Altrincham juniors were well represented at the opening Trafford Medal Meeting at Longford Park. For many this was their first Track & Field fixture. I hope they had a positive experience and want to train so that they can give themselves a chance of improving the new PBs that they have just set.
So, some number crunching: U11 boys (1), U11 girls (6), U13 boys (1), U13 girls (6), U15 girls (2), U15 boys (1) – total (17). I see a large measure of the success of the club as being the number of athletes getting involved and this is a huge improvement on last year. Can we improve on this number for the meeting on the 17th?
The standard in these meetings seems to be extremely high. It is very difficult for anybody new to the sport to not finish towards the back of the pack. So what are the reasons for this? That is just one of the many conundrums that we face as we endeavour to promote athletics in the right way.
So, on to the athletes! This was the first time representing the club for James Morris in the U15 boys, Ellie Newton in the U13 girls and Cerys Smith in the U11 girls. Let’s hope it’s the first of many!
From the U11 girls cross country team we had Esme Pearson, Grace Adams and Kate Fitzgerald making their Track & Field debuts in the U13 category. In the U11s, Thea Prattley and Ella Farquhar were back after making their debuts at Ashton last month, with Charlotte Stansfield back after having a crack at the Sports Hall over the winter.
Athletes that are back after last year’s track & field season all set PBs at an event that they have done before. Aisling McHale (75m), Ben Lomas (200m), Charly Rosenblatt (100m), Dom Gibson (600m, long jump), Hannah Gregg (1200m), Holly Newton (600m), Isobel Miller (300m), Jess Forrest (600m).
I hope this stat attack isn’t too much for you. If our plans work, it’s only going to increase!
One thing I find really exciting about all this is the number of athletes that keep coming back to events. They seem keen to get involved and are hopefully enjoying themselves. Ideally they will look at their performances and start thinking about what they can do to perform even better next time. Many will also have witnessed events that they’ve not yet had a go at, so perhaps they’ll want to train so that they can have a go at them next time?
All in all, a pleasing and promising day. Go Alty!
Results can be found on the Trafford AC website at the link below:
http://www.traffordac.co.uk/php/index.php?script=openMeetsFixtures&menu_id=18
Thank you,
Andrew.