A Meeting of Supreme Specialty

It was Monday October 17th and it was late in the day. I had just gotten home from a solid training session when I realised I hadn’t checked the mail. I walked out the front, opened the box to a pile of letters. Bills, bank statements and an envelope with particularly impressive cursive print with gold trim forming the picture of the Australian National emblem on the back. “This looks special” I thought. “Best open it carefully in case it’s worth keeping”

I opened the envelope and pulled out two pieces of cardboard. The fine cursive print and gold trimming continued on these pieces and I began to read. “In the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, The Prime Minister and Mr Mathieson request the pleasure and the company of Anna Meares and guest at a reception in the grand hall parliament house, Canberra........................

My mouth dropped before speaking one word very loudly that I will not repeat. Mark, who was outside cooking dinner on the bbq, came in thinking I had hurt myself asking what was wrong. I just looked at him and turned the invitation around so he could read it himself. With a smile he said “Wow, that’s very special, you should take your mum.” I looked at him and asked what about you? To which he replied, Nah your mum would like it more, I will go only if she doesn’t. Such a kind thoughtful person he is J

The invitation arrived Monday, rsvp was by Wednesday and the event was on Friday. How was this going to work? So I rang Gary my coach and asked if he can fit it in my program to which he was ecstatic and more then open to make it work, then I rang mum and told her and I think she thought I was kidding at first but then I repeated it to her and she was off to find Dad to get the ok to fly to Canberra. I could hear her through the phone asking dad and dad asking mum to calm down he doesn’t have a clue what she is talking about... A few minutes later she was back on the phone. I’d love to come, Thanks Bubs. So we were set, booking flights and accommodation for a chance to meet royalty.

I was so happy to be going with my mum and so happy that Mark was so kind to offer his ticket to the event to her. Mum has always worked hard her whole life and often for the cause of others never asking for anything in return and never accepting anything but 100% from herself for input. She doesn’t spoil herself with goodies and material items; she just likes the simple things. So after all the years of my cycling career and Kerrie’s, of the upbringing of all my siblings and all she did for us I was so happy that this one was a perfect thing for mum. I wouldn’t nor any of the kids be able to repay the money spent and time invested in our sporting and schooling lives but this was perfect for her. Would she have ever thought one day she would meet the Queen of England?
So I booked the flights and arrived in Canberra before mum to meet her at the gate. It would be the first time she had flown somewhere on her own. When she stepped off the plane it was so nice to have some time with her, something that is few and far between these days. We didn’t stop talking the whole time.

We got dressed and ready and headed to Parliament house. The first time Mum had been in Canberra and seen Parliament house. We walked into the great hall and it was magnificently majestic. Fresh flowers and Roses of every pastel colour bellowed from enormous decorative pots and lined the stage the saw high backed leather chairs with the golden Australian emblem stamped on their backs. “Let’s get to the front and get ourselves a good spot” Mum said. SO off we went. We were early (a common thing to happen when Mum is around) and we stood and mingled and ate cocktail style nibbles and drank a glass of red wine. The room became more densely filled as each minute ticked by.

When the Queen and Prince Philip arrived, Mum and I held our ground as we were ushered to move to the back to make way for cameras. I said no way we are moving mum. So we stayed and were front row for when the party entered. You weren’t allowed to take cameras and so Mum and I were very good and did not. But everyone there had cameras so I got out my phone and got mum to turn around while the Queen was on stage and making her speech. We were like kids in a candy store. This little lady so immaculately groomed was all of a sudden not in a magazine or on the news, she was but a few meters away from us. We stood and listened to her talk and looked forward to her departure from the stage as we would have been the first to shake her hand. But sadly, two lines of people were escorted in front of us before this happened and we missed our chance.

I felt so sad for mum that she wouldn’t get to meet the queen personally but my mum being my mum turned and said “ Let’s go wait at the door, they came in, they have to leave at some point” I smiled and thought, I wonder if this is where I get my tactical edge from? So off to the door we went as we watched the masses of people huddle around to get their chance to meet royalty. As they made their way to the door we went from being solo bystanders to a part of the crowd. I stood behind mum and there was no way we were budging. We had prime position for a hand shake on their way out.

