October 2004

Imminent Site Closure Thursday, October 21 2004
It is now almost a year since November 13th 2003 when the first incarnation of the Tamworth Athletic Club Website came online, and now it is soon time to close it down.
On December 3rd 2004 on the evening of the Volunteers party, the brand new site we have been promising for a long while now will make it's debut.
This site will close on Saturday the 13th of November after having served the club well for exactly year to the day.
Anybody who wishes to have input into the new site has until Monday November 1st to get their ideas in, after this date everything will be finalised for the time being.
We hope you have enjoyed using this site as much as we have enjoyed building and maintaining it. We look forward to seeing the new site grow and be even more of a service to the ever growing and acheiving Athletic club it is for.

Martin Summers & Arthur Turner.
Site Administrators.
Posted by:Admin
Another Victory For Williams Monday, October 18 2004
Tamworth AC athlete Mark Williams claimed an impressive victory in the men's 5K Walk at the Dell Stadium.
In blustery conditions, Williams attacked the race early on, taking the lead after 200m and forcing the pace.
The Welsh International opened a lead on the chasing bunch to win by almost 30secs in a very respectable time of 23:35mins.
Williams was back in action later in the meeting, recording the fastest time of 8:49mins in the 2K event.
Posted by:chris
Good Start to Cross Country Season Monday, October 18 2004
The West Midlands Young Athletes cross country league season began on a sunny but windy day at Pype Hayes Park, Birmingham.
21 athletes ran for Tamworth AC and for some of them this was their first real attempt at a full scale cross country competition.Full report on the results/reports page.
Posted by:chris
New 'Reception' Cross Country Group to Start Soon Monday, October 18 2004
The club will be starting a cross country group for boys and girls on Thursday evenings from 5.30 to 6.30pm after October half term. This will be predominately for school years 5, 6, 7 and 8.
Any budding cross country stars who are interested should contact John on 01827 260897 or 287177 or email tamworthac@aol.com for information and leaflet.
Posted by:chris
Coaching at Tamworth AC Monday, October 11 2004
If you are 14 or over why not sign up for the Sportshall Leader's Award and become part of the coaching structure at Tamworth.
Full training will be given.
For those who are 16 and over the club is now looking to identify new Level 1 coaching assistants to join the club coaches led by Andy Day, TAC's coaching coordinator .
For more details on both courses see Andy Day and Chris Graves or phone Tamworth 287177.
Posted by:chris
Reception Squad and Sportshall Update Sunday, October 10 2004
Over 80 young athletes attended the successful starter Reception Squad at Tamworth Athletic Club between May and September this year.
The scheme, which was jointly funded by Active Sports and Tamworth AC, attracted youngsters from all over the town and the surrounding areas and provided the ideal opportunity for them to try out the many athletic disciplines on offer at the club.
The scheme was so successful that the club is considering the feasibility of a permanent Reception Squad to run on both Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5.30-6.30pm when further funding becomes available.
Although the track and field competition season has now finished, athletics hasn't stopped at the club.
The club's juniors and seniors will carry on training and competing throughout the rest of the year in cross country, race walking, road relay and Sportshall Athletics.
Two of the club's best young athletes, Megan Beesley and Nathan Woodward, who have just won their England vests, will be competing in Sportshall Athletics, Cross Country and Indoor athletics during the winter.
Sportshall Athletics, which is starting soon at Tamworth AC, is a modified form of track and field athletics.
It provides an exciting and highly enjoyable competition format and includes most aspects of running, jumping and throwing.
It introduces new activities including innovative relays, speed bounce and the soft javelin, as well as incorporating traditional events such as standing long jump, high jump and shot. The Sportshall competition structure at Tamworth AC is well established and the club is very successful.
Four league competitions are being held on Friday nights in Birmingham over the winter months, followed by regional finals which culminate in the UK National Final held annually in March or April at the NIA.
Posted by:chris
A 5 Star Meeting Saturday, October 2 2004
BROTHERS Daniel and Tom Challis won their events with five star performances at the Banbury Five Star meeting.
Daniel gained a total of 252 points with a time of 12.3secs in the 100m, 25.7secs in the 200m, and 9.14m in the shot.
Tom won all his events in the under-13 boys age group with 13.3secs in the 100m, 27.4secs in the 200m and a jump of 4.75m in the long jump.
Sisters Lauren and Chloe Saunders also picked up five star awards when they competed in the 75m, 100m and long jump events, and Francesca Hughes gained a four star award for her performances in the 100m, long jump and throwing the cricket ball.
Posted by:chris
Inter Regional Vets Match Saturday, October 2 2004
FOUR Tamworth AC athletes, Phil and Sheila Owen, Jim Bartlett and Brian Sumner represented the Midlands in a Inter-Regional veterans match against teams from the north, south and east of England, Wales and Scotland at Luton.
Sheila won the ladies' 2km walk in a fine personal best time of 10:55.7mins and husband Phil completed a family double by winning the javelin with a throw of 37.45m.
Jim Bartlett took second place in the discus with the best throw of the year by a Tamworth athlete of 36.40m and Brian Sumner took third place in the shot with 9.46m and fourth in the hammer with a throw of 31.58m.
Posted by:chris
Tamworth Two in England Team Saturday, October 2 2004
Megan Beesley and Nathan Woodward earned themselves places in the England team for an indoor home International match on December 11 at Glasgow when they took first and second places respectively in the All England Schools Multi Events Championships at the Exeter Arena.
