'Jonny My Autobiography' ~ by Jonny Wilkinson CBE (Book Review)
BOOK REVIEW
ONE OF THE most exciting sports biographies books I read is Johnny Wilkinson’s autobiography Jonny: My Autobiography.
IT IS IMPERATIVE that we follow sport, participate in it while we can, and then, when it’s finally time to hang up the boots, put up the oars, lay down the epee, or place aside the riding boots to yesteryear’s section in the hall, that we then follow sport and encourage everyone, especially young people, to do so.
London 2012 as it has now already become known in Olympian and national history, gave us an incredible boost.
As time has passed, London 2012 has become synonymous with the Olympics and Paralympics. Already it is happening. We don’t so much refer to the two sets of world games by their titles but by the global title London 2012. And that is fantastic. I impress upon everyone to do this.
To every young sportsman and sportswoman – keep this constantly in mind.
To older people standing on station platforms – if you see a young person struggling with a mass of kit as they try to board the Plymouth Express amidst a horde of commuters, don’t hang back. Help them, like you were helped, years ago in similar situations. We’re brits and we’re losing some of that stoicism that tends to have the effect of shooting ourselves in the foot. And that’s not a bad thing.
Think of the endless thrills we all experienced just by watching the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.
Think how it has changed the lives of every Olympian and Paralympian and think how it has given hope to countless people who attended the Games as spectators. Think of the amazing ambitions now burgeoned forth in millions of young people around the world as they look towards Rio.
Encourage sport.
Always encourage sporting achievement.
Be prepared to push young people to higher goals – that high bar that in turn enables them to do high fives in sheer joy at their accomplishments.
Whether or not one reaches Rio, Beijing or Tokyo or the Commonwealth Games or the Winter Olympics that neatly sprint alongside and dovetail, do all you can to encourage participation. And don’t forget that young people are as strong-minded, strong-willed and determined as they have ever been. London 2012 proved that beyond doubt, or, if I put my lawyer’s suit on and speak legal-language, it is proved beyond all reasonable doubt.
To every young person I say – send this message out to all your friends through social media. Get the message out and stay in touch.
There is nothing better, for me, than to be standing on the touchline or in the stands watching the game unfold, and young people proving they have this incredible spirit and determination in them.
It is the cement in the bricks that you are building upon the foundation you’ve already laid. Make sure you build on rock, not sand, and then get out there and challenge. Challenge yourself, challenge friends and colleagues, challenge in fairness and openness of spirit your competitors. Go for it. Love the excitement, the rush of adrenalin.
What you achieve in sports will reflect itself throughout your life in ways you can barely comprehend. And the even greater thrill is watching - in years to come - your own children picking up the baton you pass on to them in the thrill of the relay race of life.
Do not live through them your own ambitions. No parent has the right to foist that burden upon their children. Nurture their ambitions, as you nurture your favourite plants.
As the Forrester nurtures the woodland, as the Landscaper nurtures the creation of art in nature, what I call the Atkins spirit.
I thoroughly recommend Wilkinson’s life story.
And for those young people who love rugby … there are some really important lessons to be learned as you develop your game and your talent in this very exacting sport. Don’t presume you need to live only in the present.
In rugby, if I find unawareness of the great legends of our sporting history, of Invictus, quite simply I turn off my interest.
Author Note
Reviewing this, this seems timely, as we move towards the Autumn, quietly, almost with a whispered stealth as we slip out of Lockdown and try to pick up where we left off. Sport is absolutely crucial. In Britain, doubly so, as we combat the rising obesity in every age group, particularly in young people.
Rugby!
Not Just A Game
~ A Passion ~
A Life Force
2 October 2021
All Rights Reserved
LIVERPOOL
© Kenneth Thomas Webb 2022
Originally penned 2012-2013
Ken Webb is a writer and proofreader. His website, kennwebb.com, showcases his work as a writer, blogger and podcaster, resting on his successive careers as a police officer, progressing to a junior lawyer in succession and trusts as a Fellow of the Institute of Legal Executives, a retired officer with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and latterly, for three years, the owner and editor of two lifestyle magazines in Liverpool.
He also just handed over a successful two year chairmanship in Gloucestershire with Cheltenham Regency Probus.
Pandemic aside, he spends his time equally between his city, Liverpool, and the county of his birth, Gloucestershire.
In this fast-paced present age, proof-reading is essential. And this skill also occasionally leads to copy-editing writers’ manuscripts for submission to publishers and also student and post graduate dissertations.
