"Scots lend a helping hand"                      From the Bendigo News - Australia     

Thursday, 2 March 2006

THE Commonwealth Games are less than two weeks away, but a group of Scottish athletes took time out of their busy training schedule yesterday to pass on some tips to students from Weeroona College Bendigo.

Among the athletes to take part in the clinic at the La Trobe University Athletics Complex were Chris Baillie and Allan Scott, who will both contest the men's 110 m hurdles at the Games. The pair have been in Bendigo for the past three weeks as part of their build-up to the Commonwealth Games, which begin on March 15.

It's exciting times for the pair.  For Baillie, it will be his second appearance at the Commonwealth Games, while Scott will be representing his country at the Games for the first time.

Baillie finished seventh in the 110 m hurdles final in a time of 14.73 sec at Manchester in 2002.  He is hopeful he can improve on that performance at the MCG on March 21.   "Firstly though, it's about making the final," the 24-year-old said.  ‘‘It's a very tight field this year, so if I make the final, anything can then happen.

‘‘I know I'm in shape to run really well, so we will just have to see what happens on the day." While this will be Scott's first Commonwealth Games, he is no stranger to the big stage, having previously competed at the world championships and European Indoor Athletics Championships.

‘‘I've done a few major championships before, so I'm quite excited," the 23-year-old said.

‘‘I mean, the Commonwealth Games are the biggest multi-sport event, apart from the Olympics, so it's going to be good." The Scottish athletes worked with about 30 Weeroona College Bendigo students, varying from Year 7 to 10.

‘‘We do a lot of this stuff at home, encouraging the kids to start, so we thought we should do the same while we are here in Bendigo as well," Scott said.

‘‘It gives us something else to do because it's quite boring when you're just training and hanging about, so it's nice to be able to do a few other things."

Junior Cross Country Championship

Only the brave turned out for the Junior Cross Country Championships at Craigton, Milngavie on Saturday the 4th March in freezing conditions.

The cold however wasn't a problem for the majority who turned out in their new Club Tracksuits, pictured right.

Iona Wilson was the winner of the U11 Girls race in a time of 7:38 and Alan Hamilton was the winner of the U11 Boys race in a time of 8:35.

Fergus Paterson was the winner of the U13 Boys race in a time of 15:34.  Paul MacFarlane was second in a time of 16:14, Lewis Wilson was third in a time of 18:22 and Peter Smyth was fourth in a time of 20:29.

Sarah Gray was the winner of the U13 Girls race in a time of 19:37.

Well done to all of the Athletes who braved the cold and thanks to the parents and coaches who helped to steward the course.  Fortunately no one was lost although Lewis Wilson had a couple of good attempts.

The Juniors will all be at Scotstoun on Thursday 2nd March with the exception of Ricky's sprint group who will be at the Kelvin Hall.

Remember to buy a ticket for the track on your arrival.

All of our junior athletes are invited to attend our annual cross country championship on Saturday 4th March at Milngavie.

U11's to U17's will compete over a 2 mile course.

The rendezvous point will be a lay by on Craigton Road, Milngavie, at the rear of Douglas Academy.

Hugh tells me that there is no shelter at this point and that you should bring a bin bag or similar to store your clothes while competing.

The start time of the race will be 1200 hours.  Additional information will be provided on Thursday 2nd March at training.

I received a call today asking that I call in to Just Sport to uplift the majority of the Kit we have ordered tomorrow.

If all goes to plan Linda and I will visit both Scotstoun and the Kelvin Hall tomorrow evening, Thursday 2nd March.

If you have still to pay for your kit, you can do so when it is delivered to you.  Cash or cheques made out to Victoria Park AAC preferably.

TIMETABLE AND REGISTRATION FORMS are now available for the SPAR Sprints and Hurdles Conference due to take place at Grangemouth Stadium on Sunday 2 April.

The day is aimed at developing coaches throughout Scotland who are involved in coaching sprints or hurdles and providing a forum for exchange of ideas and information between coaches.

A modest charge will be made for coach attendance. Coaches will earn 3 credits toward UKA Coach Licence renewal. Lunch will be included. A full program and registration form will be available in the near future.

