Ipswich Evening Star Weekly Column

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Day 3. Mount Kilimanjaro

Day 3 was very tough. We went up lava tower which is 4600m then down to camp at baranco wall at 3650m lost 2 of the group to altitude sickness and one, wayne, who made it to x factor boot camp this year, fell & dislocated his patella & will have to go down today. It's hard to see them go. I am breathless & light headed this morning but doing ok. It's freezing at night but morale is great.

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Day 1. Mount Kilimanjaro

We started at 1800m and finished at 3000m. We climbed for 1 hour before lunch then 4 hours after. The porters went ahead & had lunch ready & had set up camp for us. Rained a lot & will be -5deg tonight. very glad of my toasty sleeping bag that sian hasa leant me. There are 28 altogether split into 3 groups. I'm in Simba (lion) with 10 others inc Steve & Al.

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Ipswich Evening Star column - 29th September 2009

THE Team Ipswich Sports Foundation Golf Day was a terrific success, and I was part of a four-strong girls’ team that finished fifth overall.

The Ufford Park course looked as lovely as always, and it was encouraging that 20 teams took part, which was seven more than last year.

Donna Harvey-Arnell, who works for Archant, was our “proper” golfer playing off 13, but the rest of us were all occasional golfers playing off the maximum 36 handicap.

Badminton player Gail Emms, the former Olympic Games medallist, was on the team with me and hockey player Jo Ellis, the Commonwealth Games medallist who plays for England and Ipswich.

Jo obviously has the timing skills from her hockey, because she can hit the ball a mile, and straight as well!

She’s only slight, but it’s all about the timing and her instinct for striking a ball. Even taking into account the position of the ladies’ tees, which are further forward than the men’s, she still out-drove all the men on the 18^th hole in the longest drive competition.

She was very impressive, especially as she doesn’t play much golf. She used to play a long time ago, but hadn’t done much for years. Gail, like me, did not take up golf until she had retired from competing. But we all had great fun, and Donna was brilliant. She was very patient with us and gave us lots of tips and advice.

The experience has certainly encouraged us to play a bit more. I’m lucky to get several celebrity golf invitations during the year, and if I there are any spare places I will recommend Gail &Jo too.

During dinner that evening, we also presented a couple more of the Team Ipswich Foundation grants, to a young swimmer and a marathon runner.

I had a nice meal out at The Ivy last week with a couple of friends and I can see why it has such a good reputation. The food was lovely. We had planned a fairly quiet night but after cocktails at the Sanderson it seemed a shame to go home so we went on to a club. Some of the best nights out are the ones you don’t plan and we had a lot of fun.

I WENT to Lord’s for the first day of the Second Test last Thursday. And what a great day’s cricket!

I arrived at the ground just after 10am, and my Dad was already there with his friends. The champagne was already flowing and we were treated to some terrific entertainment.

The highlight was seeing Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook hitting the ball about the ground (opening stand of 196). A few wickets also fell later in the day.

It just shows that, despite the rise in popularity of the Twenty20 format, Test cricket can still be just as entertaining and certainly very absorbing.

England played really well in this Test and deserved to make history by becoming the first England side since 1934 to beat the Australians at Lord’s.

Australia might not be quite as strong this time around, but England seem to be coming together at just the right time, although they have been plagued by a couple of injuries.

I was spoilt for choice with the cricket and the final round of the Open golf on TV on Sunday so I ended up flicking from one channel to the other.

Tom Watson, who is 59 and celebrates his 60^th birthday in early September, was fantastic. Golf is not as physically demanding as some other sports, but it is still very gruelling to play four rounds in four days, plus a couple of practise rounds as well.

Most people thought that Watson would end up fading away, but he kept it going and managed to keep his game together.

Unfortunately, he missed that crucial putt on the 18^th to win the Open, and that handed the momentum to Stewart Cink during the play-off.

He may not have won this year’s Open, to add to his previous five titles (the first was back in 1975), but Watson still got the biggest cheers.

