MENDIP ATHLETICS CLUB

ARCHIVED NEWS

22nd July

Nathan Young travelled to Birmingham last Saturday to contest the prestigious
Peter Coe invitation mile at the BMC Grand Prix event held at Solihull.
Immediately after the English Schools championships Nathan had left for a
week-long intensive training camp run by the UK Athletics national junior
and senior coaches. As expected the effort of training twice every day told
on Nathan's legs as he let the race leader go, settling for the race for
second place. Producing a strong last lap, Nathan passed through the 1500m
mark fractionally outside his best for the distance before sprinting away
for a clear second place to stop the clock at 4:25 for the rarely run mile
distance behind Daniel Clorley's 4:20.

16th July

Last week's Yeovilton 5K saw Dan Layton home in 16.26 as Ist Junior in 10th place . Also there were Matt Parsons, 18.27, and Tim Attwell in 19.02. Full results at www.yeoviltownrrc.com .
This Wednesday at Millfield, starting at 5 p.m., is the Somerset Inter-Area Primary championships hopefully featuring teams from Mendip, West Somerset, Langport and Yeovil. As we know from our own Open Meetings and the Mini Olympics there is good competition and great fun at this level. Let's hope the rain keeps off !
Don't forget,Thursday is another Open Meeting at Millfield starting at 6.00 p.m. The programme for the evening can be found at MAC OPEN MEETINGS . Please get there early to collect numbers and get organised ! If parents can help with any of the events please contact Karen Derrick .
Sadly Nathan did not get through his heat at the ESAA , being just outside his PB with a time of 4.08.35. The winner in the final clocked 3.55.70 so the standard is very high !

12th July (2)

I know it's a bit late as the team are already there and some heats were today, Friday, but you can see the Somerset team that were chosen to go to the National Schools at http://www.somerset-athletics.co.uk/SCHOOLS/2007%20ESAAteam.doc. Our only representative is Nathan but this time next year..........
No news yet as to how Nathan got on in his heat ( Friday )but results are being updated at http://www.esaa.net/

12th July

Well Done to Ruby Kelly who came 2nd out of 1236 runners ( yes,1236 ! ) at the Tesco Race for Life 5K recently held at the Bath and West Showground. Picture below shows her receiving her runners up medal!
This year's Mendip Mini Olympics took place yesterday at Millfield with Elmhurst, Street winning by a narrow margin. Several records were broken or equalled ( including Nathan Young's ) and there was an excellent afternoon's athletics. Full results and a report can be found at http://www.mendipjuniorathletics.org.uk/
Further to yesterday's report, Oli Biddulph actually took Bronze at the South West Schools Multi Event championships and in doing so qualified for the English Schools Pentathlon championship in September ! Well Done ! Full results of the event can be found at http://www.somerset-athletics.co.uk/SCHOOLS/2007%20SW_CEresults.pdf
Having had to wait because of technical problems with the timing, Doug Hall was finally given 4th at the Bournemouth International Triathlon ! Speaking of Triathlon, there is a 'Try It' event for youngsters at Millfield this Sunday but I don't have any info for it even though it is being organised by SASP and I think some of our youngsters are taking part. Let me know how you get on.

11th July

Star Track - this annual event is being run again from Tuesday 28th August to Saturday 1st September at Millfield from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The cost is £40 .Many of you will have done Star Track in the past and will know what a popular and fun event it is and this year will be no exception. It is open to non members so why not mention it to a friend ? Application forms will be available at the next Open meeting on the 19th July, alternatively contact dw.wright@tiscali.co.uk for a form.

Good results from Oli Biddulph and Sara Geary at the recent South West Schools Multi Events championships. See a report at SOUTH WEST SCHOOLS MULTI EVENTS

This weekend Nathan Young represents Somerset in the English Schools Track & Field Championships in Birmingham. Winner of last years Junior Boys 1500m title, this year Nathan steps up an age-group as one
of 24 runners entered in the Inter Boys . Nathan remains unbeaten by an
under 17 boy so far this summer, but will certainly have to post a new
personal best just to get through to Saturday's final.

