March 2008

English Schools Cross Country Championships 2008

Tamworth Athletic Club had seven athletes selected for their county teams for the English Schools Cross Country Championships which were held at Sefton Park, Liverpool and where around 360 athletes from 45 counties took part in each race.

For many of the athletes not only was this the first time that they had been selected for this prestigious event but they were also at the bottom end of the age group meaning that they will have one more year of competition  to go and so were at a definite disadvantage.

Their were three club athletes, all first timers, in the junior boys race over 3750 metres, with Kristian Edwards for Staffordshire getting the better of Warwickshire representative Anthony Parkes on this occasion when he finished 186^th to Anthony’s 211^th. Jack Childs also ran well to complete the course in 249th for the Staffordshire team.

There were also three Tamworth AC athletes in the intermediate boys with all three struggling round a very flat and fast course over 5900 metres where they are usually more comfortable on a course with a more testing terrain. Once again Stephen Parkes , wearing the yellow vest of  the Warwickshire team, was the first home for the club in 225^th with both Matt Wood and Luke Roughley, both competing for Staffordshire, not far behind in 249^th and 284^th respectively.

The threatened torrential rain held off for the final entrant for Tamworth AC , Megan Jacobs, who was in the senior girl’s race over 4200 metres. Megan, competing in the green and gold colours of Staffordshire, has been training for 1500m this year and her lack of endurance meant that she found the race extremely difficult but even so she finished in a creditable 275^th.

A further four Tamworth AC athletes, Lauren Mann, Jacob Hughes, Simon King and Richard Mahoney were selected as reserves for their respective age group events, all for the Staffordshire team.

Tamworth Athletic Club is heading for the new track and field season with plenty to be happy about – several new coaches have joined the club and after 4 years of hard work the club is closer to the funding being in place for an Indoor Training Facility with an estimated completion date of Spring 2009. And all this in an Olympic year!

Tamworth AC’s starter ‘Reception’ squad for 8 to 11 year olds will be among those athletes to benefit from the services of an extra  two club coaches who have joined the 6 pm training session. Mike Harley is an experienced jumps coach who formally coached at Derby AC and along with newcomer Rob Hamilton, both will be working with UKA coaches Jonathan Christian and Coaching Coordinator  Andy Day, to provide a cross discipline programme of athletics during the year.

Over 100 youngsters have regularly trained over the winter with the ‘starter’ squad and the highly successful cross country squad, the latter having won several individual and team titles this season.

With the success of the athlete’s performance during the winter Tamworth AC now turns it’s attention to track and field athletics with the intention of building on the successes of last year’s league competitions in the Young Athletes, National Junior and Heart of England Leagues and the British Athletics League. The club is working with the next group of top young athletes with the potential to be selected for the prestigious All England Schools Competition and the newer UK School Games later in the year.

Two more experienced coaches have been attracted to Tamworth AC.

Chris Murray a UKA Level 4 Heavy Throws coach, who also coaches at Nuneaton Harriers, will be coaching on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 8pm and Matt Long a qualified endurance coach, from the Burton area, will be joining the endurance squad with the experienced lead coach John Graves.

New and experienced coaches are always needed for the usual upsurge in numbers associated with the summer months and for the expected extra increase in this special Olympic year .

Event based coaches for the club’s junior and intermediate athletes who are improvers or aiming for English Schools qualification are required for Heavy Throws including discus, hammer and shot put, High Jump and to lead a Multi-Discipline squad at 7pm.

Club training nights are Tuesdays and Thursdays when as many as 180 athletes can be training with 23-28 coaches at any time. Young athletes, between the ages of 8 and 11, will be welcome to attend  the coaching sessions in the stadium from 6.00 to 7.15 pm . Intermediates , seniors, vets, race walkers and Jog England runners train from 7.15-8.15pm.

 Induction sessions will continue to run as usual on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7pm in the clubhouse. For health and safety reasons it is essential that all new athletes, juniors and seniors, attend one of these sessions with Peter, the club’s Induction Officer. All junior athletes must be accompanied by a parent or carer.

For details call Club Secretary Chris on 01827 287177 / 260897  or email tamworthac@aol.com

There is a Level 2 officials course being held at the Alexander Stadium on 12^th April.

Remember that you do not need to have attended or completed a level 1 officials course to go on the level 2! The cost of this course is £10 and modules are being offered in track, field, timekeeping and starting/marksman.

 License application forms (only needs completing if it’s your first course) and course application forms are available through England Athletics (see the West Midlands section of their website). Tamworth AC's Officials Secretary is Alan Oliver.

More information

http://www.englandathletics.org/west-midlands/officials/

Level 1 - 26th April 2008, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham (NB this course is being hosted by Birchfield Harriers so priority will be given to Birchfield applicants) £10 per applicant.
Level 2- 12th April 2008, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham, All disciplines, £10 per applicant
Level 3- 26th April 2008, Alexander Stadium, Birmingham -£30

Over 110 guests from all areas of volunteering within Tamworth Athletic Club attended a night of celebration at the Marlborough Way Stadium to celebrate the services to the club of volunteers, sponsors and supporters over the past year.

The 6^th Annual Party was in recognition of the many and varied volunteering activities undertaken by committee members, coaches, officials, team managers, the bar and tuck shop staff, registration, record keeping, website and media management to name but a few and the countless other helpers who support the club in it’s efforts to provide a first rate service to it’s 380 club members and to the wider community.

Some of the volunteers have been involved in volunteering at Tamworth AC for much of their adult lives, with the oldest being over 70, and alongside these work the many young and new volunteers to the sport . Combined, their giving equates to some 150,000 hours of their time per year, presenting an annual economic benefit to Tamworth of £250,000.