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Ipswich Evening Star column - Tuesday 14th July

THE highlight of the week was definitely the Ashes Lunch, held at Ipswich Town Hall in aid of the Team Ipswich Sports Foundation.

Former England and Essex cricketer Ronnie Irani was the guest, and he was great entertainment. I conducted a question-and-answer session with him, and he was not a difficult person to interview.

I had done plenty of research, although I do know a bit about cricket anyway, and we had a fantastic response from the floor. Cards were left on each table for people to fill in their own questions, and there were too many to get through.

Some of them were cricketing questions, like Ronnie’s views on Twenty20 cricket and the current Ashes Test Series – he believes that England will win a tight series.

There were also some more light-hearted questions, several surrounding his notorious drinking exploits with Alan Brazil. This duo co-host the morning sports breakfast show on TalkSPORT radio and they are very funny.

Seven athletes have been awarded grants this year so far by the Team Ipswich Sports Foundation, including youngsters from karate and cricket as well as veteran swimmer Zoe Cray. As well as being a former British champion she recently broke World, European and British records in the 35-39 year age group in Masters competition. So Team Ipswich is certainly not ageist!

Three of the seven were on hand to receive their grants at the Ashes Lunch, so guests could see exactly where their money is going

Team Ipswich are keen to support athletes already competing at a very high level, as well as those who are potentially working up to this standard and there will be two opportunities each year to apply for the grants.

The feedback from the Lunch was lovely. We had great support, and hopefully local businesses and companies are back on board with Team Ipswich for future planned lunches & events.

WHILE on the subject of the Ashes, I could barely watch the coverage of the last hour of the First Test match. It was so exciting and I had my head behind my hands for much of it.

Monty Panesar and James Anderson did so well to deny the Australians with their unbeaten last wicket stand. It was rather worrying having to rely on Monty, because batting is not his strength!

I have a huge respect for both of them. When they came together, the pressure on the two of them was immense, because they were being asked to do a job that they are not particularly good at, and against the Australians as well. There must have been a massive amount of sledging going on to try and psych out the batsmen.

It bodes well, for the rest of the Series, that Australia could not bowl them out. Paul Collingwood batted for nearly 6 hours, and did so well, and the momentum must now be with England going into the Second Test.

I know it was only a draw, but it felt like a win for England. The Aussies will be disappointed not to have tied it up and got the win.

I can’t wait for the Second Test to start at Lord’s on Thursday, not least because I will be going along with my Dad! I know that we haven’t got a great record of beating the Australians at Lord’s, but hopefully, it will be different this time.

THE glorious summer weather has led to several enquiries about my “Swim at Home” lessons, which are on offer to those who are lucky enough to have a swimming pool at home.

We can provide the relevant teacher, check qualifications and CRBs and organise the lessons to fit in with the clients spare time. Many people are choosing not to go abroad on holiday this year, which is probably why we are getting all this interest, with children and adults alike wanting lessons.

GREG Whyte, whom I have known since we were team mates at 1992 Olympics (in Barcelona) – he was a modern pentathlete – has become renowned for his exploits in training David Walliams and James Cracknell on their endurance swims.

He helped Walliams with his swim across the Channel, and also both Walliams and Cracknell with their swim across the Straits of Gibraltar, as well as training the celebrity group who recently trekked up Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief.

He has been writing a book, entitled – “Swim for Life” – and he has kindly asked me to write the foreward for it. We did some photos for the book at Acton Lido and it was lovely to be at an outdoor pool in the sunshine.

FINALLY, Team Ipswich will be hosting their Golf Day at Ufford Park on Wednesday July 15^th.

Last year we had 13 teams; this year we have 20 teams, so again we have had a very positive response. Gail Emms, the former Olympic medallist at badminton, will be playing on my team.

