September 2006

Uttoxeter traditionally is the venue for the first cross country race of the season and this year a record 24 athletes from Tamworth Athletic Club took part. This was Tamworth’s highest number of entries for some years and possibly the most successful competition at Uttoxeter ever.

Team results were based upon the finishing positions of the first three runners from each club and Tamworth had such depth of talent that they came away with 4 team second places. This gives great encouragement to the teams for the rest of the season.

The Under 13 boys team was led home by Kristian Edwards who ran superbly to finish in 5th place closely followed by Richard Mahoney who recorded an excellent 6^{th place} and Jack Childs in 11th to take the silver position on the rostrum just 2 points behind Cannock and Stafford AC.

New team mates Aidan Blythe and Charlie Mayou finished in 25^th and 26^th respectively.

Oliver Wood was first home for Tamworth AC in the Under 11 boys race when he took 5^th place, 11 places higher than 2005. Robert Stroud and Kane Densley, in their first cross country race at Uttoxeter and still only 9 years old, finished in 11^th and 15^th place respectively. All received silver medals as the first three counters in the team event.

New member Harrison Mayou, 31^st, and Riece Bruton, 34^th,  made up the full team.

In the same age group in the girl’s section, the three scorers for the silver medals were new member Corinne Blythe who ran a well-paced race to take 6^th place with Eloise Redfern hot on her tail in  7th , 5 places higher than in 2005 and Jessica Hirst, in her first Uttoxeter race, running through the line in 16^th.

The three remaining team members picked their way through the competitors to record creditable positions. Samantha Lawton was 20^th, Chloe Williams, 27^th and Jasmine Oliver, 38^th .

The 4 boys in the Under 15 section picked up silver medals in the team event with only 1 point separating them from the very strong Stoke AC team.

Stephen Parkes 8^th, Luke Roughley 10^th and Matt Wood, who was 30 places higher than last year, in 13^th position.

In the Under 13 girls event Lauren Bignell finished in 51^st place in her first cross country race for Tamworth and in the Under 17 men’s event over a three mile course , Jo Saddington crossed the line in 32nd place in his first year as an Under 17.

In the Women’s race Megan Jacobs took 17^th place overall with 5th place in the Under 17 competition, 4 places higher than 2005.

Tom Adams, in his first year as a senior, was well placed in 12^th position and Dave Williams in 18^th place were the club’s only entrants in the senior men’s race. Williams position was 15 places ahead of 2005.

The first race for the West Midlands Young Athletes Cross Country league takes place on Sunday October 8^th at Pype Hayes Park, Birmingham and the first men’s race of the season is scheduled for Saturday 28^th October  at Senneleys Park ,Birmingham.

For information about training and competition at Tamworth AC for junior and senior cross country and road relays please call Chris on 01827 287177 or email tamworthac@aol.com.

UK Athletics Level 3 Coach Award

 Tamworth Athletic Club is hosting Phase 1 of the UK:A  Level 3 Coaching course at the Marlborough Way Stadium on Saturday & Sunday  14/15 October 2006.

The Level 3 Coaching Award is suitable for those Level 2 coaches who are working with athletes on a regular basis and are looking to improve their coaching and planning skills, whilst developing a greater understanding of what contributes to athletic performance both in general and with reference to a specific event or group of events

Level 3 comprises four phases that coaches must complete along with their own choice of optional module. Further information relating to these is illustrated on the Coaching Pathway which can be viewed on the UK:Athletics website.

Completion of Level 3 is by written and practical assessment; coaches must expect Level 3 to take a minimum of 12 months to complete.

UKA plan to arrange the various phases at set times of the year to make it easier for coaches to plan their development.  They will be as follows:

Phase 1 – Autumn

Phase 2 – Spring

Phase 4 – Autumn

Course Costs

Phase 1 - £80

Phase 2 - £80

Phase 4 - £80

If you wish to apply for this Phase 1 course, which covers Long Term Athlete Development, Performance and Development Coaching and Personal and Coaching Skills, please complete the UK Athletics Coach Application Form ensuring that you include details of the specific course that you would like to attend and return it to your RETA. Full details are available from the UK:Athletics website.

For more information on coaching at Tamworth AC phone Chris on 01827 287177 or email  tamworthac@aol.com.

SPORTSHALL ATHLETICS AND COMPETITION
Two of TAC's best young athletes , Meghan Beesley and Nathan Woodward  started their athletic career competing in Sportshall Athletics. During the winter both train at the track and their previous winter competitions have included Cross Country and Indoor Athletics at the NIA. Look for their photos on the 'Role of Honour' board. You too could be one of our top athletes in the future and have your photo on this very special board.

Sportshall Athletics starts in mid October.

What is Sportshall Athletics?

It is a modified form of track and field athletics

It provides an exciting and highly enjoyable competition format

Includes most aspects of running, jumping and throwing

It introduces new activities including innovative relays, speed bounce and the soft javelin

It incorporates traditional events such as standing long jump, high jump and shot putt

It utilises equipment specifically designed for young people including the revolutionary "reversaboard" enabling athletes to strike and turn in the same movement and run in the opposite direction

What does Sportshall Athletics Offer?

It offers training and competitive opportunities within track and field athletics during the winter months

Promotes the importance of participation, team competition and fair play

At Tamworth Athletic Club you will find that Sportshall Athletics is well established and the club is very successful. Four league competitions are 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 National Indoor Arena, Birmingham.

Please not you MUST be a member of the club to take part in Sportshall competition.

