VPAAC Trophy Awards - September 2005

The following trophies will be presented at the Half Yearly meeting on Wednesday 22nd September at 1930 hrs within the Pavilion at Scotstoun.  Please come along to support the winners.

Medals will also be presented for the first three places in the Club Championships and Gift Vouchers will be presented to the following individuals who participated in the most events at the four SYAL and three CSAL meetings.

U11 Girls - Rosie Thoirs,  U13 Girls - Alison Innes and Caitlin Welsh tied,  U15 Girls - Emma Mills,  U17 Ladies - Katie Riches,  U11 Boys - Robbie Pollock,  U13 Boys - Jax Thoirs,  U15 Boys - Lorn Menzies and Rory Stewart tied and U17 Men - Chris Hayes.

Fixture List 2005 - 06

The fixture list has been updated at the following link.

Senior Men - Revised Result

One of the score sheets was temporarily misplaced.  The return of this sheet affected the final positions of the Senior Mens competition.

The changes are now reflected accurately in the table below.

Club Championships - Scotstoun - 18 September 2005

The Club Championships came to a conclusion today with many new PB's being achieved.  This was likely to be the last meeting in the current Stadium with the old stand due to be demolished in February 2006.

The meeting coincides with the Club's upcoming 75th Birthday celebrations.  We were able to update the Club photograph which is shown here and one from the early 1950's shown below.  I think that Charlie Murray is the only Athlete to appear in both.  Click on the images to see a larger version.

The results of the Club Championships are as follows:

U11		Pts:
Boys
1st	Max Aitchison	85
2nd	Steven Thistleton	70
3rd	Robbie Pollock	61
This is how the Club looked in the early 1950's at Scotstoun.

Congratulations to the winners and everyone who took part in the Championships. 

Scotstoun Stadium

The latest news about Scotstoun from a meeting Ronnie Stevenson had with Glasgow City Council is that they plan to begin work on the new Scotstoun Stadium in early 2006, about six months later than they originally intended. 

Glasgow City Council will sign separate agreements with the Scottish Rugby Union and Glasgow Athletics, hopefully offering the same sort of access as was 'agreed' before with rugby.  GCC will maintain the new Scotstoun.  

They are trying, with a clear expectation they will succeed, to maintain the same design as before although the north stand may go.

They hope to offer us (Glasgow Athletics) a draft heads of agreement by the end of October.

Results for the Club Championships 2005

Scottish and UK Rankings 2005

Athletics Links

Ricky has compiled a list of links to the most useful and interesting web sites relating to Athletics and they can be found by following this link.

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.

McAndrew Road Relay Races

Victoria Park is once again hosting the annual McAndrew Road Relay Races on Saturday 1st October 2005 at Jordanhill.

The start time of the race is 3pm.  Registration forms, maps etc can be found here.

Half Yearly General Meeting - September 2005 

The Half-Yearly General Meeting of the Club will be held on Wednesday 28^th September 2005 in the Pavilion at Scotstoun Stadium at 7.15pm for 7.30pm.  All members are invited to attend.

Agenda

1. Apologies for absence.
2. Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising.
3. Secretaries’ Reports
   • Ladies’ Secretary
   • Men’s Secretary
4. Treasurer’s Report.
5. President’s Remarks.
6. Presentation of Track & Field Awards.
7. Election of Committee Members
   • Men’s Captain
   • Men’s Vice-Captain
   • Ladies’ Captain
   • Ladies’ Vice-Captain
   • Committee members (3 in number)
8. Appointment of Team Managers for Indoor League (essential to allow teams to compete)
9. Discussion regarding the future development of the Club.
10. Any other competent business.

You are reminded that anyone whose subscription is not paid has no voting rights at any General Meeting of the Club

Coach License Renewals Sought

ALL UKA Coaches should be aware that the opportunity for Coach Licence Renewal is rapidly drawing to a close.

In Scotland, many coaches may already be operating on 'borrowed time' and need to take action immediately to ensure their coach licence is renewed and that their UKA insurance is valid.

Information was sent to all Scottish based coaches earlier in 2005 along with the UKA Coaching Newsletter requesting submission of a copy of the appropriately completed section from their Coaching Pass in the April to June time frame to facilitate licence renewal.

Coaches may be exempted from this process if they have attended a UKA Coach Education Course since 30th April 2003 to progress up a level or across a level.

