Lynn McCafferty's journey towards London 2012 has pulled her in all directions.

The Great Britain handball captain could scarcely have predicted where her sporting career would take her and she still does not know how many twists and turns there may yet be along the way.

Her journey started out exactly four years ago when she attended GB trials and managed to get through to the full-time training base in Denmark.

She - and her sport - has endured a significant budget cut and there have been uncertain times but, now playing with Italian second division side SSV Brixen, the parameters may have blurred but her vision has not changed.

"Looking back to when I started, I always knew I had a lot to improve on, the way I played handball in Scotland was completely different from the way I had to play to be able to train with teams in Denmark," she recalls.

"Everything changed - my passing, defending, my timing, you name it everything about handball got stripped back to basics and I had to start again.

"Now, I would say I know so much more about handball and I know where I need to be for the team and what I need to do this. Over the last four years, I have slowly crossed things off my list to get where I am today.  "I am still not the player I would like to be but I still have two years to work very hard on this."

As she prepared to face Iceland at the start of this month in European Championship qualifiers, McCafferty points out that the financial cutbacks imposed by UK Sport after the economic downturn hit the squad hard.

"As individuals, we lost all the financial support that we were receiving and as a team we had to lose a few camps where we would be together which of course is very important," she points out.

"But we managed to fight on and continue to show great progress which helped us receive some more funding from UK Sport in December 2009.

"The economic situation has affected handball in many, many countries and has in turn made it more difficult for us to be able to get contracts that can help us financially."

The move to Italy was a change in approach from Scandinavia but she believes it can only enhance her all-round game.

"I had to adapt to a very different style of handball but in the position I play it's a good thing," she maintains.

"I have been able to fit into the team and the way they play but also bring in some of my own experiences so there has been a good compromise.  "I am still unsure how I am progressing in Italy - it's very hard for me to decide this or to look at myself and judge my own performance but I hope it has been a positive experience for my handball and for the squad."

With the squad now scattered throughout Europe, there is not the same time for the GB team to bond as a unit but it may also bring new dimensions to the team.

"It was good at the start when we were together but when we had to separate, it also worked out well as we all developed as individuals which has been good for the team," McCafferty goes on.

"But now coming closer to the Olympics and with many different situations and some bad circumstances with players and clubs our coach would like us to come together as soon as possible.

"We automatically qualify as hosts but ultimately the British Olympic Association decide which sports that will represent Great Britain.

"When we lost the funding, it was a little scary as we knew that maybe the BOA didn't want to put a handballl team in the Olympics to represent GB but now we got some extra funding and it looks more positive.

"I think we have gained a lot of respect along the way as people can see how hard we are working and we are getting more media exposure, especially in Britain, which of course is a massive help with trying to hook the British public to handball.

"We are getting better every match we play and we are learning a lot within each 60 minutes.

"If we can continue they way we are going and being able to compete with better teams, we will be on track for a top eight finish. We are determined to work as hard as we possibly can to achieve these goals we have as a governing body.

"This will then, in turn, help us with the legacy we wish to leave after 2012. Right now there are many more people playing handball so the hard work that the British Handball Association are doing is very positive.

"I want to be able to come back and help coach handball in schools [after 2012]. I hope this will help increase the numbers playing and make a better league."

RM
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