KEEPING MY EYE ON THE BALL

ITS AN INTERESTING OBSERVATION AS WE GET OLDER US BABY BOOMERS ...THAT SOMEHOW WE ENTER THE ROLE REVERSAL PHASE OF OUR LIVES...WHEN WE WERE BABY'S..OUR MOTHERS LOOKED AFTER US..NOURISHED US...CARED FOR US ....FED US ...CHANGED OUR NAPPIES..ETC..ETC..

TODAY THAT ROLE HAS CHANGED FOR ME...AND NO DOUBT FOR MANY MANY OTHERS....I HAVE THE HONOURED ROLE OF SOLE CARER FOR MY DEAR MOTHER WHO IS NOW EIGHTY YEARS OLD...SHE'S NOT THE SPRIGHTLY EIGHTY YEAR OLD GRANNY YOU SEE SITTING IN THE PARK FEEDING THE PIDGEONS....SHE IS BED
RIDDEN...ALTZHIMERS...DEMENTIA....BOWEL CANCER...ALL HAVE TAKEN THEIR TOLL AND THE ONCE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN HAS BEEN RELEGATED TO A HELL OF SECLUSION IN A BED AS A WRINKLED OLD LADY WHERE SADLY SHE DOES NOT WANT TO BE...SOME DAYS SHE WONDERS THE HOUSE CALLING MY NAME OR THE NAME OF MY FARTHER NOW SINCE GONE OR THAT OF MY SON WHO DIED NINE YEARS AGO...ITS A SAD SAD END TO A WONDERFUL JOURNEY.

CARING FOR HER IS A FULL TIME JOB...MAKING MEALS...CUPS OF TEA...CLEANING...BATHING....TALKING...AND WATCHING AS SHE DESCENDS DEEPER INTO A WORLD EVEN SHE IS NOT AWARE OF..I AM GRATEFUL I HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REPAY A LIFE...

I ONLY SHARE THIS STORY WITH YOU TO HOPEFULLY GIVE YOU A PERSPECTIVE ON THE REASONS I RUN....I DO SO FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T...LIKE MY MOTHER...FOR THOSE WHO HAVE LOST THE WILL TO FACE THE WORLD EACH DAY AND TAKE ANOTHER STEP...I RUN FOR THEM.

FORTUNATELY FOR ME MY SON MICHAEL IS THERE AS MY BACK UP WHEN I NEED TO RUN OR WHEN SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS TAKE ME INTERSTATE...HE IS MY ROCK...AND HE IS ONLY TWENTY TWO.

SO WHEN I TELL YOU THAT ON SATURDAY I RAN FOUR TENTHS OFF MY PERSONAL BEST TIME...AND THAT I SURVIVED IT UNINJURED TO RACE ANOTHER DAY...YOU MAY HAVE SOME IDEA OF THE COMMITTMENT IT TAKES TO WAKE UP EACH MORNING AND SAY..." Its a Beautiful Day...and I have the opportunity to do something Brilliant."

As always my Brilliance to YOU....John

SYDNEY...GET EXCITED!

WELL SYDNEY!!!!!...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR...GET EXCITED..!! ITS TIME TO GET READY TO CELBRATE THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!!! THE WORLD MASTERS GAMES ! WERE A STONES THROW AWAY FROM THE LARGEST MULTI-SPORT EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF AUSTRALIA...CERTAINLY OF SYDNEY...YES ITS EVEN BIGGER THAN THE OLYMPICS !! SO HAVE YOU BOOKED YOUR SEATS YET FOR THE OPENING CEREMONY?....HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO YOUR TRAVEL AGENT?....HAVE YOU TOLD YOUR FRIENDS?...DO YOU WANT TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY?....DO YOU WANT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT AT PARTIES FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS?

