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Sarah Clark - Judo Player
Sarah is an Olympic judo player. Her home is Edinburgh and she was in the Brownies."Confidence is a great attribute to have, as is believing in your own ability to be successful."
My favourite places in Scotland are the Islands off the North West Coast. They have beautiful scenery and they are very tranquil and peaceful.
My favourite outdoor activity is cycling in the hills in Glentress. The cycling is very challenging going up, but it is so much fun speeding down the hills on the way back. Sometimes the terrain is a wee bit rocky!!!
So far, this would be my bronze medal at the 2004 European Championships in Romania, Budapest. This gave me enough points to qualify for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and represent my country.
I will tell my grandchildren about my bronze. 2004 was a tough year to qualify for Athens Olympics. The emotions I have are very hard to describe. I don't think it hit me until a few days later. However, I hope to be telling them about being World and Olympic Champion in the next three years.
I still want to achieve my ambition of becoming Olympic Champion in Beiging in 2008. Every single day, I train towards this.
I was very young and going away to camp with the Brownies was a big challenge. I had a fantastic
time and worked well with the other girls and had fun with all the other Brownies, working and
playing games.
(However, I was the 'odd' girl out as everyone had the same cardigan, apart from
me. I had a much lighter, home knitted one!!!!! I got through that - which was the toughest
part of the camp!!!!)
Being a woman in judo, I think you have to be confident. This confidence that you gain by participating in judo makes you more confident in all other areas of your life. Confidence is a great attribute to have, as is believing in your own ability to be successful.
Judo makes you strong, fit, it's great fun and you make lots and lots of new friends. You also get to travel which is great fun too. Judo makes you mentally strong and this transfers to all other areas of life.
I feel judo has enhanced my whole life by allowing me to make great, lifelong friends, keeping me fit and active and this in turn, relaxes your mind. Judo for me, is not just a sport, but a way of life.
I would advise young women to go along and give judo a try. Why not go along in a group of three or four to the same class? Judo is a sport for everyone, regardless of age or ability. Most people are very surprised at how much fun it is.
My niece, Isla makes me laugh. She is almost one year old and she is so beautiful and entertaining and fun to be with.
I would donate the money to a children's hospice charity as I think any family would appreciate this, as I would if I was in their position.
To find out more about judo please see www.judoscotland.com and to find out more about Judo in Edinburgh please see www.edinburghjudo.com
