She was a little wild – did crazy things. I remember her competing in France after a foot injury and she was limping on the runway, but determined to compete. When she first came to Cardiff, I discovered she was even more competitive than my original perception. She was also shy and quiet...that has all changed over the last four years!The words of Scott Simpson, the coach who has been taming, nurturing, calming, patching up, firing up, and ultimately supporting GBs pole vaulting queen Holly Bradshaw.Part of the job is listening to her gripes when travelling together. Bradshaw describes her coachs penchant for gangster rap music as bad taste. Does he mind such stinging criticism from his star pupil?Its a constant source of ridicule for me. But I dont care. I like what I like and if other people cant get on board with that, then they suffer on long car journeys!This is a relationship that will survive its musical feuds. Their bonding has developed since the 25-year-old Sky Academy Sports Scholar got fed up with commuting between the UK and USA after the 2012 London Olympics and settled in Cardiff to work with her new coach. Scott and Holly have hit back after a sixth place at London 2012 Its a brutally honest, analytical, open partnership that has overcome debilitating injuries, fall-outs in the heat of major competitions in China and is now moving swiftly on from mild irritation at not making the Rio podium to planning on ruling the world with a mixture of graft and giggles.Before she came to Cardiff, she was a young, talented vaulter on a super-fast development curve. Raw talent, very competitive, a gifted natural vaulter, says Simpson, also the Head of Coaching and Performance for Welsh Athletics.She has grown in many ways. She is much more professional in her approach to her career - she sees it as her profession now rather than something that was just fun to do and that she was good at. Check out Hollys Rio Olympics video diary This is shown off the track, like her lifestyle parameters, as opposed to during training. She is also far more open with her communications and listens to her body more. Her decision making is constantly improving and she is becoming a well-rounded world class athlete.Bradshaws journey includes a sixth finish at London 2012, gold at the 2013 European Indoor Championships and back surgery knocking her out for 18 months. She hit back with seventh at last years World Championships in Beijing, got injured again in January and arrived at the Rio Games with only two months of preparation.Physically tip-top, but lacking vaulting practice, Holly just failed at 4.80m in the Olympic final and missed out on a medal. It was a stuttering Rio build-up but becoming British champion was a high-point Its been a tough four years, Simpson adds. Weve spent more months rehabbing than weve trained and prepared to compete. Neither of us have enjoyed that. Weve made mistakes - too many - but I hope weve both learned from them. I am generally pretty optimistic, but realistic, and Ive never thought we cant get through this. Ive worried about Holly at times, because shes taken a lot of blows and set-backs and everyone has a breaking point. Its testimony to her determination that shes stuck with it.Three months before Rio, Holly hadnt picked up a pole in six months. At that stage I dont think either of us knew where it was going to end up - but we both remained optimistic - as always. There was an array of emotions along the journey, but in general, things went from strength to strength.At the holding camp in Brazil, Holly worked hard and I thought for the first time in 12 months since Beijing, that she could win a medal. I think Holly felt the same. The warm-up in qualification was a bit of shambles, but we werent shaken and she qualified with ease. Check out Hollys Rio Olympics video diary She was great in the final. The emotion for us both when she missed at 4.80 was obvious - disappointment and a feeling of what if? She was definitely capable of a 4.80/4.85 that day. It would have been a dream to have won an Olympic medal, but fifth after the journey we had - it was hard to remain disappointed.Simpson says Holly being crowned European indoor champion was one of his favourite memories having just been handed the full coaching reins from Dan Pfaff, and describes being invited to her wedding in 2014 as a privilege.There was one dark cloud in their relationship that quickly blew away in Beijing last summer. He says: Our disagreement after the World Championships will also stay with me for a long time. It was funny how in a moment where we should have been celebrating that we could clash so strongly on something.Simpson says their success is down to a fine balance - focused yet friendly and supportive on the track, while off it their friendship is growing where he is very comfortable in Hollys company. We dont agree on everything and we have different views in some areas of life, but that is fine, Simpson admits. We are learning more about each other every year and learning where the boundaries start and finish. Ready for action in Brazil despite limited chances in competition Im not a slave driver and Im not a dictator. I believe in creating a conducive learning environment. This is different for everyone. Holly is receptive to learning and development when she is relaxed. To create this environment, I do what I need to do. You dont get to a World Class level without working, but I dont make it harder than it needs to be. There are times to build an athletes resilience but there are ways to do that without setting stupid workouts, or acting like an idiot.Next years World Championships on home soil is fast approaching, followed by a Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2018 and the Japanese Olympics in 2020. Whats on the Bradshaw-Simpson radar with winter kicking in?All our focus currently is on the Worlds, Simpson says. Plans are laid out to get us there in the best way possible. If we can travel that journey without too many detours, then I could see her doing very well in London. Beyond that, lets wait and see, but I know Holly is totally committed to winning a medal in Tokyo. Because of the difficulties shes encountered, shes realised that enjoying the good times is a critical part of the journey. Its not always going to go to plan and that is part of the experience.But the moments when it all comes together - thats what makes it all worth it. My hope is that this happens at a major outdoor Championship next summer.WHATS COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS....NOV 14 - 18: Jack Bateson, GB boxing campNOV 20: Quillan Isidore, BMX Winter Nationals, Manchester DEC 9 -11: Elise Christie, World Cup short track speed skating in ShanghaiDEC 16 - 18: Elise Christie, World Cup short track speed skating in Gangneung, South Korea Also See: About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries Custom Panthers Jersey China . White came in fourth place in the event. He was the two-time defending gold medallist. The gold medal went to Swiss snowboarder Iouri Podladtchikov. Custom Panthers Jerseys .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. http://www.customnhlpanthersjersey.com/ . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Wholesale Custom Panthers Shirts . - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is not a fan of his teams use of the wildcat formation, saying "it makes you look like a high school offence. Custom Panthers T-shirts . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. OPELIKA, Ala. -- The case against a man accused of torching one of Auburn Universitys famed oak trees at Toomers Corner is going to a grand jury.The Opelika-Auburn News (http://bit.ly/2dq3Jqn) reported Thursday that a judge sent the case against Jochen Wiest, 29, of Auburn to a grand jury to consider an indictment following a hearing Wednesday.Covering the Toomers oaks with toilet paper after Auburn football victories is a school tradition that had been frustrated after University of Alabama fan Harvey Updyke poisoned the original trees, which were removed and replaced with new oaks in February 2015. This fall was the first season when school officials allowed fans to resume rolling the young trees with the highly flammable paper.Wiest was arrested as flames engulfed one of the young trees after Auburn beat Louisiana State University on Sept. 24.An Auburn student said she saw Weist set fire to the toilet paper, followed him and yelled for help detaining the man until officers arrived. Auburn police detective Michael Creighton testified that Wiest had a lighter on him and was wearing an Auburn hat.ddddddddddddWeist, a German national living in Auburn, is free on bond. He did not attend the hearing and has not entered a plea to the charges, which include public intoxication, criminal mischief and damaging a venerated object. The grand jury could add or change the charges, or decline to indict him for any crimes.Defense lawyer Margaret Brown questioned the charges, saying the Toomers Oaks could not be considered a venerated object under the law because they arent a structure, place of worship, burial or monument.But Prosecutor Jessica Venturi said the trees were considered a monument the second they were installed.District Judge Steven Speakman said the status of the trees was more of a legal question than a factual question.---Information from: Opelika-Auburn News, http://www.oanow.com/ ' ' '