Rickys End Of Season Letter

Ricky has posted a letter on the Sprint page.  It can be viewed at this link.

Long Jump Training Session

Joanne Wise the former England and Great Britain International Long Jumper will be coming along to Scotstoun at 6pm on Thursday 24th August.

She will be taking a coaching session for any members of the club that are interested in long jumping.  Colin Sinclair will be there to lend a hand.

Joanne won the Gold medal in the long jump at the Commonwealth Games in Malasia in 1998.  Her personal best when she was competing was 6.76m.

Bellahouston 5K

Only three athletes from Victoria Park took part in the annual 5k on Sunday 20th of August from the Palace of Arts around Bellahouston Park.

Alistair Douglas finished in 14th place in a time of 16:54 and was only the 4th Vet over 40 to cross the line.

Joe Doyle finished in 33rd place in a time of 18:18 and was only the 2nd Vet over 50 to cross the line.

On her debut for Victoria Park, Louise Warren finished in 6th place among the senior women in a time of 18:55.

A large field of 240 athletes took part in the event.

Scottish Athletics Womens League - Champions

Our ladies were in action on Sunday 20th of August at Grangemouth.  They were representing Team West in the SWAL.  They won 23 points on the day, which, subject to scrutiny makes them the winners of the league for the second year in succession.

Alison Rodger (pictured right) was 1st in the Shot Putt with a throw of 14.96m, 1st in the Discus with a throw of 45.90m and 4th in the Hammer with a throw of 35.09m.

Sarah Whigham (pictured below) was 3rd in the 100m with a time of 12.42s and 1st B in the 200m with a time of 25.38s.

Her sister, Lisa Doyle was 2nd in the 200m with a time of 24.65s, 3rd in the Triple Jump with a distance of 9.92m, 4th in the Long Jump with a distance of 4.85m and 1st B in the 100m with a time of 12.28s.

Catriona Cicero Sola was 2nd in the Javelin Throw with a distance of 29.89m and 2nd B in the Shot Putt with a throw of 5.89m.

Sara Gray was 3rd in the U13 Long Jump with a distance of 4.20m.

Gillian Galloway was 5th in the U17 200m in a time of 27.09s, 1st B in the 300m in a time of 43.14s and 4th B in the Shot Putt with a distance of 5.89.

Gillian McFarlane was 8th in the U15 100m in a time of 14.12s.

Kate Whigham (Team Manager) congratulated all of the athletes listed below from Victoria Park who had represented Team West over the season and had contributed to their success.

u13:  Sarah Gray, Caitlin Welsh

u15:  Christina Strachan, Gillian McFarlane

u17:  Aisling McGhee, Abbey McGhee, Katie Riches, Rebecca Riches, Courtney MacGuire, Gillian Galloway, Rebecca Kay.

Senior:  Sara Whigham, Lisa Doyle, Joanna Ross, Alison Rodger, Catriona Donald (Cirera Sola)

Kate said "Thanks go to all the girls for their hard work and willingness to have a go at events other than their specialities when needed!  Also to Christine Stoops and John Innes for officiating".

Mens League - Wishaw

Victoria Park men were competing in the last meeting of the Mens League on Sunday 20th August at Wishaw.

The only individual winner on the day was Martin Hayes who finished the 800m in a time of 1:59.4.

Thomas Campbell was 2nd in the High Jump with a height of 1.80m while Mathew Harvie cleared 1.70m.

Gerry Farrell was 2nd in the Hammer with a throw of 33.06m.

Fraser Gibson was 3rd in the Pole Vault with a height of 3.50m while Jamie Sinclair cleared 3.20m.

Gregor Innes was 4th in the 400m with a time of 53.00s.

We're currently unsure of the finishing positions in the league but Victoria Park will remain in Division 2 for at least another year.

Westerton Gala Day

Kenny and Christine were on a recruiting drive at the Westerton Gala Day on Saturday 19th of August.

They attracted a large group of youngsters who were curious to learn about Victoria Park and take part in a few fitness challenges.

The youngsters achievements were recorded and can be seen on the attached word document.

Hopefully we'll see some new recruits as a result of their efforts.

The Celtic Cup

Scotland were the winners at the inaugural meeting of the Celtic Cup at Grangemouth on Thursday 17th August.  The final points were Scotland 43pts, Ireland 32pts and Wales 25pts.

30 of Victoria Parks junior athletes travelled through to Grangemouth to watch the drama unfold.  The highlight of their evening came when Joanna Ross (pictured right) won the 800m in a time of 2:08.24.

They were also thrilled to see one of their peers in the shape of Abbey McGhee running for the Bank Of Scotland Development Squad in the womens 800m.  Abbey ran a great race and finished in 6th place in a time of 2:17.72.

Sara Whigham (pictured left) was 5th in the 100m in a time of  12.59 and 5th in the 200m in a time of 25.48.

Lisa Doyle was 3rd in the 200m in a time of 25.02.