With Somerset being blessed with their finest crop of athletes for over 20
years, commiserations go to Dan Layton who, despite clocking an English
Schools Entry Standard of 9:00.6 in the 3000 metre event recently, is one of half a dozen exceptional talents who have been left behind as Somerset are limited to taking a maximum of 25 youngsters to the event.

9th July

Next weekend's Norwich Union Grand Prix sees an interesting 'experiment' when the South African Oscar Pistorius takes on the Olympic and Commonwealth champions over 400 metres. Why? Because Oscar is a Paralympic double amputee running with the aid of artificial 'spring legs' called Cheetahs. Is that an unfortunate choice of name, should he be allowed to compete against able bodied athletes, will it set a precedent ? Watch and decide............
Birthdays this week, both on the 11th are Ella-Rose Bazley-Jackson and Frazer Wedgewood. have a great day !

8th July

Happy Birthday to us ! 4 Years old today! The inaugural training session for the club was held on 8th July 2003 at Elmhurst School - Street. 52 athletes attended that evening and the club had its first 27 members - Mendip AC was born!
Doug Hall warmed up for this weekend's Bournemouth International Triathlon by coming third at the Castle Combe Monster Duathlon ( 2 miles run, 10miles bike, 2 miles run, 10 miles bike and a final 2 miles run ! ). His time of 1.23.30 was still almost 5 minutes behind the winner !
We now have a record of Mendip's individual performances at the SWAL match 3 last Sunday . Click on TEAM RESULTS

3rd July (3)

PERSONAL BESTS have now been updated with our last Open Meeting and the SWAL meet at Yeovil ......and there were a lot of them ! Members, particularly those new to Mendip, are reminded that if they achieve a PB in an event that I don't know about, to let me know so we can update your records.

3rd July (2)

Ian Humphreys has now issued his usual comprehensive report of the South West Athletics League Match 3 at Yeovil and you can read this at YEOVIL 1ST JULY . From this page you can also access the full results for Track, Relays and Field Events. Well Done again to all those who took part , particularly Grant McConnell who set a new Division 2 record in the Discus and to Luke Dowding who equalled the Division 2 record with a PB in the Long Jump.
Meanwhile at the Crewkerne Short Course Triathlon , in the adult event, Tom Derrick showed his all round athletic ability to come home as 1st Junior and second in the race overall, in a time of 37.27 closely followed by Matt Parsons in 4th place in 38.05. Rob Martin was 12th, Stephen Manns 17th and Clare Martin 56th . In the junior races which are done in age group waves, Chloe Martin was 3rd in the Girls 8 years and Jamil Carse was 6th in the Boys 9-10 . This was the first ever triathlon event either of these two had done ! In the Girls 9-10 Erin Martin was 4th, her sister Adele got a bronze in the Girls 11-12 and their brother Ashley was 7th in a really tough 13-14 Boys age group . For full results go to http://www.atsl30.dsl.pipex.com/Tribor/Results.html
Next Monday , 9th July is the Somerset Middle Schools championships at Yeovil starting at 1 p.m. - anyone have any further details of this and who might be involved ?
Next Wednesday, 11th, sees the annual Schools 'Mini-Olympics' at Millfield starting at 1 p.m. There are 350 children expected from 21 different schools !
3rd July
Ian Humphreys reports "Well done to all who supported the team on Sunday. I can confirm that we won the match, by 127 points. MAC now heads the league table with 21 points with Armada and Exeter on 14 and Bath and Poole on 13. Therefore we only need to turn up (and finish last) in the final fixture to win the division. We don't even need to turn up to get promoted! On a more serious note we are leading the U13B, U15B, U20/SM age-groups, lie a close (half point) second in the U13G and Relays and could still win the U17M (if the last match finishes Mendip/ Armada/ Bath)."
Birthdays this week are Fraser Wall on the 7th and Hadyn Young on the 9th, but perhaps the most important one is that of the Club itself ! The inaugural training session for the club was held on 8th July 2003 at Elmhurst School - Street. 52 athletes attended that evening and the club had its first 27 members - Mendip AC was born! Since then we have gone from strength to strength and as well as becoming successful we have gained a reputation of being a well run organisation with a welcome for all ages and abilities of junior athletes. Were you there on that first training session ?