All athletes and coaches with an interest in the sprints and/or hurdles disciplines are welcome to attend. For further information and registration forms, please contact Eric Simpson, on 01324 504553 or eric.simpson@falkirk.gov.uk. Places are limited and will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis.

As part of their 25 year anniversary,  Kirkintiloch Olympians organised a highly successful 12.5k race around the country roads at Gartshore, Stoneyetts and Fauldhead on Sunday.  150 runners took part, with the organisers having to close entries well in advance of the race as it had proved so popular. Runners came from as far afield as Arran, Perth and Fife, with one competitor even coming from Hull to race.  Blessed with clear but cold weather conditions, the hardest test for the runners was climbing the hills throughout the tough course.

Only two competitors from Victoria Park finished.

Gerry Craig was 11th in a time of 49.15 and Ronnie Johnstone (right) was 22nd in a time of 52.38.  Ronnie was also the 2nd placed veteran over 50.

Sara was awarded Strathclyde University's Sportswoman of the Year Trophy for 2005 at the annual Sports Union Ball on Sat 25th Feb.

She is currently studying Politics and Law at Strathclyde University and still finds time to excel at athletics.

Congratulations Sara.

British Universities Indoor Championships

Two Victoria Park athletes were successful at the BUSA Championships at Sheffield on Sunday 26th February 2006.

Alison Rodger won the gold medal for the Shot Put with a throw of 14.87m and Colin Severin won the bronze medal in the 60m with a time of 6.97s.

Congratulations to Alison and Colin on their achievement.

Club Records

I've placed the Senior Club Records on the site.  If there are any errors, please contact me in the first instance and I'll discuss any possible changes with the Committee.

I'm still working on the Junior Records at present, however Kenny has just updated this Season's PB's.

"Weak Glutes"

Ricky Miell has sent in another article for the Coaching Section entitled "Weak Glutes".  It basically explains how an athlete can pick up an injury while trying to compensate for weak buttocks.

There is a new page on the Web Site, it is designed to record any knowledge or contact we receive from or about our past members.

It might be news of any Births, Deaths or Marriages or it might just be an update to where they are now.

If you hear anything about our ex athletes, please get in touch with Gordon Innes and I'll place it on the new web page.

Spar Sprints and Hurdles Conference

ON SUNDAY 2 APRIL there will be a SPAR Sprints and Hurdles Conference at the Grangemouth Stadium aimed at developing coaches throughout Scotland who are involved in coaching sprints or hurdles and providing a forum for exchange of ideas and information between coaches.

The day promises something for everyone with ‘hot topic’ presentations in the morning from Dr Malcolm Fairweather (Sports Science Coordinator for the Scottish Institute of Sport) and Bill Walker (scottishathletics National Event Coach for 100m/200m) – both having also coached many international level performers over the years.

Former World Indoor 400m Champion and Olympic 4x400m relay silver medallist, Jamie Baulch, will make the journey up from Wales to provide an elite athlete perspective with view to improving 400m performances.

Question and answer sessions are scheduled throughout the morning program. In the afternoon, parallel practical workshops will be run with Scotland’s Olympic 100m semi-finallist, Ian Mackie, and scottishathletics National Event Coach for sprint hurdles, Bob Sommerville.

A modest charge will be made for coach attendance. Coaches will earn 3 credits toward UKA Coach Licence renewal. Lunch will be included. A full program and registration form will be available in the near future.

All athletes and coaches with an interest in the sprints and/or hurdles disciplines are welcome to attend. For further information, contact Eric Simpson or Bob Gray at Grangemouth Stadium on 01324 504553. Places are limited and will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Contact From An Old Member

Fraser Ellis contacted the Club on behalf of his father Sid Ellis who was a member back in the 1950's along with his brothers Jimmy and Norrie. 

Fraser introduced Sid to the web site recently and it brought back a few memories. 

Sadly Jimmy and Norrie are no longer with us but Fraser tells us that Sid still turns out to watch the McAndrew faithfully every year.