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Ipswich Evening Star column - Tuesday 23^rd June

I was fortunate enough to be at the opening day of Wimbledon yesterday, and I was really impressed with Roger Federer in his first match of the tournament (straight sets win over Yen-Hsun Lu). Federer started off pretty steady but when he turned it up a gear Lu couldn’t get near his shots. Watching it live you really get a sense of the power in these top players’ shots and the speed of the ball. I certainly wouldn’t want to have to return one of their serves!

Following defending champion Rafael Nadal's withdrawal, because of a knee injury, it does look, on paper at least, as though it's a two-horse race between Federer and Murray. But you can't write off some of the others, especially Novak Djokovic.

Murray must fancy his chances, although it would also be great to see Federer win his sixth Wimbledon title, which would take him ahead of Pete Sampras in terms of the record number of Grand Slams won - both are currently on 14.

I was invited to Wimbledon as a guest of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and I took part in a question-and-answer session with Annabel Croft in a couple of the hospitality suites before the matches began.

Wimbledon will of course host the tennis at the 2012 Olympics and it will be strange to see it decked out in Olympic colours rather than its traditional green and purple.

IN fact, it’s been a great few days of sport for me because I was also at Silverstone on Sunday, as a guest of FIA (motor sport's governing body) to see the British Grand Prix.

It was my first experience of watching Formula One live. We were hosted in the Paddock Club, and also had access to a box over the pit lane, so literally over next to the track.

The race was exciting, especially to experience at first-hand the noise and speed of the cars, although it was a shame that Jensen Button was down in sixth, and Lewis Hamilton in 16th. There was a lot of talk about the future of Formula One, and the possibility of a breakaway league. But the general consensus was that a compromise must be reached soon.

LAST week, I attended a team-building event in Manchester, as one of six athletes who were team leaders.

It was staged by the IT company, Atos Origin, who are the IT partner for the Olympic Games, and so do a lot of work with Olympic athletes.

It was a two-day event, with 10 clients in each of our teams. We had to do archery, fencing and then human table football! You accrued points which went towards a treasure hunt in the afternoon.

The human table football was as crazy as it sounds! We were in an inflatable rectangular surround, poles went from one side to the other which players were attached to around our waists so that you could only run sideways. It was very violent at times, and even now my legs are still sore!

When I competed I would never think of exercising before I had stretched but it seems I’m not so smart anymore, after the first 7 minute game I was already aching.

Former Ipswich Town footballer, Jason Cundy, was in control of the human table football, making sure that what few rules there are were adhered to. We had some good banter with him and hopefully I‘ll be joining him later this summer on his Talk Sport show for a chat.

Olympic Champions Stephanie Cook, Zac Purchase and Jason Gardener were some of the other team leaders, while former swimmer Steve Parry hosted the treasure hunt and I’m very proud to say that my team took the silver medal on the first day.

Finally, Team Ipswich have a couple of big events coming up next month.

To coincide with the start of the Ashes Series, Team Ipswich will be hosting an Ashes Lunch in the Town Hall on July 8, when I will be conducting a question-and-answer session with Ronnie Irani.

A week later and there is a Golf Day at Ufford Park, on July 15. Money is being raised at both events for the Team Ipswich Foundation. For more details, and to book places visit the Team Ipswich website - www.teamipswich.com

Ipswich Evening Star Column - Tuesday May 19th

A CONTINGENT from Barbados visited Ipswich last week, to look over the town and our facilities with a view to basing their holding camp for the London Olympics in the town.

Along with various representatives from Team Ipswich , I met the President and the Secretary General of the Barbados Olympic Commission.

Ipswich has a big Caribbean population, and it was good to have two former mayors in attendance, including Albert Grant (Ipswich mayor in 1995-96), who have their roots in the Caribbean.

It’s not just about the facilities, when you’re looking at where to have your holding camp, but also about finding a place where your athletes can feel at ease during their final preparations for the Games. Albert came over to Ipswich 54 years ago and has never left so he was able to describe how the town and its people were so welcoming and homely. And he promised that if any Caribbean team did decide to base themselves here thay wouyld be well looked after.

