Tom Daley the young cheeky chap from Plymouth has made headlines this week by winning Gold at the World Diving Championship. Tom was tipped for great things before the Olympics last year and when he failed to deliver a medal many people saw this as a let down. Don’t get me wrong there was still a strong contingent backing Daley but some people started to questions his ability after all the hype that had surrounded him but hopefully now he had put some of those criticisms to rest.

Now To may not have a cult like following like some young pop stars or have the paparazzi chasing him wherever he goes but he is a poster child for UK sporting stars. If it had been someone say in there twenties that had won the gold at The World Diving Championships I don’t think they would have got the coverage that Tom has this week and if Tom hadn’t competed in it I don’ think many of us in the UK would have known that it was taking place.

Earlier this year Tom was making headlines for non-sporting reasons when a story of the bullying he was receiving at school made the national press. He was subsequently moved schools because of it but this brought up a whole range of opinions from the general public. Some saying he shouldn’t get special treatment and that it was part of life from some asking why in today’s society do we have to pick on someone just because they are successful. If this had been any Olympic star accept Tom Daley this wouldn’t have made press or if it had been any child on your own street that this was happening to it wouldn’t have made press.

If the pressure that was on him to bring home the Gold in 2012 before wasn’t enough now after winning Gold at the World Diving Championship people will now be expecting him to do it at the Olympics. The fact that the Olympics are three years away and people are already bigging him up shows the pressure that is on. Anything could happen in those three years, Tom could get injured, a new face may come on the seen, Tom may stop diving, who knows. All I know is that I don’t think we have seen the last of the press interest in his life which I think is only going to get worse the closer we get to the Olympics.

Adam Sibley
Founder of the Talented Young People organisation
www.talentedyoungpeople.com
"Envisage it, Believe it, Achieve it!"
”Shaking up the Youth of Today”

http://www.talentedyoungpeople.blogspot.com

June 28

Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24; Mk. 5:21-43

2 Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15

. . .Strive for equality; at present give from your abundance what they are short of, and in some way they also will give from their abundance what they lack. ."

Today is Pride Sunday.  But equality for queers is not whole. Here in California we are free, accept for being able to marry, here in San Francisco there is so much freedom. But in other parts of the state, and in most of the country queers are oppressed.  Today we stand for equality for all.  The Scripturen calls us to stand for equality--for all people, in all areas of life. People look at me like I am crazy when I talk of living simply because I believe that what I do not use can be shared. If all of us would live simply then the world would not be without. The Gospel calls us to share. What we see is so much poverty, because people want so much.  All we have to do is share.  To share is to give life, and in so doing to find live.

Today I was walking through the Pride area, wearing clericals because i had had a service, and someone, yelled out "pediphile",  "all priests are pediphiles".  It is painful to hear that anger, it hurts like hell. People have been so abused by religion that they have lost any sense of God, and the presence.  My witness is to be that presence. I was asked by my intern why I donot react in an aggressive manner, and my answer is I follow the non-violent Jesus, who understood that it would do not good--what does good is to bear witness even in the pain. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!

Spent day working at Pride. Had dinner with Stephen and to bed early, hellar exhausted. Deo Gratis! Thanks be to God!