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Scottish Athletics League
 
The first match of the “Men’s League” took place at Grangemouth Stadium on Sunday 17th April. Our men competed in Division 1 and finished 4th. There were excellent individual performances.
 
David Martin and Steven Beattie took full points in the 200m. David was 1st “A” in 21.83s and Steven was 1st “B” with 23.60s. Steven also won the 110m Hurdles in 16.09s and, together with Martin Hayes who was 1st “B” in 19.68s, took full points in that event. Martin also won the 3000m Steeplechase in 9:55.81 and Steven was also 2nd “B” in the 100m with 11.66s.

John Mulhern was 3rd in the 400m Hurdles in 58.75s and Allan Ramsay was 1st “B” in the 400m in 52.04s.

Thomas Campbell won both the High Jump and Pole Vault, clearing 1.90m and 4.00m respectively, and Martin Taylor was 2nd in the Javelin with 46.39m.
 
The team of, Matthew Hester, Steven Beattie, Allan Ramsay and David Martin, was 2nd in the 4x100m relay in 45.29s.
 
Well done to those who took part and particularly to those who tried to cover as many events as possible for the sake of team points.

Lynn McGarry

VP-Glasgow are competing in Match 1 of the Scottish Womens League on Sunday the 17th of April at Meadowbank Stadium.

A minibus will be leaving Scotstoun at 0900 hrs on Sunday morning.  If you would like to travel, please e-mail Gordon to confirm your place on the bus.  The cost of the return journey will be £3.

Lorraine Dickson will be driving the minibus.

Good luck to everyone taking part.

SSAA Secondary Schools’ Cross Country Championships
 
Around 32 VP-Glasgow Athletes competed for their respective schools in the SSAA Secondary Schools’ Cross Country Championships in Irvine on Saturday 12th March.
 
Euan Urquhart won the boys U14 race (3km) in 11:54, followed by Calum McCormack in 2nd with 11:58. Scott Rankine was 62nd.
In the boys age 14/15 (4km) race, Jay Van den Hoven was 10th in 15:55, Scott McKay was 12th in 16:05 and Fraser Glass was 19th in 16:30. Liam Turner was 27th, Liam McKeown 32nd and Craig Jardine 33rd.
In boys age 15-17 (5km), Liam McLoone was 5th in 18:29 and Lewis Boyle was 6th in 18:32. Keiron Rafferty was 33rd, Jamie Robinson 64th and John Barnes 66th.
In boys over 17 (6km), Marc Austin was 7th in 22:01, Ethan Sloan-Dennison was 8th in 22:03 and Miro Ralston was 14th in 23:24.
 
In the girls U14 race (2.4km), Millie Cunningham was 13th in 11:57, Abbigail McInnes was 30th and Nicole Waters was 68th.
In girls age 14/15 (3km), Emma Ferrie was 18th in 13:32, Anya Morrison was 27th, Millie Boyle was 29th, Abbie MacFarlane 54th, Jude Sloan-Dennison 65th, Kirsty Viera 73rd and Christy Bloss 80th.
In girls 15-17 (4km), Danielle Beattie was 14th in 18:29, Rachel Dick was 31st and Eilidh McEvilly was 45th.
In girls over 17 (4km) Deborah Hannah was 12th in 17:45 and Amy MacLellan was 20th in 20:20.
 
Lynn McGarry

Glasgow Primary Schools Cross Country
 
The Glasgow Primary Schools Cross Country took place at Nether Pollock on Friday 11th March.
 
Our top 10 finishers were:
 
P7B: Jamie MacKinnon 1st, Andrew Moreland 2nd, Ewan Rae 3rd (all Jordanhill Primary).
P7G: Cari Kiddie 1st (High School).
P6G: Anna Breckenridge 1st (Jordanhill), Lucy Rankin 2nd (Kelvinside), Anna Fleming 7th (High School).
 
Well done to all who took part.
 
Lynn McGarry

Alexander Naylor MBE

21st November 1929 - 7th February 2011.  Age 81. 

Scottish Athletics and Shettleston Harriers have lost one of the most influential and respected coaches in Scotland. 

Bornin the East End in Bridgeton he qualified to be an optician, initially as a manager of Lizars and finally as a shop owner in Tollcross Road, Glasgow & Church Walk in Denny , Naylor's Opticians.

Alex Naylor was a revered name in coaching circles throughout the UK, being held in great esteem by all his peers. His first involvement with athletics began in 1953 when he joined Glasgow YMCA as an athlete, before joining Shettleston Harriers in 1957. Never likely to be an athlete of International standing, Alex’s love and dedication for the sport over a period of 58 years was never diminished. He strived to be the best at whatever he did, and on a coaching aspect, he certainly achieved that receiving an MBE in the 2007 New Year’s Honours list for services to athletics.

