Welcome once again to the “ups & downs” of a professional sportsman! September has been interesting to put it mildly, and was filled with many highs but unfortunately a couple of lows too.

I am starting this month’s newsletter with disappointment that I didn’t get into the Travis Perkins event at Woburn and it was quite crucial that I needed to play at that event for peace of mind considering my Order of Merit situation this season. On the tour so far I have been incredibly fortunate that either through skill, my ranking from 2015 or by luck of getting an odd invite to play all bar two events on our 2016 schedule. Despite the fact I have been warned by an official at the tour school that it was unlikely I would get any starts after finishing 28th on the OoM in 2015, but as I say for a variety of reasons I have managed to get in most events so far, and have only relied on one invite to date (the max you are allowed is three in a season apparently) to be able to play most of the events to be 15th currently on the 2016 OoM. 
It was disappointing that I didn’t play Woburn as I was first reserve going into the week itself. I was able to stand on the tee for three hours with the hopes that someone might pull out, but nobody did…. until the second day when two guys pulled out after playing only 1 round! It was particularly frustrating as it was the golf course where I was given my first break on the Senior Tour back in 2010 (finishing tied 3rd that year!), and I believe the course suits me pretty well. But you have to dust yourself off, put these things behind you and accept that sometimes the fates don’t always align the way you want them to.

Every cloud has a silver lining though so they say and not playing at Woburn meant that that I was able to plan in advance for France (the next event of the EST schedule) which took place the following week. For France I was able to get in on my category (…eventually) as a number of guys pulled out late which is further proof that this season has very much been a case of ‘suck it & see’ in regards how things would work out for me.

So Monday, September 5th I headed off to Paris in preparation for the inaugural Paris Legends Championship and we were lucky that the weather was decent the entire week. The Le Golf National course is where the Ryder Cup is due to take place in 2018, and it is what I regard as being an “edgy” course to play for all but the most confident players. You stand on a lot of shots with water imposing either off the tee shot or for the second shot or sometimes both – water is without a doubt the most psychological hazard to have in the game, like out of bounds I suppose… but more dramatic!

I found a method that week which allowed me to play well and by the end allowed me to shoot 69, 72, 69, finishing in tied 6^th place which was of course a great result and got me back up the order of merit as I’ve said which is the key thing. If I manage to finish the season in the top 20 or at least the cusp of 20th I should find myself playing every event next year without any of the issues I’ve had to deal with this year. The most frustrating thing about that finish in France was that I am just one place out of being automatically selected for the next event (Italy) which I am currently 2nd reserve for which just shows that a few clumsy bogeys at the wrong time have cost me my secured place in Italy.

Of course I was pleased to get another top 10 in Paris that is the fourth this season in eight starts. I reflect sometimes on the season so far and considering the immense pressure I have been under to perform I am pleased that I have “bucked the trend” for what is expected of someone in the difficult circumstances that I find myself in, and regardless of the eventual outcome I’m proud of myself for getting the potential opportunity of securing my playing status for next year come Christmas.

Obviously I am a couple events down on quite a few players around and above me and yet I have still been able to play competitively, but overall the Paris trip was superb, the course is a great test of golf and it was a great experience to play the Ryder Cup course. I will now know intimately how it is all going to feel come 2018. I am already looking forward to playing it again next year. I will certainly remember the experience for a long time though, and would recommend to anyone the pleasure of visiting the course in the coming years.

I then got back to the UK on the following Monday morning and went straight to play a Charity Pro/Am organised by Andrew Murray at Stockport Golf Club. I played with a nice bunch of guys that day and individually I managed to finish 3^rd with a -2 score which I was pleased with too as I’d never played the course before (…and was pretty tired after the previous 36 hours exertions too!). The course is an excellent test for any level of player, and was is great condition too.

The event was the 25^th Andrew has organised which in itself is quite something, and was in aid of a number of charities. Through the player’s participation and a silent auction we all helped raise over £10,000 for these charities that sit closely to Andrew’s heart.

I really enjoy supporting charity events where possible, and I was honoured to be a part of this one at Stockport GC but it rounded up a very busy long weekend of travelling and early mornings for me, so welcomed a few days rest afterwards.