As we were watching one way for the Duke, Her Majesty the Queen surprised us by coming from the other direction. Sadly she was facing the line of people opposite to our side. Please, Please, Please turn to us I whispered and wouldn’t you know it, the lady before mum, the Queen turned to great the people behind her. I stood behind mum so proud to see her hold the Queens hand, look her in the eye, curtsy and speak. I thought to myself, if I don’t get to meet her, this was still worth it seeing this moment in front of me. I was behind mum, not next in line. It was likely I wouldn’t get to shake her hand. So mum as she was finishing did not let go of her majesty’s hand and turned her body on the side giving me enough room to sneak through and greet her as well. Gee my mum’s a legend J

I was so a taken back by the time it felt the queen gave me direct eye contact that I initially forgot to courtesy. I spoke and after about 5 seconds realised I had not done so and curtsied half way through while speaking to her. It was a moment I will never forget and was so glad to share it with mum. We couldn’t sleep much that night. We were like two school girls recounting the moment the cutest guy in school spoke to us, but it was the Queen instead.

After I was lucky enough to meet the queen with my mum in Canberra, I headed off for Astana for the first world cup. After 46 hours to get there I was so happy to lay flat and catch some much needed sleep. We left a somewhat warm Adelaide and landed into minus 3 degrees in Astana and as the week progressed the weather got colder and colder hitting minus 18 degrees by departure. In the time between though there was a small matter of a world cup to attend to.

Day one saw the team sprint in action and Kaarle and I found some of that magic form qualifying fastest in 33.0 seconds only 0.1 second off of our world record. We were up against a new comer in challengers in the Ukraine in the final but we went on to win in a faster time then qualifying 32.938seconds missing our world record by 0.015 seconds, So agonisingly close but a gold and that sort of time for start of the season makes us excited for the later part of the year.

Day two saw the sprint in action and I didn't qualify as well as I would have liked, 4th, and there were some very fast times. Olga Panarina from Belarus equalled the world record which was ridden on Moscow track a few years back. No one has ever seen a girl go that fast on a standard track before. New barriers being broken all the time, leaving new challenges for those looking up to strive for.

I Made it through round 1 and the quarters to find myself up against a tough opponent in Olga Panarina. She made me look silly in the first round of the semi and I had to get my act together if I was going to get a shot at a win. I rode her well and pushed myself to new limits winning the next two heats only to be brought to my knees vomiting from the effort. I have never been to that point before and I am so glad that I now have been! I had 5 minutes between semi race three and the first round of the final against Lyubov Shulika of the Ukraine who had won her semi in two races and had 30 minutes rest. I was no contest for Shulika and she won in two heats leaving me with a silver medal but still happy with my performance and fight. I know I am not going to win them all but I will most certainly continue to try.

I was back on day three for the last event, the keirin, I was tired but ready to race and made it to the final. Both the semis and the final were filled with world class riders and it made things very difficult for each round could have been the equivalent of the world championship final. In the final I had good position in wheel two but hesitated when Clara Sanchez of France advance and she boxed me in. I had to go to the back and attempt to come around 3-4 wide which was a suicide mission. Sadly I placed 6th but fought all the way to the line which I was happy about. All in all I feel I had a good start to the season. A little bit race rusty but otherwise good. So home it was.... 51 hours worth of trip home!

Arriving home to Adelaide was bliss but it didn’t last long for I was very busy flying interstate to attend some award ceremonies. While I was away in Astana I won the South Australian of the year Sport category and in the two days in Canberra and Sydney I won the AIS sport achievement award, AIS Team of the year Award with Kaarle, AIS Athlete of the year award and was inducted in the AIS best of the best Hall of fame alongside 29 other great sporting people. I won in Sydney the Cycling Australia female track cyclist of the year and the People's Choice.... OVER CADEL EVANS can you believe it...? I couldn't!!!! The man had over 1 million people tune in to see him win the Tour De France this year..... 1MILLION!!!!!! I was for the first time in a long time speechless when I went to make an acceptance speech. It speaks volumes to me that if I was the only female in the People’s Choice category and I had more votes to win over Cadel that the following of supporters in Australia and Australian Cycling members in me and the Track cycling program is far greater than I ever thought, and this makes me so feel so extremely proud.

I then came home with my folks to Adelaide and took them to see Dolly Parton in concert in for their 38th wedding anniversary. I was not aware that at the ages of 60 and 64, that this was their first ever concert and it was very enjoyable. So many memories of dancing around as a little girl in the living room to mum and dad’s vinyls, that to have them see one of their favourites live really hit them and they loved it. I was later also named in the QAS top ten athletes of the decade... funny that when I was representing QLD for 16 years I never even won QAS athlete of the year but extremely nice to be recognised in such a way :)

November has been a busy month and it has gone by very quickly, but for now it is back into some solid training and continue on the path the leads ahead to a big 2012 kicking off with the National Track Championships here in Adelaide in January.