Medtronic Junior Cup 2011 Geneva.
On the 26th-28th August the 5th edition of the Medtronic Junior Cup took place at the Stade du Bout du Monde in Geneva, Switzerland. Competing in this event were 250 children all with Type 1 diabetes, representing 15 countries and 10 of those children aged between 10-14 were the Junior Team for Great Britain. These 10 talented footballers accompanied by their parents were chosen from over 100 applicants to an all expenses paid weekend of football and fun. And have fun they did! Frazer Briggs (13), Abigail Lewis (13), Alex Smith (12), Mark Mathison (13), Joseph Smith (10), Jordan Burke (14), Jack Dickson (14), Jack Delicata (11), Amit Sood (11), Aaron Dodds (12), all turned up in Geneva ready to win Junior Cup 2011.
The event kicked off on the Friday evening with guest appearances from a talented group of young footballers exhibiting their ‘keepy uppy’ skills choregraphed to dance music, a fabulous troupe of teenage cheerleaders which brought a touch of glamour to the occasion and of course the much loved Medtronic mascot, Lenny the Lion whose dance moves put JLS to shame! Then came the part of the evening for the live draw and GB drew Italy for their first game. It has to be said that the GB team were rather quiet in comparison to the Italians who pretty much sang football songs throughout the whole weekend but what the GB team may have lacked in song voice they most certainly made up for on the pitch!
On day one of the tournament they easily defeated the singing Italians in their first game. After this their confidence soared and there was no stopping them. Considering they had never met each other before, let alone played together prior to this tournament these young footballers’ team spirit and natural talent came flooding through and they went on to win every one of their games on day one placing them a strong first on the leaderboard. As part of team GB we had of course our very enthusiastic parents cheering their kids on, our fabulous coach John Pemberton a Clinical Specialist at Medtronic and a diabetic pump user himself who knows a thing or two about football and Claire Pesterfield a DSN from Addenbrookes Hospital whose role at Junior Cup was to ensure at all times that the children were fit and healthy on and off the pitch as well as donning on her Art Director’s hat for the Lenny Carb Counting Competition where the children had to paint a 1 x 1 metre canvas of Lenny representing Great Britain.
Buoyed by the success of their first day, team GB and parents attended the evening lakeside barbeque and disco party with Lenny, where the kids enjoyed activities such as the human football table of which we couldn’t get them off and ended with a firework finale over the lake.
Second day of the tournament continued in much the same vein as the first with a high standard of playing exhibited by the GB team. Now through to the semi finals the competition most definitely got tougher for our young footballers but goals scored throughout the tournament by Abigail Lewis (2), Jordan Burke (1), Frazer Briggs (3), Jack Dickson (12) and a nifty hatrick by Aaron Dodds against Ukraine plus one other, saw team GB triumphantly through to the final with The Netherlands. After an early goal by the giant Netherlands team followed in quick succession by several more, this Junior Cup final was all over for team GB and as the final whistle blew our team of young footballers had to settle for runners up position. However disappointment didn’t last too long and once they had collected their players medals and a very large shiny trophy at the award ceremony, team GB flew home to the UK tired but extremely excited and full of tales of an amazing weekend which according to them all and their delighted parents they will remember for the rest of their lives.
The Medtronic Junior Cup yet again triumphed in connecting kids with diabetes together, to show them that their disease cannot stand in the way of their dreams and that living a normal life is theirs for the taking. The weekend provided parents with the opportunity to talk to other parents and exchange experiences regarding their kids and their diabetes as well as help educate them all with the Carb Counting workshops and practical advice. It would seem that Facebook and X-Box are a great way to keep in touch since the tournament and I have heard that since our footballers have returned home, their footballing skills and confidence are soaring.
Go team GB you did us proud!
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