Chatting to Golfing Guru and Tournament Promoter Lesley Copeman

Cell C SA Women's Open
Somerset West

Lesley Copeman

Having the opportunity to chat with golfing guru, Lesley Copeman, it feels like you are surfing Wikipedia researching Women’s Golf, but her descriptions are far more colourful and entertaining than looking at a computer screen.

Copeman is hard at work making this year’s Cell C SA Women’s Open tournament a huge success. With the title of Tournament Promoter, she is at the helm helping organise South Africa’s oldest women’s professional golf tournament that tees off at the recently refurbished San Lameer Country Club.

“I wouldn’t like to tip one favourite in particular; we have such a strong field at this year’s tournament. But it is going to be exciting watching the top ladies which is perhaps a pool of 15 to 20 players. The in-form ladies like Lee-Anne (Pace); Paula (Reto) or Connie Chen who is really performing at the moment, they are all South Africa stars and could be the ones to watch. Along with American Cheyenne Woods, British players Charley Hull and Trish Johnson who is of course the oldest lady competing but she is playing great golf.”

Smiling, she continues, “It is impossible to choose because one round, or one mistake and it can all go to pot and a complete outside who is playing consistently can take the lead. It could really go to anybody”

Talking about how she got into playing golf, she states, “I used to participate in field hockey and play a bit of tennis but honestly, I was a golfing orphan. Both my parents and my brother played so it was either being home alone or go and join them. The first course I played was in Swartkop up in Pretoria.”

“Comparing the modern day game to when I played, the courses have gotten longer but the equipment has gotten better. There are more girls trying to get onto the circuit but when I was starting out, you still had to qualify! There are of course differences but it is still the same obstacles.”

Continuing she says, “Back in the day, our equipment wasn’t advanced as it is nowadays, so playing was a bit more difficult. Training for us was a little bit of gym and quite a lot of mental training. My game changed when I read a book called ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ by John C Maxwell; I was able to move to a different level.”

“All of the techniques used today have gotten a lot better. Nowadays, it is gym, the way you eat, the way you think. We were at the beginning of that era. I was still playing when Sweden’s Annika Sörenstam first hit the scene and she started the changes towards the modern day game.”

Asked which her favourite courses are, she claims, “Shew, it’s like music, it all depends on my mood. I would have to say East London would feature, as well as the Wild Coast, Suncity and of course San Lameer. They suit my game and have beautiful scenery around them.”

San Lameer is said to be a tight course where you have to place your shot very carefully and if the wind comes up it is going to be a huge challenge. “I was very good on Iron play and was accurate. Anything from 150yards in, I was very good with it. That was my strength.”

With a handicap of 5, she still enjoys a social round, “I still play a little but I would say my hobbies are more leisure orientated. Pottering in the garden or cooking. I occasionally get to play a round with my brother.”

The Somerset West resident is gearing up to watch 124 top international and national players take to the greens in the game that is close to her heart.

For more info visit www.sawomensopen.co.za

Chatting to the phenomenal Martha Ehlin from Sweden

When you meet Swedish athlete, Martha Ehlin, her sparkling eyes glisten as she talks to you, she looks just like a typical Scandinavian lass, gorgeous blue eyes and flowing blonde locks but she is by no means ordinary.

Ehlin, who participated in the 2013 World Transplant Games at the beginning of the month in Durban, is a walking miracle. The words courageous, inspiring, phenomenal, zestful and exceptional all come to mind when chatting to her.

In 2008 she was diagnosed with a rare endocrine cancer that was discovered in her pancreas and in no time had spread to her stomach, liver, duodenum and small intestines and in order for her to survive, she needed these five organs transplanted! “I lived a good life, trained a lot. I had never even been to hospital."

"I was put on a waiting list for the transplant, a waiting list that I would describe as a living nightmare. It is just horrible because every day I got worse and worse and all I could do was wait. There were so many thoughts of life and death, demons going through my head!”

“Then one day I got the phone call. It was a pretty weird call, I remember saying are you kidding me? The lady on the other side calmly said no! My first thought was where can I go to pick them up.” the 35 year old states smiling about the life changing phone call. Ehlin is one of the lucky ones having miraculously only waited nine months for the ‘whole package’.

After her mammoth surgery in 2009 that lasted 17 hours, she had a number of complications and was in ICU for four months. “One day I remember lying in the ICU and being asked by my father what my family could do for me, what did I want to do? And I recall the only thing I wanted was to go outside and lie on the grass and feel life around me. This was hard considering my infections and being bedridden. A couple of hours later after pleading with the staff, the nurses and my father carried me outside and when I lay there, I brushed the grass with my hands and looked up to the sun thinking life is beautiful and I truly wanted to live it.”