JUNE 2007

Last Thursday Mendip AC's third open meeting of the summer attracted over 70
youngsters to Millfield track for an action packed two hours of exciting
competition. Highlights of the competition was Sam Bates high jump of 1.36m
which is the best performance by an under 13 boy in Somerset so far this
summer. We will have full results for you as soon as possible.......
Water versus Coke ? For the truth ( or maybe exaggerations ! ) go to PUZZLE PAGE and see what you think !

Results of the North Devon Meet are now available at NORTH DEVON OPEN MEET

23rd June

I have found a website which gives an alphabetical list of GB athletes and other websites which feature them. It's not 100% comprehensive but good surfing fun ! Jason Gardener has 4 such entries . Go to http://www.gbrathletics.com/baweb.htm .
Another website that covers the Great North/ West /East South Runs and the Tesco Junior Great Runs can be found at http://www.onrunning.com/onrunning/index.asp
If you are a field athlete and not in the public gaze as much, find yourself amongst friends at some specialised sites ! For the hammer try http://www.hammer-circle.co.uk/, the Javelin has its own place at http://www.thejavelinclub.homestead.com/ and even the Long Jump at http://freespace.virgin.net/nigel.lewis2a/ . If you know of any other individual ones let us know.
Best wishes to all those taking part in the Crewkerne Triathlons on the 1st July. In the Senior race we are represented by Matt Parsons, Stephen Manns, Tom Derrick and Rob and Clare Martin. There are also junior races later on in the morning and I know some of our younger athletes are taking part. Detail and times on www.tribor.org.
21st June
STOP PRESS!!!!!..............We do now have the County Schools results. I will eventually extract any PB's I haven't already got but for the full results go to http://www.somerset-athletics.co.uk/somerset_schools_matters.htm. On the same website are the following week's results from the South West Schools championships as well.
This is what we like to see...........1,2,3, for Mendip ! Well done to Jo, Becky and Kat for a clean sweep in the 100m at the North Devon Open.
Mendip's sole representative at the YTRRC races in NineSprings Park was Amy Reakes who was 1st girl home in the Fun Run in a time of 5.14. Well Done !
Another interesting website featuring Data, Rankings and Results is www.athleticsdata.com although even this does not have the Somerset Schools results. Any idea where we can find these ?
Talking of SWAL, we now have a list of the SWAL DIVISION 2 RECORDS . We are represented but some of the records go back a long way. Have a look and if you think you can beat the time make sure you get to Yeovil on the 1st July !
Have been away for a few days helping at the UK 70.3 Half Ironman championships, so there's lots of news to update you on. Talking of Triathlon, congratulations to Tom Derrick, representing West Country Triathletes, who was first Junior home in the Burnham-on-Sea Triathlon recently. Meanwhile,yesterday, Doug Hall was swimming in the Thames on his way to 11th place in the Elite wave of the Royal Windsor Triathlon !
Whilst the youngsters were busy, Rob Eales and Peter Grosjean attended the South West Veteran's T & F championships at Exeter . They are too modest to tell you about all their medals but these are their results :
ROB........Discus 27.4m, Shot 10.26m and a PB in the 200m of 30.6 !
PETER....Two PB's, 100m 13.8 and 200m, 28.7.
Those Tuesday night sprint sessions are certainly paying off ! Well Done !
Last week saw the June Yeovilton 5K and first home for Mendip was Tim Attwell with a 2 second PB of 18.04, Ian Humphreys with 20.08 and Ottalie Day with 22.38.
12th June
Last week saw the County Schools championships, with years 7 and 8 competing
on Wednesday and the older athletes on Saturday. Results have still to be
published but some of the leading Mendip AC track performances came from
Blake Parkinson (1st year 7 800m in a PB 2:32), Kieran Young (1st year 7
1500m), English Schools Champion Nathan Young (1st Inter Boys 1500m 4:09),
Dan Layton (1st Inter Boys 3000m 9:18), Dominic Henry (1st Senior Boys 800m,
1:57). Dan Preston led a MAC 1-2 in the Inter Boys Hammer, with Tim Attwell
in support. Rose Penfold finished 2nd in the Inter Girls 800m in 2:26.
Apologies to the other club members who took part - we will try to get full
results by next week.
Ian Humphreys has also provided a short report on the SWAL CUP EXETER where we are also waiting for a full set of results but some excellent PB's from a small but quality team saw us come 7th overall. Our U13 Boys showed their dominance by winning their age group. Well Done to everyone who took part!