We picked up the Barbados group from Ipswich railway station and took them on a long, scenic route to Northgate Stadium, passing by the Waterfront, Crown Pools and Christchurch Park. They viewed the track and the indoor facilities at Northgate, so that they could get an idea of the facilities Ipswich has to offer.

Hopefully, Barbados is the first of many countries to come and pay us a visit. It’s obviously a massive part of what Team Ipswich is doing, to showcase the town and promote its hotels, culture and facilities, and the advantage of being close to the likes of Stratford, the port of Harwich and Stansted Airport.

PEOPLE think that swimming is s sport for youngsters but Zoe Cray, a former team-mate of mine is still setting personal best times at the age of 35.

In fact Zoe, who is a coach at Team Ipswich Swimming Club, is still swimming so well that at the Norfolk Masters Championships at the weekend she broke a World Record, two European Records and a British Record in the 35-39 year-old age group.

I think it’s fantastic that she is still competing at such a high level, and it’s great for all the young swimmers that she is coaching. It’s a big inspiration for all these nine and 10-year-olds, to see her leading by example. She set her world record in the 50m backstroke with 29.3secs, a remarkable swim. Her British record came in the 50m butterfly, and European records in the 50m freestyle and 100m individual medley events,

I HAD a school visit in Warrington last week, to present some sports awards at Priestley College and I was treated to two amazing displays. One was from a boys’ acrobatic group, which included a former pupil, who performed an incredible routine that made me nervous just watching. The other was by a pupil at the college, Jenny Dawes, who is ranked No. 3 in the world at tumbling.

For anyone who hasn’t seen tumbling, it’s staged on a 25m sprung runway & the gymnasts perfom flips, twists and somersaults finishing on a crash mat at the end.

Jenny had brought her runway to the college from the gym, and she set it up diagonally across the school hall. She was shaking with nerves, having to perform in front of her friends, but it was very impressive seeing the height that she reached in her somersaults, and the speed that she generated down the runway. She certainly deserved to be named the school’s sports personality of the year. She will be competing in the World Championships later this year and I wish her all the best.

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Ipswich Evening Star Column - Tuesday May 12th

AS an asthma sufferer, I am proud to be one of the spokeswomen for Asthma UK.

Last week was Asthma Awareness Week, which concentrated on putting “Asthma in the Limelight” and raising money to support the charity.

There was a specific interest in promoting the need for a more standard care across schools, for children who have asthma, because it’s very inconsistent at the moment.

Some teachers have no great knowledge of how to treat a child who has an asthma attack whilst at other schools they have an asthma policy in place and know exactly what to do. There are schools where children are not even allowed to carry their inhalers with them, they have to leave them with the school nurse, which obviously isn’t ideal, especially as on average two children in every class are sufferers.

Sometimes, sadly, schools consider it too risky for asthma sufferers to take part in sports and PE, which is a real shame. So, on the one hand you have schools who are just nonchalant about asthma, and others who are excluding sufferers. The charity is trying to establish a UK-wide asthma policy which all school can follow to create a standard practice of care.

I was very lucky growing up, as an asthma sufferer, because my parents did not wrap me up in cotton wool. I was diagnosed at the age of seven and always had an inhaler with me. I would take part in all sports and was in all the sports teams.

Occasionally I would have to stop playing netball or hockey, to use my inhaler. But I would then carry on as normal. I was very fortunate with the attitude of my school.

That’s why this charity is very close to my heart. It hurts me to hear of children missing out, just because of ignorance.

You can not only lead a normal life as an asthma sufferer, but even excel in a sport.

I ATTENDED the Bunbury’s Cricket Club Charity Dinner at Grosvenor Hotel. The Bunbury’s is a fantastic cricket charity run by David English MBE, which raises a lot of money for many good causes.

For this latest dinner, money was being raised for leukaemia Research as well as the England Schools Cricket Board. There were 1,100 people at the dinner, and over £200,000 was raised, which is fantastic.

Eric Clapton was at the event, and he played a few of his songs, including “Layla” and “Wonderful Tonight,” as a sound-check and a warm-up in advance of his tour.