That was a life changing moment for Ehlin as a few weeks later she recovered enough to be moved out of the ICU. “In my new ward, I learnt about the World Transplant Games that was being hosted in my home town in two years’ time. Hearing about what the games were all about, I thought wow, if I could just be there to watch, applaud. Wouldn’t that be a miracle?”

With new found gusto, she attacked her rehab with a belief that perhaps she could do more than just observe the Games, she wanted to participate. Her dream didn’t end there; she wanted to compete in not one but five events in honour of each of her organs.

In the summer of 2011, in her home town - Gothenburg, Martha Ehlin made history, being one of less than 200 people alive to have had five organ transplants, took part in the World Transplant Games, “At the opening ceremony I held the code of conduct, I was honoured to do that. With a crowd of over 1,500 people we all stood up and for one minute honoured our donors and all those that weren’t as lucky as we were, in that moment of silence, I was humbled reflecting on how my life had changed. I was alive!”

In 2011 Ehlin was awarded five gold medals and in true Games style, she dedicated each of her medals to the reasons she is alive, “That was my way of expressing how much I appreciated my second chance. My first medal was in honour of my donor and their family; still to this day I cannot thank them enough. The second gold was for my family, for always supporting me. The third was for the staff at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The fourth medal I dedicated to everyone out there still waiting for their second chance. And finally, the fifth was for me!” she says dimples evident in her beaming face.”

In Durban, the softly spoken role model notched up three golds, the first for shot put, the second was in the ball throw and the third was in the javelin. She rounded off her efforts with silver in the high jump. “The opening ceremony blew me away, that memory will last me a lifetime. 50 countries standing as one, singing the new song, ‘Our Hearts are Beating’, for the World Transplant Games and being overwhelmed by the wonders of Africa that were performed on stage!”

Claiming that she is extremely competitive, Ehlin relishes the opportunity to compete at the World Transplant Games, “It is about setting goals and going out and achieving them! And I have the opportunity to meet people that have walked the same path and have the same destiny as me.”

Sombrely, she continues, “And of course it is about creating awareness for the necessity of organ donations, the gift of life.”

Back home, the inspiring lady works tirelessly creating awareness, “Before my transplant, I was a PE Teacher. At the 2011 Games, I meet Peter Carstedt from Stockholm; I loved his energy and passion that he exuded. When all the dust had settled after the Gothenburg Games, we set up an organisation that raises awareness for organ donations. It is now a full time job”

The co-founder of MOD or More Organ Donations explains, “MOD in Swedish translated means courage, a very fitting name for our organisation.”

The youthful campaigners have some funky ways that they use for their company’s awareness drive, “We use social media which is proving very successful. We have a few music clips on You-Tube as well, catchy tunes with a message attached!”

The upbeat character changes the topic, “I’m really living a fantastic life. After the transplant, it is kind of like I had a major spring clean in my life. You throw away everything that you don’t need and things that don’t work anymore. It is a good feeling.”

“I feel mortal but in a good way, because it makes me want to live my life to the fullest.”

Asked what she would like to achieve with this new lease in life, she ponders. “The simple things in life, I would like to get married, travel the world, and stop in and explore New Zealand, get a house on the beach and get a dog. I think that is all that is on my bucket-list!”

Ehlin who lives the motto, impossible is nothing, affirms, “With August being Women’s Month in South Africa, ladies, everything that you want to be and achieve, you have already got inside of you. You have the power to change.”

Reflecting, “My ultimate hero in my life is of course my donor but there are many ladies that truly inspire me. I look up to those who follow their heart and walk the path that they believe in! Takes an incredibly powerful woman to be able to do that!”

Finishing her cappuccino, the beautiful soul gets up, stretches her legs and heads off. "Durban has some really great coffee. Gothenburg does as well!" she says warmly.

The words patient, happy, dependable, kind-hearted and above all a fighter describe this profound women. Having spent a week with 1,800 similar humbling stories, I went online and two minutes later, I had registered as an organ donor, I now one day will be able to give the gift of life and be a part of someone’s story like Ehlin, in more ways than one!

If you would like to become an organ donor, go to http://www.odf.org.za/

World Transplant Games - Volleyball

World Transplant Games: Durban

Monday 29 July

Volleyball: University Of KwaZulu Natal Westville

Ten teams took to the courts competing in the World Transplant Games Volleyball Tournament with Hungary taking the title in a humdinger of a final.

Hungary who received silver in the previous World Transplant Games in Sweden arrived at the University of KwaZulu Natal Westville campus with one mission in mind:, to claim gold and they did this in a nail-biting final where they met Argentina.

