Groom Team England represented our country in the World Championships in September this year. It is an amazing experience to be a part of something so great and, as such, two of our 2010/11 members are sharing their memories of this exciting weekend with you.

Jitka Krizova – Groom Team England member - 2009/10 and 2010/11

The 2011 World Championships was my second as a member of Groom Team England and I was delighted that it was to be held practically on the door step in Belgium. Still a journey of some distance but much easier than the mammoth trek to Germany two years ago!

This year the Championships was held as part of the Groomania weekend; one of the largest grooming competitions in Europe. There are many opportunities there to attend seminars, do some shopping and plenty of socialising with friends and acquaintances old and new!

We arrived in Belgium on Thursday night and after a good night sleep spent the next day relaxing and seeing the sights. There was a lot of fun and laughter had by all but there was still the nerves, excitement and butterflies mixed up with a whole lot of adrenaline reminding us of what the following days were to bring. Competing as a Groom Team member isn’t just taking part in a competition but comes with the huge responsibility of wanting to do our absolute best and not let the rest of the team down!

Although this year some of the countries had not competed before, the competition was very strong and the level of professional grooming was very high. As a competitor, during the competition,  I was unable to see the work going on around me which enabled me to focus on my own grooming skills; probably a good thing as looking around afterwards I saw some amazing work!

At the end of the day we had achieved a very respectable 5^th Place and our competitive spirit is now spurring us on to work even harder towards a higher place at the next World Championships in 2013. Bring it on!!

Heidi Anderton – Groom Team England member 2010/11

As one of the Groom Team Members for 2010-2011, it has been an honour and enjoyable experience to compete for England in the 2011 World Team Championships. 

A huge amount of time and preparation went into fund-raising, organising, booking accommodation, dog passports and uniforms etc, by the team and the organisers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them because without their initiative and hard work there would be no Groom Team England. It was great to get to know the other team members and organisers better during the trip and to share the understanding of how hard we all work to attain our goals. Travelling in convoy with the team and all the supporters was a lot of fun making the journey a whole lot more enjoyable; a good time was had by all.

The competition was held in Kortrijk, Belgium, which was easy to get to and not too far away, although it’s always a challenge to drive on the other side of the road. I met up with a lot of old friends at the competition and made some new ones too. 

A lot of groomers came over to support us which was brilliant, they were decorated with England flags and hats and were cheering us on which really helped to calm the nerves. I would like to thank them all for this and encourage anyone else thinking of coming along to support the next team for the 2013 championships to do just that. 

The highlight of the Competition for me was the group photos at the beginning and all the teams lined up in their uniforms, it was incredibly exciting and the atmosphere was electric. Of course I was really proud of the team getting placed 5^th out of 15 countries; the standard was very high as the teams were made up of the top groomers from each country. This in itself reflects the quality of grooming delivered by the England team. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on Groom Team England and taking my whole career into account this must be one of the best experiences I have had. I would advise all competitive groomers and those who want to continue their learning, that if they are giving the opportunity to join the team, they take it! It is one not to be missed! 

I look forward to supporting England at the next World Championships and have every confidence that they will continue to grow.