Skipton Athletics Club

Roger’s Round-Up (March 2008)

Our regular 'round-up' of activities with the junior members of the club. By Roger Ingham.

Having managed to place two teams in the top ten of their respective age groups, - including one within a few tantalising points of a podium position – at the North of England Championships, we were initially optimistic of making a worthy impression at cross–country running’s historic premier event, the English National Championships.

However, while I have always endeavoured to encourage, - and in numerous cases – actually assist young athletes who might also be potentially high achievers in other sporting codes – regrettably the same lines of support and co-operation do not always apply in a reverse situation.

Indeed the apparent narrow mindedness of certain rugby union paranoia staff at Ermysteds Grammar School – which is now supposed to possess a sports college status – sometimes almost beggars belief.

Here we were, - five days before the biggest and most prestigious event on the cross country calendar – and one of our reliably key performers in the Under 15 Boys team, who, - at best is only a fringe member of his age groups rugby team – is dragged down to Sandylands for the obligatory rugby practice on a pitch which had just endured nine degrees of over night frost, and consequently finished up on a pair of crutches!

We were also beset with enforced ‘cry-offs’ for more plausible reasons, including all except one of the Under 13 Boys team which had initially looked stronger still than when figuring high-up at the North of England event.

Club members entered as individuals in the other age-groups also had to pull out, and most notably Tom Anderson – Under 20 Men – who, since his virtuoso performance in winning the North Yorkshire Schools Senior Boys title – has since been sidelined with a foot injury which, not only meant him missing the ‘National’, but also the English Schools finals and the UK Inter–Counties Championships where he would have achieved his first ever, and much merited Yorkshire vest.

Hats off meanwhile to those who did still manage to angle the Skipton colours and name, in amongst the ranks of the thousands at Alton Towers where all our members competing certainly gave it a whole hearted shot.

Not though without further problems, due to overnight gales having still not abated as ‘weather forecast’ predicted on the morning of the event, hence the buffeting motorway gusts prompted my transit conveyance to sit cautiously in the slow lane to a point of drastically reducing our warm-up and course ‘reccy’ time.

Consequently, shoved out of it on the starting grid, our under-strength Under 15 Boys team after the first hectic half mile looked to be serious contenders for the last place of all. Much credit though for the way which they all resolutely fought back through the field for every conceivable position amid the narrow, twisting race-way and commendably hauled themselves well into the top half of the overall finishing order, against a whole host of far bigger clubs and for which only Leeds City of Yorkshires contingent finished higher.

Billy Pinder, Joel Griffith, Will Crisp and Robbie Swift comprised the actual scoring quartet, whilst competing as individuals in other races, Jack Beetham, - Under 13 Boys, and Joe Mercer, - Senior Men – particularly accounted for massive slices of their respective formidable oppositions. Although not quite so successful as might initially have been envisaged, all our athletes non the less returned with a reasonable degree of pride and satisfaction. That was until the following Friday’s ‘local rag’ made a decent fist of ridiculing all, courtesy of their lamentable editing team.

Meanwhile Tom Anderson’s unfortunate injury thus reduced our still impressive number of Yorkshire team qualifiers for the ensuing United Kingdom Inter-Counties Championships at Nottingham, to four.

Hannah Simms, - Under 20 Women, Claire Lilley – Under 17 Women, and Sam Westcott and Jack Beetham – Under 13 Boys – all subsequently justified selection. And in Jack’s case – had he been allocated higher up than last position out of the starting pen – fourth placed Yorkshire might well have landed a set of team medals in that age group for he was fairly gobbling up the opposition when daylight finally appeared in the latter part of the race.

Jack and Fiona Jordan, particularly excelled in the Yorkshire & Humberside Finals of the UK Sports Hall Athletics Championships at Halifax, where Jack won a gold medal and two bronze, and Fiona, two gold.

Events coming up to include; -

English Junior Fell Championships. Best four performances from six rounds, (all ages as at 1^st of January in year of competition).

First event, Anniversary Waltz - Saturday April 19^th. Stair Village Hall, Newlands, Keswick (01455 202 365).

Check F.R.A. web site for this plus other championship races.

England Team trial for Marco Germanetto Memorial International, Susa, Italy, June 22^nd.

Track and Field Yorkshire Championships, Saturday & Sunday May 10^th and 11^th Sheffield. (all ages for T&F as at 31^st August in year of competition).

Roger Dodger 01756 790408 or 07773 302 891