The game lasted three extremely tight sets with the eight points being the difference in the final results. Argentina who dethroned defending champions, the Netherlands in the semi-finals took the first set 25-20.

Hungary then replied in the second set going on top by just one point, taking it 25-24 and levelling the score at one set a-piece. The game continued in dramatic style in the third set as both teams continued to perform out of their socks in the final set. In a clincher of a third set, Hungary just got the edge on Argentina taking the set 16-14 and claiming a sweet victory.

The darling of the Hungarian team, Yvette Jasab,at  21 the youngest member of the team proudly said, “We won everything, it is a great feeling. We came second in Gothenburg in 2011 and came here to beat Netherlands. We knew the games would be tough but our opponent, Argentina made us work very hard for our gold.”

Defending champions, Netherlands who have dominated the last two Games were dramatically knocked out by Argentina in the semi-finals in a three set game. Netherlands who came second in the pool games faced first placed Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the third and fourth play-offs.

In a replay of the pool games, Great Britain went down to the Netherlands, thus allowing the defending champions to walk away with a medal, albeit bronze.

Ace referee Sihle Gumede who has just returned from Congo having participated in an International Referee Course was impressed with the level of competition at the games, “They are not professional but they certainly are making up for it with their commitment and passion. You can see that they love what they are doing! The supporters were fantastic cheering their teams on. The event was well organised with all the teams arriving on time.”

Event organiser, Lawrence Naidoo was overjoyed by the success of the day, “It is not every day we host a major international event. It was something else watching all of these games here today! What a privilege it was to be entertained by these phenomenal role models who have taken their second chance in life and are able to be so active. It truly has been an excellent tournament.”

Results:

1 Hungary, 2 Argentina, 3 Netherlands, 4 Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Sleeping on a block of ice in a snowy cave is highly recommended!

It seems we are in agreement, myself and my new Chinese friends! I honestly don't think you can say you sleep extremely well in a Snow Hotel but wow, what an experience!

I left you at lunch yesterday, I went for a slow stroll through the streets. I walked through the old part of Kemi and around their yacht club. I watched snow mobiles whizz across the frozen sea. I even watched two ladies go for a dip in the frozen Baltic Sea. Around 6pm I took shelter in the Snow Village Cafe and decided to chill until the show and tell that evening.

I sat escaping to Sweden reading my Wallander detective novel, Sweden being just 25km away I thought it was....well - novel. As I read, I occasionally glanced up at the passing trade, day trekkers who had rumbled through the village. After 7pm a calmness came over the village, the visitors had left, it was just the hard core subzerians remaining.

After 8pm a group of Chinese ladies appeared and nestled in for a bit. The hotel worker, Carolina came and apologised to them and offered them free drinks. I listened as the story came out-dramas at the Snow Hotel. A bunch of kids had climbed up onto the roof of the hotel and were causing havoc so the staff had to call the police. When I was sitting reading, an officer strolled in got briefed and then went to find the perps.

Who said small town living wasn't exciting! When I went to go and post my postcards, strolling past one of the Chinese ladies asked if I was alone, where I was from and if I was just here for the one day? I answered all the questions and then asked where they were from, all of them live in Beijing. They were lovely, last year the same group had travelled to Kenya to visit the wild animals and the next trip they would start organising when they get back home was a trip to the South Pole. One of the Americans said she had lived in Indianapolis and had an American passport, she said the next pole trip was the last winter escape. She was going to do summer trips for a few holidays.

The point of this trip was to witness the Northern Lights but in a week all they had experienced were snow storms and cloudy weather.

Just after 9pm, Carolina called myself and the Chinese party of four together. On the table was a folded up sleeping bag and a pillow! The English show and tell was commencing.

She unfolded the sleeping bag, revealing a fleece inner, then unzipped it all, showed us how to get in and out and where to velcro together, tighten pull etc. Her description, the end result a Mummy! Which if you aged the sleeping bag, put some Egyptian inscriptions on and perhaps have a bandage sticking out, you most certainly would have a Mummy.

She concluded asking about our morning sauna details, if we would like to shower or sauna and if we needed transport? Transport to the shower? Were we going to be that frozen? They would bring in a trolley and shove us onto it and defrost us under warm running water? I opted for the 7am wake up call, breakfast and then asked if I could organise a shower. The Chinese ladies insisted I catch a ride with them, they had their own vehicle and were going to Sweden in the morning!

Our show and tell lasted 15minutes and then the Finnish version commenced. A father and his two daughters were the Finnish contingent, the Visitors were us five and an awol lady. Nine people in total! The Finnish show and tell lasted half an hour.