It is extremely important to allow for a bit of R&R to recharge your batteries and let the “pressure filled cooker” of tour golf settle somewhat. I have been under intense scrutiny to achieve recently and was perhaps in danger of potentially burning myself out if I wasn’t careful, so I was glad to get home eventually.

On Saturday 17^th September I played at the Windermere Pro/Am and as part of a team, who were members of Carus Green, I was able to help them win the event by three shots which was quite a triumph considering the number of teams that day. Individually I finished tied 9^th and I felt a twinge of disappointed about that because if it hadn’t of been for my bad finish on the last couple of holes I could have possibly made the top 3. However the team morale was great to be a part of, and I was pleased to have contributed quite significantly to the overall team win.

My next news was that, as many of you may know I have in the past suffered with several issues of skin cancer which has meant I have had four operations to treat it…. like a number of golf pros. Luckily they are always caught in the very early stages so are never too serious, but I must still be very careful.

On Tuesday 20^th I travelled to Market Harborough in Leicestershire where my specialist is based to have my six-monthly skin check-up, and I’m delighted to report back to you all that I have been given the all clear without any treatment required for the first time for many years!  My consultant and I are pleased that the precautions I take are obviously working! I am grateful for the Tilly hats that I have helped shield me from the sun and also PAR skincare products. PAR is a Swiss company that produce a technically high quality sun lotion which I take to every tournament. between those and the fact I keep covered up with compression vests etc I have not had anything really serious to deal with in the past few years. Once again though I must reinforce the message that it is important that you are very careful in the sun! In the past I have also worked with the charity’ Skcin’ to help raise awareness of the importance of sun protection hence my knowledge of the dangers.

Just to tie up this months report I was privileged to compete in the Highlands 54 hole Pro/Am played over three wonderful courses, Nairn, Castle Stuart and Royal Dornoch. It’s a long way to play…. five hours plus drive even from Kendal! However it is all worth it when you arrive there to play three of the better courses Scotland has to offer. I’d not played Castle Stuart before, but was stunned just how spectacular the views actually are looking out over the water. It’s a clever design too utilising some wonderful topography along the coastline there... well worth a visit ladies and gentlemen. Royal Dornoch is celebrating its 400th anniversary, and is also a fantastically picturesque course, and finally one of my favourite venues Nairn where I played a memorable winning Walker Cup match back in 1999.

As for the event itself? Well I had a great team which finished 7th despite some very difficult weather conditions which meant that the event was reduced to 36 holes, and individually I was also 7th so that made the trip worthwhile for the experience if nothing else!   

As a round-up of the month I am keeping pretty fit, and preparing now for the next event (Italy) which I’m reserve for. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will get into that as I can’t really afford to miss another event or else I am at risk of getting further overtaken and losing my current place in the Order of Merit…. so I’ll be reporting on that next month. Many of the players have commented on how well I have done under the tricky circumstances. I am really pleased that considering I have carried an injury with me for the previous four years I have survived quite well as a professional.

The results I have achieved so far would not be as good I’m sure without the ongoing help I have had from various sponsors. This month I have been further supplied with magnetic products through a brand called Bioflow. There wristbands help improve blood flow, reduce inflammation and restore the body’s own natural pH levels which I have successfully utilised for a number of years now.

I have also been using for the past few months Max Golf Protein drinks and bars which have significantly helped with my durability and energy I believe throughout rounds of golf and hopefully that will prove to be yet another benefit that will continue far into the future.

Lastly I want to mention ACCRA Golf Shafts. I have recently arranged to go down to their head office in Chelmsford to find out how I can maximise my performance utilising their high tech equipment and have made arrangements to do testing to help benefit me in the long run. ACCRA produce some of the best golf shafts in the world, so I am definitely looking forward to that trip! 

Unfortunately there are big gaps in my schedule between France and Italy, and then Italy to Mauritius which is difficult to manage as well as keep your game sharp, but somehow I have to tackle that and finish solidly for ultimately a successful campaign with some luck in 2016!

I look forward to checking in with you all again next month.

All the best,
Gary 

The sun is finally starting to shine giving us all the taste of summer that we have been waiting for since May, and July did not only bring some sun but also a very hectic schedule for me!