The more senior volunteers at Tamworth AC provide inspiration and confirmation, for their peers and future generations, of the value they bring to the club. The fact is you are never too old to volunteer and volunteering offers the opportunity to try something new as well as passing on life skills and experience.

Activities carried out by the club’s younger volunteers, who start from 14 , include assisting coaches and officials, delivery and support of events and helping with the general running of the club, including general administration roles.

The evening kicked off with a series of competitions and quizzes, followed by  music provided by the talented King Edward 6th Aston Jazz Ensemble who wowed the audience with two performances made remarkable by the fact that they had only been playing together as a band for 5 months .

Following a supper provided by ‘Mary Howard Catering’ the volunteers were able to meet and enjoy the company of their fellows whilst appreciating the music and taking part in the ever popular raffles and Irish bingo the proceeds of which went towards the funds for the indoor training facility to be built at Tamworth AC.

In paying tribute to the volunteers, the club secretary Chris Graves said that ‘It was a really special evening and I think everyone at the club should be proud and encouraged by the huge amount of work that our volunteers undertake. All too often we hear about the difficulties associated with clubs and communities and the lack of people doing things for each other, well Tamworth AC tells a different story. Young and old alike make committed and regular contributions to the club and the sport and thereby improve the quality of the service to our club members and in doing so they also have a positive impact upon the local community.

Special thanks go to the organisers of the evening namely Linda Horsley, Chris Graves, Debbie Lawton,Denise Oliver and Katrina Sargeant. If anyone could help out with the next 2 Presentation Evenings please email tamworthac@aol.com .

For information on volunteering at Tamworth AC contact Chris at tamworthac@aol.com or phone 01827 287177/ 260897

The final race in the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country series of competitions was held at Perry Barr, Birmingham on Sunday 2^nd March in good cross country weather conditions.

On a day that was ideal for long distance racing the youngsters from Tamworth Athletic Club finished the season in 6^th place overall. 3 of the club’s age groups received team medals and 4 athletes received individual medals for finishing the season in the top 5 overall.

Tamworth AC’s team of the 2007/2008 season is undoubtedly the under 11 boys’ who completed the season in 2^nd place overall with some tremendous and memorable individual performances throughout the series of races. Robert Stroud fulfilled his early promise when he won the final race and with it took the under 11 championship for the season. Patrick Thomas wasn’t too far behind in 3^rd place and 3^rd for the season with Ellis Cross taking 4^th place. Luke Jones is constantly improving and his 17^th place was well deserved while Owen Blythe ran above himself to complete the team in 47^th.

The under 11 girls’ have run well all season and produced the club’s best result in this age group for many years with 4^th place in the team competition just behind Tipton Harriers, Halesowen AC and Royal Sutton Coldfield AC. The talented athletes Jessica Hirst 21^st and Sarah Turner 22nd only just held off a fast finishing Victoria Hollinshead, who improves on every race, in a very creditable 25th place. Chloe Williams 44^th and Georgia Oliver 95^th completed the team line up.

The under 13 boys have been one of the strongest teams in the country this year and they only just lost the overall team championships to take 2^nd place. Anthony Parkes came out on top in this race in 3^rd place with Kristian Edwards close behind in 6^th. Kristian had a very good early start to the season which earned him enough points to take 3^rd place overall for the season. Aidan Blythe has improved considerably this year and his 28^th was a just reward for his hard work and commitment  to running. Ben Wright is coming back from illness and did well in 29^th with Oliver Wood 35^th and Sam Greenbank 38^th chasing him hard. Ricky Hawkes is getting back to form with 41^st, Josh Roughley 57^th and high jumper Elliot Jones 68^th were the remaining members of the team.

The under 13 girls have struggled to get the 5 members needed for a team but the 4 who regularly turned out still finished a remarkable 13^th out of 19 teams thanks to their hard work.

Athletic all rounder Ellie Redfern finished in 45^th with Bethany Puffett 68^th, Jasmine Oliver 77^th and newcomer Elisha Freeman 96^th. All of the girls should be proud of their performances this year.

Leanne Lewis was the club’s only entrant in the under 15 girls where she completed the course in 69^th position.

The under 15  boys have only had 4 members this year and even with one competitor less than the other teams they still succeeded in finishing in 5th position out of 19 club teams. Stephen Parkes looked very comfortable in 3^rd place but Luke Roughley is suffering with breathing problems and found the latter stages of the course difficult finished 17^th yet still managed to hold on to 5^th overall in the individual placings for the year. The 2 youngsters in this age group Richard Mahoney and Jack Childs had a tremendous personal battle in 25^th and 26^th respectively.

The under 17 ladies finished the season well in a creditable 7^th with Elyse Jinks taking 22^nd, Amy Williams 27^th and Laura Lewis 28^th. All 3 girls are eligible for this age group next year.

The final race of the day was the under 17 men who emulated the achievement of last year by finishing in 3^rd place in a quality race. Steve Harris came out on top this time in 18^th but Matt Wood 20^th and Sam Micklewright 22^nd ran him close at the end. Steve Deeley completed the course in 34^th with Jacob Hughes just losing out on the line in 35^th.

If you are over 8 years of age and would like to become part of the successful cross country team or the track and field team then now is the time to join. Weekly induction sessions for athletes from 8 years of age take place every Tuesday and Thursday evening in the clubhouse at the Town Stadium at 7pm. All juniors are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by an adult.

Contact Chris or John on 01827 287177 / 260897 or email tamworthac@aol.com. Leave a message and we will get back to you. For more information on training and competition visit the club website at tamworthac.co.uk.