At ten, I decided that it was time to venture to my room. Walking from the comfortable cafe to the hotel, I looked up at a cloudy sky. Cloudy meaning that the famous Aurora Lights were not to be seen. Room #7. I found it easily and took a deep breath. The moment of truth!

Inside the light slowly changed from red to a warm white to a funky sky blue, I didn't pay attention after that as my focus lay on the right hand side of the 'double' bed. It had two ice cubes and two reindeer skins lying next to each other. In the centre on the one bed was exactly the same sleeping bag folded into three. I opened it up and then plotted the big wardrobe change. I started taking my layers off the top and then quickly threw on my pj top and then attacked the bottom. Once my shoes were off, I stepped onto the bed to keep my socks dry, expecting the surface to be solid, I was surprised and thrown off balance when I stood on a spring mattress. I cautiously then de-robed and clambered into the sleeping bag elf style. Instead of zipping and pulling I rolled down and then pulled up and the same with the outer arctic bag. It felt like the sack of potatoe race we used to compete in at school, this was just a bit more confined, on a wobbly surface and a bit of hop scotch to get the first cocoon into the second. If the frozen fly could talk, he would mention that maybe I should not join the circus or on second thoughts, perhaps I should...

As the layers were peeled off, I placed them on top of the reindeer skin. Shoes placed neatly in front of the bed with laces tucked inside to remain dry and cell phone remained in my shoes which I thought was a safer option for incase I kangaroo kicked it down onto the frozen floor.

The comedy act that was an in theory easy ritual of jumping into a sleeping bag was made challenging by the -5 degrees, icy floor and icy igloo cave that I found myself inhabiting.

I found myself amused by wondering if I would freeze to death before being able to snuggle into the thick sleeping bag. I wondered what they would put on the death certificate, frozen whilst going to bed. But of course this did not happen.

Sprawled out on top of my clothes, I lay mummified with my nose the only thing making contact with the icy conditions. During the night, I felt I spent the entire sleeping hours tossing and turning but thinking back, this was not the case. I went through periods of being a mole, burrowing deep into the sleeping bag, almost at the over heating point and then like a submarine breaking through the surface of the warmth barrier with thoughts of, I need air, I need air. Half way through the night I had a debate whether or not to bring the pillow into my circle of hearty warmth. I eventually did and it took a while for it to lose the cold shoulder until we were perfectly in harmony. Snuggled like long lost friends, we slept deeply.

I woke at 5:30 pondering if time was frozen and crawling along or if it was nearing the wake up call. I was amazed that it was nearly time to wake up!

In a blink of an eye, my cell phone sprang into life announcing that a new day had dawned. I struggled out of my burrow and killed the alarm and then lay with my arms outside thinking I had survived. And it was truly an out of this world experience.

I did the comedy act in reverse, peeling off the bag, and clambering into my gear. I had slept at an angle across the 'double' bed most of the night so parts of my clothes hadn't had the joy of me sharing my body warmth. I dressed quickly and made my way to the cafe where breakfast was waiting. It was a simple spread but looked delicious!

But first, coffee. The morning rejuvenating liquid was steaming hot and went down like, I guess a homesick mole. The food was tasty, including fruit and plain yoghurt, corn flakes, fresh croissants, meat balls and bite sized viennas. I sampled it all-except the boiled egg...

After breakfast the Chinese ladies and I went in search of our shower. It was at a neighbouring hotel. I was invited to sit in the front of the big SUV as I was so tall. I didn't refuse.

We followed the directions and landed up at a hotel I had walked past yesterday. On arrival, they said they only had 3 people scheduled and not 5 ladies. So they phoned the hotel and then gave us directions to another hotel. Take two of getting clean and fresh trah la la!

At the hotel, we followed the receptionist down a flight of stairs to the hotels bathrooms. On the wall they have times when it is ladies or men's allocated time. It had three showers in a row and a sauna. I waited for the ladies to shower first and once they had disappeared into the sauna I ran through the shower and then changed, ready to start the day.

A short time later, they all appeared looking refreshed and ready for the day. They were heading to Sweden shortly but needed to go to a bank first. Back at the Snow Village, in the cafe we got a glass of orange juice and started talking to a lady there. She asked how we had slept and told us a bit about the construction of the hotel. Each year they have a different architect, he does the design of the castle so it has a different structure every year. Then they give it a theme, this year of course was fantasy, last year was sport, the year before that cartoons etc.