I started the month at the Swiss Senior Open at the famed Golf club Bad Ragaz, one of my absolute favourite golfing destinations on our tour. I always feel comfortable on the Bad Ragaz course, and each year I feel as if this “comfort zone” puts me in great stead to give me the opportunity to do well. This year was no exception to that with me shooting 69, 66 and 67 for a 5^th place which was only two shots behind the eventual winner Tim Thelen. That was a bit frustrating because realistically I feel that I should have won that tournament. I seemed to leave plenty of shots out there over the three days, and certainly didn’t make all the putts that perhaps I could or should have done…. but that’s golf of course. Despite the slight disappointment I was still delighted to achieve another top 10 on the course which has become something of a habit since I first played the event back in 2011!

I am delighted that I have been able to maintain the improvement I have worked hard for since the end of 2015 at the Tour Championship. The more successful finishes I get the better chance I have of securing myself a much more stable position for next year on the Senior Tour after the uncertainty of 2016 due to the new system employed by the tour this year. I put much of this improvement down to the switch of equipment returning to the excellent Ping “G” clubs which I believe have made me much more consistently competitive.  

After Switzerland I dashed down to Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire for the Pure Retirement Golf Day in association with the Age Partnership. I am extremely fortunate that Age Partnership sponsor me through my friend Andrew Thirkill, so I wanted to give something back to them for their generosity and support this year. I had a great time on the course with the various Pure guests and made a speech outlining my career to date as well as answering general golfing questions the guests had. Nailcote is such a great venue for corporate entertaining, and the sun even made an appearance for us which always makes such a difference to the success of any corporate day.

I then immediately had to leave early the next day to catch my flight to Germany for the next stop on the Senior Tour at WINSTONgolf, which is an amazing venue just a short distance from Baalbek in Eastern Germany. The owner of the club Mr Pon is one of the wealthiest men in Holland and has created two courses at the venue where they have two very different designs. One with lots of undulations…. an inland links design, and quite a different test of skill from the other more traditional tournament venue next door. I played quite decently on a course that perhaps didn’t quite suit my game, but still feel that had I had the time to prepare more then it could have been another top ten finish instead of 21st…. shooting 72, 73, 71. The hospitality though as with Switzerland was excellent, so a big thanks to Mr Pon for putting on such a great event yet again. I am hopeful that I will be able to improve on that result next year having now had experience of the very challenging conditions of this unique course.

The schedule lately as you might appreciate has been pretty brutal for me, and after having relatively little on for a couple of months just prior the season starting…. it then became all of a sudden incredibly frenetic. With this in mind I had to work hard with my physio in order to maintain my physicality which, generally speaking has been pretty good so far this year. It’s like anything though, you have to continue to work hard on it to achieve what you want to achieve, so I am hopeful that my current level of fitness will continue, and therefore the quality of my performances! Success is undoubtedly all about attention to every possible detail that you can imagine to hopefully help you as a competitor be better than the rest…. certainly I’ve tried to think of everything leaving “…few stones” unturned.

After Germany I then had the opportunity to go to Gainsborough in Lincolnshire to visit the Ping team to “tweak” my current equipment. Geoff Waddington and the club technicians in the tour department there have, I hope, helped iron out those very slight issues I’ve had with odd clubs in the bag…. and as ever I’m looking for the “Holy Grail” of drivers too, and just maybe we’ve found a combination which might give me an edge in the rest of the season (fingers crossed!)  

Following that trip I went straight down to London for an opportunity to renew my association with Sky Sports Golf to cover the highlights of The Open Championship at the wonderful Royal Troon which I had been looking forward to as I anticipated that it would be a brilliant Championship at one of the country’s leading venues. This year’s Open Championship turned out to be even more of an amazing event to watch than even I could have guessed. Having known Henrik Stenson from my amateur days, it was great to see him go on to win a major at last…. and of course I commiserate with Phil Mickelson as well for such a stout effort in win the championship once again. With both men equalling the major championship’s record round of 63, and Henrik breaking the scoring record for 72 holes in an Open and winning it was truly a spectacular week of golf…. in many ways shades of Turnberry in 1977 with Watson battling Nicklaus all the way to the 18th, another exceptional spectacle in the great championship! It was exciting to be involved with such a prestigious Championship, “blanket covered” for the first time by Sky Sports, and to see all the innovations that have been brought in for the first time to enhance the coverage further.

