8 years of dreaming and training to reach my goal has come to an end!
I have said it before and I will say it again... I have been privileged to have had the opportunity to be able to participate in the Olympic Games. It has been a long road but every second of training, sacrifices and dedication has all been worth it!
Although we didn't do well as a team, we gave it our best shot and we have no regrets.
Personally, I was pretty happy with my performances but the disappointment of not finishing higher is still very much there.
Many people have helped me over the years to realize my dream and I thank each one of you (you all know who you are…)!
Also, all the support I got from family, friends and strangers has not gone un-noticed… I thank you all very very much!!!
I'm proud to call myself an Olympian!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
RSA vs China
RSA : 3
China: 4
Shattered is the word that best describes how we all felt after the match!
It has been a tough tournament for us as we haven’t got the results or reached the goals we wanted to achieve.
We went into the match against China with a very positive outlook as we knew we had nothing to lose. We had not beaten China the last 7 times we have played them but we wanted to make today the day!
We put in an awesome 1st 25minutes and were 1-0. Our goal came courtesy of Lungile Tsolekile who was quick to smash a rebound into the back-board after the keep had made an initial save. China equalized with about 6 minutes to go and we soaked pressure for the remainder of the half but kept the score at 1-1 going in at half time.
In the 2nd half we conceded 2 PC’s which China converted with straight flicks and we found ourselves 1-3 down. We upped the tempo, took the game to China and Ian Symons converted a penalty stroke to take us to within 1 goal. We moved the ball well and kept creating chances which lead to us winning a Short Corner which Austin Smith converted with 5 seconds to go!
Into Extra time we went.
The 1st half was fairly even with both teams trying to control the game and find a way through.
We went into the2nd half firing and created 2 great scoring chances that just went past the far post which we unfortunately didn’t get a stick on. Then we were awarded PC which was miss trapped but gathered from the back up behind the castle, the ball was carried into the circle but China got a stick on the ball and counter attacked us which lead to a short corner that they converted to win n extra time, 4-3, on golden goal.
China: 4
Shattered is the word that best describes how we all felt after the match!
It has been a tough tournament for us as we haven’t got the results or reached the goals we wanted to achieve.
We went into the match against China with a very positive outlook as we knew we had nothing to lose. We had not beaten China the last 7 times we have played them but we wanted to make today the day!
We put in an awesome 1st 25minutes and were 1-0. Our goal came courtesy of Lungile Tsolekile who was quick to smash a rebound into the back-board after the keep had made an initial save. China equalized with about 6 minutes to go and we soaked pressure for the remainder of the half but kept the score at 1-1 going in at half time.
In the 2nd half we conceded 2 PC’s which China converted with straight flicks and we found ourselves 1-3 down. We upped the tempo, took the game to China and Ian Symons converted a penalty stroke to take us to within 1 goal. We moved the ball well and kept creating chances which lead to us winning a Short Corner which Austin Smith converted with 5 seconds to go!
Into Extra time we went.
The 1st half was fairly even with both teams trying to control the game and find a way through.
We went into the2nd half firing and created 2 great scoring chances that just went past the far post which we unfortunately didn’t get a stick on. Then we were awarded PC which was miss trapped but gathered from the back up behind the castle, the ball was carried into the circle but China got a stick on the ball and counter attacked us which lead to a short corner that they converted to win n extra time, 4-3, on golden goal.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
RSA vs Canada
RSA : 3
We didn’t come here to merely compete, we had team and individual goals that we wanted to achieve.
We have made a lot of sacrifices over the last 2 years so it is an understatement to say that there is a very somber mood in our camp right now.
Our result against Canada has disappointed us and I’m sure our supporters are disappointed to.
It is definitely not due to lack of effort, but rather our lack of execution on the field that has lead to our poor results.
We did what we needed to too get off to a good start and went 1-0 up via an Austin Smith Drag flick, but Canada equalized soon afterwards. We had momentum and kept putting them under pressure which lead to an attacking free hit outside their circle. Lungile Tsolekile was on the receiving end of the hit that was smashed into the circle and he deflected it into the back of the net, giving us a 2-1 lead. Again though, Canada equalized before half time making the score 2-2 at the break.
The 2nd half was always going to be a tense affair as it was a must win game for both teams. There Canada went 3-2 up and then 4-2 up so we had to put in a big effort to get those goals back. Smith scored his 2nd with a powerful strike from a PC rebound to make it 3-4.
As tensions mounted, the umpires started digging into their pockets and 4 yellow cards and a red card were issued in the match.
