Hello to all parents/carers of athletes!

My name is Sam Hillier-Smith and I am a coach at Yate and District Athletic club.  I coach several times a week and will once again be this years YDL U13 and U15 Girls & Boys team Manager – a job I’m very passionate about!

I coach the academy sessions on a Tuesday and Thursday from 6-7pm and Wednesday 7.00-8.00pm, plus Saturday 10-11am; covering all disciplines on a rotational basis and also coach club sessions on a Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday specialising in Pole Vault.

Some of you will know me and others wont so it’s a quick introduction and reminder of the upcoming season!  This year we have stayed up in the premier league, which was to the sheer talent and dedication of our athletes and parents! We will be competing against the best athletes in the league but I think we can hold our own again!

Lower age Group YDL consists of 3 matches plus a final, if we finish in the top 3 we go to a regional final with a chance to go national, if we finish bottom 3 we go to a promotional final where we fight to stay up rather than be relegated.  I would ask that athletes ask their coaches to time them or measure heights/distances in the coming weeks or better still try and go to an open competition where results will go on the Power of 10 – a site I look at regularly to help me pick the teams!

The Youth Development League fixtures are as follows:
Saturday 27th April at Swansea (coach provided)

(There is a coach for this event and pick up stop will be at 8am our home ground of Yate Outdoor Sports Complex where there is ample parking.  There is a cost of £5 per athlete and £10 per family (payable on the day and to help us vehicle hire) however seats are limited.  I would highly recommend coming on the coach as it adds team spirit and really is good fun.  Please let me know asap how many seats you would like!) 

Saturday 18th May at Yate
Sunday 23rd June at Yate
Saturday 20th July – Location to be decided after 3rd match (either Yate or Swindon depending on how well we do!)

Please could I ask you to reply to this email as soon as possible stating if your athlete wishes to compete and which fixtures you can attend plus the 3 preferred events of the athlete.

Athletes are sometimes injured or sick on the day so if athletes are happy to be available at short notice that is also worth knowing, having said that I wouldn’t expect anyone to travel and not get any participation!

I can only submit 2 athletes per event so if athletes don’t get chance to compete, please don’t worry as there will be other competitions happening.

Thank you for your time and please feel free to get in touch or catch me at the track with any questions you may have as I appreciate it’s a lot of information!!

My sincerest apologies if your young athlete does not want to compete (it’s not compulsory) or are no longer with the club – it can take a while for databases to be updated and myself to be notified! Please just disregard this email with the warmest best wishes for the future.

Sam Hillier-Smith
Pole Vault Coach & Team Manager

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