Sunday, 5 June 2011

WANTED: something to do with my weekends until August...

Unlike the rest of the world, my calendar doesn't run from January to December: it starts in August and ends in May.


The last game of the season is like Christmas day: the party you've all been building up to.

The Champions League final and the Play Offs are that little bit of extra excitement: like New Years Eve.

But then comes June... just like January: the excitement's all gone, there's nothing to do and all you're doing is waiting for next Christmas.


Well fear not my sport loving friends because I am fast discovering there is plenty else to concentrate your efforts on. Take all your love for football and channel it into some of these sports for two months:


Tennis


First recommendation comes courtesy of one of my favourite ITFC Tweeps: @JulesHoward. She's been keeping us updated with the scores at the French Open this week, and gets overly excited by Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.


Perhaps we all should follow her lead: With Wimbledon just around the corner it's time for Murray-Mania to grip the nation again, and following England's latest result I think it'd be nice to restore some national sporting pride.


Cricket


You cannot fail to have been intrigued by England's recent cricket victory. The last minute win over Sri Lanka was a corker, a perfectly written story to entice those neutral sports fans looking for somewhere to turn their attention.


Football...!?


I was also reminded that the beutiful game still ahs more to offer thanks to @bigstuw:

'Why do commentators keep saying no more footy until August? What aboutt he Women's World Cup and the Under 21's?'



The Women's World Cup begins in Germany on June 27th. Our girls are out for revenge; having lost to Germany in the final of the Euros two years ago. If you haven't already given this sport a try - do. There's some really talented girls being forced to move to America because the popularity of women's football isn't what it could be over here.

Plus: you can't honestly resist supporting England in a battle against Germany can you?!


As Stuw mentioned, there's also the England Under 21's. who managed a rather easy 2:0 win over Norway last night. The future of our sport includes our very own Connor Wickham who makes regular appearances for the side .


MotoGP/World Superbikes/British Superbikes:


I'm a reasonably new convert to this sport, having only been following it for about four years. But the excitement you get at the races cannot be equalled.


MotoGP, like F1, is glam, full of money and highly competitive. But what makes two wheels better than four in this case is the lack of arrogance and the abundance of characters. There's far more overtaking in bikes than with cars and the riders race to win - they rarely settle for second best.


World Superbikes this year is full of English riders, making it easy to watch for neutral fans. Leon Haslam's one to watch for the future, son of three times world champion Ron Haslam. My personal favourite is James Toseland... one for the girls, he's a hottie!


But my personal recommendation, should you be searching for something to do this summer, is the British Superbikes Championship. There's much less money here so it's a lot tighter than other competitions. There's a huge range of riders taking part: the older and more experienced, the younger and more adventurous (substitute for 'likely to crash'!), the consistently clever who make their way up the pack steadily, and there's even a girl this year! There's tracks across the country too (Nearest to Suffolk is Snetterton in Naaaaarfolk) and the tickets cost £30 - same as Town only for a whole day of entertainment.


Me at Brand's Hatch for the opening round of the British Superbikes!



Let me know if there's anything you can recommend to keep the boredom away this summer - leave a comment on my post or Tweet me @tractorgirlamy


In the mean time, here's how I see the summer this year:

Take the chance to absorb some other sports, see what else there is on offer. Of course football will always be your first love and you'll forgive your self for saying, 'Bikes/Tennis/Cricket are cool ... But they're not my beloved Ipswich'. The brief change in scenery will be nice for you though!

At least it might help take your mind off the transfer window...

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