We threw everything we had at the Canadians to try make up the deficit but a final goal to Canada in the last 2 minutes took the score to a disappointing 3-5.
We now find ourselves playing for 11th and 12th position on Saturday. Believe it or not, it is still an important game for us and for SA Hockey. The teams ranked 7-11th after this tournament get invited to the Champs Trophy tournament next year.
Canada: 5
We didn’t come here to merely compete, we had team and individual goals that we wanted to achieve.
We have made a lot of sacrifices over the last 2 years so it is an understatement to say that there is a very somber mood in our camp right now.
Our result against Canada has disappointed us and I’m sure our supporters are disappointed to.
It is definitely not due to lack of effort, but rather our lack of execution on the field that has lead to our poor results.
We did what we needed to too get off to a good start and went 1-0 up via an Austin Smith Drag flick, but Canada equalized soon afterwards. We had momentum and kept putting them under pressure which lead to an attacking free hit outside their circle. Lungile Tsolekile was on the receiving end of the hit that was smashed into the circle and he deflected it into the back of the net, giving us a 2-1 lead. Again though, Canada equalized before half time making the score 2-2 at the break.
The 2nd half was always going to be a tense affair as it was a must win game for both teams. There Canada went 3-2 up and then 4-2 up so we had to put in a big effort to get those goals back. Smith scored his 2nd with a powerful strike from a PC rebound to make it 3-4.
As tensions mounted, the umpires started digging into their pockets and 4 yellow cards and a red card were issued in the match.
We threw everything we had at the Canadians to try make up the deficit but a final goal to Canada in the last 2 minutes took the score to a disappointing 3-5.
We now find ourselves playing for 11th and 12th position on Saturday. Believe it or not, it is still an important game for us and for SA Hockey. The teams ranked 7-11th after this tournament get invited to the Champs Trophy tournament next year.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
RSA vs GB
RSA: 0
GB : 2
After 2 poor performances, we knew we had to put in a good game against GB in order to get some confidence and give us a chance to meet our tournament objectives. We had done some soul searching over the last 48 hours and we wanted to turn things around!
Getting off to a good start was imperative to us, and we did just that. GB looked to press us and apply maximum pressure from the start but we moved the ball well and set up a good platform. We made them work hard in and around our circle through tough, brave defending.
After we turned the ball over in our wide left channel, we didn’t manage the sideline hit effectively and GB took the hit quickly resulting in an opportunistic goal.
We stuck to our game plan and kept getting quality ball into GB’s final third but due to poor decision making and execution we got nothing to show for our play.
Again we played well in the 2nd half which allowed us to give ourselves chances to equalize… unfortunately we didn’t capitalize on those chances. We conceded a 2nd goal towards the end of the half after a laps in concentration allowed GB an easy circle entry along the baseline and their forward snuck in front of our defence to tap the ball over the line.
All in all, a much better performance from us, but it is disappointing not to come away with any points.
We have 2 matches left and we can still achieve certain of our objectives.
We play Pakistan on Sunday which is going to be a high paced and possibly dirty game!
GB : 2
After 2 poor performances, we knew we had to put in a good game against GB in order to get some confidence and give us a chance to meet our tournament objectives. We had done some soul searching over the last 48 hours and we wanted to turn things around!
Getting off to a good start was imperative to us, and we did just that. GB looked to press us and apply maximum pressure from the start but we moved the ball well and set up a good platform. We made them work hard in and around our circle through tough, brave defending.
After we turned the ball over in our wide left channel, we didn’t manage the sideline hit effectively and GB took the hit quickly resulting in an opportunistic goal.
We stuck to our game plan and kept getting quality ball into GB’s final third but due to poor decision making and execution we got nothing to show for our play.
Again we played well in the 2nd half which allowed us to give ourselves chances to equalize… unfortunately we didn’t capitalize on those chances. We conceded a 2nd goal towards the end of the half after a laps in concentration allowed GB an easy circle entry along the baseline and their forward snuck in front of our defence to tap the ball over the line.
All in all, a much better performance from us, but it is disappointing not to come away with any points.
We have 2 matches left and we can still achieve certain of our objectives.
We play Pakistan on Sunday which is going to be a high paced and possibly dirty game!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
THANKS!!!
Thanks for all the support people...really appreaciate it!
We've had a poor start but we are fired up to make sure we correct our mistakes and play like we know we can!
Great Britain is an opportunity for us to get back on our horse and we going to do all we can to produce a result and make everyone proud!
We've had a poor start but we are fired up to make sure we correct our mistakes and play like we know we can!