The schedule then increased in intensity once again as I had to get home from London to then drive the same day all the way to Carnoustie Golf Club for the British Senior Open on the east coast of Scotland near Dundee. Before the championship I managed to get some practice in on the Tuesday and Wednesday, but of course was extremely tired from the exertions of the previous few weeks and my preparation was far from what it should have been for such a major Championship. However these things happen, so I had to try to make the most of the opportunity presented having been exempted from pre- qualifying for the Senior Open from my position on last year’s order of merit. Despite the fatigue I really enjoyed the Carnoustie golf club, it is a wonderfully tough golf course. After a bit of a shaky opening round of 75, I was able to get a 71 (-1) for the second round which got me through the cut comfortably enough. I was then drawn to play with the great Tom Watson. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of playing with Tom who I have actually played with before at the US masters back in 2004. It was great to be reacquainted with him and it is always an ambition I suppose for any golfer to meet their heroes of the past, and certainly Tom is a true legend of the game. I played poorly that day, but limited the damage to 74 birdying the last which is a feat in itself if you know the course!  The final day was thankfully successful though playing some of the best golf I’ve played tee to green for many years. I shot 69 which pulled me up to 27th place from 49th … to the outside world it may not sound particularly good but, had I putted as well as I played that day I think I could have even achieved a course record of 64 hitting all but two greens in regulation. I was however delighted to finish on a high note, cementing myself at 11th on the tour’s current order of merit. Hopefully I can continue to play well and secure myself a fully exempt place on next year’s tour by finishing inside the top twenty. I would also like to take this time to give my sincere congratulations to fellow Champions of Golf Professional Paul Broadhurst who claimed the title at Carnoustie. It was an amazing result and I am really pleased for him. Having played with him in Jersey I could see how well he was playing then, but that week he didn’t quite have it all together, but to see it all come together at Carnoustie was a credit to him as a player. It is always an inspiration to see somebody that I have known for so many years go on to win a major championship title.  

July ended on a high with the return of the Farmfoods British Par 3Championship which has become an amazing tournament built up over the last few years by all concerned into a genuine championship with my friend Eric Herd putting up a mammoth €150,000 prize fund to help attract many top players from various tours to participate.  I have to start by mentioning how simply outstanding the Cromwell Course’s condition was at Nailcote this year, it is the best I have seen it in the seven or so years I have been playing there. The hospitality and organisation at the event was also second to none which all the participants last week would agree. With the golf course at Nailcote you have to have a little good fortune to be truly successful, but most of all you have to be fully on top of your short game and extremely focused too. Unfortunately I wasn’t quite at that point on the Wednesday, and I was a little disappointed with my first round as I finished +1 which was comparatively well down the field. On the Thursday however my game certainly improved as I finished -2 (-1 overall) for 8th place in the stellar field, and was a lot happier with the round if not the end result.

I want to extend huge congratulations to Mark Mouland on his success, course record and overall win at this year’s Farmfoods British Par 3 Championship.

I was grateful to once again take part in such a well organised event which also doubled up as great preparation for the next run of tournaments coming up in August - fingers crossed. 

There are five tournaments left of this year’s European Senior Tour schedule prior to the season ending Tour Championship in Mauritius, and I will be looking to successfully prove myself in those… although there is no guarantee that I’ll get a start in every event with the current selection system making my participation very uncertain sadly. It will be interesting to see if I am able to maintain the high standard that I have set myself so far in 2016 for the rest of the season should I be fortunate enough to get the starts as I’ve said. However before that I am looking forward to a little downtime at home up in the Lake District… although I’ll still be working on my game never fear!

On a more local note Carus Green my home club is in the midst of constructing the new proshop and various other facilities to extend the amenities available to visitors and members alike…. and with the course being in the best condition too since Graham Curtin took over as owner things are certainly looking excellent for everyone associated with Carus Green!

Best wishes to you all, and good luck with your own golf!

Gary 

Hello once again, and welcome to my monthly newsletter for May.

The month started with me getting things together in preparation for the impending start to the Senior Tour…. at last I hear you cry! I travelled up to North Berwick earlier in the month to visit my long-standing friends in that area, and get some concerted practice and golf on some of the country’s best links. I played seven rounds in seven days as well as using the excellent practice ground at North Berwick itself.