The captain of the Scotland team for the evening was Lee McConnell who won her 200m in a time of 23.95 and followed that with a lap of honour.  Jax Thoirs was generous enough to give her a high five as she passed by.

Well done to Falkirk, Scottish Athletics and the BBC for organising such a good event.

Helensburgh Half Marathon

Three Victoria Park athletes took part in the annual Helensburgh Half Marathon on Sunday 6th of August.

Gerry Craig (pictured right) was the first home, finishing in 12th place overall in a time of 1:21:26.

Duncan Thomson was close behind and finished in 14th place in a time of 1:22:54.

Alan Hamilton also had a good run, finishing in 27th place in a time of 1:25:38.

Three very good places from a field of 248 athletes.

The Celtic Cup - Thursday 17th August - Grangemouth

Two minibuses will be leaving from the car park at Scotstoun at 3.30pm.

There is no charge for either the bus or your entry to the Stadium.  The bad news is that we are in a standing area.

You might be advised to bring a packed lunch as it will be a long day.

Among the entertainment prior to the main event there will be a 1500m fun run in Inchyra Park at 5.35pm.  Entry on the day will cost £3 and you get a free goody bag.

Victoria Park will be represented by Joanna Ross and Abbey McGhee, who both run in the 800m at 7.35pm.  Sara Whigham will be competing in both the 100 and 200 metre sprints for the Development Squad and her sister Lisa Doyle is running the 400m leg of the medley relay for the Scottish team.  We'll also see Lisa in the 200m as a guest athlete.

I'm sure all the girls will enjoy the support of their team mates and rise to the occasion.

The main event will be live on BBC2 from 7pm till 9pm.  The minibuses are likely to return to Scotstoun by 10pm.

Article On Sprinting

Ricky found this interesting article on the web about speed endurance which relates to an interview Michael Johnson had with Marlon Devonish last weekend.

It can be viewed at this link.

The Celtic Games - 12th of August

Victoria Park athletes were representing Scotland at U16 and U18 age groups at the Regional Sports Centre in Waterford, Ireland on Saturday 12th August in the Celtic Games.

Teams from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Ulster took part in the 30th annual meeting of these nations.

The greatest success of the day came from Chris Bennett (pictured right) who won the U18 Hammer. 

Liam Hill was 2nd in the High Jump with a height of 1.90m.

Calum Innes was 2nd in the 100m Hurdles with a time of 14.49s.

Aisling McGhee was a member of the 4x400m relay team that finished in 3rd place.

John Craig was 2nd in the U16 100m in a time of 11.7s.

The one disappointment was the injury sustained by Martin Hayes who collided with a barrier while competing in the Steeplechase.  Hopefully the injury isn't too serious and he'll be back in training soon.

Junior Relays - 13th Of August

Victoria Parks U17 ladies were third in the final of the U17 4x100m.  Katie Riches, Gillian Galloway, Courtney MacGuire and Abbey McGhee all picked up well deserved Bronze medals after a nail biting finish.

The U15 girls team of Abby Marshall, Alison Innes, Rebecca Lightfoot (pictured below) and Gillian MacFarlane made it through to the final where they unfortunately missed out on a medal.

The U13 boys and the U17 men both finished out of the medals in their respective events.

We were unable to field teams for the U15 boys and the U13 girls because of a lack of athletes available for selection.

Places are still available for the trip to Grangemouth for the Celtic Cup on Thursday 17th August.

See below for information.

Sunday Mail - Senior Scottish Championships

Eight medals were won by Victoria Park Athletes over the Championship weekend.

Joanna Ross (pictured right) won the 800m in a time of 2:02.91 from Claire Gibson of Kilbarchan.

Alison Rodger (below) won the Shot Putt with a throw of 15.29m which equalled the club record which she set in Manchester in January.

She followed that with 2nd place in the Discus with a throw of 47.50m.

Sara Whigham was 2nd in the 200m with a time of 24.27s and 3rd in the 100m with a time of 11.96s.

Lisa Doyle was 1st in the 400m Hurdles with a time of 59.60s and 3rd in the 200m with a time of 24.77s.

Courtney MacGuire was 2nd in the Pole Vault with a height of 3.20m.

Catriona Cirera Sola (nee Donald) competed in the Javelin but just missed out on a medal.

Martin Taylor returned to the championships after a long absence and finished out of the medals with a long jump of 6.24m.

15 of Victoria Parks junior athletes assisted the organisers of the event by doing kit carrying and score running duties.  Well done to everyone, a credit to Victoria Park.

The athletes who gave up their own time to help were:

David McDonald, Jamie Sinclair, Gavin Murty, Eilidh Clark, Lesley Clark, Alison Innes, Rebecca Lightfoot, Gillian Galloway, Abby Marshall, Sarah Gray, Corrine McConnachie, Jennifer Callaghan, Michael Gray, Sophie Mills and Adam Mills.

AAA's - Birmingham

Chris Bennett was in action in the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham on Saturday 5th of August.

He won the Bronze medal in the U17 hammer with a throw of 61.97m.  Congratulations once again Chris.