Great Britain is an opportunity for us to get back on our horse and we going to do all we can to produce a result and make everyone proud!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
RSA vs AUS
RSA: 0
AUS: 10
A very bad day at the office, best sums up our match against Australia today.
We caught the Aussies on a day which they were on song and extremely clinical in our circle!
We had done all our analysis and we knew what to expect but our execution of our game plan and our decision making on and off the ball was poor and we gave them too much possession which they used effectivley.
We knew our 1st 2 games were going to be very tough, and they were... but now is where the crucial part of our tournament starts. We can still make the 5th-6th playoff match and we will be focussing all our energies into correcting our mistakes of the last 2 games and building on our strengths.
Great Britain next up on Friday!
AUS: 10
A very bad day at the office, best sums up our match against Australia today.
We caught the Aussies on a day which they were on song and extremely clinical in our circle!
We had done all our analysis and we knew what to expect but our execution of our game plan and our decision making on and off the ball was poor and we gave them too much possession which they used effectivley.
We knew our 1st 2 games were going to be very tough, and they were... but now is where the crucial part of our tournament starts. We can still make the 5th-6th playoff match and we will be focussing all our energies into correcting our mistakes of the last 2 games and building on our strengths.
Great Britain next up on Friday!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
RSA vs Holland
RSA: 0 (0)
HOL: 5 (2)
Straight off the bat, I have to say that it was disappointing to lose by 5 goals to nil last night. As Individuals and as a team, we had been waiting for our 1st Olympic match for a long time. We had done all the preparation and analysis and we were looking to get our campaign off to a better start. However, as the score line suggests, we got a few too many things wrong, even though we put in a pretty good playing performance.
We haven’t been starting games really well of late so our 1st priority for yesterdays match (and for the tournament) is to make sure we set ourselves up with a solid platform which we can work off and look to dictate play... but we conceded after 4 min.
After going 1-0 down, we moved the ball well through the field and played good hockey. We should have got 2 Penalty Corners (PC’s) which might have helped us get a crucial goal back but they were not awarded. Unfortunately, we conceded at the end of the half via another Taeka Taekema drag flick going into the break 0-2 down.
Again we conceded early in the 2nd half and after that we made too many basic errors, with passes going astray and a few too many miss traps where we turned over possession.
We did create several decent scoring opportunities but we have to start taking them.
All in all, I feel we played better than the score-line suggests but we have to start ‘locking our back door’ and taking our chances if we want to stay competitive.
We have another tough game against Australia on Wednesday, but as a team we will be doing all we can to surprise them and give them a run for their money!
I can’t wait to take them on!!!
HOL: 5 (2)
Straight off the bat, I have to say that it was disappointing to lose by 5 goals to nil last night. As Individuals and as a team, we had been waiting for our 1st Olympic match for a long time. We had done all the preparation and analysis and we were looking to get our campaign off to a better start. However, as the score line suggests, we got a few too many things wrong, even though we put in a pretty good playing performance.
We haven’t been starting games really well of late so our 1st priority for yesterdays match (and for the tournament) is to make sure we set ourselves up with a solid platform which we can work off and look to dictate play... but we conceded after 4 min.
After going 1-0 down, we moved the ball well through the field and played good hockey. We should have got 2 Penalty Corners (PC’s) which might have helped us get a crucial goal back but they were not awarded. Unfortunately, we conceded at the end of the half via another Taeka Taekema drag flick going into the break 0-2 down.
Again we conceded early in the 2nd half and after that we made too many basic errors, with passes going astray and a few too many miss traps where we turned over possession.
We did create several decent scoring opportunities but we have to start taking them.
All in all, I feel we played better than the score-line suggests but we have to start ‘locking our back door’ and taking our chances if we want to stay competitive.
We have another tough game against Australia on Wednesday, but as a team we will be doing all we can to surprise them and give them a run for their money!
I can’t wait to take them on!!!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
The Opening Ceremony!
Last night was the greatest and proudest moment of my life!
A feeling that is difficult to describe just flooded my body as i walked into that stadium!
You are surrounded not only by the best athletes in our country, but the best in the world and you being watched by goodness knows how many people- and I am so greatful to have had that opportunity!
Every sacrifice i have ever made was so totally worth it!!!!
Last night I lived the 1st part of my Olympic Dream... the next part will come on monday when we square up against Holland!
I am loving my life at the moment!!!!
A feeling that is difficult to describe just flooded my body as i walked into that stadium!
You are surrounded not only by the best athletes in our country, but the best in the world and you being watched by goodness knows how many people- and I am so greatful to have had that opportunity!
