Chapter 27. Trance Dance - Visualistion - Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace 1967Thursday 4th December 2025. I wrote some important emails this morning, booked a holiday and went to the gym for two hours, a record. I use the ski trainer, pull two handles together and pretend your skiing, or as
Lambo uses it, pull the handles alternatively, with his back to the machine, sporting
his new headphones with Paul VanDyke trance music playing at 140 bpm. He thinks
he is on the dance floor, looks silly but I can’t help but love him. After all,
he is the left eye, I am the right and it would be madness to fight. We come as one.
After half an hour, his second wind arrives, the pain
subsides and Lambo is in the zone with eyes closed. His feet bounce ever so
slightly off the floor. He visualises he is coming off the bend in
the 200m final those 57 years ago when he was known as Slam (junior). Lets go back in time.
Crystal Palace Athletics Stadium August 1967
Crystal Palace is an area in
south London, England, named after the Crystal Palace Exhibition building which
stood in the area from 1854 until it was destroyed by fire in 1936.
Approximately 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Charing Cross, it includes one of
the highest points in London, at 367 feet (112 m), offering views over the
capital. … After the Crystal Palace burned down in 1936, the site of the
building and its grounds became Crystal Palace Park, the location of the
National Sports Centre which contains an athletics track, stadium and other
sports facilities.” [Wikipedia]
Slam was a very fast runner. He entered a popular Athletics day at Saville Park Castleford and won the 100 and 220 yards. he entered the Yorkshire championships and won. He won loads of toasters, kettles, clocks and Irons. In Station Lane Featherstone was a newsagents called Dransfields, a family business passed down three generations already. You could order magazines which Slam did. Athletics weekly advertised the AAA U15 national championships being held at the end of August, at Crystal Palace, by post. His application was rejected by letter, saying he needed to be a member of an associated club. Alan Jubb, his PE teacher phoned them up and said, ‘Colin (slam) Lambert wears the vest of Normanton Grammar school which is affiliated to the Yorkshire AAA. Please let him take part in your championships.”
The finals programme said, ‘Colin
Lambert , unattached, when listing the names for the heats. His dad drove to
Crystal Palace, the first job was to find a B&B. Big old Victorian house
with a tiny room on the third floor. Slam breezed through the heats. First job
on day two was to find a B&B without screaming and banging, above, below and
down the corridor, throughout the night. His semi-final went like this:
Eight lanes.
Lane 1. Slam never understood the ‘black and white
minstrel show’, but now he was in awe.
He had never seen a black person, in the flesh - up close and personal,
before. A shiny, blue and red, tracksuit, kit bag with Birchfield Harries
emblazoned on both sides. He looked
seriously quick and powerful
Lane 2. same as above, but Thames
Valley AC. He kept practising starts, running 10 steps, prancing about like he
was a ballet dancer, then nonchalantly walking back.
Lane 3. A total poser, stripping
off, laying his kit, very neatly, by his designer bag with Gateshead Harriers
embroidered everywhere.
Lane 4. This one kept taking a deep breath, clenching
both fists, staring at everyone else, whilst grunting ‘yes, yes’ to himself.
Another Birchfield Harrier.
Lanes, 5, 6 and 7, were just
scary. The elite (Under 15’s) of UK
athletics.
Lane 8. A very odd-looking lad
with a baggy tracksuit a duffel bag. Our
very own, Lad from Featherstone with Normanton Grammar School colours and badge
across his off white vest.
Slam won his semi-finals, came
third in both finals (11.3 and 22.7 seconds) and took home two Bronze medals
And the point I am making is:
Life is an adventure, take it
when you can.
Colin
Ps. Early start tomorrow as Lambo
taking us on a luxy tour to London.
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