To date, however, many coaches to whom this exemption does not apply, have not returned this important information from their pass books.

scottishathletics need to know who is actively involved in coaching in our country and also to ensure that all active coaches are appropriately qualified and insured.

If this means you, then please take action now and return your completed paperwork to Anne Stewart (Regional Education and Training Administrator) in the scottishathletics office.

If you have any questions please contact Anne on 0870 145 1511 or email  anne.stewart@scottishathletics.org.uk

Please remember, if you do not renew, your licence may not be valid and you will not be insured. This may also prevent you accessing athletics facilities as a coach.

Club Championships 2005

All members are invited to attend and take part in the Club Championships which will take place at Scotstoun Stadium on Sunday 18^th September 2005. 

The various events will begin at 12.30pm and are scheduled to finish before 4.30pm.  Athletes should register for their events with the Officials on the day. 

The only events missing from what would be a full programme are the Steeplechase, 400m Hurdles and the Pole Vault. 

There will be events for every age group from U11 to Seniors.   

Every athlete can take part in a number of events with the points won in their best 5 events going to their total for the Championship. 

The winners will receive their presentation at the ½ Yearly General Meeting of the club on Wednesday 28^th September 2005. 

We would like to see a good turnout on this occasion in support of all of our Athletes.

Chris Bennett - From the Scottish Athletics Web Site

THE 2005 POWERADE HAMMER GRAND PRIX came to an exciting climax at Grangemouth Stadium at the weekend with several personal best performances highlighting a successful inaugural year for the development competition.

30 throwers took part in Sunday’s fourth and final event of the nationwide contest that began in Inverness in April with 23 participants from under 13 age groups upwards.

There was also a special prize for Chris Bennett (Victoria Park) who was awarded the Alan Bertram Trophy by George and Lesley Loney, who along with Bertram, have been the driving forces behind the initiative.

Chris Bennett picked up the handsome trophy as the athlete who was deemed to have demonstrated admirable commitment, potential and improvement throughout the series. Jasmine Bunting (Border) also picked up a special award from the officials to acknowledge her competitive spirit during the series.
 

Follow this link to read the full article.

Results from Crownpoint open graded 30^th August

Junior Relay Championships - Scotstoun 28th August

The U15 Boys were second in the 4x100m relay final.

The U17 Ladies were unlucky to finish 4th in their final and the U13 Boys finished just out of the medals in 5th.

Sunday Mail - Scottish Championships - 27th and 28th August

Alison Rodger was 1st in the Shot Putt with a throw of 14.75m and 3rd in the Discus with a throw of 40.42m.

Chris Baillie was 2nd in the 110m Hurdles in a time of 13.70s

Sara Whigham was 1st in the 100m in a time of 11.63s and 2nd in the 200m in a time of 24.83s.

Joanna Ross was 3rd in the 800m in a time of 2.05.31

And Lisa Whigham was 3rd in the 400m in a time of 55.17s.

Ricky's Sprint Group

Ricky has added an end of season letter to the sprint groups web page in relation to the end of the outdoor season and new plans for the upcoming indoor events.

Coaching Workshops 

Scottish Athletics have just released details of this winters coaches education programme. This can be found at http://www.scottishathletics.org.uk/courses.php Or by phoning Anne Stewart at 0870 145 1511. 

All coaches are actively encouraged to enrol on suitable courses and move up to the next level. Funding is available from the coaching committee and should be made in writing and passed to a member of the coaching committee. Funding is also available from GADS.

If any parents are interested in being involved in coaching at any level have a chat with any of the coaches who are more than willing to help. For example due to the increase of new members we require help for our induction groups.

Throughout the winter we will be conducting our own in house coaching workshops.

It is intended to ask George Byng back down for a workshop on strength and conditioning but aimed more at coaches. If any coach, athlete or parent have any particular wishes or ideas for workshops get in touch with Graham Smith or any other coaching committee member

Details of the coaching committee can be found on this website

END OF SEASON SALE EVENT AT GLASGOW OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE

This week marks the start of our end of season sale, commencing at 12 noon this Friday (26th August).

Featuring in this event are: Over 250 shoes to clear at prices up to 50% off.
Core shoe lines with great offers: Mizuno Wave Exodus Support shoe, was £65 now only £44.99. The Saucony Grid Trigon Responsive (Neutral) shoe, was £70, now only £49.99. Both of these models represent a great offer on what are fantastic shoes.

