THE SEASON SO FAR

Now that the season is well and truly underway, we thought it would be a good opportunity to share an update, and to expand on any of our regular social media posts.

Read on for details of our recent league performances, plus some spectacular individual performances at the British Championships, and what we have managed to find out so far about the many athletes selected to compete at English Schools this year.

First.  A plea for help.

This Saturday (July 3rd) we will be hosting the second National Athletics League competition for our Senior Athletes, but we are missing a few volunteers, and need support for the following:

• Steeple chase / hurdle movers.  The more the merrier
• Two recorders, to input the results onto the software on the laptop.
• plus volunteers to support the officials in the following events:
  • • Hammer @ 12.50 (Men & Women)
    • Triple Jump @ 15.10 (Women)
    • Javelin @ 16.00 (Women)

Please do consider getting involved and lending a hand. You will receive full support by qualified officials who will help and guide you.  Please let Andrew our Official’s Secretary at yateacofficials@gmail.com as soon as possible.  This will be a great opportunity to get up close to some fantastic senior performers .

NAL will provide a packed lunch for anyone who volunteers – and also note that volunteers don’t count towards an athlete’s plus one.

Quad Kids

Our first set of quad kids saw action at the Avon Track & Field League on 13^th June. Our girls came in in second place and so did our boys – so well done everybody – looking forward to seeing more of you and your smiling faces in action this Sunday!

Youth Development League

Our Lower Age Group Squad (U13 and U15) performed brilliantly in the first event of the season, leaving us in second place:

Upper Age Group Squad (U17 and U20)

Competing as the composite ‘Team Avon’ with Bristol & West, Team Bath and Mendip. The team, which was packed full of Yate athletes, has run away with the competition on both matches to date:

National Athletics League

This is our Seniors first season competing on a national level in the brand new NAL. Because of COVID, all of our matches are held at a local level, competing with local teams, but our match results make it onto the national league table, where we compete in the National Division One (it’s actually the third division in real money, because as we are new to national competition we need to start in the lowest division and work our way up). These are the clubs that we will be competing against next year, so it’s great to us fairing so well.

Midland League

Previously, our Seniors (with U17s) have competed as a composite team with Bristol & West in the Midland League, but this season we have had to go it alone due to a change in league rules. Once again competition has been restricted to local teams, and we have performed exceptionally well – currently in first position:

Avon Track & Field

We’re also doing really well leading the way in our local league for all age groups, and we’ve even broken a long-standing league record: Jodie Dale 600g Javelin Throw 40.11m – well done Jodie.

British Championships

We’ve had great success with a number of athletes meeting the qualifying standards to take part in the U20 and U23 British Championships. Adam Brooks and Owen Merrett coming home with medals – Adam being crowned the U23M British High Jump Champion, and Owen winning the bronze in a tightly fought hammer competition.

• Adam Brooks U23M High Jump – British Champion 2.16m
• Amy Pye – U23W 400mH
• James Viner U20M Hammer – 8^th 51.78
• Jodie Dale – U20W Javelin – 7^th 38.12m
• Kirsty Treglown – U20W 100m
• Luke Ball U20M High Jump -7^th 1.94 (jumping an age group up)
• Owen Merrett U20M Hammer – 3^rd  64.77m
• Toby Conibear U20M Hammer – 4^th 59.42m

On top of this Ellie Leather (1500m) and Adam Brooks (High Jump) were invited to take part in the British Senior Championships last weekend. Ellie (back in the UK from University in the USA)  qualified for the final, finishing in 10^th position, and Adam also finished 10^th in the men’s high jump.  We are so very proud of you all, and delighted to see Yate Vests on show on the live stream.

Combined Events

Congratulations to Liam Hillier (our Quad Kid’s team manager) who has qualified to take part in the National Combined Events Final.  Liam earned the bronze medal whilst representing Avon Schools in the Decathlon at the South West Combined Events Championship last weekend.

Steph Brooks, who has recently joined Yate AC, finished fifth in the heptathlon, and also qualified for the national final in September. A big well done to both of you!

English Schools

Finally, we have received news that a remarkable number of our athletes have been invited to take part in the English Schools championships. Qualification was even harder than usual this year – so well done all of you – and good luck in the championships.

Some of the counties have been very secretive  

Please let us know if you have been selected and can’t see your name listed (we can’t find the Gloucestershire list).

Some great successes, some exceptional performances and the season is only just warming up.

U13 and U15 Team managers needed

Going back to the Avon Track and Field League, our excellent U13 and U15 team manager Sam Smith is stepping down next season. (She will be focusing all her efforts next season on the Lower Age Group YDL.) Now is the ideal time for some new volunteers to step forward to take on this role. It could be covered by two, or even four, people, each taking a gender/age group. If you’re son/daughter would like to participate in these teams next season, or even if you don’t have children competing but would like to take on this role, please do consider stepping forward now, so you can work along Sam in the next couple of months to help ease the transition. Contact Sam.ac.coach@gmail.com. 

Finally, as you know, Yate and District Athletic Club is lucky to have many volunteers covering coaching, officials, committee and helping out at events and on the bar.  As we get more successful it really does help to share the work so it you are able to help in any capacity for however long it would be really appreciated as we seek to be the premier club with premier facilities in the South West.

Keep up the good work everybody! 

Yate & District AC Committee

PS Don’t forget you can keep right up to date with all our news by following our social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube (links top right)