2012/04/13 Sheffield Olympians
Encounters at the bar
We sped down Ecclesall Rd, stopped at Collegiate Hall to note that Ellie Koylander, Team GB mogul skier trains there, and continued on towards the Sheaf Island pub. As we turned to go right, a pissed-up group of three couples shambled and tripped alongside on the pavement slurring incoherently something about bicycles at us and then shut up with surprise as their glassy eyes and silly grins saw us stood on our pedals stationary on our bikes as we waited for oncoming traffic to go past.
We turned right and then went down Napier St to come round the back of the old Ward’s Brewery and park up in the terrace at the Sheaf Island. Inside, one could see heads turn, fingers point, hands go to mouths and eyes widen as we locked up our steeds to the rails and each other. Some consternation continued as we entered into the warmth and comfort of the bar but the shock of the cyclists had died down as people gave us room and we ranged in small bunches along the long bar.
“Can we have a pint, and a half, of the Windermere Blond, and a tonic with ice and a slice”
“Yup” the barman says as he dips to collect the glasses, ” … the tonic’s with ice and a slice?”
“Please”
“OK .. so what are you lot doing?” The barman eyes us and the clusters of fellow nightriders along the bar as he places a glass under the tap.
“Oh, we’re on a bike ride to celebrate the Olympics”
“Oh, yeah”
“Yeah, actually we’ve got an Olympian with us. She has come out on the ride; shown us where she trains in Attercliffe at the English of Institute of Sport alongside people like Jessica Ennis. Been brilliant”
As he pulls on the pump handle, the barman looks round, maybe for Team GB colours, “Where is she?”
“Standing here, beside me”, says Mick as he points at Fiona standing next to him all in Adidas black with a silver bike helmet still on, munching on a sandwich.
“Really,” says the barman, carrying on with his pouring, as he looks directly at Fiona, he continues,
“Respect. Is that true, you take part in the Olympics?”
Fiona self-effacingly nods as she removes her bike helmet, “Yeah”.
Mick carries on, “She drives the women’s bobsleigh for Team GB. She was at Vancouver in 2010”. The barman places the beers on the counter, hesitates for a moment and then he says,
“You’re braver than me, love. You must have some balls to do that, more balls than I’ve got. Respect. Is that right, love, the Olympics?”
He ducks behind him to get a bottle of tonic. Fiona smiles unassumingly and nods.
He tips in the ice and a slice and we start to collect our drinks to go and take a seat,
“Hold on…”, says the barman looking at Fiona,”… can I have your photo?”
and in a trice he whips his phone out of a pocket and snaps Fiona, smiling sweetly at him, “Thanks”, he says as he returns his attention to me, “£5.35 please”.
He brings me change of a tenner, I say “Her name’s Fiona Harrison, google it she comes up straightaway”,
and I salute him with my pint and he smiles appreciatively as we all move away to grab some seats.
Next SFNR
Fri April 13 2012 (how lucky is that?)
Sheffield Olympians
Start 6.30 Barkers Pool
Come ride with an Olympian! Fiona Harrison, who is a local woman and the driver of the GB Olympic 4 women bobsleigh team (GB Team in Vancouver 2010) is raring to come out with us.
She lives and trains here in Sheffield and is planning to join us and give us an insider’s tour of the EIS in Attercliffe!
where she and others train and has many tips on place to visit and go. I think I’l find this reallly interesting; hope you do too! Just the pick-me-up I need.
All the people who were born in Sheffield and have taken part in an Olympics are below. I haven’t had time to go through the lists of info and work out how many Olympians have had an affiliation with Sheffield and been an Olympian (eg Seb Coe, not born but raised in Sheffield). Jessica Ennis isn’t on the list as 2012 will be her first Olympics; no pressure then Jessica?
Bring your own Olympic facts with you! Been to an Olympics?, participated in an Olympics? got a good story or memories about the Olympics? (The first ones I can just about remember are Rome in 1960 and ANDREW, bring that book about the Olympics – did you know there was a race for fat old men (the entry criteria) in the London 1908 Olympics so Edward VII could win a race – why did he not get the gold medal?; come along and find out)
Route and map:
View Sheffield Olympians (www.sfnr.org.uk) in a larger map
Weather: Should be dry on Friday evening but bring a waterproof as not all the forecasts agree. Will be chilly, so gloves and something warm a good idea
Heads up! On roads, paths and maybe a track or two so will probably suit any bike (with tough tyres) but maybe not swish ones with extra skinny wheels?
Don’t forget lights and locks!
The first Sheffielder with connections to the modern Olympics participated in 1908 and there have been many more since including the woman in 1948 who got a commendation in the Mixed Painting – an event I have found more about. These events were interesting because they were judged by others and medals were not always awarded if the standard was not judged appropriate. The events were never unanimously accepted and although they ran from from 1912 until 1948, the objections to holding them (logistics of it and that all the competitors seemed to be professional artists) meant that they ceased to be replaced by art exhibitions and in 2012 we now have the Cultural Olympiad. So its not all Ennis and Coe.
