Hola Amigos!

Well… the 2009 festive season just flew… don’t you think?

‘Twas the season to be jolly and just like Darren Jolly it’s gone… Fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la!

The number of times we have watched Dora Saves The Mermaid over the past three weeks, I think we need another holiday to get over the Spanish speaking little lady with the monkey friend. Although due to the extremely high turnover of Dora episodes I do now consider our family bi-lingual.

Hola!
Vamanos!
Abre!
Si!
Basura!
Corona!
Mira!
Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis!

Impressive? Not quite? I’ll tell you what’s impressive, the Sydney boys pounding the pavement over Christmas. While the rest of us were possibly downing or declining an umpteenth piece of pavlova, the Swannnies players were continuing their hard work from the pre-season slog. Each player was sent on his holidays with an individual training program… two words: ‘PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES’. And while I thought our Dora watching was extreme, some of the conditions these players were training in were extreme to say the least. Allow me to explain… … …

We were in Wagga Wagga for Christmas and it was hot. 40 degree heat hot. Dry hot. Did I say it was hot? I don’t know how Brett didn’t melt like a Clinker in the sun while going around and around Jubilee Oval. Thank Buddha for the swimming pool in the backyard! Thanks to Noona and Mo and their Oasis on Dalman.

But then come with me across the seas and we end up in Ireland with Tadhg and his extreme sporting efforts. With the temperature a mild minus eight degrees during the day, forget running. Tadhg would have burned enough calories just trying to keep from losing his phalanges to frostbite, let alone doing his fartlek training. But he did, (I told you he was back with a fire in his belly - refer to story in Swans mag page 37). He rugged up in fifteen layers and a Darth Vader mask and he ran.

Gracias!

Hayley Kirk
Also-known-as-the-other-half