Evening all,
Well, it's
safe to say that 2016 has been a pretty eventful year. From Trump to Brexit,
from Leicester City to the Chicago Cubs
and countless well-known celebrity
deaths, this year has got to be the year where everyone got kicked in the balls
with surprises.
For me, it has been a good year. I'm
still with Esther (we are approaching our 2nd-year
anniversary), I'm still working for the
RFL and I've still got a loving family around me who are healthy. But there
have been some key points that this year has stood out for me. And with that in
mind, I'm going to rank my top five moments of 2016.
5. Anyone for Handball.
At the end of the 2015 review, I mentioned that I considered
taking up Handball as a hobby, and true to my word, that's exactly what I went
and did. It didn't take me too long to
find my local club but I decided to join
in late August - after the Rio 2016 Olympic Games - to take it seriously and to be honest I wished it took up the sport a few years ago. I learned a lot
there about the game and I have pushed myself to get better and I want to
improve that in 2017. Maybe I can squeeze in a full 60-minute game or two, let's
hope so.
4. WhRL 2016 Season
Following on from a successful
first season with the RFL, I had to up my game for the new season. Things did
change behind the scenes in the sport and I had to adapt to those changes as
well. One of these being taking charge and creating a dedicated Facebook page to the sport where I can showcase my work
as Media Manager. I covered about 90% of
the WhRL Premier League games including the Grand
Final, a game from every round of the WhRL Challenge Cup including the
final and the WhRL Four Nations event in
Rochdale. A pretty productive season you
would say, but there would be some great results from this later in this
countdown...
3. 18 Hours in Munich
I did say at some point at the end
of last year on my Facebook page I was planning a trip to Munich. and again
being true to my word, I did that and a lot more. The seed was planted in
January, to go and watch FC Bayern Munich v FC Schalke 04. with the ticket bought for £43
and a round trip costing £70 I was on my way. I took in the Munich Crash Memorial
site and also saw 1860 Munich's Second team draw 0-0 as well before heading
over to the really impressive Allianz Arena to see Schalke get dicked by Robert
Lewandowski and company by a score of 3-0. Schalke was impressive in the stands,
we were constantly out signing the Bayern fans. Following the game, I flew back
to Gatwick and into the loving arms of my girlfriend, speaking of which...
2. Spending every moment with Esther
At the beginning part of the year, we have celebrated a year of being
together and I admit this past year the
stuff we did has been truly magical. From trips to Hastings, Eastbourne, Llandudno, Wrexham and Rome for her birthday, we have done a lot of great things together as a couple. We have had our highs and
lows - like most couples - but we tackle them together. I cannot wait to move
in with you at some point in 2017 and I'll never forget the time you looked
after me when I was intoxicated on German beer on my birthday, which saw me
being transported in Croydon in a wheelchair.
Before I get to number one, here
are a couple of honorable mentions:
Gillingham Ladies - great to continue to work alongside the girls
again for this season and I know they'll do great things in 2017.
Kent Kings Speedway - Due to my RFL commitments I couldn't go as
many times as I have liked this past year but another great season. Roll on
2017 - hopefully their last one in the National League before going up a
division.
Cancer Research Dryathlon - a month without beer - it was really
tough but I did it and I raised a lot of money for Cancer Research UK. Well
worth it.
And at number one on the list:
1. Filming for ITV News Calendar (twice!!)
Oh My God... did this really happen, well if you told me at the
beginning of the year I wouldn't believe
you. The story starts in May, following
on from a successful two-day trip to Leeds as part of the ITV
Insight Programme; I talked to the big wigs of Calendar and they were happy to
take my filming for the WhRL Challenge Cup and Grand Finals. This for me was a
great move in the right direction and seeing my two clips used showcased that I
can do this job and I hope I can continue to work with them in the future. I am
due to go on an another placement in 2017
hopefully in either the Granada or Meridian regions, so they definitely haven't heard
the last of me.
Well, that's the list for now.
Hope you've enjoyed this list. All that's
left for me to say is that I hope 2016 has been good for you. If not then I hope 2017 will be a better
year for you.
Until next time, I'll Sithee and Happy New Year
