Today's interviewee is 26 years old Annalise Vassallo, a Zurrieq Wolves Stalwart for the past 16 years, a Podiatrist by profession, a Masseur, a Sprinter and recently engaged to Terence Muscat.

 

Annalise, in this day and age, where loyalty and commitment to clubs and training have become almost extinct in various Sports disciplines, you are almost an exception. Sixteen years and counting attached to Zurrieq Wolves Athletic Club and you are even an active member of the Club's committee. Training uninterruptedly for 16 years and more was surely not easy especially when you had to cope with studies. How did you manage to combine Studies with Sports and now work in Sports? Describe a week in your life at present juggling between work and Sports. Your commitment to Sports and the loyalty to your club are highly commendable.

Thanks for your kind words Ray. In my opinion sports and studies complement each other. Training is a good stress reliever and is a good booster to my daily routine, which at times can get quite tedious. In my case, since at the time my studies were focused on human anatomy and biomechanics, I found them to be helpful in understanding some principles behind the technical exercises we do.
Good time management always helped me to cope with my studies, work and training. My coach, family and friends have always been supportive, which without doubt helped make my daily routine possible.

Winter days can be quite long, but rewarding in the end. During the loading phase, we usually have 9 sessions a week, which almost add up to 20 hours weekly. I usually wake up at 5am, do a gym session, head to work and return to training soon after. I return home at around 8 30pm, where finally I would have some free time. As one might realise this daily routine wouldn't be possible without the help of those around me; particularly my mother for always helping me in preparing my daily meals, and Terence for being so understanding of my busy life-style.
Also, my club has always been helpful and supportive to me, so loyalty to the club comes naturally. We are a growing, but united club where the sense of belonging is mutual.

Annalise, you form part of one of the most leading Athletic Clubs on the island but which focuses more on middle and long distance. Over the past years, the Club managed to attract and even produce great talents in these events. Having said that, how do you feel when you are the outstanding solitary Sprinter who outshines in the 100m and 200m races?

I first started in athletics as a long distance runner; however, it was my club and coach who lead me to sprints. I do not regret this decision, and I am glad they were able to see my full potential.
One might think that being the only female senior sprinter from club, makes me feel at a disadvantage. However, when I am at the track I only focus on the race itself and try not to think about my surroundings. Moreover, I have always found support and encouragement from my club; not just from the committee but also from the other fellow members. The club has a good awarding system, which ensures to keep athletes from every event included. We currently have some young sprinters in our club, whom I hope will keep engaged to the sports once they get older.   

 

Annalise, I can vouch that you are one of the athletes who rarely misses a training session. You manage to find time irrespective of your daily agenda's chores, duties, activities etc. By now, you are well ingrained in the proper lifestyle of an athlete. I met you countless times at the track on different occasions obviously finding the proper time to train. This displays not just consistency but even love of Athletics. In my opinion you are more self-made rather than relying on any inborn God given talent. Do you agree with me and if yes how did you manage to arrive this far, matching and even beating talents over the years?

Personally, I think that in order to obtain good results you need talent, commitment and motivation. I must admit that it was my commitment to training and good coaching schemes that helped me achieve good performances so far. I believe in Mohammed's Ali words that in order to achieve success 'The will must be stronger than the skill'.  It really saddens me to see some very talented athletes who over the years show little commitment to training or completely disconnect from the sport.  

I always felt privileged when racing and training with Malta's most leading athletes. This always motivates me to put my 100% during every race and training session. I remember training with Diane Borg, when I first started training with Mario Bonello's group. She was currently Malta's top sprinter, yet she was so humble and helpful during the training sessions. She had natural talent and she used to be fully committed to athletics, thus producing exceptional results. Diane is still an inspiration to me and I still look up to her to this day.

 

Annalise, you started this sports venture quite some time ago and almost coincidentally! Frans Galea, an icon in local athletics has surely brought the best out of you over the years to make all this happen. Six years ago, you decided to go another step up and the same Frans advised you to train with another formidable coach and past sprinter: Mario Bonello. It took a gentleman like Frans to allow such a smooth transition in coach changing. Today local athletics is marred by such issues. Athletes changing clubs and coaches almost on yearly basis! You acted in a more orthodox way, keeping the same club and changed coach though the same recommendation of your first coach. Your character speaks volumes! You are a conservative person and treasure those who offer you their free time and dedication. What can you say about these two coaches?

You are right in saying that I started in athletics almost coincidentally. I used to play netball and volleyball at school and wished to take it further with volleyball. My mum contacted someone from my village who was involved in sports with the intention of joining a volleyball team, but one week later, I found myself at the track instead of a volleyball court!