Chris is one of a group of athletes from Victoria Park that are travelling to Waterford in Ireland to represent Scotland in the Celtic Games.

Letter of Appreciation

Graham Smith received a very nice letter from Alan Beattie (son of Frank) thanking all at the Club for the large turnout at Franks funeral.

Over 20 of Franks ex club mates were in attendance and their presence was much appreciated by the family.

The Celtic Cup - Thursday 17th August - Grangemouth

This exciting match promises to be one of the highlights of the summer with international class athletes from Scotland, Wales and Ireland fighting it out for the inaugural awarding of the prestigious trophy.

A Bank of Scotland Development Team and several world-class overseas guests will also take part in the meeting, which will be televised by BBC Scotland. 

This main event will be from 7pm till 9pm.

Prior to this event, there will be the Celtic Club Relays in Inchyra Park, Grangemouth.  Victoria Park will enter one team at each of three age groups:

U13, 2 boys and 2 girls to enter a 4x1000m relay.

U15, 2 boys and 2 girls to enter a 4x1000m relay.

U17, 2 boys and 2 girls to enter a 4x1500m relay.

There will also be a 1.5 mile fun run for any athletes from 9 to 16 years who would like to take part.

There will be a Family Fun Day and Highland Games within Inchyra Park to entertain the competitors and spectators prior to the competition commencing.

Two minibuses will take the 12 competitors and up to 18 coaches and spectators/fun runners through to Grangemouth on the day.

The buses will leave Scotstoun Stadium at 3.30pm and will return at about 10pm.

If you would like to compete or would just like to join in the fun, speak to Sheila Atkinson or Gordon Innes at Scotstoun.

Lost and Found Property

Gavin Murty lost his Nike tracksuit bottoms (size Medium) on Sunday at Grangemouth.  He left them lying on the ground near to the finish line.  They may have been lifted in error as they all look alike.  If you do find a second pair of tracksuit bottoms in your kit bag, speak to Linda or Gordon.

Linda handed in a sweat shirt (large male) with "Umbro pro training" thereon to the reception at Linwood.  She also handed in a ladies "Concurve" top, black and light blue.  Do you know who these belong to.

Caitlin Welsh lost her tracksuit top at Wishaw in June.  If anyone finds they have the wrong kit in their bag, speak to Linda or Gordon and we can organise a swap.

Promotion For Victoria Park

Victoria Park won the last of the seasons three meetings of the CSSAL on Sunday 6th of August and won promotion to Division 2.

Despite the holidays affecting the turnout, the match was won in some style.  Points were picked up in every discipline and in all of the age groups. 

Athletes from U11 to Masters enjoyed another great day of competition in great weather and on the new track at Linwood.

The final positions of each of the clubs at this meeting are listed below although they are subject to change after they have been scrutinised and the points for the officials are added.

It was a great team effort once again with most of our younger athletes spurred on by Kenny's promise of a trip to MacDonalds.  I think he owes you one guys.

Below are some of the team in action.  The full results are at this link.

Young Athletes League - Final

Victoria Park Boys finished in fifth place in the final of the Young Athletes League at Grangemouth on Sunday 30th July.

The winning team was Giffnock North with 541 points, 2nd was Shettleston Harriers with 504 points, 3rd was Kilbarchan with 499 points, 4th was City of Edinburgh with 416 points, 5th was Victoria Park with 296 points, 6th was Arbroath and District with 274 points, 7th was Pitreavie with 144 points and in 8th place, Aberdeen had 124 points.

There were many personal successes on the day with Liam Hill winning the U17 High Jump and breaking the league record with a height of 1.97m.  A large crowd from Victoria Park had gathered around the high jump area hoping to see the record being broken and a loud cheer was raised when Liam cleared the height on his third and last jump.

John Craig also had a great day.  He won the U15 100m in a time of 11.78s, the 200m in a time of 24.39s and won the Athlete Of The Match award which included a cheque for £25.  John also turned his hand to the discuss where he finished 4th with a distance of 23.26m.

Paul McFarlane had an excellent win in the U13 800m with a time of 2:25.89.  Paul had the stadium on the edge of their seats as he first of all took the lead with 300m to go, lost it with 200m to go and then took it decisively with 50m to go.

Other medallists included Gregor Innes who won the U17 400m hurdles in a time of 61.20s, Calum Innes who won the U17 100m hurdles in a time of 14.04s and was 2nd in the Long Jump with a distance of 6.20m, Jamie Sinclair who was 2nd in the U17 Pole Vault with a height of 3.20m and Michael Gray who was 3rd in the U15 800m with a time of 2:16.15.

The U13 boys were 3rd in the 4x100m with a time of 61.49s.  The component parts of the team included Grant McConnachie, Lewis Wilson, Adam Mills and Paul McFarlane.

The U15 boys were also 3rd in 4x100m relay with a time of 50.89s.  The team included John Craig, Jonathan Byrne Leitch, Jax Thoirs and Mathew Pollok.

Thanks to all of the boys who turned out and made every point a prisoner.

We'll try again next year.

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.