10th June
For those, like me , who always find out that Athletics was on the TV the night before and missed it, go to http://www.tvgenius.co.uk/ where you can get reminders of what's coming up. In fact you can type in anything you want and a cable channel will be showing it somewhere......................
Congratulations to Nathan Young for being chosen as Track Athlete of the Meet at the NYAL match last Sunday.
What do you think of the new Olympic 2012 logo ? At the moment over 35000 think it's rubbish and about 50 are in favour, but don't let that influence you ! Register your vote at http://www.gopetition.co.uk/petitions/change-the-london-2012-logo.html
In the Triathlon world, Doug Hall had his best result of the year,winning the Olympic Distance St Ives Triathlon 4 minutes ahead of second place, total time 2 hours 36 mins, in very wet conditions on a tough hilly course. In the same event Charles Albrow, Rob Martin and Doug's brother Stu, formed a winning relay team coming 11th overall with Charles posting the fastest 10K of the day with 35.30. See VARIOUS 2007 for some photos before the rain set in !
Some results from the 3rd round of the National Young Athletes League ; Sara Geary 1st in the Long Jump with 4.82m, Kieran Young with a 5.14.00, 1st in the 1500m and not to be outdone, another 1500m win for Aoife Thorogood with 5.11.70 (PB). Nathan Young was just outside the 3K barrier with a 9.00.40 for a PB as was his 400m run of 56.20. Peter Grosjean has kindly done a report at NYAL MATCH 3
Just to show the lows as well as the highs, Jason Gardener was unfortunately disqualified for a false start at the Norwich Union Glasgow Grand Prix

MAY 2007

27th May

Last week saw the Cow Pat Canter at Midsomer Norton where Kieran took 1st place in the Fun Run , just as he did last year. Amy Reakes was 1st girl in tthe Fun Run with Christian and Simone not far behind. Nathan Young was 3rd in the main race behind two good Club runners. Well done to all !
Breaking News ! We can confirm that Jason Gardener , our new Honorary President will be coming along to meet us at the Open meeting on Thursday evening ! Even more reason to dust the spikes off and come along to Millfield!
Meanwhile, Doug Hall was coming 4th in the Exe Valley Triathlon behind 3 internationals ! He's off to Switzerland this week, being paid to coach triathlon in the mountains. Nice work if you can get it !
First news from the County Championships is that Mendip AC achieved 17 Golds, 9 Silvers and 7 Bronze and were third club overall behind Yeovil Olympiads and Millfield School. Congratulations to everyone who took part ! Mendip's times can be found at COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS and pending a further report, the full results can be obtained at http://www.somerset-athletics.co.uk/2007_county_track_and_field_cham.htm

Some of our athletes took part in the British Milers Club Meet at Millfield last Monday, with several of our youngsters taking on the longer distances for the first time. Dominic Henry reduced his 800m PB to 1.56.16 and Ben Millar at the same distance posted new figures of 2.28.72. Full results of a high quality competition can be found at http://britishmilersclub.com/results/bmcresults.aspx?meetingid=5780

In all the build up to Glastonbury I completely forgot to give advance mention to the May 5K at Yeovilton this week. We were represented by Tim Attwell with a new PB of 18.06, Ian Humphreys with 19.38 and Ottalie Day with 23.03. Next months date is 13th June but this months results can be found at www.yeoviltownrrc.com

Full results, prizewinners, together with a report of the Glastonbury Races can be found at GLASTONBURY ROAD RUNS . Thanks to Ian and all the recording staff for a great job on the day. You work very hard, no one notices you and you don't even get to see much of the race !

Whilst we were all at Glastonbury, Doug Hall was coming 9th in the British Universities Triathlon championships and we also hear on the grapevine that Charles Albrow was in the top 20 at the Great West Run ( half marathon ) in Exeter.

