Pre-Season kick off!
Stewarts and Lloyds kicked off their pre-season with a visit to Rutland Aqua park to enjoy what the gaffer thought would be a fun, mess about in the sun before the hard work started later this week. Instead it turned out to be the toughest session of the squads lives as they battled to haul their out of shape carcases out of the water and onto the inflatables for an hour and a half.
After waiting for the inevitable late comers we donned the figure hugging wetsuits for the obligatory safety briefing and wandered out to the wading platform from where we would launch ourselves into the icy lake. Nothing like the smell of an already wet wetsuit and quite disconcerting to find it already has sections warmer than other sections.
The walk out onto the platform seemed the ideal opportunity to teach Jack the basics of swimming and he seemed to have taken it on board as he bobbed back up after being literally thrown in at the deep end.
Like turtles racing to find the safety of the ocean we flapped and splashed the 25 mtrs to the first platform and hauled ourselves out, coughing and spluttering Rutland lake water. No time to dwell though as the team were off and the race to the summit was on.
Small children swam and jumped for their lives as a dozen competitive grown adults (and one old bugger breathing like an asthmatic ox) charged through the assault course. And it is truely knackering - constantly hauling yourself from inflatable to inflatable and out of the water again and again as inevitably you slip and fall in is such a work out - but really good fun I have to say.
After the intial free for all - the team started to work together hauling each other out, linking up to cross difficult sections and generally performing CPR where needed. The gaffers bonding plan was working.
After what seemed the longest hour or so of my life our time was up and we finished up with a final launch off the highest inflatable with the most daring going out in style, with a high backflip, double front flip or more commonly, the full face plant.
...finished up with a test of nerve off the highest inflatable with the most daring going out in style, with a high backflip, double front flip or more commonly, the full face plant.
Good time had by all, the only thing left was to shower, find the nearest pub and plan the next trip over a beer.
Thanks to Mel for taking a few snaps and holding a dozen phones.