I started by playing a wonderfully fun course, Kilspindie which has great views over the Firth of Forth and Edinburgh. It’s certainly a course I’d recommend to anyone to play, and I enjoyed an excellent round there in perfect conditions. I then played North Berwick…. one of my absolute favourite courses anywhere before playing another hidden gem in Luffness New. Gullane No.2 was next which I feel is rather forgotten being beside so many other great courses in the area - it is a sterling test regardless of the weather, and also has brilliant views of the surrounding area too which is an added bonus of course. Another round at the redoubtable North Berwick was followed by a short trip down the road into Edinburgh for the next test of my trip at the parkland course of Duddingston which was a sheltered delight with tree lined fairways, and a good view of Arthur’s Seat, a local landmark. Finally I ended the week with a challenge match off the back tees at North Berwick against a local ex Walker cup star Grant Forrest – a man I believe has big potential for the future. It was a tight affair where I eventually prevailed 1up, but could have gone either way. I was very impressed with the big hitting Grant, and will be watching his progress into the future with interest.     

Anyway I finally got my European Senior Tour season underway last week at the SSE Enterprise Wales Senior Open at the Celtic Manor Resort on the Roman Road course… a venue which has staged various tour events over the years. It was visually stunning in the excellent weather, and although I finished in a somewhat disappointing 31^st place it was a decent performance in many ways. I started with a very frustrating 76 which rather belied some very good golf in truth, but of course golf is about the bottom line and the score was as bad as it could have been! Things improved though in round two with a much better round of 71 which despite the improvement still had way too many “silly” mistakes but was in context an encouraging improvement. Finally to close with a 68 was pleasing, but it should have been at least three better…. I take away some positives though, and hope that things can be made tighter in the forthcoming events I play on the tour and elsewhere in the coming months.

I would though like to congratulate Lianwei Zhang for becoming the first Chinese winner on the Senior Tour, finishing with a superb final round of 62 which was quite remarkable considering the difficulties the course presented that week. I’d also like to mention fellow Champions of Golf pro Paul Broadhurst who continued his fantastic form on the tour from last season to finish in runner-up position with an impressive nine under par, and another Ryder Cup star David Gilford who also finished strongly too.

It was good to get some truly competitive golf under my belt and next up I have the Acorn Jersey Open to take part in so hopefully I can get some momentum going after playing well in the final couple of rounds in Wales. I’m also looking forward to participating in Open Qualifying later in the month at Fairhaven…. so we’re really starting to get moving in playing terms finally. After a long time with a lack of competitive golf, it’s a relief I can tell you.

Frustratingly there’s still a great deal of uncertainty with regards as to how many events I’ll be able to play in this season though due to the changes this year for the Senior Tour exemptions, my team and I are working extremely hard to make sure I can keep playing with as much regularity as is possible though and hopefully get into a decent run competitively. 

As always, I’ve been spending plenty of time around Carus Green as the weather conditions are finally starting to genuinely improve now (….Summer at last!) and I can get out on course with more regularity. I mention them every month but it really is a pleasure to be involved with such a forward-thinking club with facilities that are unrivalled by most other clubs in the country. We stage one of the most prestigious events on the North Region PGA calendar in June, and I will be trying to be a standard bearer for the club as one of the local men competing so that should be fun too…. no pressure then by the other staff at the club?!

I’d also like to give a mention to Island Green who produce functional, technical and casual golf clothing for men and women using modern styling, fabrics and printing techniques. We’re currently in talks for them to become my new clothing supplier for 2016 which would be another positive step and any new partnerships are always more than welcome. Talking of new associations I have enjoyed trying a new sports tonic Max Golf Protein drink which I think many people would benefit from trying while playing. If you get the chance check out the product as it’s not only good for you it actually tastes good too!

I was sad to see that Muhammad Ali passed away last week. He was a true sporting icon whom I grew up watching on TV, and realise now how incredible he was not only as a sporting legend but also as a wonderful human being. He will be sorely missed by many millions of people…. it reminded me of my own personal story of Ali back in 1999 when I was at the BBC Sports Personality of The Year programme. Ali was awarded Sportsman of the Century…. quite rightly, and I will never forget the aftermath of that program there that night. All of the leading lights of British sport were attending as well as a smattering of top athletes from the rest of the world too…. quite awe-inspiring really thinking of it now, but despite the reputations of all these sportspeople from many different disciplines, they completely surrounded Ali ten or fifteen deep in only what I can describe as almost a “religious” hushed reverence. They just wanted to shake his hand or touch his arm - it was an incredible moment in all our lives that night. Even now as I think back on that moment I doubt that there will be many another sportspeople, celebrities or world leaders for that matter who will ever command that sort of respect of their fellow peers. Gandhi, or Nelson Mandela certainly did…. but a sportsman? It was an inspirational night for me, and I feel truly privileged to have been there.       