GET WITH IT GUYS AND GALS...THIS IS IT!!! SYDNEY IS THE PLACE TO BE IN 2009....AS AMBASSADOR FOR THE WORLD MASTERS GAMES I HAD THE HONOUR TO STAND IN THE COMPANY OF MULTIPLE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALLISTS AND LUMINARIES AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE GAMES YESTERDAY IN SYDNEY AT THE OCEAN TERMINAL DIRECTLY OPPOSITE THE OPERA HOUSE..IT WAS FANTASTIC...JUST A HINT OF THINGS TO COME...

SO..I WANT YOU TO FOLLOW MY BLOG FOR THE NEXT TWELVE TO EIGHTEEN MONTHS AND KEEP UPDATED ON THE MAGIC THAT IS THE GAMES....30,000 PARTICIPANTS...WOW!...

THROUGH MY BLOG AND thejohnwall.com WEBSITE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO BE UPDATED AS THE DAYS COUNT DOWN...YOU WILL ALSO BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE WORLD MASTERS GAMES WEBSITE AS WELL....AND KEEP TRACK OF HOW I AM PERFORMING IN MY GOAL TO BRING BACK A MEDAL.

STAY TUNED!!! THIS WILL BE THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH!

BRILLIANCE...John

AN EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER

Well in a Blinding Flash the Australasian Masters Games is over for Me....I travelled to the Beautiful City of Adelaide with Rod Dowler GM for the WORLD MASTERS GAMES on Thursday checking in to the Magnificent Stamford Plaza Hotel......a Brisk walk over to the Registration Center to check in and get my Accreditation Papers for my 100m Race the next day and of course to soak up the fantastic Atmosphere which IS the Australasian Masters Games....The Electricity literally crackled at the Center...people of all ages shapes and sizes hustling and bustling and passing through the system like clockwork...the Volunteers in their Fab uniforms stood out like the proverbial...and their Organization was " Top Shelf "....I was amazed...
I had some pleasant duties to perform in my capacity as Ambassador for the WORLD MASTERS GAMES meeting and greeting the hundreds of participants and supporters Hungry for information about the 2009 Games in Sydney...the WMG stall ably staffed by the Bubbly Personalities of Kelly and Louise who literally " shone " like a Beacon for all those who approached...

The Next Day.(My competition day) was at the magnificently prepared and groomed Santos Stadium on a beautiful Sunny Adelaide Morning...a huge congratulations for the Tireless Efforts of the Ground Staff and Officials...You See...I told you ...by Participating...You are All Winners...and Adelaide...you put on your finest show.

My 100m event was most enjoyable...Fast...but Enjoyable...I came second to Peter Crombie...just back from the World's in Italy...so He was Pumping...What an Athlete...It was His Day....and I was there to help him Celebrate it....I was thrilled to have overcome a longstanding stress fracture in my right foot and to be able to offer some competition for Peter....I'm really looking forward to Working with My Coaches Wayne Luckey and Larry Spencer...to sharpen up my speed over the next couple of Months before the National Championships in Sydney in March...A huge thanks to Goran Barron my Physio who has put in so much tireless work on my body to get me to Adelaide in One Piece....

All in All...the P.R...was so well orgnized...with Rachael and Lachlan from Australasian Masters Games making this one of the most memorable and pleasant experiences I have had in a lot of years...and my Love and Best Wishes for a safe journey home for Aaron...You Wonderful Kiwi....maybe if I'm lucky I'll be invited to visit your Magnificent Land of the Great White Cloud...

Also I must mention Judith Dixon from the " Alice "...yes it would be an honour for me to visit Alice Springs...It would have to be one of the Great Must Do's...in my future intenary..thank you and great to have met you...

and to Daniel Fingerhut from the 12th Australian Masters Games in 2009 in Geelong in beautiful Victoria...thank you for according me the honour of being invited to be an Ambassador for your Games...as you know Rod Dowler graceously offered me this most honoured position prior to your kind invitation.

The Family that is World Masters Games encompasses all of us striving to achieve and set by example the standard of Health and Vitality that All Australians and the larger World Community can aspire....It is you that lead by developing these Multi Sport Spectaculars that bring us All together.FROM ALL NATIONS...AS ONE...the Word Masters Games is......THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH !