It's not often I get emotional about sport and even less so that I would be congratulatory to a mate without taking the piss first but...
What the athletes and the background and coaching teams have achieved is truly inspiring. A great result despite the obvious challenges posed by UK sports funding.
I write this as my mate Tony McAllister is one of the very small but incredibly dedicated coaching staff and has worked his butt off to get the team out there to a level that put us in the position to challenge for medals. Hope was high that we could have come back with a medal but watching the girls walk away with a Gold, silvers and bronze was beyond all expectations.
Let's just see how diabolical the overpaid footballers are during the World Cup this summer. A week's wages from each player would benefit British snow sports immensely. ]
Why is there such a gap in funding for winter sports? We are not too shabby at it! Take a look at the able-bodied winter Olympic team. Same boat. Even the relatively high profile of Chemmy Alcott didn't bring in the funding. She has long had to rely on her own sponsors and even having to train with other nations in order to get herself out there. Snowsports athletes are far from the elite, poshos who represented us back in the day (Usually rather high up RAF chaps with impressive moustaches!) and the new kids coming are more likely to have learned to slide down mountains either under a dome or on dry slopes throughout the UK rather than on the groomed pistes of St Moritz or Kitzbuhel. So much is spent on football academies, athletics and other high profile sports that are just as easily accessible to everyone. How can we raise awareness of the other sports that are out there for kids of all backgrounds to get involved in?
By the Team GB athletes coming home with medals, UK Sport really now should take notice and up the funding. Channel 4 along with sponsorship did a fantastic job in covering the Games and kudos to them for this. Lets hope the BBC realise that despite not having the coverage, our Paralympians deserve to be saluted come December at Sports Personality of the Year. And go on, stick Tony in there as Coach of the Year!
Let's get the athletes' achievements recognised. The PR campaign starts here. Who is with me?
So very proud of #TeamGB