The year has come to an end. Another year has gone by and I must admit what a year it has been with so many ups and downs.

The year definitely didn’t go the way I had planned with a lot of things that went wrong but over all it was very successful and what a great finish. :)

Starting from the beginning.  My first tournament of the year and the start of my comeback was the Australia Day Challenge played at Northern Suburbs in Brisbane this event was a WSA tour 5 event.  At this stage I only had 3 weeks of match practice behind me.  I had been doing a lot of solo hitting (standing in one spot and hitting the ball) but everyone knows that squash is a game that needs one to run around the court.

Not to sure how I was going to go but I was so happy to be playing a tournament again.  I was hitting a pretty sweet ball but the movement and fitness was another story.  I made it through to the final, but the morning of the final I could not move, every muscle in my body was so sore, battered and bruised.  I played Melody Francis in the final.  Melody was just too fit and squash conditioned then I was at this stage of my early comeback, loosing to her in 4 games.

The training was going to plan, my next tournament was a tour 5 in Malaysia and then to stay on and try to qualify for the KL Open in March.  But 5 weeks after the Australia Day Challenge event I rolled my right ankle in a training session with my coach.  I rushed off to see the physio and I was told that it needed 6 weeks of rest for it to get better.  The problem was I had my flight booked and paid for to fly to Malaysia in 2 weeks.  I got an injection of cortisone, was shown how to tape it up and decided to just try and do my best.  I played pretty good in the tour 5 event but during the week in-between the tour 5 and the KL Open I continued training and just felt my ankle was getting worse and worse as the more I trained on it.  As I do, I just put my head down and try my best.  I was draw to play Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana to try and qualify for the KL Open.  I pushed my hardest but lost 3 games to 1 in 50mins. 

April, Jun and July I participated in a series of WSA tour 5 events doing ok making quarterfinals, semi finals and just getting tournament play under my belt again. 

September I was starting to feel fit again and my squash was finally coming together.  Moving better around the court and just excited and hungry to play the NSW Open.  I was playing really well and had made it through to the semi final round.  This day was another lesson to take on board and this lesson was recovery and preparation.  For some silly reason I decided to hang around the club all day and 9 hours later I was due on court to play my semi final match.  Feeling tired, exhausted, hungry and not alert or pumped up at all.  First game in the match, I rolled my right ankle again and this time it was a really bad roll worse then my last roll.  I tried to continue play but it was too sore to move on it.  I was forced to stop play this left me feeling very upset, disappointed and just over injuries I was laid up once again.

I was so heartbroken and I was left feeling hopeless once again unable to compete, frustrated and angry.  When an athlete is in that state of mind everything is quite irrational thinking.  I certainly was not thinking rationally for a few days.  I normally take a few days to get over things, process everything that has happened and be able to understand why I am feeling so upset and then start planning ahead again.  But this time it took a few days longer than normal.  I was really down and just over all the bad luck I had been receiving.  All I wanted to do was compete and play squash.

With the great support team behind me I had help to put this injury in its place and get my head thinking positively again.  Time to get back on the horse and keep moving forward.  A plan was put in place and the next group of tournaments was marked on the calendar.

October consisted of 2 events overseas a tour 10 in Penang and then fly to Macau to try and qualify for a silver $35,000 event.  After the event in Penang and during my travels to Macau my immune system was a little run down and I came down with a bad case of the flu.  At this stage mentally nothing can get in the way of me playing this game flu or no flu the show still goes on. 

After the Macau Open I had a week at home to prepare for 3 events in QLD.  The last little tour of the year and I’m feeling healthy, fit and so happy to be healthy and eager to play.

I was finally starting to feel like my old self again and I was just so excited.  I went into this group of tournaments full of confidence and really happy to be there. 

This brings me to this moment and time where I am sitting here in my lunge room writing this blog after winning 3 WSA events in a row.  I have crossed the finish line and ended the year with the biggest smile on my face.  Feeling so proud of myself, knowing I still have the ability to play squash again, the ability to compete again and the ability to win again….

All the horrible obstacles I have had to cross in the past 2 years has made me mentally stronger and so excited for what is next to come.  Today I am feeling very satisfied with my performance, with my patience, with my determination and just my ability to follow my heart and stick by what I am passionate about.

So all in all the year has been very satisfying, a huge learning curve and I really couldn't ask for any better than what I have achieved.  I achieved my goal for the year and when you have done that then anything else is just a bonus.

I would like to thank all of my supporters who have been behind me the whole way, my coach Byron Davis, people who have been a huge influence to my career Vicki Cardwell, Sarah Fitzgerald, Rodney Eyles, and my Physio Shane Lemcke.

Tony Tully my Club2Athlete partner for always having my best interest at heart and for making me learn that there is something else in life I am passionate about Club2Athlete and the dream to help others in sport.  Most importantly my Mum and Dad for being my number 1 fan and my boyfriend Marcus Donnelly for being so understanding and supportive.

I would like to thank my sponsors Squash Australia, AIS, Australian Sports Commission, Harrow Sports and Ashaway String for Staying with me over the years.

That's it for now I hope you liked reading and stay tuned for my next blog. 

Thanks again,

Lisa Camilleri xx