With over 40 athletes in each of their events, these two athletes earned their first England places with fine performances.
Megan won the junior girls pentathlon with a total score of 3,066 points with a personal best time of 11.61secs in the 75m hurdles, another personal best in the shot with 8.23m, a clearance of 1.51m in the high jump, a jump of 5.26m in the long jump and completing her five events by clocking 2:32.0mins in the 800m.
Nathan, who won the Midland combined events and was ranked in sixth place before Exeter, improved his total points by over 300 to gain a total of 2,871 for second place in the national event with personal bests in the 80m hurdles in 12.18secs, the shot with 9.77m and the long jump with 5.38m. He completed his events with a 1.74m clearance in the high jump and 2:05.4mins in the 800m.
Both athletes are thrilled with their England selections and would like to thank coaches Trevor Marsay, Andy Day, Colin Please, Mike Dalby and Brian Sumner for the help they have given them in the various events during season.
Posted by:chris
Could This Be Another Sotherton? Saturday, October 2 2004
Tamworth AC athlete Meghan Beesley could become as good as Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton, one of her coaches has claimed.
The 15-year-old Polesworth High School pupil became the All England Schools' Multi Event Champion at Exeter last weekend and coach Trevor Marsey - who trained Sotherton until she became a full time athlete and began working with Denise Lewis' coach Charles Van Commenee - believes Beesley could become a top athlete.
"Meghan has developed as an athlete, which is thanks to all the coaches at Tamworth who have worked so hard with her," said Marsey, who began working with the club eight months ago.
"She could be as good as Kelly but it is early days. She has to step up the training now.
"She is an extremely talented triple jumper and has already achieved the English Schools qualifying time for next season, so it depends on what she wants to do."
Beesley represented Warwickshire at the championships after winning her age group at the Schools' Inter-County Multi Events Championships in Stourport, where she competed in the high jump, long jump, shot, 75m hurdles and the 800m.
Now, after clinching the national title, she will represent England in a home nations championship in Glasgow in December.
Making it a remarkable double for Tamworth AC is Coleshill High School pupil Nathan Woodward, who finished second in Exeter and will wear an England vest.
"This is the first year I have been competing in the multi events and I have enjoyed it, although it is tiring," he said.
To illustrate the talent at the club, Tish Barber from Twycross was the third Tamworth athlete to compete in Exeter. The talented tennis star finished 23rdbut has only just begun training in multi-events.
Thanks to Rob Tanner Sports Editor at the Tamworth Herald for visiting the club and making this report.
Posted by:chris
First Heart of England Victory For Many Years Saturday, October 2 2004
Tamworth Athletics Club's Heart of England team were following in the footsteps of their fellow athletes in the Young Athletes League team when they won the final meeting of the season to claim the league title.
This is the first time for a number of years that a Tamworth team has won the tough eight club league, which includes Stratford, Solihull, Halesowen, Nuneaton and Rugby.
Competing at Tamworth due to problems with Rugby's track, the home side pulled out all the stops in front of a substantial crowd of spectators.
Honours on the day went to the under-15 and under-17 boys' teams who won both their divisions to secure first place overall for the boys team, and to Francesca Hughes in the under-11s girls who was awarded a bronze medal in the Mini-League for her overall performances in the 75m during the season.
Topping the bill was triple winner Megan Beesley who won the under-15 girls 200m A event in 26.6secs, the 75m A hurdles in 11.8secs and the A long jump in 5.34m.
Nathan Woodward followed Megans lead in the under-15 boys events where he won both the 80m A hurdles in 12.3secs and the A high jump with a leap of 1.75m, and took second place in the 1500m A race in a time of 4:24.0mins.
Double winners were Justine Passey, who won the 100m A event in13secs and the 200m A in 28.6secs, and Mark Brookes who won the B shot with a throw of 8.18m and the B javelin with 34.06m.
Full report on the Reports/Results page.
Posted by:chris
Cross Country Men Prepare For Action Saturday, October 2 2004
Last year's cross-country season proved to be one of the best for a number of years for both juniors and seniors at Tamworth AC.
The men's team gained promotion and the young athletes' team finished nine places higher in the league.
The first West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country League race of the season takes place on October 10 at Pype Hayes Park in Birmingham.
The first Birmingham Men's Cross Country League race and the Midland Women's Cross Country League take place on October 30 at Sennellys Park.
For full details call Tom, John or Colin on 01827 260897 or 287177 or email tamworthac@aol.com
Posted by:chris
Simon is a Fell Race King Saturday, October 2 2004
Five Tamworth AC athletes recently took part in the Millford Fell Race in Derbyshire.
In the Senior race of 4.5 miles, Martin Naunton ran a superb first ever fell race to finish in second position in a strong field.
The atrociously wet weather conditions causing severe flooding at the start of the race, could not deter the club's senior athletes who all placed in the top 27 positions.
Anthony Camp performed well after seven years away from the sport, finishing in 15th place while Simon Smith was 21st.
Tom Orton, having successfully completed his three year university course, took 27th place.
In the two-and-a-half mile race, with a 450ft climb for under-16s, Simon King won by over a minute.
Any juniors interested in fell, road and cross-country running should call Colin on 01827 260897 or 287177 or email tamworthac@aol.com
Posted by:chris