We have the balance of our summer clothing lines to clear, with prices typically in the region of 33% off, as well as some great specials, such as 33% off Goretex jackets, down to only £85 and Gore Windstopper Jackets for only £60, saving 30% on retail. We also have offers on core Nike and Ronhill ladies and mens running clothing, saving up to 30%.

Tiso Glasgow Outdoor Experience
50 Couper Street
Glasgow
G4 0DL

Telephone0141 559 5450

Bank Of Scotland Championships - Grangemouth - 20th and 21st August 2005

All of the results from Grangemouth are recorded here on two pdf files.  Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st.

There was a good turnout of Athletes representing Victoria Park at the Championships in Grangemouth.  Many returned home with medals and many more with new PB's.  I've only had time to list the medal winners, in no particular order.

Steven Beattie was 2^nd in the U17 400m Hurdles in a time of 59.45, was 2^nd in the U17 100m Hurdles in a time of 14.08 and was 3^rd in the U17 High Jump with a distance of 1.75m

Jax Thoirs was 3^rd in the U13 75m Hurdles in a time of 13.11 and was 2^nd in the U13 Long Jump in a distance of 4.64m

Jonathan Byrne Leitch was 2^nd in the U13 200m in a time of 26.03

Calum Innes was 1^st in the U15 80m Hurdles in a time of 12.18 and was 1^st in the U15 Long Jump with a distance of 5.83

Abbey McGhee was 3^rd in the U17 800m in a time of 2.14.83

Martin Hayes was 2^nd in the U17 1500m Steeplechase in a time of 4.34.06

Christopher Bennett was 2^nd in the U17 Hammer with a throw of 49.55m and -

Jamie Sinclair was 3^rd in the U17 Pole Vault with a height of 3.20m

Congratulations to all of our athletes who represented the Club at Grangemouth.

Crownpoint - Open Graded Meetings - 23rd and 30th August

Shettleston Harriers are hosting two Open Graded meetings at Crownpoint on Tuesday 23rd and Tuesday 30th August.  There are no field facilities and as a result, this will be for track events only.

Ricky has asked that all sprinters compete in the 100m and 200m on Tuesday 30th of August.

For more information, follow this link.

AAA Under 17 and Under 15 Championships - 13th and 14th August

All of the results from the AAA U17 and U15 Championships at Birmingham are recorded here in a pdf file.

Scottish Relay Championships - Scotstoun - Sunday 28th August

Ricky is still looking for volunteers to compete in the two Ladies U17 Relay teams that have been entered for the above event.

Victoria Park - 3rd in League

For the second year running we finished 3rd in the Scottish Men's League, taking fourth place in the final match at Ayr on 7th August.

We were missing several key runners on the track, but our field events scuppered all the opposition to finish well on top.

It's always good when an athlete posts a new personal best; so congratulations to Craig Shields, 2nd in the triple jump with 12.89m, and Gerry Farrell, winner of the B hammer with 30.75m.

Our top performer was Derek Watson Jnr, 2nd in the 800m (1:53:7) and first in the 1500m (4:07:5), both very exciting races.

Well done to the rest of the team for a plucky effort; Liam Milligan (making his league debut), Charlie Murray, Derek Watson Snr, Ken Mitchell, Scott Hone, Steven Beattie, Mathew Harvie and Craig Loney.

And don't forget our top officials, Hugh and Sheila Baillie for helping out as usual, organising the field events at the meeting.

Hugh Stevenson

AAA's Birmingham - 13th +14th August

Scottish Athletes Won Seven Medals at the AAAs U17/U15 Championships which were held in Birmingham at the weekend.

David Martin (Victoria Park) continued his fine form by taking U17 400m hurdles gold in 53.11.

Congratulations David.

CSSL Division 3 Meeting at Scotstoun - 14th August

A tremendous effort by all of the Victoria Park athletes on the day wasn't enough to win promotion to Division 2.  A great day was only slightly spoiled in the end by our failure by one point to win promotion.

Our relay teams were in great form and should give everyone confidence for the upcoming relay championships at Scotstoun.

Two excellent individual performances were achieved by Calum Innes and Jonathan Byrne Leitch.

Calum jumped 6.08m in the U15 Long Jump, 2 cm further than the current Scottish Age Group Record.  Unfortunately for Calum, there was no wind gauge in operation and subsequently his jump will not be recorded.

Jonathan equalled the CSSL League record with a time of 26.4 in the U13 200m.

Bank Of Scotland - Athlete Development Camp - 15th and 16th October

The Bank Of Scotland is once again running a Development Camp at Grangemouth Stadium on the above dates.