He has sent in some memorable photographs from the 50's which we will include on the web site in the near future.

The picture above shows Sid at the finish of the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay Race.

Unfortunately the Edinburgh to Glasgow Road Relay Race is no longer with us but Victoria Park won the event 7 times.

The above picture shows all three of the Ellis brothers with from the left, Sid, Jimmy and Norrie.

The picture on the right shows Norrie Ellis receiving the baton from Ian Binnie.

We now have a tremendous collection of pictures from that era and I'm looking forward to showcasing them on the site.

If your at the McAndrew this year Sid, remember to say hello.

The venue for this years Road Race will be Falkirk Football Stadium, Westfield, Falkirk.

The U13's will run 3,200 metres, the U15's and U17's will run 4,800 metres and the U20's will run 7,200 metres on flat traffic free tarmac paths around the Football Stadium.

If you would like to take part, please speak to Ken Ross or Charlie Murray as soon as possible.

Ricky sent in a copy of the photo finish from the Scottish Schools Championships on Wednesday.  I think "won by a mile" is a bit of an exaggeration.

The photo finish shows Rebecca crossing the line 3/100th's of a second ahead of her rival in the final of the O16 60m.

Rebecca was timed at 8.15s to her rivals 8.18s. 

Well done Rebecca.

Spoke to Neale today, he is now at home and well on the way to recovery.  He has been suffering from Glandular Fever for the last two weeks which resulted in him being hospitalised for a week.

He was delighted to receive visits from some of his Club mates and he now anticipates being back in training within a couple of weeks.

Get well soon Neale.

The annual Senior Cross Country Championships took place at Milngavie on Saturday 11th February.  Stuart "Speedo" Barnett won the Championship for a fantastic 15th time in a row over a muddy course at Milngavie.

Result:

Congratulations once again to Stuart.  Hopefully some of our current crop of juniors will go on to challenge him over the next couple of years.

Victoria Park athletes enjoyed a very successful day at the Scottish Schools Championships at the Kelvin Hall on Wednesday the 22nd of February.

They picked up 9 medals in total, including 5 1st's and several other personal bests along the way.

Calum Innes was 1st in the U16 Long Jump with a distance of 5.83m and 1st in the U16 60m Hurdles with a time of 8.79s.

David Martin returned to competition after his injury and finished 1st in the O16 400m final with a time of 49.85s.

Rebecca Riches finished 1st in the final of the O16 60m with a time of 8.15s.

Gregor Innes was 1st in the U16 400m final with a personal best time of 53.2s.

Courtney MacGuire was 2nd in the O16 Pole Vault with a height of 3.25m.

Aisling McGhee finished 3rd in the final of the O16 300m with a time of 42.9s.

Jamie Sinclair was 3rd in the O16 Pole Vault with a height of 3.25m.

Abbey McGhee was 3rd in the final of the O16 800m with a time of 2:22.51.

Congratulations to the medal winners and the other personal successes achieved on the day.  Victoria Park can look forward to the Final of the Indoor League with great optimism.

The full results can be viewed at the Scottish Schools site.

The Kelvin Hall is closed this week and as a result, all of our training groups will be meeting at Scotstoun.

The Pavilion is not available on Tuesday, therefore everyone should meet within the Stand near to the finish line.

Everyone should meet in the Pavilion on Thursday 23rd February as usual.

Remember to buy a ticket for the track on your arrival.

Victoria Park's Chris Baillie, currently in Australia preparing for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne on 15th March won the 110m hurdles final at the Athletics Australia Invitational meeting at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, venue for this years Games.

Chris set a new personal best with his performance of 13.77 sec to finish just 0.11 sec outside the seven year old Scottish National record set by his brother Ross in Sydney, in 1999. 

New Zealand's James Mortimer finished second in a time of 13.88 sec and Chris's Scottish Commonwealth Games team-mate Allan Scott finished third in 13.92 sec.

It looks like watching Chris at the Melbourne Games is going to be every bit as exciting as we had hoped.  Good luck Chris.

Victoria Park was well represented at the Masters events for the over 35's.

