... now then ... here's the chance you've been waiting for ... the chance to sample something of the unique experience offered by Skeleton for yourself!
Let Shelley herself explain:
"Along with the Bromley brothers, Kristan and Richard, I am seeking to arrange a week of Skeleton for corporate clients or individuals wanting a cool experience in either Lillehammer or Igls at the end of this season (Feb/Mar 07).
Just use the Corporate Pro Ice Challenge link above to be one of the first to contact me with your own/company name and I will send you information on how to register yourself or your team."
Yes, its that time of year when we all like to reflect on the year just gone and the one that is about to be, when there's so many other things to be done without forgetting the day job, and when this webmaster in particular has reason to thank Google News Alerts for flagging-up a far better summary of that glorious day back in February than the one he was putting together:
LOOKING BACK - check out this piece by the BBC's Anna Thompson's on the BBC 606 message board ... BBC Round-up of 2006 Highlights ... then give it a 5* rating!
Latest result - 10th in Lake Placid
Prof Ice & Shelley warn against going downhill fast!
Nice snapshot from Sunday's BBC SPOTY event of Shelley and Kristan with former Bristol City midfielder (and current England manager) Steve McLaren.*
Following her whistle-stop transatlantic return, Shelley is now back in Lake Placid for Round 3 of this season's World Cup series. She says she kept her body clock on US time for the short stopover back in the UK and thinks it helped stave off too much tiredness.
Her focus, however, is on the World Championships because that is what her UK Sport funding is dependent upon. Thanks to Turin the next two championships (St Moritz 2007 and Altenburg 2008) are already covered; a podium finish in either case would then secure the same level of funding for a further two years, otherwise it could be subject to review.
* Note
Zara Phillips wins BBC SPOTY ... hmmm, what if the whole country had been given the chance to vote for Shelley as BBC West's audience had last week? (see below). Many thanks to the newspaper editors who effectively complied the nominations list - not.
Warm congratulations to Beth Tweddle for such a great showing for a non-mainstream sportswoman.
With the season's focus of the World Championships still seven weeks away, Shelley turns in a good second slide to finish twelfth equal in Park City (WC2)* just ahead of a round-trip home to appear on BBC TV Sports Personality of the Year - the best exposure her sport has ever enjoyed?
* Another fine result for Westcountryman Adam Pengilly - 5th in the men's event.
Some great news to report! ... viewers of BBC TV Points West and listeners to the region's local radio stations have voted for Shelley as their Sports Personality of the Year ahead of David Howell, Zara Phillips and Paul Nicholls.
As the lady herself is in the USA preparing for her next race in the World Cup series, the BBC actually asked SRSG to represent her at the prestigious awards dinner at the Royal Marriott Hotel, Bristol!
Congratulations also to long-serving Peter Quinney of Pewsey Vale Flyers Trampoline Club on his success in the Unsung Hero category.
... unfortunately, the marvellous news from Bristol is tempered by the disappointment of finding Shelley's name omitted from the ten nominees for the BBC's national SPOTY award.
This means that the rest of the country will not now have the opportunity to follow the West's footsteps in voting for the against-all-the-odds efforts of this year's only British Olympic medalist.
As detailed here, had it been left to public postal and online votes and those of the BBC's own sports panel (see below) her name would have been on the list (as would Tony McCoy's).
One wonders why each region in the BBC network couldn't simply do as the West has done and then forward their candidates to the national final?
It seems strange for the BBC to dilute the input of their own viewers and staff by a factor of 12 in giving equal weight to the votes of sports editors from 34 different non-BBC media organisations (especially as some nominations suggested they didn't all take the responsibility sincerely).
Our bouquets then to the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, Independent on Sunday, Sunday Mercury (Birmingham) and Express & Star (Wolverhampton) for adding their voice to Shelley's cause, and a special brickbat for the only West Country newspaper among those canvassed who didn't (and who didn't even use all of their votes!). Let's hope they ask the Gazette & Herald or Western Daily Press instead next time!
BBC Sports Panel - Gary Lineker, Sue Barker, Adrian Chiles, Alan Hansen, Steve Cram, Jonathan Davies, Dame Tanni Grey Thompson, Suzi Perry, Clare Balding, Hazel Irvine.
Opening World Cup run of 2006/07 sees Shelley finish in 16th place in Calgary, unusually for her, being slower in the second heat than the first - a "bad day at the office" but worse for Kristan Bromley who suffered a hamstring injury on the push start. Congratulations to GBR teammates Amy Williams and Adam Pengilly on their top ten results.
Good article in today's timesonline that puts Shelley's 2006 into perspective; meanwhile, BBC Points West have short-listed her for the Regional Sports Personality ... you can make your vote count by ringing 09015 225004 before midnight Fri 1st Dec.
