Ok i though I would start a new topic on member avatars , why they were chosen what significants they have to each member and if there is a story behind them and why you chose your particular avatar.
My avatar is a picture of a Sydney Olympic Gold medal won by Giuseppe Maddaloni, a judo athlete who competed in the 73 kilo weight class at the 2000 Sydney Olympics . Last year my son spent 12 months in Naples Italy training with Maddaloni's coach at the Sydney Olimpics Sandro Piccorilio, and was privelaged to train with some of the best Italian coaches ,former olympic medlaists and their junior and senior national teams.
My son also spent two weeks training with Giuseppe Maddaloni in private one on one sessions twice per day to prepare him to returning to Australia and compete at the Senior national titles.
At the end of the two weeks and before flying home , they gave him a small send off and the medal was brought out and shown to my son , I guess as a way of inspiring him to return home and fight with purpose.
As you can imagine an Olympic gold medal is a precious possesion and something very few people will ever experience owning.
To hold a medal won by an Italian Judo legend and and some one who has taken the time and effort to coach you personally, must have been an inspiration for a young man of only 18yrs.
My son must have been inspired by the experience, the intense training and the mentoring of the coaches who took him under the wing and gave him instruction reserved for the best of the best in Italian judo, because he returned home a week before the Aust Nationals with a detirmination and desire to win plus a maturity and focus that said I will be a champion.
At the Nationals, he was unseeded and so was placed into the fight draw with three of the top players in Australian with senior national and international rankings to beat before reaching the finals.
He won his first match against a strong player 6 years his senior and who was ranked at the time No 3 in Australia and in the top 50 in the world.
His next match would be against his toughest opponent , a 28 year old veteran, 5 times national and 6 times continental champion 2012 London Olympion and 2014 commonwealth games rep, ranked No 19 in the world.
As his Father and coach , I think I was more nerveous then he was before the start of this fight.
But nerves for me soon gave way to joy as he convincingly destroyed his opponent, who had not lost to another Ozi player in the last 4-5 years.
He went on to win his next two fights easily and proudly stood on the podium as senior National Champion and won his first senior National Gold Medal.
I would love to find gold out in the bush or in a creek bed one day, but more then anything ,I would love to see my son compete at the highest level in his sport.
i guess thats why I chose my particular avatar Gold is something many people will buy in a ring or piece of jewlrey , but few people will ever know the cost sacrifice and exhilaration involved in winning Gold out of the ground in nature or through their own achievments in their chosen sport.
My avatar is a picture of a Sydney Olympic Gold medal won by Giuseppe Maddaloni, a judo athlete who competed in the 73 kilo weight class at the 2000 Sydney Olympics . Last year my son spent 12 months in Naples Italy training with Maddaloni's coach at the Sydney Olimpics Sandro Piccorilio, and was privelaged to train with some of the best Italian coaches ,former olympic medlaists and their junior and senior national teams.
My son also spent two weeks training with Giuseppe Maddaloni in private one on one sessions twice per day to prepare him to returning to Australia and compete at the Senior national titles.
At the end of the two weeks and before flying home , they gave him a small send off and the medal was brought out and shown to my son , I guess as a way of inspiring him to return home and fight with purpose.
As you can imagine an Olympic gold medal is a precious possesion and something very few people will ever experience owning.
To hold a medal won by an Italian Judo legend and and some one who has taken the time and effort to coach you personally, must have been an inspiration for a young man of only 18yrs.
My son must have been inspired by the experience, the intense training and the mentoring of the coaches who took him under the wing and gave him instruction reserved for the best of the best in Italian judo, because he returned home a week before the Aust Nationals with a detirmination and desire to win plus a maturity and focus that said I will be a champion.
At the Nationals, he was unseeded and so was placed into the fight draw with three of the top players in Australian with senior national and international rankings to beat before reaching the finals.
He won his first match against a strong player 6 years his senior and who was ranked at the time No 3 in Australia and in the top 50 in the world.
His next match would be against his toughest opponent , a 28 year old veteran, 5 times national and 6 times continental champion 2012 London Olympion and 2014 commonwealth games rep, ranked No 19 in the world.
As his Father and coach , I think I was more nerveous then he was before the start of this fight.
But nerves for me soon gave way to joy as he convincingly destroyed his opponent, who had not lost to another Ozi player in the last 4-5 years.
He went on to win his next two fights easily and proudly stood on the podium as senior National Champion and won his first senior National Gold Medal.
I would love to find gold out in the bush or in a creek bed one day, but more then anything ,I would love to see my son compete at the highest level in his sport.
i guess thats why I chose my particular avatar Gold is something many people will buy in a ring or piece of jewlrey , but few people will ever know the cost sacrifice and exhilaration involved in winning Gold out of the ground in nature or through their own achievments in their chosen sport.
