The Olympic qualification journey for the countrys top gymnasts is about to get very interesting. Nate Solder Jersey . The standard has never been higher in the GB squad and Sky Academy Sports Scholar Sam Oldham cannot wait to strut his stuff against his team-mates and rivals in the competitive arena again.Rio is less than five months away and this weekends English Championships and the British Championships in April will go some way to determine who will be on the plane for Brazil.Oldhams Olympic dreams were reignited with a recent trip to Rio, but now the nerves and pressure will crank up. Here are Sams latest thoughts as he prepares for action.....Its finally here! This weekend my competition season gets under way at the English Championships at Loughborough University.Ive spent the last five months preparing for the start of this Olympic year and its been a tough but really motivating process. Oldham (centre left) was in Rio taking in the Olympic facilities in February After the disappointment of picking up small injuries which left me unable to seriously contend for a place on the World Championships team, I took a step back with my coach Sergey to look at the big picture and make some small changes to our training programme.The main thing we decided was that my health needs to come before everything else. It was something at times I sacrificed since making my comeback from my ankle surgery in 2014 after the Commonwealth Games.We went back to basics and built myself back up again to a place where I was healthy and my fitness level was very high. I refreshed my ankle rehabilitation programme and began working on my shoulder stability strength. Oldham has been putting in the hours during the winter and off-season By December my ankle was ready for full training again and I had no pain in my shoulders for the first time in over a year. This was a great platform to start from and I began putting together the routines I wanted to use for 2016.This Olympic year came around and training was really positive. The changes I made to my training schedule meant I stayed healthy with no injury issues throughout January and February. I had the trip to Rio with the GB squad to sample the surroundings which really fuelled my motivation even more. Sam Oldham desperate to get back into the competitive arena I made great progress during this visit and I came home ready to push on towards March and the start of my European team selection campaign.Im really looking forward to getting back into the swing of competition this weekend (poor punch line I know!).Ive had great preparation with my winter training and Im very positive I can hit the ground running. Gymnasts Louis Smith and Sam Oldham discuss the pressures of an Olympics My target for this weekend is to have a solid competition and to compete to the level Ive been training at, no more no less.Next week I fly out to Doha for the second leg of the Apparatus Gymnastics World Cup circuit. So things are really getting going now. Im so excited to get started and motivated to keep working hard.WHATS COMING UP FOR OUR SCHOLARS…MARCH 19: Sam Oldham, English Championships, LoughboroughMARCH 28 - APRIL 3: Jessica Judd, pre-season training in USAAPRIL 9/10: Sam Oldham, British Championships, Liverpool Also See: British Gymnastics About the Scholarship Meet the athletes Blogs Videos Galleries B.J. Hill Jersey . -- Los Angeles Angels outfielder Josh Hamilton will be sidelined for at least two weeks because of a strained calf muscle, and pitcher C. New York Giants Jerseys . - The Washington Redskins have signed free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn.SAN FRANCISCO -- Javier Lopez tested the market just as he wanted to do, then wound up right back where he has become so comfortable at this stage of his career. On Tuesday, the free-agent left-hander finalized his new $13 million, three-year contract to stay with the San Francisco Giants. Lopez agreed to terms on the deal last Thursday, but needed to travel to the Bay Area to undergo his physical before signing the contract. "I feel like I went through the process the way I wanted to, obviously with keeping the Giants in the know and keeping them front and centre in the whole situation," Lopez said. "I did just want to reach out and see what kind of interest there was around the league and gauge the thoughts of my family, but ultimately San Francisco was No. 1 the entire time and thats ultimately how it worked out." He will earn $4 million in both 2014 and 15 and $5 million in 2016. The contract includes up to $500,000 in incentives based on games pitched. The 36-year-old Lopez went 4-2 with a 1.83 ERA in 69 appearances and 39 1-3 innings this year. He just completed an $8.5 million, two-year contract. Keeping Lopez was among the top off-season priorities for general manager Brian Sabean after his club missed the playoffs following its second World Series title in three years during 2012. In fact, Sabean approached Lopez leading up to this summers trade deadline -- when many figured he might be someone the Giants tried to deal -- and expressed his support of the pitcher for not only 2013 but beyond. Will Hernandez Jersey. For Lopez, that gesture meant so much, along with the Giants doing what they could to keep much of the pitching staff together not to mention the entire roster. "I do think that obviously any time youre going into your last year before free agency, the trade deadline does become a barometer not only of what your future is with the club, but what the team thinks of you," Lopez said. "To have Sabean call us all in and tell us he wanted us to continue to be Giants not only this year but going into future, I think that was a big deal, I really do. Ive never had a GM do that before." San Francisco acquired Lopez in a swap that sent John Bowker and Joe Martinez to the Pirates in 2010, and Lopez emerged as a reliable option for manager Bruce Bochy as the club made an improbable run to the citys first World Series championship since moving West in 1958. The signing of Lopez to a multiyear deal gives the Giants two lefties in the bullpen for the next two seasons. Jeremy Affeldt received an $18 million, three-year contract last November. In addition, starters Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain are signed long term, along with 2012 NL MVP and batting champion catcher Buster Posey. Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum landed a $35 million, two-year deal late last month. The Giants had to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Lopez, so left-hander Jose Mijares was outrighted to the minors. He then cleared waivers and chose to become a free agent. Cheap Jerseys 2019Wholesale NFL Autographed JerseysNike NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Nike NFL JerseysCheap Nike NFL JerseysDiscount NFL JerseysWholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '