Club Records & Fixture Lists

Use the links on the right hand side of the page to check out the newly updated Fixture List and Club Records pages.

Winter Training News

With autumn almost upon us it's time to slightly change club training times and venues with a view to the cold and dark evenings to come.

Club sessions are detailed below. Parents of young athletes are reminded that they must come to the venue (either the track or tennis centre) to collect their children. Safety of our athletes is of high importance. Is it sensible to allow children to walk unaccompanied across car parks or wait on street corners to be picked up after dark? If children leave the safety of supervised training sessions and venues once the session is over, the club cannot be expected to offer comprehensive supervision. Coaches (who of course are all volunteers) will ask young athletes waiting outside to return to the safety of the track or tennis centre.

Please support us by collecting your children promptly at the end of the session and do not ask them to meet you at the roadside or street corner.

New-comers under 18 should come along first on a Saturday or Wednesday to the general club sessions unless their own situation has been discussed in advance with a coach and alternative arrangements made.

Tesco Sports Vouchers

AVAC are once again  collecting the Tesco Sport Vouchers - please look out for them and just hand them in at desk.

Check out the website for more details.

Annual Awards Presentation Evening and Disco

This years extravaganza is on Saturday 21st October at the Royal Regency Banqueting Suites, Wharncliffe Road, Ilkeston, 7.30 - 11.30pm, and promises to be bigger and better than ever!

Open to all athletes and their families, it's the annual 'well done' to all our athletes with the presentations being made to those who have achieved Standards Grades, plus trophies to those who have had an exceptional year of athletics.

This year the presentations will be made by Lisa Dobrisky, 2006 Commonwealth 1500m Gold Medalist, and partner Ricky Soos, Athens 2004 800m semi-finalist.

The evening also includes supper, disco and a raffle. Donations of raffle prizes are welcomed either on the night or at training.

Tickets must be obtained from training before the night, £3 per person or £8 per family (immediate family only e.g. parents and children). Please note that for the safety and supervision of youngsters we ask that children presently in school years 8 and below must be accompanied by an adult, and single tickets will not be sold to children of this age group.

Annual Club Championships, 23rd September 2006

In previous years, the Club's end of season Championships has been shared with Chesterfield DAC. This year, with our increased membership and our Ilkeston track we went it alone, with a great day being had by all. The 'run, jump, throw' format was used again for the younger athletes, whilst the introduction of a mixed Mile Handicap for the U20's, Seniors and Veterans looks likely to become a regular event after a successful first run.

The field events were completed in the morning session with each young athlete doing one jump event, and one throw event. Later, in warm sunshine, and with a sizeable crowd of athletes and parents appreciating everyone's efforts, the final results were decided with the track events.

The Mile Handicap featured 13 athletes, each being set off on their 4 lap race, according to their current season form. As the race unfolded there was an exciting finish between the men (who had started over a lap behind the female athletes) for third place, but they couldn't catch Wendy Ray who had lead almost from start to finish, with Jayne Poole in second place not far behind. Jeff Lowry came out top of the chasing pack to take third. Wendy was presented with the Frank Stokeley Memorial Trophy.

Finally, to round off an enjoyable and informal club day, the requested athletes v. coaches 4 x 100m relay saw the male athletes have an easy victory over the coaches, just as it should be!

The only downside was that entrants in the U15 boys and U17 women's age groups were small which was a pity as everyone seemed to have enjoyed a great day.

Finally, a huge thank you to every coach, parent and official who helped out during the day - we could not have held this event without your help.

Age Group Medalists

U11 Girls

1st Jenny Lockwood

2nd Ellie Rogers

3rd Ellie Wright

U11 Boys 1st Jerome Richards

2nd Rufus Wilson

3rd Joel Paisley

U13 Girls

1st Jessica Turner

2nd Rosie Blount

3rd Lorna Glenn

U13 Boys 1st Michael Bosworth

2nd Rory Chambers

3rd Marcus McKenzie

U15 Girls 1st Claudia Rogers

2nd Alexandra Turner

3rd Abbie Langley

U15 Boys 1st Michael Feeney

2nd Dean Bower

3rd Nick Rowton

U17 Men

 1st equal Daniel Langley and Andrew Szarkowski

2nd Ricky Kiggins

U17 Women

 1st Chloe Smith

Scottish Record for David

It now appears that David Feeneys bronze medal winning performance in the English Schools Combined Events Championships last weekend is actually a new Scottish Record! His points total of 6459 beat the previous record holder of the Junior Mens Decathlon by 90 points. Qualifying for Scotland by birth, David is the first AVAC athlete to hold a national record.

Heart of England League - Final Results

Overall results of this league are now with us. Sadly we could not hold last years winning form against a very strong Rugby & Northampton team - we will have to be content with the runners-up position this season. However, we did beat some very strong and established clubs such as Tamworth and Solihull. Well done all athletes who competed in the league this season. Particularly well done to the U15 Girls and the U17 Men who won their sections. Jerome Richards also picks up a silver medal for the second-best 600m time run by an U11 boy over the 3-match series.

Last Chance for Entries

Entries for this years annual Club Championships on Sat 23rd at the Ilkeston track are still being taken, but entries will close on Thursday 21st Sept. No entries will be taken on the day.

An entry form is available from training or download one here. Return your entry to the payment desk at training, or direct to Julie Feeney. You can also email your entry to info@avac.org.uk, or phone 01773 880228 with your event selections - the entry fee will be collected on the day.

Remember, this is your last chance to do a track and field competition this season, so get you entries in now! Annual trophy to the winner in each age group, plus medals for runners up.

We are also taking entries for the Mixed Mile Handicap Race on that afternoon open to male and female runners in U20, Senior and Vet age groups. Contact Jim Feeney or John Davis with your current time for 800m or 1500m or similar, to work out your handicap. Trophy for winner and medals for runners up. Details can be downloaded here.

Thursday Middle Distance Group

All athletes who have been training at Shipley Park on Thursdays throughout the summer are reminded that the group will revert back to the winter training venue on Thursday Sept 28th. Athletes should meet in the Belper Leisure Centre car park at 7pm. A variety of training runs will take place from there over the winter. New runners (club members) of all ages are welcome (10 years +) provided they can complete the minimum group distance (around 2 miles) at a suitable pace.

Bronze Medal for David

Multi-eventer David Feeney picked up a well-deserved bronze medal at the prestigious English Schools Combined Events Final on 16/17th September at Moorways Stadium, Derby.

He exceeded all expectations by finishing 3rd out of 32 finishers in the Senior Boys Decathlon to take his first major competition medal. The field included junior internationals and some of the countries top decathletes selected from regional school competitions. He managed 4 personal bests out of the 10 disciplines (400m, pole vault, javelin and discus) and his overall score of 6459 points was a massive PB by over 250 points. This takes him to 7th place in this years UK rankings.

In the team event David was joined by Richard Szarkowski who competed well to finish 14th overall. Richard set PB's in shot and 400m, and his overall score. Along with Chesterfields Ben Mourbey, the Derbyshire trio were in first place for much of the competition before being overhauled by the Hampshire team in the closing stages, finished a creditable 2nd place in the team competition.

Louise Feeney, in her first English Schools competition, finished 29th out of 37 athletes with an overall PB points score of 3067.

New Sportshall Competition

The new Sportshall season is about to start soon - anybody within the age groups of U11 to U15 can take part. There are six matches in the league, each taking place at Queens Park Leisure Centre, Chesterfield.

The first match is Sunday 8th October letters will be handed out at training soon.

These are very friendly matches and are ideal for all abilities, so come along and have some fun and support your club.

Heart of England League

We are still waiting to hear how we faired at the third and final match in this league (3rd Sept) at Tipton. Match results will be posted when we receive them.

Young Athletes Inter-Counties,9th Sept at Moorways

Thirteen AVAC athletes helped Derbyshire to the runners-up spot (again!) in this annual fixture for the best U13 and U15 athletes in the midlands counties. This year, hosted by Derbyshire, the young team pushed Warwickshire all the way, with some notable performances coming from our athletes.

Alexandra Turner won the U15 A-string 800m and B-string 75m hurdles. There were 2nd place A-string finishes for Michael Bosworth in the U13 200m, and Michael Feeney in the U15 80m hurdles. New-comer Zak Hooper ran a PB to finish 2nd in the B-string 400m, whilst there were 3rd place finishes for Tamara Armoush and Leanne Cartledge (A and B-string U15 1500m) and Nick Rowton (U15 B-string Javelin).

Alexandra Turner, Emma Komocki and Claudia Rogers (along with Derbys Charlotte McCormick) made up a sparkling 4 x 200m relay team that brought the baton home in first place in a nip and tuck 2-lap race.

Lichfield 10K

Proving that the Club's juniors don't have it all their own way, a small group of seniors competed in the Lichfield 10K on 10th September with pleasing results. In the team competition (first 4 runners home) the AVAC quartet of Kevin Straw (13th), Gary Bostock (14th), Martin Slyz (22nd) and Rob Love (31st)finished in 2nd place, only 2 points behind winners Royal Sutton Coldfield.

Jo Clamp was AVAC's first lady home in 10th position.

Success for Combined Eventers

David Feeney competed in the Hexham Combined Events International at the weekend. Representing Scotland for the first time, he won the U20 Decathlon with a total points score only 13 points down on a PB. This was all the more pleasing given the awful conditions over the 2-day event. Non-stop rain for the first day and most of the second day made it tough going for all competitors which included athletes from Iceland, Poland, USA and Finland competing in the Senior event. In fact some of David's performance would have ranking him highly in the Senior event, which bodes well for next year when he moves up an age group.

A week earlier Claudia Rogers was quids-in when she won the U15 girls title at the Corby Combined Events Festival. She jumped PB's in her long jump and high jump, and recorded an overall PB by over 150 points. Unusually for junior athletics, there were also cash prizes for winners which gave an added incentive to all those there!

Still with Combined Events in mind, the English Schools Combined Events Championships take place on 16th and 17th September, conveniently this year at Moorways, Derby. Representing Derbyshire will be David Feeney, Richard Szarkowski, Louise Feeney, Andrew Szarkowski and Emma Komocki. This event is the annual showcase of multi-event talent so come down to support your club mates and see in action the very best of the countries young athletes.

Club Championships

This years traditional end to the track and field season is on Saturday 23rd September at the Ilkeston track. As always the format for the U11's to U17's is a 1 run, 1 throw, 1 jump triathlon format, whilst the U20's, Seniors and Veterans can battle it out in the mixed Mile Handicap race. Both have trophies for winners in the different categories.

Entry forms are available from training now or can be downloaded here. All club members are encouraged to take part as there is no training on this day. Entries must be received by 20th Sept. Parents and/ or non-competing athletes are also asked to support this event by helping officiate, score, or timekeep, so please volunteer your services for the day if at all possible.

Chesterfield and Amber Valley enter into Track and Field partnership for U20 and senior athletes.

The Management Committees of Chesterfield & District Athletic Club and Amber Valley Athletic Club have agreed on a joint strategy for their Under 20 and Senior teams for the 2007 track and field season. With regard to the former, a composite team (to be called Team CDAV - Chesterfield & District and Amber Valley) will be registered with UK Athletics before the end of September deadline, to compete in the Trent Division of the National Junior Athletic League, and targeting promotion to the Midland Premier Division. In respect of the latter, AVAC will register all relevant athletes with the North Of England Eligibility Sub-Committee, to compete for C&DAC in Division 2EC of the Northern Track & Field League under the 'secondary first-claim' rule relaxation, with the aim of securing promotion to Division 1. The arrangements to be reviewed on an annual basis.

The combined strength of the two Clubs following the incorporation of Kirk Hallam AC athletes in to Amber Valley will result in a much stronger squad fully capable of competing at U20 and senior level with other major Clubs within the region. For Amber Valley this marks the next stage in the Clubs development with the opportunity for regular league competition right through from U11 to senior level in all disciplines.

Both Clubs will continue to compete in separately existing track and field league structures for younger athletes. For road racing and cross country events the Clubs will also continue to compete separately.

Amber Valley AC are based at Rutland Sports Park in Ilkeston and serve the athletic needs of the Amber Valley and Erewash boroughs in all disciplines and age groups from 8 years to veterans.

 Amber Valley retain mini-league title.

Amber Valley's young (9-14 year old) athletes managed to retain the Derbyshire mini-league title after the 4th and final match at Moorways on Saturday 26th August. This means we have won this league 4 times in the last 5 years. All teams were impacted by holiday absences and some of our athletes were also competing in the combined events festival ay Corby. Despite this we had more than enough athletes to ensure the mini-league trophy remains in our trophy cabinet at Rutland Sports Park.

Although we were narrowly beaten by Chesterfield in Saturdays match (276 to 271 points with Derby 3rd with 255) we won overall by a healthy 55 point margin. Final League results were:-

1st - Amber Valley 1114 points

2nd - Derby 1059 points

3rd - Chesterfield 977 points

Full results are available from the Derbyshire County Athletics Association website.

Well done to all involved including athletes, officials and team managers.

Lads Earn Selections

Three AVAC athletes have gained national and regional call-ups for forthcoming competitions.

Eighteen year old David Feeney has been selected to represent Scotland in the International Combined Events Meeting on September 2nd and 3rd at Hexham, Northumbria. He will compete in the U20 Mens Decathlon against competitors from the other Home Nation teams. Also competing in this annual event will be international Senior Decathletes and Heptathletes from across Europe.

Andrew Szarkowski and Daniel Langley (both 16) have been selected to represent the East Midlands team for the inaugural UK School Games. The UK School Games is a multi-sport event for the most talented young people in the country of school age (U17's). Each of five sports will be combined into a four-day Games in an environment designed to replicate the feel of major events such as the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including TV coverage. This year Glasgow is the host city to the event held from 7th to 10th September. Andrew will compete in the 400m and Daniel in Long Jump.

Well done and good luck to all.

Bronze again for Claudia

Claudia Rogers claimed a bronze medal in the North of England Combined Events Championships at Stoke on 20th August. Competing in the U15 girls Pentathlon, she adds this to the bronze she won earlier on in the year when she again finished third in the North of England Indoor Pentathlon.

Mini League Reminder

All athletes in the U11, U13 and U15 age groups are reminded that the fourth and final Mini League match is on 26th August at Moorways. It's not too late to register that you want to enter this informal and fun competition. If you've not competed much this season then this is the perfect opportunity. Decide which events you want to do from the list below and jot down on a piece of paper and either give into training, email your choices to info@avac.org.uk, or phone Judy on 01773 606285. Meet the rest of the team no later than 9.45am in the stadium.

Please note that there is no training on this day. The track will still be available for older teens and adult athletes to do their own sessions but your coach is unlikely to be there.

U11's 80m, 150m, 600m, LJ (girls), HJ (boys), turbo javelin, relay

Choose up to 2 events plus a relay from the above.

U13's and U15's 100m, 200m (not U15 boys), 400m (U15 boys only), 1500m, sprint hurdles, HJ (U13 girls and U15 boys), LJ (U15 girls and U13 boys), shot (U13 boys and girls), Javelin (U15 boys and girls only), relay.

Choose up to 3 events plus a relay from the above.

Derbyshire Sport Awards

Nominations are now being taken for the Counties sporting best. Organised by Derbyshire Sport, each district is asking for nominations to acknowledge and reward sporting talent and achievement. The Amber Valley and Erewash Boroughs are both organising their own local finals with the winners in each category going through to the Derbyshire Final.

There are several categories including best young athlete, veteran, disabled, team, club, coach etc etc.

Who do you think deserves an award? A club athlete that has had a good season, your coach who turns out in all weathers and has helped you achieve your goals, the club to recognise all the efforts made by many people, your PE teacher at school ......

Nominations have to be made on the special forms. We have a quantity of both AV and Erewash (depending on where the club, individual lives, goes to school etc) at the desk at training and you can also go to links on this website for the information pack and the nomination form for Amber Valley and for those athletes living or going to school in the Erewash area you can download your information pack and the nomination form for Erewash here, alternatively have a look at www.derbyshiresport.co.uk.

Entries close on 4th September. Nominations can be made by individuals involved in schools or clubs, parents, coaches - you can even nominate yourself!

Let's get the sport of athletics recognised in the community.

Heart of England League Match 2 30th July, Rugby

The results of this match have been received. Unfortunately we think there are some miscalculations. Until results are confirmed further, unofficially, we think AVAC finished 4th on the day and now stand in 2nd place overall, with one match still to go.

Selections for this match on 3rd Sept at Tipton are now being made.

AAA's U15/U17 Championships at Birmingham's Alexandra Stadium 5/6th August - Alex shows what a class act she is - again!

Alex Turner once again showed how dominant she is over 800m this season by winning the AAA's Championship title in a new PB of 2:10.65. This puts her at 13th in the UK all time rankings for her age and ahead of a number of well known internationals. Alex took control of the race right from the start running a well paced 65 seconds for the 1st 400m and holding off the challenge of Coventry's Rowena Cole who tracked her for the whole race but couldn't match Alex's finishing strength.

This completes a remarkable treble for Alex having won the AAA's indoor 800m title in March and the then English Schools event at Gateshead last month in a time that placed her at the top of this years U15 rankings. Alex went to the outdoor AAA's Championships as favourite which always puts an athlete under pressure but she dealt with it superbly and simply did what she does best - won!

Well done Alex.

Other Amber Valley athletes competing in the Championships were:-

Emma Komocki finished 5th in the final of the U15 girls 75m Hurdles.

Michael Feeney and Sam Stone ran well in their U15 boys 80m and U17mens 100m hurdles heats but missed out on places in the finals.

Shaun Rathbone competed in his first major championship in the U17mens 100m gaining valuable experience.

Andrew Szarkowski qualified comfortably in his heat for the semi-final of the U17 mens 400m but just missed out on a place in the final.

ANNUAL TAMWORTH OPEN MEETING

This takes place on Bank Holiday Monday the 28th August 2006. It is always well attended by a wide variety of athletes including lots from Amber Valley. It is a great chance for some of the younger athletes to make use of the Electronic Timing equipment used on the track and the Electronic Distance Measurement (long throws only).

There are medals and T shirts for the winners

To enter you will need to download the Event Programme and also the Entry Form.

Heart of England League Match 2 Rugby, 30th July

Although the full match results won't be known for a few days yet (and will be posted on this site when we receive them) we can't help but feel that the club has done well once again. Despite being well below full strength due to the holiday period there were many AVAC athletes in top 3 finishes across most age groups and events. Going into the match the club was sharing the overall lead with Rugby & Northampton so it was important to maintain this excellent record so far.

The middle distance events proved strong ones for the club with valuable A and B string points being earnt. Illustrating this perfectly was Olivia Pell who had an easy victory in the Women's 1500m, another victory in the 800m with an excellently judged finishing burst, and an unexpected second place in the 400m.

There was a fine battle in the U17 mens 800m which saw the welcome return of James Dennis battling against established runner Rob Love, with Love proving the stronger of the two over the final 5m. Alex Nix, in only his second race for the club, gave a glimpse of the talent to come when he ran a very strong U13 boys 800m finishing 40m clear of the second placed athlete. Alex Turner was, as expected, untroubled in the U15 girls 800m, with Charlotte Noonan finishing strongly for the B string. In the U11's 600m Jerome Richards ran a new PB to finish an excellent second place in a large field of enthusiastic youngsters.

The strong head wind down the home straight made conditions difficult for the sprinters. Despite this though there were A string wins for Alex Turner (U15 200m) and Michael Feeney (U15 80m Hurdles), B string wins for Shaun Rathbone (U17 100m), Claudia Rogers (U15 200m) and Nick Rowton (U15 80m Hurdles), and well deserved second place finishes for Abby Langley (U15 100m), Andrew Szarkowski (U17 100m) and Louise Feeney (Women's 200m).

There were victories for the 4 x 100m relay teams in the U15 girls and U17 men, and a new club record in the U15 boys for the quartet of Michael Feeney, Andy Shepherd, Jordan Martin and Ed Wesson.

Amber Valley ladies win Pride Park Relays.

Amber Valley gained its first senior ladies competitive team success on Monday 24th July in the Pride Park road relays winning both the open event and Derbyshire road relay championship. Our team of Olivia Pell, Jessica Marriott and Jo Clamp beat off the challenge of other local clubs to take the 3x2 mile event in the hot conditions. This is the first victory by an Amber Valley ladies team since the merging earlier this year of Amber Valley and Kirk Hallam and shows that the new combined club is capable of holding its own at senior level as well as in the younger age groups. Well done girls.

Amber Valley mens vets team of Kevin Straw, Jim Feeney, Jeff Slysz and Richard O'Sullivan were also in the medals with a bronze in the DCAA event and our senior mens team of Gary Bostock, Steve Bonnington, Rob Love and Jeff Lowry were 4th overall. Full results can be seen on the DCAA website.

