Matt Spicer

2022 Outdoor season

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2022 OUTDOOR SEASON

The evenings are getting longer and the temperatures are slowly getting warmer, as summer approaches.

From a Track & Field perspective, this can mean only one thing. The outdoor season is here!

For those of you new to athletics this can often be a confusing time, but it’s really easy… we promise!

Competition can be broken down in to four categories.  Click any of these titles for more information;

WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?

OK, so you’ve done the training.  Maybe you feel as though you are ready to officially record a time/height/distance and compete against other athletes?

To do this, you will need to be a fully paid up club member (membership).This will give you an England Athletics user number, something you will need to enter a competition.

All performances will be recorded on the Power of 10, a statistics website that has recorded all UK results and age group rankings since 2006.  This website allows users to manage their own profile: new user form

LEAGUE MATCHES

Each League usually has four fixtures.

Athletes earn points for the club, according to their competition finish position.

League tables are created, with promotion and relegation usually at stake.

Make sure you have contacted your relevant Team Manager to let them know your availability and what events you would like to do.  Please don’t rely on them to chase you!

  • The first Avon Track & Field League (all ages) is scheduled for 12th June at Yate (TBC)
  • The first Lower Age Group YDL (U13/U15) fixture is 8th May at Yate
  • The first Upper Age Group YDL (U17/U20) fixture is 24th April at Yate
  • The first Midland League (seniors) fixture is 22nd May at Cheltenham
  • The first National Athletics League (seniors) fixture is 7th May at Milton Keynes
CHAMPIONSHIPS

Your opportunity to win a medal!

County Championships entry is now open.  Here are links to three local counties:

It is each individuals responsibility to enter these championships.

There is no team selection policy.

There are no qualifying standards to attain.

Later on in the year, consider entering the South West Championships to be held on July 24th.

OPEN MEETINGS

Open Meetings are there for anybody to enter and are a great way for athletes to record a performance without any of the pressures of medals or points.

Check our Fixtures List for Open Meetings (as well as every other competition).  These are happening all over the country and can be entered by all England Athletics registered athletes (club members).

Also check the “Links” section of this page to search for competitions we may have missed.

SCHOOLS

Make sure your PE Teacher is aware you want to enter the “District Trials”.  This is the first step on the Schools Championships ladder.  Do this in May!

 

Matt Spicer

League Competition for Adults – Fixtures and Higher Claim

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2022 LEAGUE FIXTURES (ADULT)

As we look forward to the summer season, we can announce that dates and venues for both of our major adult leagues are now confirmed.

Unlike last season, we will only be hosting one match per league, so there will be more travel involved.

NATIONAL ATHLETICS LEAGUE

Team Manager, Graham Howell

Having finished 2021 as the (virtual) League Champions, we are very much hoping we can continue where we left off!

  1. We kick-start our campaign in May, with a 103 mile trip to Milton Keynes
  2. On a busy weekend in June we travel 115 miles to Portsmouth
  3. On 2nd July we head 51 miles south to Yeovil
  4. The final match will be held at Yate on the 20th August

It has been announced that our current League, the “National One” will be removed in the next couple of years.  Therefore, if we are to remain a National League club, there is some pressure to attain a promotion within this timescale.

MIDLAND LEAGUE

Team Manager, Matt Muggeridge

  1. We start this campaign in May, with a 36 mile trip to Cheltenham Harriers
  2. The day after our NAL meeting in Portsmouth we travel 87 miles to Wolverhampton & Bilston
  3. Our third match is a home one.
  4. Our final match is on the 13th August, 77 miles away in Solihull & Small Heath
AVON TRACK & FIELD LEAGUE

On top of the two aforementioned leagues, we also provide slightly less formal league action, that will satisfy all levels, in the form of the Avon Track & Field League.

Dates and venues are, as yet, unconfirmed, but the following have been pencilled in:

  1. 12th June
  2. 10th July
  3. 14th August
  4. 11th September
HIGHER CLAIM

It is possible for athletes to compete for two clubs in order to experience higher level competition.

Read the information provided here:  Change of Club – Athletics & Running (englandathletics.org)

It is important this is done before the end of February.

We would like to take this opportunity to extend a warm invitation to anybody looking for some Higher Claim competition and ask that anybody looking to compete for an ambitious club this year contacts Graham Howell.

Matt Spicer

June 2021 roundup

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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 13th 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:

Lower Age Group

Match Points

League Points

1

North Somerset AC

238.0

4.0

2 

Yate & District AC 

197.0 

3.0 

3

Bristol & West AC with Mendip AC ©

171.0

2.0

4

Team Bath AC

66.0

1.0
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:

Upper Age Group

Match 1

Match 2

League Points

1 

Team Avon © 

396.0 

378

10

2

Cheltenham & County Harriers

150.0

126

6

3

North Somerset AC

144.0

146

6

4

East Wales ©

142.0

191

6

5

Hereford & County AC

53.0

61

2
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.

National Athletics League

Match Points

League Points

1

City of Portsmouth AC

361

6

2

Belgrave Harriers

295

5

3 

Yate & District AC 

274 

4 

4

Marshall Milton Keynes

260

3

5

Yeovil Olympiads

177

2

6

Southend AC

65

1
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:

Midland Athletics League

Match Points

League Points

1

Yate & District

341

5

2

Gloucester AC

285

4

3

Bristol & West AC

264

3

4

Cheltenham & County

240

2

5

Forest of Dean AC

62

1
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.

Avon Track & Field

Match Points

League Points

1

Yate & District

899.5 

6.0 

2

Bristol & West

727.0

5.0

3

Team Bath AC

617.0

4.0

4

North Somerset AC

221.5

3.0

5

Gloucester AC

250.0

2.0

6

Forest of Dean

185.0

1.0
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 – 8th 51.78
  • Jodie Dale – U20W Javelin – 7th 38.12m
  • Kirsty Treglown – U20W 100m
  • Luke Ball U20M High Jump -7th 1.94 (jumping an age group up)
  • Owen Merrett U20M Hammer – 3rd  64.77m
  • Toby Conibear U20M Hammer – 4th 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 10th position, and Adam also finished 10th 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.

Senior Boys:

Senior Girls:

Inter Boys:

Inter Girls:

Junior Boys:

Junior Girls:

Max Elliot 200m Avon 

Rosie Hamilton James: 3000m Avon

Seamus Robinson 3000m Avon

Grace Horswell 300mH Avon

Adam Merrett Hammer Wilts

Phoebe Havard 100m Avon

Toby Conibear Hammer Avon

Kirsty Treglown: 100m Wilts

Matt Page Hammer Avon

Felicity Whiteway Hammer Avon

 

Laura Chance 1500m Avon

Owen Merrett Hammer Wilts

Fiona Barclay: High Jump Gloucs

Luke Ball High Jump Avon

 

 

Sophie Page Hammer Avon

James Viner Hammer Wilts

 

Adam Nolan Pole Vault Avon

 

 

Evie Moir High Jump Avon

 

 

Theo Spurell Javelin Wilts

 

 

Arisa Burgess Pole Vault Dorset

 

 

Dylan Menhennet Hammer Hereford & Worcester

 

 

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)