Olympians born in Sheffield (Seb Coe was born ‘darn sarf’ and Jessica Ennis missed the last Olympics with injury, 2012 will be her first Olympics)
Name |
Country |
Event |
Olympics |
born |
died |
Jeremy Abbott |
Canada |
Canoeing |
1976 Montreal |
1957 |
|
Keith Angus |
GB |
Athletics Marathon |
1976 Montreal |
1473 |
|
Charles Atkin |
GB |
Hockey (Gold) |
1920 Antwerp |
1889 |
1958 |
David Baker |
GB |
Cycling Mountain Biking |
1996 Atlanta |
1965 |
|
Sam Blatherwick |
GB |
Swimming 400, 1500m freestyle |
1908 London |
1888 |
1975 |
Chris Draper |
GB |
Sailing Mixed Skiff (Bronze) |
2004 Athens |
1978 |
|
John Dudderidge |
GB |
Canoeing |
1936 Berlin |
1906 |
2004 |
Malcolm Elliott, |
GB |
Cycling 1980 4000m team pursuit 1996 Road race |
1980 Moscow 1996 Atlanta |
1961 |
|
Len Eyre |
GB |
Athletics 1500m |
1952 Helsinki |
1925 |
1986 |
Reggie Flint |
GB |
Swimming 200m breaststroke |
1924 Paris 1928 Amsterdam |
1903 |
1981 |
Jane Furniss-Shields |
GB |
Athletics 1984 3000m 1988 10000m |
1984 Los Angeles 1988 Seoul |
||
Nicola Gautier-Minichiello |
GB |
Bobsleigh |
2002 Salt Lake City 2006 Turin 2010 Vancouver |
1978 |
|
Irene Gilbert |
GB |
Swimming 200m breaststroke |
1924 Paris |
1903 |
1988 |
Ernest Glover |
GB |
Athletics 5000m, 10000m, X-country, individual & team (Bronze X-country team) |
1912 Stockholm |
1891 |
1954 |
Paul Goodison |
GB |
Sailing 2004 Mixed one person’s dinghy 2008 Men’s one person dinghy (Gold) |
2004 Athens 2008 Beijing |
1977 |
|
Andrew Griffiths |
Canada |
Hockey |
2000 Sydney |
1969 |
|
Bill Gulliver |
Zimbabwe |
Shooting Men’s Trap |
1960 Rome |
1912 |
|
Amanda Harrison |
GB |
Gymnastics |
1980 Los Angeles |
1965 |
|
Jess Harrison |
France |
Triathlon |
2008 Beijing |
1977 |
|
Simeon Hempsall |
GB |
Cycling Road Race |
1992 Barcelona |
1969 |
|
Joyce Himsworth |
GB |
Art Competitions Mixed painting (Commendation) |
1948 London |
1905 |
1990 |
Albert Johnson |
GB |
Athletics 50km Walk |
1956 Melbourne 1960 Rome |
1931 |
2011 |
Brian Jolly |
GB |
Cycling Men’s road race |
1968 Mexico City |
1476 |
|
Marges Knighton |
NZ |
Equestrianism 3 daye event individual & team (Bronze team) |
1988 Seoul |
1955 |
|
Vicky Lupton |
GB |
Athletics 10km Walk |
1992 Barcelona 1996 Atlanta |
1972 |
|
Les Morton |
GB |
Athletics 50km Walk |
1988 Seoul 1992 Barcelona |
1958 |
|
Catherine Murphy |
GB |
Athletics 4X400m relay (4th but could get bronze because of a doping admission byUS athlete in 2010) |
2004 Athens |
1975 |
|
Sheila Parkin-Sherwood |
GB |
Athletics Long Jump |
1964 Tokyo 1968 Mexico City (Silver) 1972 Munich |
1475 |
|
Andrew Rawlin |
GB |
X-county skiing 30km & 4X10km relay |
1984 Sarajevo |
1960 |
|
Peter Reynolds |
GB |
Rowing Coxed eights |
1960 Rome |
1937 |
|
Geoffrey Robinson |
GB |
Shooting Men’s Free Pistol, 50m |
1984 Los Angeles |
1477 |
|
Jill Slattery |
GB |
Swimming 100m, 200m breaststroke |
1964 Tokyo 1968 Mexico City |
1475 |
|
Jane Smith |
GB |
Diving Women’s springboard & synchronised springboard |
2000 Sydney 2004 Athens |
1975 |
|
Betty Sworowski |
GB |
Athletics 10km Walk |
1992 Barcelona |
1961 |
|
John Warhurst |
GB |
Athletics |
1972 Munich |
1474 |
|
Alastair Wilson |
GB |
Hockey |
2008 Beijing |
1983 |