By James Hoad - 4 April 2009

 

I spent 10 years in Watford FC’s academy as a goalkeeper, before I was released in 2007. I was determined that I was going to be a professional football player – it was all I’d ever wanted to be.

 

 

That all changed the day when the manager turned around to me and told me that my future wasn’t at that club any more and I wasn’t going to be offered a contract. Of course the reality is, more lads are going to be released every year than are going to go pro. At that time, the thought of taking up another sport never crossed my mind.

 

 

Less than a year later, I was working on a building site, doing a job that I didn’t really feel I had a future in, when I got the letter through the door about Pitch2Podium. I didn’t think much of it at first, but it was my mum that actually put it under my nose and said: “Look at this James, you should do this.” You get so many letters through the door these days, but when I actually read the letter from UK Sport and the EIS, it really appealed to me.

 

I decided to go along to the talent assessment day in London last July. I didn’t really know what to expect or what might come of it, but went along with the attitude that I had nothing to lose and should give it a go. When I got there I soon noticed that some of the people testing us were actually coaches and sport scientists from Great Britain teams, which made me realise that this could be a serious opportunity. I missed being involved in a full time training environment and this seemed like a realistic route back into high performance sport.

 

So I did the tests and gave it my best shot. They really put me and the other 15 or so lads through our paces - sprints, cycling tests, strength tests, and a bleep test - some of these tests we were familiar with from football, but some were completely new. We were told we would be contacted for trials with specific sports if we had done well in the tests on that day. I wasn’t training at the time or even playing any sport, just working, so I wasn’t sure how well I had done or whether I would hear any more from them.

 

A few weeks later, I got a letter from the Pitch2Podium team saying that I had been selected for further assessments in three Olympic sports – bob skeleton, hockey and cycling. I had a bit of a giggle when they said bob skeleton - I’d never even heard of it! But they must have known what they were talking about, because I went to the University of Bath , where they have a dry-land push track and I found I was pretty good at it. I loved skeleton from the first time I tried it. I could feel my push technique improving with practice and my times were getting faster too.

 

In November, a few of us were taken to Italy to try the sport out for real on the ice. It’s one thing being able to push off down a short dry-land track, but doing it on ice is completely different. They needed to know whether we could connect with the ice. We spent a week at the Olympic track in Cesana, It was scary the first time, so fast, and another lad went first and he looked horrified. Afterwards he said he couldn’t handle it and sat out for the rest of the week, but I just couldn’t wait to do it again. It was like a fish to water for me and I’ve been hooked ever since!

 

After Italy we had a couple more training camps in Bath, practicing the starts and then I got the news that I had been selected to go to a three week training camp in Norway. I was the only athlete there from the Pitch2Podium scheme, so I’m really proud to have made it this far. It was great to get more sliding time on the ice and meant that I could do more work on steering and controlling the sled at high speed. I’ve also been learning how to prepare the sled, which helps you understand the equipment you are using and how it affects the time you are getting on the track, which can only make you a better all-round slider.

 

The coaches and senior athletes I have worked with from British Skeleton have been fantastic - the advice and feedback they have given me has been second to none. They know where the sport is going, how the equipment is changing, how the tracks are changing, how you can adapt to this - so it’s great for me as a novice to have access to these experts at this stage in my development in the sport in order to get the best out of myself.

 

Skeleton and football are certainly very different sports; football is a team sport, and skeleton, although you’re part of a team, is very much an individual sport. Only you on the track and only you that will stand on the podium with the gold medal around your neck - that really appeals to me.

 

I know if I do well it’s my achievement. Equally, if I don’t do so well, I’ve only got myself to blame. I know that if I put the work in, I will see the benefits.

 

Despite the differences between the sports, I’ve been in full time training before with football, so I think this has really helped me adapt to this new sporting environment and that’s why I’m picking it up so quickly. If I get selected to go full-time with skeleton, I know what to expect because I‘ve been there before – it won’t be a shock.

 

Having been released from football and missed my opportunity there, I think I appreciate more what a great chance I’ve got here. I’m going to make the most of it and do everything I can to stay involved with the sport and become a full time athlete.

 

I can’t wait to see if I’ve got onto the programme – if I have it will make my year, my life even! I’ll find out any day now. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to make something of myself and not waste all those years of training in football. Pitch2Podium is a fantastic scheme, not just for ex-players like me, I think Great Britain will really benefit from it in future Olympic Games.

 

Pitch2Podium is a talent transfer programme run by UK Sport and the English Institute of Sport, in partnership with the major football and rugby authorities. Pitch2Podium has just begun its second search for talented players who may have what it takes to be an Olympic champion. For more information please visit www.uksport.gov.uk/pitch2podium.

Comments

Good to see young James has not allowed the setback of being
released by Watford to stifle his ambitions. I wish him all the
success and I'll be looking out for him in Vancouver.
By Hornets fan

6 April 2009 at 16:35pm