I know we have asked this before but if you have an e-mail address but not on our mailing list please let our Membership Secretary, David Wright know as this saves considerable time. With an increasing membership we cannot always guarantee to write to people by snail mail. He can be contacted on 01749 679061 or dw.wright@tiscali.co.uk

It's some time since we had some wacky websites ! As an alternative to shorts try www.runningkilts.co or www.skirtsports.com. For some athletics themed T shirts go to www.funnerrunner or www.impulsetshirts.com

First news from Glastonbury ! Main race won by Andrew Hennessey ( WCH) but we came into our own with Ben Millar and Rebecca Carver first boy and girl back in the Fun Run. In the 3K we had Kieran Young and Shannon Kurle winning their age groups. We should have access to full results in due course but in the meantime well done to all who took part and to all those who helped out as marshalls and officials.

Excellent performances from the two day County Combined Events meeting at Millfield .Lots of PB's and a Gold for Jo Callender- Wood in the U13 County Quadrathlon and Silver for Sara Geary in the Intermediate Girls Heptathlon (which is of course, 7 events !) Well done to eveybody who took part and a full report ( thank you Graham ) can be found at SOMERSET COMBINED EVENTS

APRIL 2007

Events coming up this week include our Committee meeting on Friday, the GLASTONBURY ROAD RUNS on Sunday, which is also the day of the NYAL meet at Newport , South Wales. The day after is the British Miler's Club Meet at Millfield where races of 800m,1500m and 3K will be keenly fought . If you want a PB at these distances , this is the place to be ! Details at http://britishmilersclub.com/fixtures/bmcfixtures.aspx but closing date is the 3rd May !

Birthdays this week are Rob Eales, on the 1st May, ( perhaps he will 'throw' a party ? ) and Hamish Day on the 6th , who could celebrate by taking on the Glastonbury Run on that day !

As some of you will know, Doug Hall one of our senior athletes, is currently at Bath University, and since being there has achieved his Level 2 Triathlon Coaching award as well as his Athletics Level 1. He is also helping to coach Bath Amphibians Triathlon club and Frome Swimming club in his spare time! He has joined a new team this year VOTWO and you may see him at some athletic events in their gear rather than Mendip AC ! If you are thinking of trying triathlon, ask his advice! If you want to find out more visithttp://www.votwo.co.uk/votwo2007/coaching/race-team.php#row2

Interesting developments with Bath Athletics - City of Bath AC have merged with Team Bath at the University to make more regular use of their facilities and now Wessex and Bath AC ( who had split from City of Bath some years ago ) are now considering their options and may eventually join forces to make a 'super' Team Bath Club. They ,of course , are in our SWAL Division 2, so next year, if not this, they will be a force to be reckoned with !

Birthday congratulations this week go to Will Cahill on the 26th and Minty Martin on the 27th.

Results from Sunday even better than expected ! Ian Humphreys has done a comprehensive report which can be found atMILLFIELD 22NDAPRIL together with links to event,individual and team results. Well done everybody! Next month's meeting of the SWAL is at Plymouth so put the date, 27th May,in your diaries now so we can build on our excellent start.

I know you think I might make some of this news up but check out the world's longest javelin throw athttp://www.iaaf.org/GLE07/news/Kind=2/newsId=38440.html !

Sadly none of our Somerset representatives featured in the medals at the London Mini Marathon but I'm sure they all enjoyed the occasion. I cannot find a full list of results but there is a report at http://www.ukathletics.net/press-centre/news-archive/april-2007/article-38/

Early indications are that Mendip AC lead the SWAL table after our 'home' match on Sunday. Excellent performances all round, lots of first places but more importantly strength in depth in picking up the minor placings. We had 50 different athletes taking part in 121 different events plus the relays. We had 17 first places including Luke Dowding with 3 and a new Division 2 record for Charles Albrow in the 3K steeplechase. Full results by event and individual should be posted some time Tuesday.

For all those into Triathlon, Doug Hall came 3rd out of 200+ finishers in the Tidworth Triathlon.

Summer Fixture cards were given out at the Open Meeting and at Sunday's SWL meeting. If you have not got one contact Dave Wright ondw.wright@tiscali.co.uk.