Comedian Peter Kay also did a turn and was very funny. And Rick Parfitt Junior (the son of the Status Quo legend) also entertained us with his own band – Rick Parfitt Junior Band.

Obviously there were a lot of cricketers there, such as Sir Ian Botham, Freddy Flintoff, Dennis Lillee, Joel Garner, Phil Tufnell and Rodney Marsh. The England Women’s team were also in attendance following their recent World Cup winning exploits.

I WILL be launching a new baby-swim foundation programme (for the under-threes) at my swim-school in Ipswich after half-term, at the beginning of June and I was at another of my swim-schools in Leeds last week, to launch the same programme – the first of its kind in Yorkshire.

It’s a new way of teaching parents and baby classes, which could in the most extreme circumstances save lives. I think the programme is certainly a big improvement on what is currently available.

It is designed to help confidence building, safety skills and learning to swim. For more details go to www.babyswimfoundation.com

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Day 5. Mount Kilimanjaro

Really tough morning. We lost 2 more of the party to altitude sickness which was sad. We had a short climb, only 3 hours & 600m to camp at 4600m it was hard going over baron rocky terrain and I arrived at camp exhausted. A few of the Simba group are struggling with different symptoms but hanging in there. We will stay at this camp till midnight then go for the final 6 hour ascent to the summit.

Day 4. Mount Kilimanjaro

Day 4 was tough but fun. We had to scramble up the baranco wall which was a bit scary at times and climbed to 4050m. We then had to cross the karanga valley. It is tough to have to spend a long time and so much energy going down when you just want to get nearer the summit! The banter in simba group was great and our guide Modi kept us entertained with very bad riddles!

Ipswich Evening Star column - 28th October 2009

WITH the exception of buying a wind-up charger for my phone, I am fully prepared for my climb up Kilimanjaro.

I was sorting out all the final bits and pieces yesterday, meeting up with Sian Cooper, my masseur, who used to do a lot of walking before her knee blew up! She has leant me such key items as a sleeping back and walking poles. I’ve also bought a head-torch, because for the final summit push we will be starting during the night. The trek is going to take us seven days. Of course I am slightly nervous about the trip, although it’s all in a good cause for the children’s charities COCO and Sporting Chance.If you’d like to sponsor me, you can do so by visiting the website justgiving.com/karen-pickering

I HAVE spent a fair bit of time at the British Olympic Association offices, because I’ve been on the board for several years, so I’m delighted that they have finally moved their headquarters.The old building at Wandsworth was a real rabbit warren. It was based in two houses, side-by-side, which meant that to get to your next port of call would often involve climbing up some stairs, and then down another flight of stairs. The rooms were tiny, and it was easy to get lost in the building. In fact, although I had visited the offices so many times over the years, there were still loads of people that I had never met, because of all the little nooks and crannies. But the new headquarters, at a brand new premises just off Tottenham Court Road in the centre of London, is superb and such a contrast to the old one.It’s very modern, clean and fresh, and it’s all open-plan.I was at the official opening ceremony last week, when Princess Anne, who is the patron of the BOA, declared the new building to be open. It’s a more productive environment to work in, and is more welcoming, which should attract sponsors. It’s a better overall image for the BOA.

I RECENTLY gave a talk to young executives from Laing O’Rourke, who are the largest privately owned construction firm in the UK, They used a fantastic venue, overlooking the new Olympic Stadium in Stratford.They are delivering the Olympic Village and various venues for 2012, as well as other big projects like the new Dubai airport. It was really a team-building day, with young executives coming together from all over the country, and the venue of H Foreman & Sons, who are the famous old specialists in salmon smoking, was a spectacular setting. Their old venue was on the site of the new Olympic Stadium, but it was the subject of a compulsory purchase order, so they have this new building which has been deliberately designed to look like the slice of a salmon.

Some white-metal structures criss-cross the top of the building on the top floor, and from afar they resemble fish bones. It is a spectacular building.

