GB Team Welcome In 2005!
1 January, 2005by Marshall Thomas
The listing was posted by Deaflympic Games - Melbourne 2005
Most of the Great Britain Deaflympic Team ushered in 2005 at their Training Camp at the University of Ballarat with a New Year Party with a beachwear theme.
While the Great Britain Tennis Team were celebrating New Year on their aeroplane en route Down Under, the majority of the squad already on Australian soil dressed up for the festive occasion, with loud Hawaiian shirts the order of the night. For GB swimmer Harry Hilliar the evening's attire was apparently little different to his usuual chosen wardrobe!
Under the balmy Ballarat sun, offering a real departure from the winter climate in which New Year is welcomed in in the UK, the athletes and officials relaxed and had great fun, with large quantities of fruit punch consumed as the team's strict no alcohol rule was duly observed.
The evening's entertainment saw GB Team Chef de Mission Chris
Ratcliffe bnrought before a 'kangaroo court' with accused of stealing/borrowing a golf ball. With footballer Chris Beech as judge, his team mate Ayad Al-Sarraf as the stricken Chef de Mission's defendant and the Men's Football Team Manager Phil Gardner as the prosecution, the jury found Chris guilty. Much to the amusement of all party-goers, Chris was forced to dress up as a dog, complete with collar, Union Jack flag and a 'do not feed' notice.
As the evening drew to a close, the fun continued inside with a
'pictionary' style game contested by seven teams representing all present disciplines (apart from the travelling tennis players), with the Men's and Women's football teams in fierce competition.
Next up was a fancy dress competition, with GB Women's midfielder-come-goalkeeper Esther Maycock and athletics team official David Robinson, both sporting straw skirts, reaching the final. But the fairer sex gained the day as Esther was voted the winner with her excellent impression of a surfer (what else when in Australia)!
UK Deaf Sport National Develoment Manager and GB Team Operations officer Stuart Harrison started the countdown to the New Year, which was welcomed in with a shower of streamers and the hopes of a shower of medals at the Melbourne Deaflympics over the next fornight.