Why not try out the Denise Lewis Lewis Heptathlon game ? Let me know your highest scores! Click on http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/sol/shared/spl/hi/fun_and_games/games/heptathlon/heptathlon.stm

Once again Mendip AC are attending the North Devon Open Meet and camping at Braunton to make a weekend of it. It was good fun last year and we hope to take a lot more people this year. Events are restricted to the younger age groups U10,11,12,13,14,and U15. Details of events are at NORTH DEVON OPEN MEET or if you haven't had an e-mail from Dave Wright see his recent letter at CHAIRMAN'S LETTERS

A lovely spring evening saw 83 competitiors for the first of this year's MAC Open meetings. There were numerous PB's which we will endeavour to extract as soon as possible, and include on ourPERSONAL BESTS page. Two performances of note were Club Records for Dominic Henry , with 1.58.60 for 800m, and Dan Layton with 9.00.06 in the 3000m. Congratulations to all who took part , especially those attending for the first time. If you enjoyed your evening and would like to join Mendip Athletics Club, then check out our MEMBERSHIP page. I am sure there will be a fuller report from Ian in due course but in the meantime results can be found at Mendip Open Meetings 19TH APRIL 2007 .

Best of Luck to all those taking part in our Open meeting on Thursday, the South West League meeting on Sunday and to Shannon Kurle, Adele Martin, Kieran Young, Dan Layton and Nathan Young, who are representing Somerset Schools at the Flora London Mini Marathon.

We have now updated the list of forthcoming fixtures and events and these can be found at Fixtures 2007 . If you know you are going to be competing regularly check your dates and avoid clashes ! If you have any additions or spot any mistakes let me know !

Most members, supporters and parents who have e-mail access will have heard from our Chairman, Dave Wright recently, concerning running in, or helping, at our own Club Open events, the South West Athletics League and the Glastonbury Fun Runs. If you have not seen these you can find them at CHAIRMAN'S LETTERS . If you have an e-mail address, and not on our list, and want to be kept advised of what is happening get in touch with him atdw.wright@tiscali.co.uk.

Doug Hall came 6th in a Duathlon event held at Dorney Lake near Windsor. This event was a 5K run, 20K bike and 5K run consecutively and bearing in mind the high temperatures, a solid start to the season. His first full event is the Tidworth triathlon this weekend.

A fuller report of last week's Yeovilton 5K can be found at YEOVILTON 5K SERIES

Another early notice item - we have fixed the date for our annual Swim and Barbecue at Greenbank Pool in Street, for Thursday 26th July. Make a note in your diaries now !

Early notice I know, but can you all note that Millfield will be unavailable for training on 5th July and 2nd August . Something else may be organised for those evenings - we will let you know.

Another storming run 2 days after his 10K Club PB saw Dan Layton clock 15.54 at Yeovilton for another Club PB at 5K this time. He finished 4th and 1st Junior .Nathan Young and Doug Hall, both nursing niggling injuries finished in 16.14 and 16.57 respectively, 8th and 15th. Tim Attwell with another PB was 18.14. Mendip's other runners were Ian Humphreys, 19.54 and Hazel Attwell with 25.42. Full results at http://www.yeoviltownrrc.com/

Only one birthday next week. Congratulations to Laura Franklin on the 21st !

Picture of the Hollywood Bowl visit now on Photo Album atVARIOUS 2007

(Report from Pete Grosjean.......... thanks) "6 Mendip AC athletes took part in the Easter Bunny 10K at Yeovilton today. Results below. Unfortunately Doug Hall had to pull out after about 5K with a back problem (picked up cycling the previous day). Dan ran a fantastic race to finish in 7th place (out of 330) for which he picked up prizes for both the Easter Bunny itself and the Somerset Road Race Series. Tim ran an excellent race too having said he wanted to finish in under 40mins. Hazel was pleased with her 1st 10K result and Frank did really well to finish in a respectable time having run with an ankle injury. My time is a new pb having improved on my previous pb by nearly 2 mins."