At the end of this month I will be attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the charities COCO (www.coco.org.uk) and Sporting Chance (www.sportingchancefoundation.com)

If you would like to sponsor me please go to http://www.justgiving.com/karen-pickering

Ipswich Evening Star column - 20th October 2009

WHAT a great last few days for British sport!

Obviously Jensen Button did fantastically well to be crowned Formula One world champion in Brazil, but closer to home I was also very impressed with the performance of young Beth Tweddle, at the Gymnastics World Championships.

I watched the gymnastics action unfold on TV from the O2 Arena. The place looked packed, and the competition was so exciting, especially with the London Olympics on the horizon in 2012.For her to win a gold medal, in the floor exercise, after what happened to her in her best event, the uneven bars, was fantastic.

She suffered a fall in the uneven bars, but bounced back very impressively. It was a very gutsy performance, and she fully deserved her world title.It all bodes well for London in under three years time, especially as Beth has been so consistent throughout the years, in more than just one event.And of course I have to mention Button. It’s great to have another British world motor racing champion, following on from Lewis Hamilton last year.

I do enjoy watching Formula One, and it’s been a very good year. The races have been more exciting, and there’s been a lot going on. I have particularly liked the new qualifying format.

Britain now has so many world champions. The likes of heptathlete Jessica Ennis, swimmers Gemma Spofforth & Keri-Anne Payne and of course Beth Tweddle will be in the running for Sports Personality of the Year, though motor racing has always been a popular vote-winner over the years. So Jensen Button must now be favourite.

I’M almost ready for my charity trek up Kilimanjaro.

We go out to Tanzania at the end of this month, so I’ve been busy completing all my jabs, finalising my Visa and also obtaining my anti-malaria tablets.

I have to take these tablets daily, including two days before I leave and then for the following seven days after my return to England.

I will only have a couple of days at sea-level, and after that there will be no danger of mosquitoes on the mountain.

I have also started to take vitamin C, vitamin E and also Iron tablets, which are all designed to help the anti-oxidants in my body. The tablets should boost my oxygen levels, which should in turn help me to avoid getting altitude sickness.

Yellow fever has been my latest jab, and now it’s beginning to bring it all home to me that the trip is just around the corner.

As I said in last week’s column, I am raising money for the children’s charities COCO and Sporting Chance, and you can make a contribution by visiting my website at www.justgiving.com/karen-pickering

I WENT up to Newcastle over the weekend, to attend Steve Cram and Alison Curbishley’s house-warming party.

They have just moved to a beautiful new home, out in the sticks.

Steve is a big Sunderland fan, so he came back from the Stadium of Light in a very good mood! He didn’t care about the controversial winner from Darren Bent, when his shot hit that beach-ball and was deflected into the net.

I thought it was crazy that that goal was allowed to stand. I couldn’t believe it.

But it’s good to see that Ipswich Town old boy Darren Bent is finding his feet at Sunderland. Ipswich could do with someone like that at the moment!

IT WAS terrific to see the resounding success of the Great East Swim, staged in Alton Water, Ipswich over the weekend.

By all reports, it was a great day, and hopefully this will now become an established annual event.One of the teachers from my swim-schools, Philly (Norwich school), actually took part in the one-mile challenge.She was one of more than 1,500 swimmers who took part. A couple of my other swim-school teachers were also at the event, giving out flyers.I think the Swim exceeded all expectations, especially for its first event, and I hope that it now follows in the footsteps of the Great North Swim, and becomes a very successful annual event.

I WENT salmon fishing for the first time last week, and ended up catching my first fish!I had initially just planned to go up to Kelso in Scotland to watch my boyfriend and his friend fish, but I learnt how to cast and ended up landing my first Salmon, weighing 14 lbs, after a 10-minute battle.People might wonder how you can enjoy fishing and standing in a cold river, but once you’ve even watched someone fishing in such a beautiful setting, in the fresh air, you can understand why.It’s a great to unwind and relax. It’s very therapeutic. I was so wrapped up in trying to cast well that I almost forgot about trying to catch any fish. My heart was racing while I was bringing it in with guidance from the gillie as I was desperate not to lose it and I enjoyed landing it, checking the weight and then putting it back safely

It was a different kind of setting for the Leisure Industry Week, which was staged over three days at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.I was there on behalf of the swim-wear firm Zoggs, and we had the use of a temporary swimming pool.