Word is that the temperature in Calgary three days ahead of the first round of this season's World Cup series have plunged to a record low of -31C (with wind chill making it -42C at the top of the track) ... no surprise that training was cancelled for two days!
You may have noticed the site was down for just over a day. This was due to changes made at our host server outwith our control. Normal service now resumed.
A copy of the "Shelleyvision" homecoming DVD is now available - see front page here.
Well Shelley has made it safely to Lake Placid ahead of the start of the World Cup series in Calgary on Thurs 30th Nov.
Here's hoping for a good start to preparations for the World Champs at the end of Jan. You can follow the results as they come in by following the FIBT live coverage link above.
Many thanks to all who nominated Shelley for BBC's Sports Personality of 2006 and a reminder that voting is still open for the Morgan Stanley Great Britons award (see below).
Can Pewsey's Sports Personality of the Year go national? If you share the belief of SRSG that Shelley's glorious against-all-odds effort to win Silver in the Turin Olympics is the highlight of this sporting year, you can use the following links to place your vote (PS - and then tell all your friends to do the same!):
Meanwhile for the local audience here's a plug for the event that raised Shelley's first ever local sponsorship back in 1998:
Pewsey Hasbeens' Gentlemens Evening - this year on 24th November. Guest speakers: Tommy Smith, MBE (ex-Liverpool FC capt) & Jerry Thomas (Comedian).
There she goes again! ... Great news to report from Lillehammer where Shelley has won the GB Selection Races for the fourth year running, following up the next day by regaining her British Championship crown.
In both achievements she was matched by partner Kristan Bromley in the men's event, and they both broke and then improved the respective track records in the process!
Coinciding with the start of ice training in Lillehammer in preparation for the new season, Shelley has also completed her move to a new home and job in South Yorkshire ... she never was one to let the grass grow under her feet! ... full details in this Press Release (.pdf) from Sheffield Hallam University.
England's footballers not winning the World Cup, our cricketers struggling to live up to the glorious Ashes summer of 2005 and a disappointing year for a number of other sports has spawned quite some debate in the media about who should be candidates for the annual BBC TV Sports Personality of the Year.
SRSG would humbly submit that the story of "our" Shelley's rapid rise through the ranks of Skeleton Bobsleigh (especially the details of how she overcame so many obstacles along the way) make her an eminently suitable candidate.
OK, we know, we are biassed but here's hoping that the "Cindarella" status of Winter Sports doesn't count too much against her when the votes are cast ...
Shelley has told us that she is actively searching for
sponsorship for the 2006/7 season.
This will embrace her challenge for the World Cup series and the World Championships to be held in St.Moritz (Jan/Feb).
The skeleton season starts in September so if anyone is interested please see the contact information.
SRSG caught up with Shelley only to be left totally breathless at how busy she has been since getting back from her post-Turin holiday in the Far East.
After lunch with BOA Chairman Lord Moynihan at the House of Lords (24th July) and a visit to Cowes Week as a guest of Henri Lloyd, her training will resume in earnest; other summer highlights have been:
Basic Instinct 2 world premiere in Leicester Square
Ice Space premiere, Tower Bridge, London
Sports Industry Awards, London
University of Bath Blues Awards dinner - received Chancellor's Award
House of Commons - invitation from Michael Anchram, local MP
BBC Wiltshire - Sports Relief day
100% Me launch in Gibraltar
Miss Gibraltar 2006 Beauty Pageant judge
BBC Points West Golf Challenge - nearest the pin competition.
Royal Ascot, Ladies day - presented trophy to the winner of the Hampton Court stakes.
Royal Logistics Corps, Camberley, Surrey - presented their Sports Awards.
Winter sports annual dinner
Wimbledon Royal box
Henley Royal Regatta - presented with Olympic pin.
Buckingham Palace - Queen's garden party
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This immaculate tiled table top was presented to Shelley, her family and the people of Pewsey at the Moonrakers Inn on the 28th Feb 2006 by Mssrs Paul Wrigley and Steve Scatcherd of Adored Images. During the homecoming procession and in the weeks afterwards it was displayed in the window of Strategic Arts, High Street, Pewsey. Adored Images are part of the Custom Signs & Print Group Ltd. and may be contacted on 01579 349437 or by email - here. |
This equally stunning acrylic work has also been presented to Shelley's family in appreciation of her efforts in Turin. It was donated by Evesham artist Gary R. Booth who specialises in depicting fast-moving sports.
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Hi everyone! - my blog "Silver Lining" is being revamped. The idea is that I will be able to answer any skeleton based questions you may have and it will also act as a mini-diary of what's going on at the moment etc...