It is open to current U17's:

• who have achieved the pre required eligibility standard - grade 3 AAA Matrix.  (see your Coach for clarification), 
• are not yet part of the Bank Of Scotland squad.

It is also open to two U15's from each Club:

• who are not yet part of the Bank Of Scotland squad,
• who are keen to learn, enthusiastic and committed.

Gordon Innes has application forms.

Celtic Games - Carmarthen, Wales

SCOTLAND SCOOPED four of the seven available trophies at the Celtic Games in Carmarthan, Wales at the weekend, including the most important one of all to mark overall victory.

Every single contribution from every team member was crucial in the final analysis, which saw the Welsh team pipped by just three points.

The final standings were: Scotland 169, Wales 166, Ireland 136 and Ulster 121. Scotland also took home the prizes for the male overall, male under17s and female under 15s classes. There were many outstanding performances, with Peter Holmes, James Campbell, David Martin and Allan McKay being particularly notable.

Holmes set a brand new championship best performance by winning with M17 hammer in 58.32. in the javelin, Campbell reached similar heights by landing his spear at a monstrous mark of 70.67.

Martin and McKay meanwhile both bagged notable doubles. The former in the M17 100m hurdles and 400m hurdles, whilst McKay matched the feat in the M15 shot and discus.

VPAAC was represented by David Martin and Thomas Campbell at U17 and Calum Innes at U15.

Committee Meeting - 22nd August 2005

Our next Committee Meeting will be at 7.30pm on Monday 22nd August.

The venue will be the Hillhead Sports Club, Hughenden.

Pitreavie - Young Athletes Meeting - 11th September 2005

A good meeting to bring the season to a close.  This will be the 14th annual Young Athletes Trophy Meeting at Pitreavie. 

The closing date for entries will be the 20th of August.

You can download the application form here.

GB Selection

Alison Rodger has been named in the Norwich Union Great Britain and Northern Ireland Team for the Norwich Union Under 23 International against the Czech Republic, France and Spain at the Manchester Regional Arena, Sportcity, on Saturday 6 August.
 

Sports Psychology and Lifestyle Adviser

Mary McClung came along on Tuesday 26th of July to give a talk on the training requirements, mindset and lifestyle needed to compete at the top level in athletics. 

The session went very well with 20+ athletes coaches and parents in attendance.

Mary began with a run down on her introduction to athletics through her early teens and on to her experiences as an American University athlete and GB International. She emphasised the need for the quality and quantity of training that it took to attain the highest levels and the Time Management skills to fit everything into a full time or part time job, academic career, or training as a full time athlete.

I think it was a wake up call to some of our young athletes when she said that a 16 she was training twice a day for at least three days in a six day training week, but she felt that this was what was needed to make it at the highest level.

Mary went on to speak about lifestyle choices and about her own errors of judgement when making career decisions, and to be quite sure of which path you decide to follow should you wish to pursue a future in athletics at an International level.

The evening concluded with a question and answer session with Mary replying to questions from parents coaches and athletes.

My intention is to bring Mary back for a further evening later in the year to discuss visualisation and race planning.  

My thanks to all who attended.

Graham Smith

Young Athletes League - Final - 31st August 2005

Victoria Park finished 5th overall.  All of the results are recorded on this excel spreadsheet.

The Club Championships will now take place at Scotstoun on the above date.  Further details will be posted here in the near future.

All of the results from the Dunbartonshire Championship are recorded on this excel spreadsheet.

Sports Psychology and Lifestyle Adviser

Dunbartonshire AAA Track and Field Championships - Sunday 17th July 2005.

The above Championships will begin at 12 noon on the 17th at Linwood Sports Centre.  Declarations are from 11am to 1145am.

You can download a copy of the entry form from this link: Entry Form

My apologies for this information being late.  Because of my holidays and G8 I have been home for only one night in the last three weeks.

Youth Athletes League - Dumfries

Congratulations to the boys team that competed at Dumfries and qualified for the YAL Final on the 31st July, the teams that have qualified are as follows;

Girls                                                                           Boys

Edinburgh Woolen Mill                                                 Shettleston

City Of Glasgow                                                          City Of Edinburgh

Kilbarchan                                                                  Giffnock North

Giffnock North                                                             Kilbarchan

City Of Edinburgh                                                        Clydesdale

Falkirk Victoria                                                            Victoria Park.