Team managers are: Rob Scattergood, Jonathan Christian, Gordon Densley, Louise Stroud, Emma Redfern, Hannah Alcock and Debbie Lawton.

Sportshall advisers are: Ray Lloyd and Andy Day

As we bask in the warmth of an indian summer and the outdoor track and field season for 2006 draws to a close, so we will see the four Tamworth AC representatives who were part of the West Midands Regional team at the first UK Schools Games in Glasgow recently, move into their winter training and competition programmes after a well earned rest following a busy and successful season.

The UK U17’s 400m hurdles record holder Nathan Woodward will be back in training at the track when a well deserved three week rest period from training and competition is completed. He will first be focusing on conditioning and
endurance with circuits consisting of press ups, sit ups pull ups, star
jumps etc which will be followed by fartleks for endurance. Nathan will be
stepping up his training to 3/4 times a week as well.

Meghan Beesley took part in the English Schools Multi Events and will now have a two week rest. Beesley then plans to continue her usual training programme at Tamworth AC and the Regional Athletics Centre in Birmingham ready for the Indoor season where she intends to compete in the U20 AAA’s and the Midlands Championships.

Javelin thrower Brett Byrd , one of Tamworth’s top field athletes , will combine training at the track with indoor winter training . Once the indoor facility is built at Marlborough Way Stadium, Tamworth , the club’s jumpers and throwers  will benefit from training on home ground during the bad weather.

Simon King, winner of the bronze medal in the 1500m steeplechase at the UK Schools Games , will be training at the track with the rest of his squad throughout the winter.

King and the growing band of successful endurance athletes begin their cross country and road relay season with the traditional ‘warmer’ competition at Uttoxeter followed by the first in the series of West Midlands Young Athletes League meetings to be held at Pype Hayes Park, Birmingham in early October. 

Although the track and field competition season has now finished for most club athletes that doesn’t mean athletics has stopped for the rest of the year. All junior and senior athletes are able to take part in training and competition at Tamworth AC during the autumn, winter and spring and can choose from cross country, race walking, road relays and triathlon with the addition of Sportshall Athletics for the juniors and Indoor competition for U15’s upwards.

The popular ‘STARters’ squads for 8 to 14 year olds continue throughout the year with training from 6 -7.15pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.   If you want to know more about training and competition at Tamworth AC  email tamworthac@aol.com or visit the website at tamworthac.co.uk

Tamworth AC’s Mark Culshaw participated in the first OutGames in Montreal during late July and early August, competing in 4 events.

Despite 35*C temperatures and a 90% humidity Mark finished in 28m30 for 3rd place overall and to take the gold in the 0/40 category for the 5km race walk.

With only 50  minutes rest before the 400 mtrs hurdles final he played a tactical race in the leaving the rest of the field in the O/40 race 20 mtrs behind him in the last 150 mtrs , winning a second bronze.

Mark went on the next day to place 5th in the long jump and finally to race walk the 10km road run in 59m10 finishing in the 1976 Olympic stadium.

On 16th September Mark took part in the British Masters Athletics Federation 10Km road championships race walk at Enfield and added to his medal collection
with a silver medal in the 0/40.

The coach of Tamworth AC ace Meghan Beesley has targeted European Junior Championships glory for his young star.

Trevor Marsay believes Beesley, and Tamworth team-mate Nathan Woodward can both meet the qualifying standard for the 400m hurdles.

"Meghan is coming to the end of a long season," Marsay said.

"She has run well all year and I'm delighted for her.

"The qualifying standard for the European Junior Championships is well within her grasp.

"That's the target for next year."

Beesley and Woodward were two of four Tamworth AC athletes who produced superb performances at the first UK Schools Games in Glasgow.

Beesley won her heat of the 300m hurdles in a time of 44.02secs and went on to win the final in the excellent time of 42.05secs.

Woodward, coached by Matt Hargreaves, also picked up a gold medal in the 400m hurdles.
He won his heat in 53.74secs and went on to complete his season in the best possible way as he won the final in a new British under-17 record of 52.15secs.

Javelin thrower Brett Byrd. coached by Phil Owen, also picked up a medal as he finished in third place with a fine personal best throw of 58.24m.

Byrd, who was ranked tenth on the British rankings, moved up to fourth place in the standings after producing three throws over his previous personal best.

Simon King, meanwhile, ran the race of his life as he recorded a personal best time of 4:31.57mins to win bronze in the 1,500m steeplechase, an improvement of over 9 seconds on his previous best. This moved Simon, coached by John Graves, from 24th to 10th in the UK rankings for steeplechase.

For more information on training and competition at Tamworth AC please email Chris at tamworthac@aol.com

Tamworth Ac travelled to Tipton for the final Heart of England League match of the season.

The youngest members of the team producing some excellent end of the season form.

Personal bests were recorded by Robert Stroud (600m and long jump), Oliver Wood (600m), Kane Densley (600m), Sam McDonald (75m), Eloise Redfern (long jump), Jessica Hirst (600m), Samantha Lawton (600m), Jasmine Oliver (600m), Jack Childs (75m hurdles), Josie Cassar (shot), Lauren Saunders (100m), Liam Wheeler (javelin), Stephen Parkes (javelin), Jordan Roach (80m hurdles), Laura Lewis (long jump), Steven Harris (400m), Nick Crawford (400m) and Chris Smith (shot).

Full results on the reports section.

Contact Chris at tamworthac@aol.com if you are interested in training and competition at the club.