Dan Layton's time is not only a personal pb, it is also a Mendip AC 10K record and his first attempt at this distance ! In the 1 mile Fun Run Ashley Martin led from the start to win overall with sister Adele in 4th, only just being pipped for first girl. Full results for the10K can be found at www.yeoviltownrrc.com The first race in the regular 5K series takes place this coming Wednesday 11thApril and I can see more PB's on the horizon !...................

Once again I have had computer problems that have prevented the website being updated, but fingers crossed, I hope we are back to normal again.

Birthdays this week include Sara Geary and |Dan Layton, both on the 6th and also both 1991; Austin Foreacres,7th, Tim Attwell, 8th and Rose Penfold on the11th.

A full report on the Somerset Primary Schools Cross Country held at Montacute House, can now be found at SOMERSET PRIMARY SCHOOLS XC and a photo at VARIOUS 2007

To mark the end of the cross country season Mendip Athletics Club's juniors
celebrated with a trip to Taunton's Hollywood Bowl. Best score of the
evening was Dominic Henry's 120, with other winners including Jordan Fry
(105), Tyrone Williams (101), Bradley Curtis, Amy Reakes and Stephen Manns. Photo at VARIOUS 2007

Shown below are the selections for those athletes taking part in the London Mini Marathon alongside the main Flora London Marathon on the 22nd April . As you can see these are by Schools and we wish all the runners well and know they will enjoy the experience . Best wishes to to all those other local runners taking part in the main event. If you want further information check www.london-marathon.co.uk

	Boys 15 - 17			Girls 15 - 17
3253	Nathan Young	Whitstone	3271	Naomi Taschimowitz	Kings of Wessex
3254	Charlie Maclean	Kings College	3272	Laura James	Huish Episcopi
3255	Dan Layton	Kings of Wessex	3273	Laura Parker	WSCC
3256	Harry Cox	Millfield	3274	Rachael Heard	Kingsmead
3257	Phil Machin	WSCC	3275	Zofia Okuniewska	Richard Huish
3258	Ben Venus	Bucklers Mead	3276	Anna England	WSCC

	Boys 13 - 14			Girls 13 - 14
3259	Daniel Westgate	Brymore	3277	Leighanna Chappell	Westfield
3260	George Harris	Stanchester	3278	Nikki Dowds	Wells Cathedral
3261	Alex Wiltshire	Millfield	3279	Christie Jones	Millfield
3262	Joe Grimstead	Huish Episcopi	3280	Mhairi Hall	Kings College
3263	Harry Hudson	Kings Hall	3281	Isla Ness	Queens College
3264	Thomas Lawson	Kings College	3282	Catherine Blew	Castle

	Boys 11 - 12			Girls 11 - 12
3265	Isaac Taschimowitz	Hugh Sexey	3283	Keiley Macdonald	Danesfield
3266	Kieran Young	Whitstone	3284	Imogen Cook	Wells Cathedral
3267	Roger Harris	Millfield Prep	3285	Emily Ruffell-Hazell	Queens College
3268	Rowan Preece	Castle	3286	Adele Martin	Huish Episcopi
3269	Harry Hall	Minehead Middle	3287	Rachel Langbein	Danesfield
3270	Tristan Goldsmid	Huish Episcopi	3288	Shannon Kurle	St Dunstans