I was able to host three half-hour sessions, to illustrate the sessions on offer and also the equipment that can be used with swim4fitness, which is a programme that you can download free of charge on the Zoggs website.The pool was only 12 metres long, so it made the sessions very interesting to say the least! It was quite a challenge.

I WAS also on my travels up to Sheffield, to give a motivational keynote speech to some business representatives.

The talks took place at Bramall Lane, where Ipswich Town will of course be trying to record their first league victory of the season this evening.It actually felt very strange for me to arrive at the railway station in Sheffield and then not go immediately to the swimming pool.It was the first time that I had gone to Sheffield without attending a swim meet, and I felt drawn to the pool!

A sports psychologist delivered one speech, and then it was me giving a talk on the links between sport and business, and what they share in common. I was able to tell them my story and anecdotes and then relate it to business, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Ipswich Evening Star column - 25^th August 2009

WHAT a fantastic last week of sport, with the exciting Test cricket, the World Athletics Championships and the Grand Prix.

Who would have thought that England would come back so strongly against Australia in the last Test of the Ashes Series?

It was so impressive, and such a turnaround from the previous Test at Headingley, which England lost. So many people had written off England after that hammering, and had assumed that Australia would win the Ashes.

Usually, it’s supposedly the British who roll over and have no confidence, but that was not the case in this Series. It was the Aussies for a change!

It’s a great example of the unpredictability of sport. England were the underdogs for this last Test.

I was especially pleased for Jonathan Trott, who really impressed on his debut. It was a very self-assured, solid performance, and he deserved his century in the second innings.

I must also mention the athletics in Berlin. I referred to Jessica Ennis winning her gold medal in the heptathlon in my previous column, but since then Jenny Meadows has won a bronze medal in the 800m and of course Phillips Idowu won gold in the triple jump, amongst other highlights.

It was great for Phillips to finally win his first World Championships gold medal (he won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2006, and the World Indoors last year), and Jenny’s performance epitomised the British display over the last week, with so many good performances.

I didn’t realise how tiny she is! She has been around for a few years (aged 28), and has changed from a 400m to an 800m runner. And she got her pace just right and finished like a train to take the bronze.

MY swim-schools start again at the beginning of September, and the response has been so good that I have been looking for new teachers at a number of venues.

I have been advertising for teachers, and several have been interviewed over the last week. The demand for lessons is high, which is a brilliant position to be in.

If anyone is interested in teaching or lessons, they should contact me via my website at karenpickeringswim.co.uk

JUST as the previous week, I attended another Kick-Asthma holiday camp, this time at Kingham Hill School in Oxford, which is a beautiful private school with lovely grounds.

It was weird, because when I got to the swimming pool, I realised that I’d actually been here before, many years ago, while I was staying with my friend (and fellow British swimmer), Sharron Davis. She took one of her children to a lesson there, and I had a sudden recollection of this as I walked on to the poolside.

The kids on the camp had great fun in the pool, especially as it’s the only chance that many of them have to swim, because many schools do not have the staff to accommodate children with bad asthma.

I was particularly pleased to help one little girl to jump into the pool for the first ever time. I demonstrated a few times and eventually persuaded her to jump to me, and after that there was no stopping her! She has now lost that fear of going under water.

A local TV crew also came along to film the occasion, so the kids were very excited to be on television. And it was terrific to see all the staff, all of whom are volunteers, helping out. Many of them are fellow asthma sufferers, and others are nurses.

I WENT to a wedding last week, of my former Great Britain team-mate and now fellow radio colleague, Steve Parry, who was getting married to another swimmer, Thea Evason, in Harrogate.

