Monday saw another beautiful sunrise over this flag-bedecked town, chosen for the competition because of its historical background, natural beauty and its old-world charm. Surprisingly enough the morning brought no severe hangovers from the local wine of the night before and everyone ate a hearty breakfast (if one can call a continental breakfast hearty). After breakfast the team, sporting their G.B. colours, together with our mini-skirted cheer girls, were led by our team manager to our allotted places to watch a local team demonstrate how the games should be played.
This was our moment of truth; it soon became evident that the Europeans had been trained to perfection for these games and approached them in an almost professional manner. Little wonder the singing was not with quite the same enthusiasm as we returned to our hotel.
However, spirits were soon revived by our team manager and

lunch; we were all determined to do our best, which, when competing against professional sportsmen, roller skating, skiing and crossbow champions, was going to have to be extremely good.
Our team also boasted champions, although somehow they were not in quite the same category as those champs of the Europeans. We had a world champ - wait for it - his prowess was concentrated in eating 1 lb. of cheese quicker than anyone else in the world, unfortunately this rather unique skill was not required for the games. We had however in our ranks, three judo black belt holders, a weight lifting champ, a parachutist, two county tennis players, the Lakes ski champion, a sprinter who had run for Lancashire and many more athletes in their own right, all of which intended to do their utmost for Kendal.
Limited practice was allowed that evening with short periods of time (approx. fifteen minutes) allocated to each team; various problems were encountered and muscles were put to the test, although thanks to the rigorous training we had undergone since February, no serious mishaps occurred.
Tactics were decided upon that evening and after the usual `refreshments' and sing-song at the local, everyone retired for the night feeling a little apprehensive about the forthcoming games, fortunately the quantity of alcohol consumed induced a deep peaceful sleep.
By Tuesday everyone was convinced they had a deep continental tan, but again in reality, our genuinely pink English skins were put to the test as we were taken on a trip up the Weisenstein mountain by a chair lift. The hotel on the mountain top commanded a magnificent view of the Cantons of Switzerland and also of the Alps.