Every sacrifice i have ever made was so totally worth it!!!!
Last night I lived the 1st part of my Olympic Dream... the next part will come on monday when we square up against Holland!
I am loving my life at the moment!!!!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Olympic Village!
So difficult for me to try put into words what it's like to be here... But,
imagine living in a masssive complex made up of 9 story high buildings with enough room to accommodate 13000 athletes, of which 70% of them are in EXTREMELY GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION and dont wear much...
The complex has a dining hall that has every food possible from Sushi to McDonalds and everything in between... (it's open 24hours...
Also, Massive gym, Flight Center, Laundry, internet room, wireless, swimming pool, hair salon, merchandise store, arcade, tennis court, basketball court and running track... oh, and sauna's and massage rooms...
Loads of vending machines...
It's incredible and EVERYTHING is free... and LIMITLESS!!!
IT IS AMAZING HERE!!!
imagine living in a masssive complex made up of 9 story high buildings with enough room to accommodate 13000 athletes, of which 70% of them are in EXTREMELY GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION and dont wear much...
The complex has a dining hall that has every food possible from Sushi to McDonalds and everything in between... (it's open 24hours...
Also, Massive gym, Flight Center, Laundry, internet room, wireless, swimming pool, hair salon, merchandise store, arcade, tennis court, basketball court and running track... oh, and sauna's and massage rooms...
Loads of vending machines...
It's incredible and EVERYTHING is free... and LIMITLESS!!!
IT IS AMAZING HERE!!!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
AMAZING!
Words can't describe the feeling of being in the Olympic Village...
You are surrounded by the world's best athletes and there is something truely amazing about the vibe here!
Today has reminded me that every sacrifice i have ever made to get here as all been worth it!!!
You are surrounded by the world's best athletes and there is something truely amazing about the vibe here!
Today has reminded me that every sacrifice i have ever made to get here as all been worth it!!!
Beijing here we come!!!
It’s been a fairly ‘long’ but worthwhile 2 weeks here in Korea, but FINALLY, we are departing for Beijing… ! 1 step closer to realizing my Olympic Dream!
Our final Day in Korea ended on a great note with a dress up-putt putt competition with our woman’s team...
All the Teams were superbly dressed and along with great banter and camaraderie on the course- a great time was had by all!
There were prizes for “Best Dressed Team,” “Best Individual Score,” “Best Team Score,” “Hole in One” and “Highest Individual Score.”
The Prizes were chocolates, might not sound too good but GREATLY enjoyed by the winners after 2 weeks of ‘eating the right stuff!’
From a training perspective, we couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions to practice in here- very hot and ridiculously humid! It’s a pity the astro was so different to the Olympic turf, but that wont matter in the bigger picture. Also, we had a few games planned against Korea but they were based in Seoul which is a 4 hour ride away so those matches didn’t materialize, making our 2 warm up games vs Spain and Belgium (7th & 8th August respectively) vitally important and an opportunity for us to put any final touches in place.
As I post this, our plane will be taking off in 5 hours for destination Beijing, where upon arrival we will be escorted to the Olympic Village...I can't wait!!!
I’ll be in touch soon!
Beijing here we come...!
Our final Day in Korea ended on a great note with a dress up-putt putt competition with our woman’s team...
All the Teams were superbly dressed and along with great banter and camaraderie on the course- a great time was had by all!
There were prizes for “Best Dressed Team,” “Best Individual Score,” “Best Team Score,” “Hole in One” and “Highest Individual Score.”
The Prizes were chocolates, might not sound too good but GREATLY enjoyed by the winners after 2 weeks of ‘eating the right stuff!’
From a training perspective, we couldn’t have asked for better weather conditions to practice in here- very hot and ridiculously humid! It’s a pity the astro was so different to the Olympic turf, but that wont matter in the bigger picture. Also, we had a few games planned against Korea but they were based in Seoul which is a 4 hour ride away so those matches didn’t materialize, making our 2 warm up games vs Spain and Belgium (7th & 8th August respectively) vitally important and an opportunity for us to put any final touches in place.
As I post this, our plane will be taking off in 5 hours for destination Beijing, where upon arrival we will be escorted to the Olympic Village...I can't wait!!!
I’ll be in touch soon!
Beijing here we come...!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Update from Korea!
Firstly, thanks to all of you for the Blog, Facebook and email Good Luck messages!!!
We've had the last 2 days off from training with only a gym session and core stability workout today, so our legs are feeling refreshed for tomorrow's last day of training!