Alex’s accolades were many, being awarded the Honorary title Master Coach for Middle distance, from UK Athletics, and from Scottish athletics just some of his awards and titles are listed below:  
Scottish Amateur Athletics Association Coaching administrator for 20 years
Coaching lecturer receiving an award for 30 years of service
Chairman of Scottish Joint Coaching Committee
Interim National Coach
Honorary Life Member of SAAA
Senior coach for Scottish Schools residential camps for 10 years. 
Invited Coach to Irish Schools Summer camps for 2 years
Team coach to many British and Scottish Teams
Won Betty Clapperton Trophy for services to coaching on two occasions
Was given a Life Time award by Scottish Athletics in 2002
Secretary of West District Committee for 4 years
Won Tom Stillie Trophy for services to athletics in 1985
Founder member of first Scottish Young Athletes League in the 1960s
Scottish Secretary of British Milers Club for 3 years. 

Alex was one the few early coaches who were inclusive and he coached various athletes outwith Shettleston Harriers in his training groups, including several international athletes and club athletes from Victoria Park City of Glasgow. Including one of our Life Members Los Angeles Olympian, Lynne MacDougall who ran (4.05.96)1500m & (2:01.1) 800m in 1984 at the age of 19,  Dave McMeekin (1:46.8) and Susan Scott, for a short period as a youngster when she moved to Glasgow from Ayr Seaforth.  She went on to become an Olympian in Beijing and Scottish record holder (1:59.02) 800m.

Possibly his major individual coaching success. amongst his many achievements, was coaching Nat Muir who set a Scottish record at 5000m 13:17.9 in Oslo in 1980, which still stands today. Nat also won 8 Scottish Senior Cross Country Titles under Alex’s guidance, he could only manage 3rd place in 1982 after being hit by a trolley bus during a New Year’s Eve race in Madrid and had hardly any training prior to the National XC. In 2003 Alex also coached Allan Stuart to a World Record at 400m for athletes with learning difficulties and Olympic silver medal at the Sydney 2000, LD Paralympic Games.

In his capacity as a coaching lecturer he must have influenced the lives of thousands of athletes and coaches both directly and indirectly, through Schools residential camps, and the coaching weekends at Largs. He once told me that “If you want to become a good coach, you have to remember it’s a commitment for life”, it certainly was for him.
 
On a personal note, I had known Alex for more than 30 years initially as a member of one of his coaching groups, and then as a coach tutor when I came into coaching in the mid 80’s. He became my mentor and friend travelling with him to many B.M.C. conferences, seminars and training camps, introducing me to his peer group of Peter Coe, Harry Wilson, Frank Horwill  et al. some of the greatest endurance coaches of Britain’s “Golden Era”, they all thought of Alex as a friend, such was his standing in the coaching community.

Everyone will remember his “Naylorisms”, there are hundreds of examples that everyone here can recall like “I have seen milk turn faster” “Don`t lie there on the track, my athletes will get blood on their spikes” and “I don’t know what you are whinging about, I can’t feel any pain”, but they were delivered with comedic timing, so the acerbic wit was never deemed offensive. 
In later years, Alex’s health declined, but he still managed down to coach at Crownpoint Track on a Tuesday and Thursday night. I used to pick him up from his flat in Cumbernauld, and woe betide me if I was more than 5 minutes late arriving, though he could stroll down 15 minutes late and ask if I had been waiting long. I remember one journey, I had just collected my car from the garage after a service, and as we were driving I heard this “loud ticking “noise in the car, I proceeded switching off the radio, the heaters, air con etc. to no avail. I started off by saying to Alex, what I was going to tell that garage the next morning, that they hadn’t checked the car thoroughly and hadn’t completed the job. When we arrived at the track, I lifted the bonnet, checked all around the car, but every time I went inside I still heard the ticking even with the car stopped. I helped Alex out of the car, and then he produced an old clockwork stopwatch from his pocket, and said “Is this the ticking sound you mean” both of us burst out laughing, he had me going for the full journey from Cumbernauld to Crownpoint track.

When my wife and I used to visit him in the care home he could still have us laughing and reflective on our journey home after his tales and one liners, “There you are you see”.
 
Everyone who knew, or met Alex could tell a story, he was a true legend in his life time, a great man, a great coach and a good friend.  He will be sadly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.
 
Graham Smith      President Victoria Park City of Glasgow
 
From Alex’s Order of Service – a philosophy he lived by.

If you think you are beaten - you are
If you think you dare not – you don’t
If you like to win but you think you can’t,
It’s almost certainly you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose – you’ve lost;
For out of the world we find –
Success begins with a fellows will,
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you’re outclassed – you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise;
You’ve got to be sure of yourself
Before you can win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the strongest or fastest man;
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.