PHOTOS:
Fraser swimming
Speed triathlon cycling
Fraser with Matei Todorov in the gym
Fraser throwing judo Black Belt 2nd dan Ria Jones
Fraser at the Welsh rugby sevens work-out
Fraser under pressure in squash
Fraser crawling in judo
Fraser being shown how to bowl
Fraser showing off

 

 
They think it’s all over, it is now.
 
From swimming with the Seals to wrestling with the Welsh squad, the past 17 weeks have been as educational as they have enjoyable, as I’ve tried my hand at every sport that will feature in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
 

Good idea – great benefits

 
And in all honesty, the idea, pitched me to back in March by Sport Pembrokeshire’s Ben Field, seemed a lot easier on paper. To highlight a particular session or experience would be unfair, as each sport, even those I believed I was familiar with, taught me something new.
 
Frequently, my naivety and dare I say it, ignorance, to certain activities was exposed as I struggled to get to grips with the technical aspects of new sports - but the 17 weeks have benefitted me enormously.
 
I now have a new-found admiration for the unseen work that goes on in so many sports around the county and I now appreciate more than ever, that unless you are an exceptionally gifted individual, it is impossible to simply rock up at a new session and excel. I would like to think that never again will I watch an untried sport on television and arrogantly mutter, “That looks easy.”
 

Complacency soon blown away

 
Indeed, any complacency I had about the series was soon blown away by my opening challenge, a one hour session with the Haverfordwest Seals swimming group, first in our alphabetic order for the challenges under ‘Aquatics’.

I had previously considered myself a competent swimmer, but the sheer exhaustion I experienced when I tried in vain to keep up with the youngsters still haunts me.
 
An athletics session with the Pembrokeshire Harriers gave me an insight into how far the sport had moved on since my younger days as a long distance runner, while a badminton contest against Welsh international Jordan Hart ruthlessly exposed my incompetence with a racquet in my hand.
 

Tough training

 

Predictably, Graham Brockway put me through the mill with a gruelling boxing session, while I was left grateful to Geoff Arnold and the Milford Tritons for helping me through a 17-mile cycling trek.

Andy Grey and his gymnastics prodigies made me look pedestrian as I battled to regain the flexibility of my youth, and Julie McAdam and her Fishguard hockey side showed great patience as I slowly got to grips with the old ‘penalty corner’ routine.
 
Damon McGarvie and his Neyland Judo Club gave me a crash course in the ‘gentle way’, while Ceris Hewlings and co broke the hearts of myself and Bill Carne, denying our team victory with the final wood of our debut lawn bowls match.
 

Star struck and pushed all the way

 
 I went back to my educational roots for netball, as Rachael Thomas’ promising Ysgol Dewi Sant youngsters darted around me, and a session with the Welsh Sevens squad in the Vale of Glamorgan left me slightly star struck.
 
Ron Hovell and Peter Crook gave me an eye-opening insight into the technical intricacies involved in shooting and squash respectively, while Bernie Armstrong proved there was no substitute for experience as he took me to the cleaners in a game of table tennis.
 

Head in tatters – legs in bits!

 
Fintan Godkin and Carwyn Richards were thankfully on hand as I struggled to keep my head above water in the early stages of my triathlon challenge around Solva, while Simon Roach and Owain Evans left my legs in bits following a weightlifting session with Strength Academy Wales.
 
And arguably, the most demoralising experience was left until last, as the Welsh Amateur Wrestling Squad threw me around like a rag doll at the Sport Wales National Centre.

 But I would not have changed a moment - and will now sit down to watch the Games, thankfully from the safety of my armchair, with renewed interest and intrigue.
 

Great facilities and even better people involved with them

 
I do plan to again try my hand at many of the sports I have now been introduced to, but which ones exactly, I'll keep under my hat for now.
 
And for those cynical about the sporting opportunities available in Pembrokeshire, I can only advise you find the time to research the terrific work that goes on at clubs throughout the county.
 
Indeed, the past 17 weeks have taught me that, irrespective of resources, it is possible to produce a thriving scene and beneficial coaching in any sport, providing the right people are behind the scenes.
 
And luckily in Pembrokeshire, we seem blessed with unsung heroes in abundance.
 

Thanks all round

Of course, my sincere thanks to Bill for accompanying me throughout, sorting out the photographs, and subsequently promoting each challenge through www.pembrokeshiresport.co.uk and the Radio Pembrokeshire Friday Night Sports Show.
 
Mind you, I say that despite his often merciless laughter, none more so than in my final challenge of wrestling, when he watched on with great amusement from the safety of the sidelines as I was bundled about by international competitors with nonchalant ease.
 
