IT was pretty heart-warming to be asked by Duncan Smillie, owner of The Glasgow Rocks, to put together a women in sport invitation list for Ladies Night at the Emirates Stadium in Glasgow last week. There were players, officials, coaches and administrators in attendance representing many sports.
A special welcome was reserved for Hannah Rankin, Scotland’s only female world boxing champion, who kindly took time out of her busy training schedule. Hannah is currently preparing for her next title fight in Malta. Her aim is to add the interim WBC Super Welterweight World Championship to her portfolio. It sounds like a tough task, as she will face an undefeated Patricia Berghult from Sweden.
The group were made welcome before the game at the Emirates last week and had an opportunity to mix and meet with others. At half time a shoot-out was organised and six volunteers took to the court. It was also good to see a mix of familiar faces offering their support to the invited athletes and, amongst others, Neil Lennon and Ryan Christie from Celtic took time out to attend the game as well.
Basketball offers so much to the spectator: it’s fast, family-friendly, exciting and a lot of fun. The crowd varied in age, from young toddlers to more senior stalwarts. Everyone was shouting encouragement to the Rocks, who just narrowly missed out on a win after holding the Cheshire Phoenix for the first three quarters and losing by just a point at the end of the fourth. It was a great show.
Meanwhile, we often speak about the resilience of athletes as they prepare for competition. However, reading this week of the dramatic start Eilish McColgan had to her holiday when she was in a car crash in India, I am sure her reaction was just the same as everyone else. When this type of things happens, it doesn’t matter what your day job is, it hits you hard and can have a huge impact on your mental health.
I’m delighted to say that both Eilish and her partner are safe and well and continuing with their holiday. I hope they both have a well-deserved rest and can put the trauma behind them.
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