Young Athletes League match 5 Peterborough, 23rd August

AVAC's young athletes completed this years Young Athletes League fixtures with the last match at Peterborough. Lying in 4th place overall, with only the top 2 getting promotion into the Midlands Premier League, we had league leaders Royal Sutton Coldfield to contend with. As it was we came away with second place (331 pts), RSC winning (446 pts), with Wolverhampton& Bilston in third (274 pts) and hosts Peterborough in fourth (254 pts).

This means that we will finish overall in third or fourth place depending on how close rivals Coventry faired in their fixture, and just missing promotion again. The unfortunate fact is that we were without around 15 regular members of our squad, due to family holidays and injury and that is where the difference was felt. Lacking in numbers, particularly in the U17 mens age group, the match was certainly won by quantity not quality, with RSC able to field athletes in almost all events and certain to pick up points this way.

In the U13 girls Jessica Turner won both the 800m and the 70mH, being hard pushed by Emily Butlin in the latter event to take the B string first place. In a close competition Emily also came away with first in the A string HJ, with Kelly-Jay Payling taking first in the B.

At U15 Emma Komocki had triple success by winning the A string 75mH, LJ and shot. Alex Turner and Charlotte Noonan did a double by winning both A and B 800m, and Claudia Rogers picked up valuable points when she won both the B 100m and 75mH.

Katie Noonan had double victories in the U17 LJ and Javelin, Olivia Pell won the 1500m and Leila Armoush had a very competitive 3000m to finish second.

At U13 Rory Chambers and Aidan Smith took A and B firsts in LJ. Aidan had a strong run in the 1500m to finish second and Charlie Waterhouse was pleased with a new PB in the 200m where he also finished second.

The U15 boys suffered least from team absences and gained several successes. Andy Shepherd smashed his PB in the 800m to win, whilst Dean Bower won the B string. Newcomer Jack Elliott had a successful first YAL meeting by winning the 1500m, with Chris Dawe taking the B string. Michael Feeney threw over 30m for the first time to win the Javelin, whilst Nick Rowton had three firsts in the B 80mH, Discus and Hammer.

Andrew Szarkowski suffered a rare defeat in his 400m but tired legs were obvious as he had previously won both the U17 400m H and the 800m. Rob Love won the 1500m steeplechase and the B string 800m.

Claudia Rogers and Charlotte Noonan were rewarded for their days efforts with female Athlete of the Match awards.

New edition of Trackline.

You can now download the new issue of Trackline, AVAC's own newsletter to keep up to date with all the news and info from your club.

Do you want a Twin?

AVAC has been invited to take part in the 2007 Ilkeston Twin Town Celebrations which are being held in Ilkeston between Friday 6^th and Monday 9^th April 2007 (Easter Weekend). This will be the 50^th anniversary of Ilkeston’s twinning with Chalons en Champagne in France, and you can find out more details by downloading the information sheet here.

Open Meetings at Loughborough University track

Need more competition? There are 2 of the popular midweek Opens organised by Charnwood AC coming up. Enter on the night, 6.30pm first events. All age groups from U11 to Masters. Track races are graded according to age/PB.

Wed 19th July

100m,200m,400m,1500m, HJ (male), LJ (female), Hammer, Shot

Wed 16th Aug

100m,200m,800m, 3K, Sprint hurdles, LJ (male), HJ (female), Discus, Shot

Young Athletes League, 23rd July

Those athletes making their own way to Peterborough for this match may like to know that the Peterborough Athletics Arena is on Bishops Road, Peterborough.

Parking adjacent to the track is pay and display. Detailed travel directions can be found on www.runtrackdir.com.

Paper maps will be available from the payment desk at training on Saturday.

LEVEL 1 ASSISTANT OFFICIALS COURSE.

This has been arranged on Saturday 5 August at Queen's Park Annexe athletic track, Chesterfield, from 10am until 2.30pm to qualify people to assist in judging track and field athletics.

The instructor will be Chris Cohen, and the course will be provided free of charge, by courtesy of UKA. Minimum age 14 years.

Please book your place by ringing Frank Gorman on 01246 235651 or email at frankdukes70@aol.com.

AVAC's First English Schools Medal.... and it's a Gold!

