good idea of the 6 or 7 guys looking to make the five places in the team. Hopefully if I keep working hard and hit my targets, I’ll be in with a good shout.”
You can follow Douglas on Twitter @DouglasRoss12
Photo Credit: PSB Photography/ Scottish Gymnastics
With just five months to go until the Games begin, boxer Joe Ham is clearly focused on the job in hand. His goal – to win gold for Scotland, in his home city.
“It’s the only thing I want”, says Joe. “To fight in Glasgow at something as big as the Commonwealth Games is huge and I’m totally focused on my preparation and my goals. I want to fight in front of my friends, family and the people of my city and win gold for Team Scotland.”
At the age of 22, Joe is already an experienced fighter, with well over a hundred fights under his belt and almost ten years in the sport. He can also recall his experience at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and is looking forward to hearing the home crowd in Glasgow.
He said: “The noise in Delhi when the Indian’s were fighting was incredible. I can’t wait to hear our fans in the Hydro. The venue looks amazing and I can’t wait to get into the ring there. There can be home advantage, but it’s all about what you do yourself when you’re in the ring.”
“Delhi for me was a learning process and I took a lot away from the experience of being with the team. I’ve developed and moved on from there though and I’ve been working hard in the gym to make sure I’m at my best come Glasgow.”
A key competition in his Games preparation is the Scottish Championships in March where Joe will look to cement his place in the team. A fifth senior title in as many years is up for grabs and Joe is confident
“I’ve won Scottish Championships at all levels, and I’m looking forward to adding another one to my name in 2014. The Scottish Championships will be a great event. There are a few weight categories where there are a couple of lads going for one spot in the team, which will make things really exciting.”
The 2014 Scottish Championships will take place on 28 March at another Games venue – The Emirates Arena, just a stone’s throw away from the Athletes’ Village where Joe hopes to be, come July.
You can follow Joe on Twitter @JoeHam56
Photo Credit: Getty Images
“I have never competed for Scotland in a multi-sport event before – if I can get there it would be amazing.”
At just 17, freestyle wrestler Brian Harper could be forgiven for having a long ‘I have never’ list. Yet, since taking up the sport nine years ago, the Tullibody teenager has always punched above his 54kg weight and is now on the cusp of his first Commonwealth Games.
Convinced to try the sport by his dad, it didn’t take long for the then 8-year-old to decide this was the one for him.
Harper said: “My dad told me about how he had done it when he was younger so I thought, I’ll give it a try. I wasn’t 100% sure about it the first time, but then I went again a week later and just started to enjoy it. I thought it was amazing.
“I like the physical demands of wrestling. It is one of the only sports that uses every muscle group. You need strength, speed, stamina, a guid technical ability. My first year it was just for fun as I was still young. Then I started winning tournaments and took it a bit more seriously from my second year onwards.”
A sixth year pupil at Lornshill Academy, Harper’s timetable includes Maths, Philosophy, Biology and Product Design. It also includes 5am alarm calls, 7am gym sessions at Stirling University and two hours of after school wrestling.
So what do his friends make of his extra-curricular activities?
“At first when I told my friends what I do they thought it was WWE wrestling,” smiled Harper. “That’s the same everybody thinks, but when I actually explained it to them they think it’s good. Most of my pals support me in my wrestling. They don’t peer pressure me to go out with them when I’m training. They respect that, which is good.”
Last season started strongly for Harper, winning a bronze medal for Team GB at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) in January, but after dislocating an elbow in training in May, the teenager has been playing catch up to be ready for the English Open Championships on 22 and 23 February.
The Championships represent the final fling for Scotland’s wrestlers to set the selection standards and Harper is hitting form at just the right time.
He said: “I was training one night, done a move, landed on my hand and my elbow popped through. I had torn the ligaments off the bone in my elbow. Within a couple of days I had an MRI scan then had an operation to reconstruct my ligament and thankfully I was out for only three months.
“My first tournament back was my first competition with the new rules and at senior level. I got a gold there and at my second tournament back, then a bronze at a competition in Austria. I’ve been really happy with how it’s gone so far.”
Austria is just one of many countries where Harper has showcased his skills, with further passport stamps from France, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland and Australia.
Down under at AYOF is Harper’s first and only experience of a multi-sport event so far and one which has given him further motivation to be starring for Team Scotland at the SECC when the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games get underway.
He added: “We were in Australia for two weeks, but only wrestled one day, so we got to watch other sports. I got a bronze medal so I was really pleased with that. Being a multi-sport event, it was different as people from other sports came to support us and we made pals. We also got to see diving, judo and badminton.
“We’ve the qualifiers in a couple of weeks. I hope to go and qualify then hopefully get picked for the team as well. I really, really want to go to the Commonwealth Games, so bad. I just want to go and get the experience.”
You can follow Brian on Twitter @BrianHarper_96
Photo Credit: Brian Harper
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