My club assigned me to some coaches along the years, however it was with Frans Galea whom I stayed longer and who had the most impact on my life. At that time, I was a very shy person with very low confidence levels, thus I used to be extremely nervous before my races. Frans was patient with me and helped me to get out of my shell. He also taught me the basic technical stuff about athletics and when he thought that I needed to go a step forward he introduced me to Mario Bonello. I was lucky that my club is flexible with coaches' choices, so I was able to train with Mario without any problems.

Mario is a former top sprinter and an Olympian so it is an honour to be coached by him. With Mario, I started training on a daily basis and he helped me refine my technique and improve my overall physical condition, so it is no surprise that I made significant improvement in my running performance since he started coaching me. Moreover, Mario is a busy man with many commitments and his multi-tasking skills always amaze me! Thanks to him, I learned to improve my time management, which for sure helped in juggling my life from athletics to work or studies.

 

Annalise, the true worth of a local athlete comes when one competes abroad. Athletics is accompanied with a price. Victory by itself is not always a feat but timing is imperative. One has to confirm all the goodness achieved locally and if possible, ameliorate it abroad. You have various International races to your CV. You were even selected various times to represent Malta. Which races are most at heart and what is the most evident difference/s you feel when you compete abroad?

Competing abroad and representing one's country is always an honour and I have been privileged to have experienced it quite a few times. I give it my best and try not to put myself under pressure, and irrespective of the results, I still cherish each experience. Competing with athletes on a higher lever motivates me to push myself more to keep up with them. Moreover, meeting and observing my competitors during their training sessions is a great learning experience for me; I realized that you could learn a lot by simply watching their warm up, or pre-race rituals.

I also enjoy the thrill of racing in a different environment and a different. Here in Malta, we are used to having the same athletes competing on the same track and the same officials helping with the organization, so for me it is a nerve- racking yet exciting experience to be on a new track.

Competing in the Fisec games in 2009 remains quite memorable for me as I achieved my first international medal in the 300m. Whoever knows me, knows that the 300m is definitely not my favourite distance to run, and moreover, that day I woke up sick so I wasn't too keen on competing that day. Placing third was a complete surprise for me and it definitely helped me in believing more in myself.

2016 remains at heart in my athletic career. I achieved some unexpected personal bests, so competing in the GSSE and obtaining a silver medal and running very close to the national record in the 4x100m was the highlight of my season.

  

Annalise, we both know that even though local athletics is enjoying quite a surge in popularity, the majority of it comes from long distance running and not from track and field. Track and field is meant more to allure kids and youngsters to start exposure to running from an early age. Long distance, most of the time, is either the rejuvenation of a former track and field athlete or some sports enthusiasts who always had a dream to compete. Unfortunately, track and field does fine up to a certain age, then most athletes drop for various reasons. Results in the open category have become difficult to improve especially in the sprints.  Being for so long hands down in local athletics, what difference do you see from when you started till today namely: track, amenities, type of athletes, standards, coaches, opportunities, sponsors, professional staff, etc. What do you think should be done for local athletics to try to stop this haemorrhage?

 

I think that one of the biggest problem that Maltese athletics faces is the retention of athletes in their teens. Young athletes are performing well both locally and internationally, however they disappear from the track in their teens, particularly after their O'levels. Moreover, the number of male participants outshines the female category. I am aware that it is hard to keep up a balance between studies and training, and of the temptations one might face during his social life. This is why I believe in the importance of a good support network including the coach, training peers, club and association.

I noticed that in the past years the number of athletes and supporters at the track decreased significantly, especially when it comes to events like throws and middle distance runs. In sprinting, the quality has improved, as for example in the women 100m we are having more sprinters running close to the 12-second margin. Unfortunately, the quantity has decreased, and with less runners to push with, it is more difficult to get faster times. I appreciate the effort that you Ray, and some other people and putting in promoting athletics and I do believe it is an important part in attracting more people to the sport.

We are also running short of coaches and officials. Coaches are more knowledgeable than before, but less in number especially when it comes to kids athletics. The association is bringing more experienced foreign coaches to help improve coaching levels, but at the moment the lack of experienced coaches still remains. The number of officials in competitions has also decreased which sometimes creates delays in events.

Training environment and equipment is crucial for improving an athlete's performance. I am aware that attempts have been made to improve the premises, but I believe that an upgraded track and more modern equipment is necessary to create a healthy sports environment and to retain more athletes, both locally and internationally to the track.

Every athlete dreams of competing abroad and thankfully, the opportunities to do so increased. However, lately the qualifying standards for some major international competitions like the GSSE have got too high and the time frame for qualifying has decreased. This undoubtedly disheartens some athletes and we are possibly losing some opportunities to achieve good results abroad.

Improving does not only come from the association, but from the clubs and the commitment, each athlete shows. I believe that the clubs and association have to put any differences aside and work together for the love of the sport.

 

Annalise, I would like to thank you for the time consumed and for accepting my invitation. Am sure the readers know much more about athletics, the daily efforts undertaken, the endless sacrifices endured and the glory that remains.