Alexandra Turner proved that she is the undisputed 800m queen of the track when she won her first ever medal at this weekends English Schools Track and Field Championships. Competing in the Junior Girls age group (U15) she saw off the countries best by winning the 2 lap event in emphatic style. Her time of 2.11.41 was a personal best by 3 seconds. This will now move Alex up to the top of this years national rankings and it's even good enough to unofficially get into the All-time rankings list.

Six other club athletes competed over the weekend at Gateshead's International Stadium. Tamara Armoush had to run a PB in her heat of the Junior Girls 1500m to qualify for the final the next day. That done, she had the race of her life to finish an excellent 4th in the final. There she ran even quicker, 4.40.17, knocking a further 7 seconds off her heat time.

Also finishing just outside the medals was David Feeney, who finished 4th in the final of the Senior Boys 110m hurdles.

Andrew Szarkowski progressed through a heat and a semi to get to the final of the Inter Boys 400m. He had to settle for 6th place, but can be pleased with a PB in the semi of 49.67, the first time he has broken the elusive 50 second barrier.

Michael Feeney ran a solid race in the Junior Boys 80m hurdles, finishing 3rd in his heat and Abby Wood threw over 35m in the Inter Girls Hammer to finish 9th overall.

Emma Komocki finished 2nd in her heat of the Junior Girls 75m Hurdles which should have qualified her for the final, only to learn that she had been disqualified, one of 9 that weekend in the sprint hurdles events, where the technical rules were applied very strictly (and unreasonably ?).

Alex and Emma as part of the Junior Girls 4 x 100m relay with their Derbyshire team mates came away with 5th place in the final of this event.

Julie Feeney writes a personal reflection of the weekend:

'Ask any young athlete what their athletics ambition is and most will probably reply 'English Schools'. Now whether that is simply to achieve the tough entry standard (designed so that only around 20 athletes per event, per age group in the country do this), reach a final or even get a medal depends on the calibre of the athlete, but you can't escape from the fact that, for most, this is the biggest and most important event they'll ever compete in, short of a representative honour.

With David and Michael both qualifying this year, Jim and I, along with four other AVAC families traveled up to Gateshead to watch and support our offspring and other athletes we are proud to coach.

Just about anyone who is anyone in the athletics world were there, including Jonathan Edwards, Daley Thompson, elite-level coaches, TV cameras, loads of photographers and Athletics Weekly reporters.

The first event of the day (Friday) was Emma Komocki's 75m hurdles. With 3 heats Emma had to come in the top 2 to be assured of her place in the final. With great relief she ran well to finish 2nd - job done. Fifteen minutes later however we learned that she wasn't in Saturdays final - she had been disqualified. Despite an appeal by the Derbyshire team manager the disqualification was upheld, Emma was very disappointed, and all of us were left disbelieving at the harshness of the decision.

Michaels race was the next with AVAC interest. All I wanted was for him to have a good clean race and not get tripped or fall over like many of the hurdlers seemed to do. Nerves at this point as a parent are on a knife-edge and you could swear that all around can hear your heartbeat going ten to the dozen! He ran his race well, was by no means outclassed and finished 3rd in his heat.

On the first day it's mainly a matter of heats on the track, ready for the finals on the next day. However, the main stand, where we managed to get excellent seats almost on the finish line, was a sellout and the crowd of several thousand was extremely appreciative and knowledgeable, cheering on the athletes and warmly applauding the steady stream of winners on the rostrum. Even if you have no local or personal interest in an event you can still appreciate the quality of the youngsters competing and seeing those who look certain to be the stars of 2012 and beyond.

We watched with nervous apprehension and tension as Andrew, Tamara, David and Alex all came through their events to qualify for the finals the next day.

Saturday was a roller-coaster of emotion, corny but true! Andrew ran a PB in his semi of the 400m to make the final later that afternoon - relief again. Next up was Tamara's 1500m. Qualifying with her 3rd place in her heat, we knew she would have to run the race of her life to get anywhere near a medal. In the field of 12 in the final she started at the rear and gradually, over the 3 and three quarter laps, picked her way through the field, Kelly Holmes-style. At the bell she was sixth and looking strong. By this time we were thinking could she be on for an unexpected medal. She overtook two more girls and battled to catch the girl in third but just couldn't do it. Only then, when we looked at our watches did we see her time of 4.40.17. Over the course of the weekend, and in two tough races she had taken over eight seconds off her PB (1 in the heat, and seven in the final).

