The most demanding things are the most rewarding

Most athletes will tell you that the more you put into preparing for a specific event the more that you are likely to get out of it.

During the winter months, my biggest challenge on the websites was to do the monthly "Featured Walker" page on the www.parishwalk.com site. But because they presented a challenge (to find the time and to take a slightly different angle each time) they were also the most rewarding.

I've been to a few funerals in the past few months and so often you hear things about the deceased that you had never heard during their life time. Writing about people in their lifetime is a lot easier than writing obituaries and so I have decided to start an occasional series, of about the same length as the Parish Walk features, about some of the officials in the sport.

I'm not saying when I will start or how many I will do. Like the other series it will be modelled upon, they will not be in any order of importance, age or any other criteria. Just interesting people. They will be demanding but I'm sure they will also be rewarding. Just like the things that the featured officials have achieved.