Steve was quite a character during his career, and always has some great stories to tell. So it was good to see some others getting their own back on him. In fact, it wasn’t just the best man who spoke, but also three ushers! They all had stories to relate about Steve.

He does the pool-side interviews for Radio Five Live, while I do the co-commentary, and we were out in Rome together recently for the World Championships.

Thea was a good junior swimmer, and swam for Loughborough for many years so most of the guests were also swimmers and it was like a reunion!

When Thea walked down the aisle towards the alter, Steve started crying, and it was Thea who started laughing at him and told him to pull himself together! It was a great role-reversal.

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Ipswich Evening Star column - 18^th August 2009

USAIN Bolt in the World Championships 100m final was absolutely remarkable! He’s such a breath of fresh air.

I was getting fed up of all the sprinters strutting around before races, prowling in their lanes It was OK when Maurice Greene first did it, because that was part of his personality. It was fun to watch, but then everyone started copying him, and suddenly it became quite tedious.

But along comes Usain, who just seems to love every second of it. There’s no attitude, instead he always looks like he’s having a really fun time.

His run in the final was remarkable. I was lucky enough to have been in the stadium to witness his Olympic 100m & 200m victories so I can imagine what the atmosphere was like in Berlin and I reckon he has the potential to go even quicker than his new world record of 9.58secs.

He’s a worthy world champion, and I can’t wait to see how he goes in the 200m in Berlin as well. I think that will also be very spectacular. Could it be sub 19 seconds?

Tyson Gay couldn’t believe it. He set a new American record (9.70) and yet he was still beaten by two metres.

OF course Jessica Ennis has been the star for Great Britain. She has done so well to get over the disappointment of missing last year’s Olympic Games, coming back strongly to win the gold medal in the heptathlon.

She was one of the favourites for Beijing, so she must have been distraught to have to pull out, so late in the day, due to a stress fracture.

Jessica has since had to deal with the physical and the mental side of things. She has recovered from the injury and also got herself in the right mental frame of mind, all inside 12 months.

It just goes to show what a tremendous athlete she is, to become world champion. And I loved the way that she tackled the final event, the 800m. She really went for it, even though she already had a big lead after the first six events.

There was no way that she was going to jog that 800m. She wanted to win it in style, by going over the line in first place.

I ATTENDED a Kick-Asthma Holiday Camp in Sussex last week, one of several camps that Asthma UK run up-and-down the country for children with asthma, particularly aimed at those with bad asthma.

The camps are residential, and qualified staff, including doctors and nurses, are always on hand, which means that the children can do activities that many of them are not allowed to do at school, like swimming and karate.

It’s also a great opportunity for the parents to have some time to relax, knowing that their children are in good hands. For instance, one parent said that she had enjoyed her first full night of sleep since her child was born, and he’s now seven. She has always been woken up by his coughing and wheezing during the night and has had difficulty sleeping through worrying.

The camps are also a good break for siblings who do not have asthma, because they can have some more attention at home.

The kids were having a great time swimming while I was there so I got in the pool with them for a while and then showed them some of my medals. I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 7 so it’s nice to be able to help these kids.

I WILL be climbing Kilimanjaro in November, as part of a 30-strong group, to raise money for the charities COCO and Sporting Chance.

Steve Cram and Alison Curbishly are also in the party, as is Olympic rowing champion Zac Purchase.

One of the climbers organized a drinking session last week, so we could get together and get to know the people we will be spending 10 days living in close proximity with. I am now confident that the terk will be a lot of fun!

Altitude will obviously be the main factor (Kilimanjaro is over 19,000 ft), and you never know how you will react, because altitude affects people so differently, regardless of age and fitness.

A five-hour training walk has been planned on the South Downs. I have never been to a very high altitude, perhaps the highest being when I’ve skied or been on the Great Wall of China, so it should be a challenge.

http://www.justgiving.com/karen-pickering

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Ipswich Evening Star column - Tuesday 21st July