The day was going well. Hardly time to settle ourselves before Alex's 800m final. With the fastest time in the heats we knew a medal could be hers. Could we dare believe it to be gold? From the gun Alex hit the front. By 200m she had built a staggering 20m lead. As I'm videoing it I can't get Alex and the rest of the pack in the same frame as she's so far ahead! You could here people around muttering that she'd gone off too fast. Jim's not worried at this point as he knows what she's capable of. At the bell the announcer gave the split of 61.2! Expletives all round! That's fast! Can she keep it going? The announcer informs the crowd that that the record is 2.08.7 The crowd sense that a great performance is being witnessed. With 200m to go there's still a huge gap between Alex and the chasing pack but she's tiring a little. I'm doing my best to stop the camera from shaking as I'm a mixture of emotion, pride and nerves. She's through the finish to huge applause, having displayed a truly awesome piece of confident and composed free running. A huge PB and now Alex Turner is an English Schools Champion!

At 2pm there was the traditional Athletes Parade, where all the athletes parade around the track behind their county flag, Olympic Opening Ceremony-style. A stirring and sometimes emotional address was given by chief guest Paul Dickinson, ex-Olympian and English Schools Champion and perhaps best known as the voice of BBC's athletics commentary.

A little later on, time for Andrews 400m final. He ran bravely in a strong field to finish a well-deserved sixth. He hits the jackpot by getting his certificate on the podium from Jonathan Edwards! Just to calibrate you on the standard at this event, the winner of Andrews race set a new record of 47.1 secs - not bad for a 16 year old! Finally David's event, again hoping for a clean race and no mishaps. He finishes fourth which I'm extremely pleased with given that during his warm-up he phoned me to say that his Achilles, which was already strapped, was hurting and whether or not should he do the race!

The Championships really does live up to its reputation. The organisation is slick and extremely professional, helped this year by sponsorship from Sainsbury's, and various councils and associations in the North East. It's reported to be the biggest youth sporting event in the world run entirely on a voluntary basis. That fact alone makes the whole weekend, from the car parking to the basket squads, the officials to the results staff, a tremendous spectacle - it really does deserve the title of the Kids Olympics!'

Derbyshire Mini League 8th July, Moorways

AVAC emerged as comfortable winners in the third match of this series, and extend our overall lead to 843 points, against Derbys 804. A full report will follow later.

LEVEL 1 ASSISTANT OFFICIAL'S COURSE

The above course has been arranged for Saturday 5 August at Queen's Park Annexe athletic track, Chesterfield, to qualify people to assist in officiating for track and field athletics.

Hours and course fee to be advised later. Early place reservations or enquiries to Frank Gorman at frankdukes70@aol.com or on 01246 235651.

AVAC volunteers who are willing to help out with the Club at training or at competitions can take advantage of a Club funded place.  
 

SPAR European Cup

This years SPAR European Cup was held in Malaga, Spain on the 28th & 29th June, home town of far flung AVAC member Michael Astle.  Every year in June more than 2000 athletes from 49 countries across Europe gather at five venues to compete in the European Cup - this year is the 27th Cup.

Michael says: "Malaga have a brand new athletics venue which was only just completed in time for this years Cup. The picture I took on the right shows you how close you can get to the action. There was a good spectator turnout with lots of Spanish and British supporters and even some Swedish fans in Viking costumes!"

The European Cup is a useful early season tournament for athletes as Jonathan Edwards explains:

“The Cup is a good early season barometer, the first important competition of the summer. Wearing a GB vest always made it a bit more special for me.

“The beauty of the event is that every team member contributes. It is not just about the star names, everyone plays an important part.

“It’s the only team event in athletics and there is definitely a different atmosphere. It’s more like a championship, except that normally you are so focused on your own event that you don’t take much notice of who in your team is putting the shot, for example. But in the European Cup every single event matters.

“That can also put on a bit of extra pressure. If you are down to get eight points you need to get them!”

Edwards won the triple jump in the European Cup in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001 and 2002. He also competed in 1993, 1994 and 1999.

 

Pictured above are some action shots from the women's pole vault event and also the women's 3000m won convincingly by Britain's Jo Pavey.

You can find out more about the European Cup by visiting the official website.

Use the links below to browse the rest of the News Archives:

July - September 2005