Well that’s about it from me this month my friends – I’ll keep you updated on my progress as the season unfolds. A big thanks to all my sponsors and supporters alike once again – your ongoing support is invaluable to me and it keeps my reason for being a competitive sportsman alive & kicking :-) Thank you!

All the very best,

Gary

Welcome to my newsletter for October. It’s been a busy month for me, both in my golfing and my personal life, and I’ve also been trying to do a great deal of planning for the future.

With the European Senior Tour drawing to a close, players were doing their utmost at the Riviera Masters at the beginning of the month to secure a good finish and propel themselves up the Order of Merit – myself included of course! Before heading to Terra Blanche, I was feeling quietly confident as this is an event in which I’ve achieved a good deal of success in the past. Unfortunately the terrible weather had made the course play a mile long, which as you’re probably aware, is not exactly ideal for my game these days!

After arriving in Provence early to give me the best chance of success, the first round was cancelled due to the torrential rain, and we were very fortunate to get the second round completed as the weather closed in again. It was certainly some of the worst stormy conditions I’ve ever experienced in Europe and you may have seen some of the terrible scenes from that area of France on the news.

Despite the conditions being extremely challenging, my rounds of 75 and 73 were disappointing and I’d hoped to achieve a great deal better in order to move up the Order of Merit as we reach the crux of the season. However I’m now heaping the pressure on a massive performance out in Mauritius for the Tour Championship…. so wish me luck!

Upon returning home, much of my time has been taken up looking for a new home, as well as buying a new car – the Honda CRV 4x4 and trying to sort out finally my computer and broadband needs on into the future…. quite a task all in all, but should keep me busy that’s for sure. Hopefully, everything will be sorted out fairly soon though to give me a good basis as I finish off this season and plan for the years ahead.

Speaking of forward-thinking, I’ve been looking at my pension arrangements, will and finances etc through St James’s Place who are helping me to try to get everything in order. Though these things may seem mundane, I appreciate that they are very important for the future…. so I’m hoping to achieve all these things as soon as possible.

I’ve also been looking at my equipment issues utilising all the latest computerised technology to try to find out how to maximise my potential through the next five years in particular on course. I have a number of targets that I’d like to achieve and getting the best equipment for me personally is absolutely crucial. Also my physiology needs addressing too after the numerous injuries I’ve had to cope with in the previous four years in particular, and with help I think I can improve my athleticism for the game to hopefully reduce the problems of the recent years of back trouble I’ve suffered while also still trying to improve my technique with my coaches.

All in all this has added up to being a very busy month, and the ‘clock is ticking’ for the final event of the Senior Tour in Mauritius where I will attempt to give myself a smooth transition into 2016 and beyond.

To finish the month I played in the Eligo Invitational Pro/Am in the Algarve with a good friend of mine Maurice Cotter, who is heavily involved with Carus Green where I’m based these days. He is a partner to Graham Curtin who owns and is developing the fantastic facilities up here in Cumbria at Carus. Maurice is an ex rugby player who has adopted golf with a passion, and we played hard…. but in the end came up just short in collecting a prize in the team event. In the individual event I finished 9th which was a little disappointing after a good start, but this was an excellent chance to see where my game is going in preparation for the Tour Championship in December. Finishing -5, four behind eventual the winner shows some progress. Now I need to continue with my preparations, and hope the improvement continues.

Next month I’m looking forward to an opportunity to work for Sky Sports doing a week’s coverage of the US PGA Tour’s start of their “wrap around” season over in the States. Doing punditry with Sky Sports is something I really enjoy, and hope in the future to do much more with them. It would help hugely if you all could send some support of my work with Sky via the internet in one form or another as they take notice of the public’s “likes and dislikes”. Many thanks for anything you can do in this respect.     

As always I’d also like to thank all my sponsors, advisors, supporters and well-wishers – your continuing support and encouragement certainly means a great deal to me, and is why I keep trying to push myself to do the best I can.

Gary