I would also like to thank the following organisations: Sport Pembrokeshire,  Haverfordwest Seals, Pembrokeshire Harriers, Pembrokeshire Badminton Association, Merlins Bridge Amateur Boxing Club, Milford Tritons, Milford Haven Gymnastics Club, Fishguard Hockey Club, Neyland Judo Club, Saundersfoot Bowls Club, Ysgol Dewi Sant, the WRU, Modern Print Target Shooting Club, Milford Haven Squash Club, Haverfordwest Table Tennis Club, Man-Up UK, Strength Academy Wales, the Welsh Amateur Wrestling Squad, and Sport Wales.
 
To all involved, it has been a blast.
 

Bill Carne’s verdict:

 Having attended all 17 challenges with Fraser, and smashed him at shooting and table tennis, plus what he describes as a draw in bowls, I know how much he has enjoyed taking on such a varied range of sports, all with the total commitment that is part of his sporting DNA.
 
My memories will be slightly different from Mr Watson’s because I was able to watch from close range, not only from his perspective but from those who helped him take part.
 

Total dedication from youngsters

 
The young sports participants will stand out for me, their commitment, skill and enjoyment linked to the dedication of their coaches. This was never more evident than when we started with the swimming – boy do they train relentlessly under Sue Christopher and Gary Meopham.

It was the same in most other sports, especially the Pembrokeshire Harriers (well done Pete Freeman and the rest), the Merlins Bridge Amateur Boxing Club (where Graham Brockway reigns supreme), Milford Haven Gymnastics Club (Andy Grey and Sarah McGillivray were joined by the inspirational Matei Todorov),
 
Pembrokeshire badminton (with Phil Gwyther and Dennis Hart) and Neyland Judo Club, with the great McGarvie clan had sessions were often held on weekends or very early – and the kids were there! Fraser was smashed by Jordan Hart in badminton as she recovered from illness – and her little sister Lowrie and her pals also taught him a thing or two about racquet skills!

 
Females and old fogies

 
He also encountered sessions at Fishguard Hockey Club and St Davids’ School netball where the participants were predominantly female but he found them equally as challenging as most others, with Julie McAdam and Rachel Thomas at the respective helms and showing him some of the many techniques needed.
 
Other sports, like Haverfordwest Table Tennis Club and the Modern Print Target Shooting Club, tended to have mainly adult sessions but Fraser met great characters like Bernie Armstrong and Steve Jones in the former, plus Ron Hovell and Laurie Brown in the shooting.
 

Sport for relaxation and a warm welcome

 
A run out with Milford Tritons, organised by Jeff Arnold as a means of pleasure rather than competition, was on a similar theme, with Fraser quickly adapting to a road bike.
 
Every club gave us a warm welcome (we even had tea, cake and biscuits with Ceris Hewlings and company at Saundersfoot Bowling Club!), with Peter Crook (Pembrokeshire Squash) providing the most carefully-planned session and one that tested Fraser to the full alongside very fit participants like James Walters, Nick Dyer and Will Beresford.
 

Testing times

His Sunday morning meet-up with old pals Fintan Godkin and Caz Richards (Man-Up UK) was memorable for its 7am start in Solva Harbour for a 700 metre swim before he cycled and ran in a speed triathlon, and that swim was another real tester for the man himself.
 
Other demanding sports included the weight-lifting at Strength Academy Wales and the Welsh Amateur Wrestling session in Cardiff (that was another 7am start for us, this time on a Saturday). 
 
These asked for not only the physical challenge but for the new techniques that he had to learn and put into practice with the assistance of Simon Roach and Owain Rowlands at SAW, plus Oli Cole and Alan Jones in the wrestling.
 

Star-struck and a personal disappointment

 
The trip to the WRU’s Vale Centre of Excellence was something that Fraser had been really looking forward to as he had a session with Gareth Williams and his seven a side team for the Commonwealth Games.
 
Fraser’s right when he said he was a little star-struck but he fitted in well and I thought there might have been one moment when Gareth thought he might need a winger from St Davids but it soon passed.
 
My big disappointment on that day was the fact that we could have joined James ‘Cub’ Davies and the rest of the lads for a huge breakfast but Fraser was too awe-struck to eat!
 

Future thoughts

 
So what of the future? Fraser says he might consider taking up a new sport after rugby with Whitland and if there was wrestling in the area he might well have given it a go because he had such a great day there in the National Sporting Centre of Excellence in Cardiff.
 
My bet would be triathlon because he would be a natural for that – loves physical attrition, ready to push himself to the limits, a good runner and no mean cyclist – and with the willingness to polish his swimming skills.
 
But all that’s in the future and in the meanwhile I can only congratulate him on trying them all out. There were a few hiccups en route but it was good fun as we met some genuine characters – and like him it reinforced my view that we are very lucky to live in a sports-orientated county with so much on offer if, like Mr Watson, you are prepared to go out there and give it a try!