Welcome back, it has been a while since I have last written an entry so there is plenty to say. Firstly I hope everyone had an enjoyable festive season, I was lucky enough to go home to Brisbane for nine days to relax with my family and friends. My new years, was quiet since we had to back into full training on new years day. This was however a special occasion because the Beijing Olympics were no longer next year, they are getting very close. For swimmers in Australia there is little over 10 weeks until our trials, so our preparations are entering the last few stages. Presently my training group is up at Thredbo for a little altitude training camp. I really enjoy coming up here because I always feel a training benefit from the altitude and it's a lovely place relaxing place in summer in the Kosciusko national park. Once again I am happy and confident with my training but it is just a matter of continuing to do each day well and putting good races together at trials.

On things not swimming, the AIS swim program was lucky enough to be invited to the Audi driving experience day at the end of last year. It is a mixture of defensive driving lessons and a bit of a lesson on what the cars a capable of. Brad Jones (of V8 supercars fame) was hosting and we all had an enjoyable day and a rare chance to get behind the wheel of some very expensive motor vehicles. The hardest part was getting out of the cars at the end of the day and heading home in our usual cars. What surprised us the most was how much the cars can actually do for themselves, features like ABS (antilock braking system), Quattro (all-wheel drive) and ESP (electronic stability program) make such a huge difference, in controlling a car.

Also a national election has be run and won since I last wrote. I don't have any big idea about politics and congratulations must go to Kevin Rudd for his victory. I would however like to make special mention of John Howard's contribution to sport during his reign. Australia was the first country ever to perform better at the Olympics after (Athens) it has hosted the previous one (Sydney). Its support of the Australian sports commission has helped improve many sportspeople situations. Making it possible to survive on funding and prize money without having to worry with too much work that can interfere with training and competing. Basically they helped improve the level of professionalism in Olympic sports as well as the upgrade to the AIS in Canberra.

Finally on very recent events, is the Sydney cricket test debacle. I am a sports fan, and I sat there and watched the final few hours of that test with friends and I thought it was a fantastic battle. I don't like the fact that so many things have over shadowed such a fantastic game. Sport is just that, sport a source of entertainment and an enjoyable past time. What I dislike even more is people, who have never played a match of test cricket, coming out of the woodwork and having a go at the way our cricketers play. As far as I can see these players tried there hardest to win a match, and to be criticized by people who just look in from the outside is not really fair. After the 2005 world champs and 2006 commonwealth games, the men's swim team was slaughtered in the press from former swimmers and coaches about lack of effort and professionalism. To members of the team these comments were a little demoralizing because we were all in there giving one hundred percent and people who don't know most of us have the nerve to say I wasn't trying. I guess my point is that sometimes we as a nation should show a little more faith in our country's sports people rather then trying to cut them down whenever an opportunity arises.

Thanks for reading, as we move closer and closer towards the Olympics I always try to keep this quote in my head.

"Don't count the days, make the days count."