We fly to Beijing on Wednesday and will be checking in to the Olympic Village around 5pm!!!
There after, we play 2 warm up games- first against Spain on the 7th and then against Belgium on the 8th.
It's been a fairly tough past week on the training side so we are all super excited to get to Beijing and get the Games underway...
Even though there has been a lot of negative publicity on the news about China and the Games, I cant wait to get there and give some first hand feedback!!!!
not long to go now... it's so surreal!
Chat soon!
We've had the last 2 days off from training with only a gym session and core stability workout today, so our legs are feeling refreshed for tomorrow's last day of training!
We fly to Beijing on Wednesday and will be checking in to the Olympic Village around 5pm!!!
There after, we play 2 warm up games- first against Spain on the 7th and then against Belgium on the 8th.
It's been a fairly tough past week on the training side so we are all super excited to get to Beijing and get the Games underway...
Even though there has been a lot of negative publicity on the news about China and the Games, I cant wait to get there and give some first hand feedback!!!!
not long to go now... it's so surreal!
Chat soon!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Thursday, July 31, 2008
anyone can comment!
Just thought i'd let you know that anyone can comment now...
fiddled with the settings and i think i managed to change it...
so open gates!!!!
fiddled with the settings and i think i managed to change it...
so open gates!!!!
Training underway
Well, we've now had several training sessions and I will say that it is seriously hot and humid!
The training turf is a 10minute drive from the hotel and the astro is almost the complete opposite to the Olympic turf... not ideal!
Anyway we just have to make sure we adjust very quickly come game 1 vs Holland!
Last night we were invited out to dinner by the MD of Audi Korea, Trevor Hill.
Trevor played goal keeper for southerns in his hockey days.
We went to a top class traditional Korean restaurant... some 'interesting' food but a great exprerience!!!
Quality night!
Thats all for now,
Later!!
The training turf is a 10minute drive from the hotel and the astro is almost the complete opposite to the Olympic turf... not ideal!
Anyway we just have to make sure we adjust very quickly come game 1 vs Holland!
Last night we were invited out to dinner by the MD of Audi Korea, Trevor Hill.
Trevor played goal keeper for southerns in his hockey days.
We went to a top class traditional Korean restaurant... some 'interesting' food but a great exprerience!!!
Quality night!
Thats all for now,
Later!!
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Holding Camp In Korea
Finally, after 3 flights and about 30hours in transit, we arrived in Daegu, Korea for our Team South Africa holding camp!
We got sold down the river saying we staying in the 5 star Inter-Burgo Hotel because we are staying in the '2' star section... not ideal!!!!
It's rediculously humid here... ideal preparation for the Olympics tho!
We have the whole day free to recover from our travel and start training tomorrow!
We received our 1st batch of kit in Joburg... average!
Hopefully the Mizuno kit we are getting later today will be much better!
From the Spice side... still early days but you could see the massive smiles and plenty stares coming from the ladies when Ryk Neethling went to say hi to one or two familiar faces at their table!
Only Brian Scott would be as popular as him....
Thanks to those who have signed up.... enough abuse about the photo thank you :-)
Cheers,
Cronj
We got sold down the river saying we staying in the 5 star Inter-Burgo Hotel because we are staying in the '2' star section... not ideal!!!!
It's rediculously humid here... ideal preparation for the Olympics tho!
We have the whole day free to recover from our travel and start training tomorrow!
We received our 1st batch of kit in Joburg... average!
Hopefully the Mizuno kit we are getting later today will be much better!
From the Spice side... still early days but you could see the massive smiles and plenty stares coming from the ladies when Ryk Neethling went to say hi to one or two familiar faces at their table!
Only Brian Scott would be as popular as him....
Thanks to those who have signed up.... enough abuse about the photo thank you :-)
Cheers,
Cronj
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Welcome!!!
Hi All!
Just thought i'd create a little something so as to share my experiences and stories of the Olympic Games with those of you that are interested!
I'll obviously try keep it as up to date as possible and i will definately try give as much spice as possible...!!!!
Any specifics you want to hear about, comments you want to make or questions you want to ask, please take 5 min to sign up and I'll answer it on the blog!
Don't be shy to keep in touch!
Later,
Cronj
Just thought i'd create a little something so as to share my experiences and stories of the Olympic Games with those of you that are interested!
I'll obviously try keep it as up to date as possible and i will definately try give as much spice as possible...!!!!
Any specifics you want to hear about, comments you want to make or questions you want to ask, please take 5 min to sign up and I'll answer it on the blog!
Don't be shy to keep in touch!
Later,
Cronj
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