Hi all hope you are all doing well. Just thought i would give you an update on how things are going. Its been a bit up and down for me the last few days. The poker being the up and my health being the down. I suffer from a very rare condition which means i suffer with a lot of pain 24/7 and my pain medication is adjusted accordingly to how bad the day is. Last few days ive had to be on Morphine as its been rough but it is what it is. I think some of it is my body getting revenge on me as i am a retired para athlete and was captain of England for many years and on team GB so that meant many hours in the gym and travelling all over the world so lots of wear and tear on my body and its catching up with me now lol. As for the poker ive had a good few days, on Wednesday i finished 4th in the Megastack for around £120 i think, however last night i played 3 MTTS the mini which i lasted two minutes in but i then finished 2nd in the HI-LO £5.50 event for around £50 finishing second to the excellent @tomgoodun who really deserved his win. I then finished runner up in the Megastack for around £170. Its was a great heads up battle against @HAYSIE which had more swings than me and @Tikay10 use to have at the HI-LO tables back in the day. Anyway im going to get some food now before another evening on the tables, hopefully if the results continue i will be able to upgrade the Cheerios to bran flakes ! Good luck all Carl.
Hi @Tikay10 yes no problem. Ever since i was a young lad i dreamed of playing sport to a high level and i had a great upbringing from my mum and dad. They supported me in everything i wanted to do, they would take me to competitions and training and they sacrificed a lot for me to do so. We found out i had a talent for a lot of sports. Pool, Snooker, Table Tennis and Boccia (indoor bowls). I still play the first three to high standards super leagues against able bodied players etc but it was Boccia that really took off for me. I progressed through local competitions up to National level. I then started to get sponsored for competitions and before i knew it i was winning a lot of competitions and with that came a place on the England side. I did very well there and within 18 months i was the captain and got my first call up to the GB setting. This is when things got mad i was travelling all over the world playing in events, my mum by my side as my carer, and although i was playing i called us a team as i couldnt of done it without the support of my parents. I won over 100 events around the world in the sport, i also played in some amazing competitions and some lovely places and some not so lovely places lol. I remember playing in the World Cup at BC place stadium in Vancouver Canada for two weeks which was an amazing experience. I also played in a competition in Buenos Aires Argentina where it had to be suspended when i was actually in the middle of a match as conflict broke out and you could listen to the sound of the shelling of guns in the distance, very scary. I also got pic pocketed at a competition in Rio Brazil, so i had my fair share of experiences haha. I retired though nearly 5 years ago now though when my Dad suddenly and tragically had his life cut short. It just didnt feel the same again as the team was broken up so i retired. Ive thought about coming out of retirement but its a lot of work in the gym and my body aint getting any younger. Carl.
Thanks for all the comments lovely people. @Glenelg "wheals on fire" im not quite sure thats going to catch on hahaha. As for tonight it was another decent night with a few small cashes but one decent one a final table in the £7.70 at 7 finishing 4th for around £70 so that wasnt bad. Im really enjoying playing at the moment, its bringing out my competitive edge which still burns bright lol. Carl
Great read that Carl, doesn't look like you've let your disability and health issues hold you back in life.
Did you get to compete at the London Paralympics?
Hi @GREGSTER, thanks for the comments they mean a lot . As for your question, no i did not and to be honest probably my biggest disappointment in the sport. I was due to play but 2 months before it i got a serious knee injury in the gym, an ACL which required surgery so i had to sit it out. I did however go with the squad and i was there for it all and i helped out with the coaching and the preparation for my team mates.
Hi @GREGSTER, thanks for the comments they mean a lot . As for your question, no i did not and to be honest probably my biggest disappointment in the sport. I was due to play but 2 months before it i got a serious knee injury in the gym, an ACL which required surgery so i had to sit it out. I did however go with the squad and i was there for it all and i helped out with the coaching and the preparation for my team mates.
That must of been disappointing, sounds like you got the second best thing though.
Hi all, thought i would update as its been a few days. Nothing much to report on the poker front, i have had a few small cashes but nothing to get excited about. I played well in the Monday night forum league on here scoring i think it was 11 points so may get a bonus on Monday. As for life in general, its been going ok, pain under control most days, as some of you may know im a massive fan of National League side Stockport County and we got drawn at home to West Ham Utd in the 3rd round of the FA Cup which is massive for us, so been on cloud nine about that lol. Hope your all doing well. Carl
Hi all hope your all doing well. Been struggling a bit with my health the last few days but on the upside the poker has been going not too bad. Finished 2nd in the Omaha Hi-lo £5.50 event the other night which was good. Won £100 in the Christmas bonus which all helps and finished second tonight in the Megastack for £165 losing out to the brilliant @MattBates who totally owned the final table from start to finish, a worthy winner. It made up for a really rubbish day which was spent most in Stepping Hill Hospital having tests as ive been quite poorly the last few days but just made it back in time for the Megastack. More tests tomorrow so might only get a little bit of game time tomorrow but we shall see.
Hi all hope your all doing well. Been struggling a bit with my health the last few days but on the upside the poker has been going not too bad. Finished 2nd in the Omaha Hi-lo £5.50 event the other night which was good. Won £100 in the Christmas bonus which all helps and finished second tonight in the Megastack for £165 losing out to the brilliant @MattBates who totally owned the final table from start to finish, a worthy winner. It made up for a really rubbish day which was spent most in Stepping Hill Hospital having tests as ive been quite poorly the last few days but just made it back in time for the Megastack. More tests tomorrow so might only get a little bit of game time tomorrow but we shall see.
Hope you feel better soon, was a good FT and congrats on the prizedraw win!
Comments
Would be great to hear more about your time as a para-athlete.
Amazing stuff Carl.
Did you get to compete at the London Paralympics?
That must of been disappointing, sounds like you got the second best thing though.
Hope you soon feel a bit better Carl.