Shelley appears on BBC's Question of Sport
On a roll now! - Chris Harris' movies from the thick of the action now online ... here
At last! - only a month after the event 80 slides of the open-top bus procession through Pewsey.
This one's for real: SRSG co-founder Emma Dainton was caught up in Cyclone Larry ... more
Hi everyone!,
Well loads to tell of the last couple of weeks and so little time to use
internet, so will have to be brief. Started my new job in the middle of
nowhere, its fantastic! I love all the locals already and love been back
behind the bar! Most of the locals are old fishermen or bikers, or local
builders, they are all great!
Bit scary first week Cyclone Larry hit us, we are in between Inisvail and Babinda two towns which are no more, they were completely wiped out in the cyclone! The day before the news had warnings that it was a category 5 cyclone the worst you can get and was heading straight for us!
I didn't really know what this meant so wasn't that nervous until my boss said that he didn't think the roof would hold then I knew it was pretty serious! A load of the locals packed up their important belongings and brought a sleeping bag to the pub that night as it was a lot safer in there than their own homes. So we all sat up and nervously drank and then tried to get a couple of hours sleep. I was woken up by the sound of all of my room windows smashing at about 3am, the cyclone hadn't even hit us yet, this was just the before winds, quickly jumped out of bed got my passport, camera, journal and air ticket home and ran downstairs to join everyone else (at this stage we all were pretty aware that we might lose all of our clothes etc. but didn't really matter at the time!).
We sat in front of the windows of the pub and just all sat in silence as the place rattled and trees blew in front of us. It was so scary! Massive palm trees were ripped out of the ground and got carried away etc.
It was unreal! anyway finally it was over about 9am, and all the power had gone. power lines had all been ripped out. and everyone headed back to see what was left of their things. Luckily our roof did hold, just the windows smashed and their was a lot of debris in the house.
Unfortunately everyone else surrounding the pub and in neighbouring towns weren't so lucky. People lost everything, homes, cars, shops, crop etc. etc. So the last week has been very sad watching people try and pick up their lives. Many of the farmers have been drunk in the pub for the last few days because they cant do anything else. They have nothing left.
So all a bit emotional. But there are a lot of positive people too and
a lot of them have accepted what has happened and carry on to pick up
their
lives.
So quite an experience!
Cant write any more, have to go now, hope everyone is well there. Will email soon
Lots of love emsxx
Mick Lynch's latest "Shelleyvision" production, a DVD of the open-top welcome home is now available on the streets of Pewsey (from Head & Robins / Pewsey Radio Vision).
Photos finally(!) online - paddlers, Moonies, reception and party (parade to come). Audio and Movie links also built.
Shelley's appearance on Question of Sport (BBC1) was to be Fri 31st March and is now Fri 28th April. She and Kristan are also featured in Hello magazine (#991, 28 Mar 06).
"Slide on Silver Shell - didn't you do well?!
We're all Sleigh-dream Believers,
You're our Homecoming Queen!"
Just time for now to say thanks a million to the people of Pewsey for turning out in force to give Shelley and Kristan a fantastic welcome - estimates for the crowd figure for the "mini carnival" have varied from 5,000 to 8,000 - the Hasbeens' organised evening party in the Bouverie Hall showed just how much Pewsey has learned about having a good time from 108 years of Carnival!
Many thanks also to all the marshals, police, traders and press who played their part in making it such a memorable day. Not to forget the role played by our parish and district councils and the Pewsey Area Community Trust (PACT).
This site will be updated with reports, photos and videos over the next week or so, in fact if you have any of your own you'd like to share please send them in - finally, the King of Skeleton game (link top right) now includes the option to slide as Shelley ... have a go and challenge your friends!
Moonraking Silver from the Olympic PondHello - this site was set up in May 2005 by friends of Shelley from her home village of Pewsey, Wilts who founded the Shelley Rudman Supporters Group (SRSG) to help raise funds and awareness for her bid to compete for Great Britain at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin ... and did she ever compete! ... more |
The British Bob Skeleton Association (BBSA) recieves an annual package of support funded by UK Sport and the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) which pays most of the programme and competition costs. However, some expenses have to be met personally and living costs also need to be funded. For example, while her opponents from the Alpine and Scandinavian countries can train on their own home tracks, Shelley will spend 5 months during winter travelling around Europe & North America to gain as much ice training/competition time as possible to stay ahead of the game.
SRSG is all about a community backing one of it's own in her bid forGold - however, the real story is her infectious enthusiasm and steely determination to succeed; reaching Turin is a marvellous achievement in such a short time and there will be other targets beyond that ...
... if you can help in any way please contact:SRSG - c/o Colin Harris