She explained that they first build a metal structure and when it is cold enough pump 200 cubic meters of water from the Baltic Sea, this when cold enough gets made into snow. When it is the right temperature, they then pack the snow over the metal structure until it becomes solid and then they remove the metal structure. Now the fun begins. They get a variety of snow sculptures who then design the snow murals and give the village the fantastic vibe.

The season ends in April with the temperature sitting most days on -10 or -15 degrees. This morning it was -9 degrees. When the season is over, they get a demolition team out and they break up the hotel recycling the ice by placing it on the frozen sea so it will melt and return to where it came from.

The lady told us that Kemi is a sleepy town in winter, with not much to do besides the ice breaker trip, the snow mobile adventures, or trips to see husky or reindeer havens. But in summer, the place is transformed, the sailors come out and enjoy the ocean, the midnight sun spurs them to really enjoy the outside world.

She proudly shared that they have a cinema and theatre that has a lively schedule but as is most things in this town, from Tuesday to Saturday.

I now am at the train station, reunited with all my belongings. My final adventure is about to hatch. I sit patiently with Pooh as we wait for the P710 that takes us to Kajaani and Kati and Ari.

Sending warm thoughts from a sunny, glistening snowy Lapland. The memories of this adventure truly are embedded snugly into the bank. The only word I can think of is remarkable! I am eternally lucky to have had this once in a lifetime opportunity!

You either have to be incredibly brave or just plain stupid!

I have landed in Lapland, towards the North of Finland. On our doorstep is a huge frozen ocean with one of the main sports being yachting in these parts, go figure because the single boat in the harbour is snowed in and is a foot under snow!

The bare starkness of my surrounds is quiet, life in Kemi is slow with only a handful of people being spotted outside. Tour buses of people get spat out and they loudly but surprisingly quickly make their way through the Snow Village. But once they have moved on, peace is restored.

The team that received me were fabulous at the reception! The teller didn't speak English so the chef came out and started all the details, getting me to fill in forms and showing me where my locker was. When I asked the question of the Snow Restaurant, she flurried through the dinner reservations and didn't find my details, she quickly found the manager who made a call and then she asked what food I had ordered, I said none (here in lies the problem) but I just made the reservation a week ago. This is where the language barrier came into affect, I was supposed to order my food two days ago-because I hadn't the reservation fell away.

So tonight I am venturing to a Vietnamese spot and then have to report at 9pm for the briefing about how to survive sleeping in sub-zero temperatures. The temp in the rooms are -2 at the mo! This is going to be interesting! Sleeping in a freezer! But I have cruised around the hotel. The rooms are small but fun. The beds all have reindeer skins on them all ready, so the tourists can get a feel for the out of this world experience.

I arrived in Kemi this morning after an 11hour VR Train ride. Sleep was intermittent all depending on the noise of the fellow passengers. The train was full, no empty seat to spare! It was full of young mates escaping to the north with their skis. When I got to the railway station in Kemi, there was no taxis so I thought this was fabulous as the Snow Hotel only opened its doors after 10am, so I camped out at the railway station till 11am. I found a locker and for 2 Euro for 24hours, my bags are stashed at the railway station! I only have my pj's, an extra jersey and toothbrush etc as well as underwear for tomorrow! Packed light.

Now, arguably the highlight of the trip, the Snow Village. This year, the theme is Fantasy. It is the 18th year that the Snow Village has been built! The builders have a theme each year and wandering around you see snippets from Angry Birds, Alice in Wonderland, you have dragons flying over you. I entered through the Chapel and spent a bit of time checking it out. Everything was ice, the pulpit, the pews, everything!

An igloo sprouted off the Chapel wing and you weaved through tunnels stopping in at a pub like spot with counters and stools topped with reindeer hides, an indoor playground, a fully stocked cafe come bar with the final igloo being a sit down restaurant.

Once back in the outside world, I went up the lookout tower. You had 360 degrees panoramic views off the harbour, the woods and the buildings surrounding the village.

On Sunday's the Gemstone Gallery is free, so I cruised around here, surprised how much South Africa featured with a number of large replica diamonds on display.

I then strolled around the white scapes enjoying all the trees, buildings and even sign posts that had a heavy frosting of snow, discovering a huge Lutheran Church. I have now enjoyed a huge Finnish Kebab, making the kebab tasting one in every country barring the UK.

I am exploring the options of what to do this afternoon. Alas, besides the dead part of town and some other ice sculptures, Kemi on a Sunday seems to be a sleepy village.

So off to play in the snow goes us. Then a stroll through the cemetery, not sure I will see anything as the snow truly is deep here.

From a gorgeous crystal white Lapland, here's to sleeping on a block of ice, you really have to be mad... Or stupid!