The best performances of the day came from Derek Watson Snr who finished 2nd in the over 40 800m in a time of 2:10.12, James Christie who finished 2nd in the over 70 Shot Put with a throw of 5.46m, Joseph Doyle who finished 3rd in the over 50 3,000m in a time of 10:43.31 and Rab Daly who finished 2nd in the over 60 3,000m in a time of 12:44.2.

The full results can be found here.

SCOTTISH POWER

SCOTTISH NATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPS

Victoria Park athletes took part in the National Cross Country Championships at Falkirk on Saturday 18th February.

The best performances of the day came from Stephanie Davis who finished 19th in the U17 Ladies, Martin Hayes who finished 12th in the U17 Men and Kristian Forster who was 24th out of a field of 422 Senior Men.

The full results can be found here.

VP Ladies of all age groups from u-13 to senior will be competing in the SWAL as part of Team West again this summer, and hoping to retain the title won last year.

Could all athletes, coaches and parents make sure I have details of best performances over the winter, so that I can get as many VP athletes as possible into the team.

Dates:

Sunday April 30th @ Grangemouth

Sunday June 25th @ Meadowbank

Sunday August 20th @ Grangemouth

Scottish Cup (separate competition for each age group) Sunday July 23rd @ Grangemouth

Kate Whigham  (Ladies Secretary)

k.whigham@ntlworld.com

Joanna Ross smashed Yvonne Murray's 19 year old National 800m indoor record with a time of 2 min 03.27 sec, while taking the bronze medal at the AAA Indoor Championships at Sheffield on Sunday the 12th of February.

Joanna was quoted in the Herald Newspaper as saying "That's more than a second quicker than I've run outdoors, and the best I have ever placed in the AAA Championships was seventh" and "It would have been nice to get the title".

Joanna has now set her sights on the European Championships this summer as long as there is no clash with the Club Championships at Scotstoun.

Congratulations Joanna.

ALONGSIDE SOME OF THE encouraging performances from Scotland’s Commonwealth Games contenders, one of the most pleasing sights this winter has been the form of an athlete has missed out on Melbourne, Victoria Park’s 800m runner Joanna Ross.

The 25-year-old spent six months on the sidelines last year due to a stress fracture and come summer she was unlucky to miss out the Commonwealth qualifying standard by just 0.67secs.

However following an injury-free stretch, she has upped her game yet further this winter to put her well in contention for a Scottish record and perhaps even qualification for March’s World Indoor Championships in Moscow, when she takes part in this weekend’s AAAs Indoor Championships at Sheffield.

In winning the 800m in 2:04.05 at the DM Hall Senior Championships in January (pictured) she left herself just four-hundredths away from Yvonne Murray’s 19-year-old national best and a further hundredth away from the World Indoor standards.

“It was disappointing to miss out of the Games. I trained hard as I could in the summer, but just missed out, so I needed something to aim for.” She said.

The John Lees-coached runner, who works as an optician, also put her fine form down to a change in her training regime. “I’ve stepped up the workload, I have been doing far more mileage than previously. I think I’ve only trained on the track about 10 times this winter.” She revealed.

Ross will have a tough task ahead of her though, with Karen Harewood who has clocked 2:00.53 and GB international Jenny Meadows also likely to be in the scramble for places.
 

John Innes has compiled a list of this summers meetings and they have been added to the Events page which can be found in the above drop down menu.

The Senior men have finished 3rd in Division 2 of the Mens League for the last two years, narrowly missing out on promotion.  This year they are hoping to return to Division1.

The dates of the meetings are as follows:

Sunday 30th April - Wishaw

Sunday 25th June - Pitreavie

Sunday 16th July - Grangemouth

Sunday 20th August - Wishaw

Everyone who is available for selection should contact Hugh Stevenson or Jim Harvey.

A4 Poster

Scotstoun Leisure Centre have agreed to display a new poster advertising the Club Web Site.  Copies can be downloaded here if your local school, Sports Centre or other suitable location is agreeable to it's display.

Copies can also be obtained from Gordon or Linda.

Previous versions of the news page are archived below.

  Visitors since March 2005.