MARCH 2007

Well now it's official and Mendip AC are pleased and very proud that Jason Gardener MBE has agreed to be our Honorary Club President. He is a European, Commonwealth and Olympic medal winner and is a natural role model for any young athlete . His record and achievements are too numerous to mention here, but he is still the best having recently won his 4th successive gold in the European 60m Indoor championships. He started his athletic career in much the same way as many of our own junior athletes and is still with his original Club, Wessex and Bath AC. We welcome him to Mendip AC and hope it will not be too long before we see him at Millfield.You can find more about Jason on the following sites:
http://www.teambath.com/?p=193, http://www.wessexandbath.co.uk/jasongardener.htm
http://www.sportingchampions.org.uk/champions_profile.php?champion_id=95
I know it's a bit late but results for the Yeovil Open earlier this month are now available at http://www.yeovilolympiads.com . We were represented by Amy Reakes,Dan Barker, Sam Preston, Alice Grosjean, Rachel Andrews, Dan Wright, Sara Geary, David Moseley, Rob Eales and Sam Norris. Dan Wright got a well deserved first place in the 1500m, as did David Moseley in the High Jump. There were several PB's and it is a very good omen for the start of the Track season.
Don't forget there is a special pre- season meeting tonight after training on the balcony at Millfield, where we will let athletes and parents know the plans for the coming track season. Refreshments will be available and there will also be some very exciting news being announced that I can't tell you about just yet.....................
The County Primary Schools championships took place on Tuesday at Montacute House and this saw 3 out of the 4 races won by Mendip AC athletes:Jamil Carse in the Lower School Boys, Rebecca Carver in the Upper School Girls and Ben Miller in the Upper Boys . Consistent running from the Mendip team saw them take the team prizes for Lower Girls and both the Upper School races. Full report can be found at SOMERSET PRIMARY SCHOOLS XC
Full report from English Schools XC at Leeds can now be found at ENGLISH SCHOOLS XC MARCH 2007
The only Birthday this week is Matthew House on the 30th. Have a good day !
Apologies to Nicki Cummings who also ran the Bath half marathon with a time of
1:53:42 . Let us know what your plans are for the coming season, Nicky !
Bath Half update - as it took so long for the runners to cross the start line, the previous times are for gun to finish. The individual timing chips give the following times : Doug 1.17.19, Peter 2.01.58, Kelly 2.11.29 , ( Peter is particularly pleased as it is a PB ! )
The Bath Half Marathon ( 13.1 miles ) saw 8165 finishers out of 12000 + originally entered and 3 senior Mendip athletes were there. Doug Hall in his first attempt at the distance ran 1.17.21 to finish in 78th place, ahead of some of the elite runners. Further down the field were Peter Grosjean in 2.07.42 and Kelly Carse in 2.12.43. The race was won by Shiferaw Tewodros in a new course record of 1.02.09 and the first 'local' runner home was Peter Grist of Wells City Harriers.
Full results from the English Schools XC can be found at http://www.esaa.net together with a nice snap of Dan Layton 'leading' the pack on the Results Page ! We will have a fuller report on Mendip athletes for you shortly. Well Done to all those who took part .
The last of the Mendip Junior Schools XC events took place at Tor Leisure this week and saw Rebecca Carver and Ben Miller dominate again with 1st places and winning the Upper age groups outright. Full results will be available shortly at http://www.mendipjuniorathletics.org.uk/ . Ella-Rose Bazley-Jackson was just pipped on the line to come 2nd in the Lower girls race but her performances throughout the series gave her overall first place. Well done to all our Mendip runners! Do let me know if you take part in events outside of the Club so we can give you a mention !
Also there is the Easter Bunny 10K and Fun Run at RNAS Yeovilton on Easter Monday 9th April starting at 11 a.m. Rumour has it that your entry also gets you an Easter egg. Details at http://www.yeoviltownrrc.com/
More 1st places for Rebecca Carver and Ben Miller in the Mendip Schools XC league meet at Edgarley, and indeed their consistent performances throughout the series giving them 1st places overall. With Amy Reakes and Simone Young also in the Top Ten for the year and Hayley Carver not far behind, Mendip AC were well represented in the girls event. The last meeting in the series is at Tor Leisure this week, 22nd.
We have received details of the North Devon Athletic Club Track Meet for Sunday 17th June which I understand was very popular last year and a good weekend away. Details and entry form can be found at TRACK AND FIELD and if you want any further information Peter Grosjean is your man !
Birthday greetings this week go to Sam Denham on the 22nd, Agnes Dromgoole and Jess Rossiter , both on the 23rd, and Jenna Purves on the 24th !
Apologies for the website not being updated over the past three weeks due to a computer glitch , particularly as there has been a stack of news to report. Make sure you read back to the beginning of March ! Sorry to all those whose birthday greetings were delayed ! Our thanks go to Chris Hall of Wells who managed to resolve our problem.
A good showing from our Cross country runners saw the team collect several individual medals and team awards at last Sunday's Wessex League meeting at Poole / Ringwood , particularly our U13 girls who were rewarded for their consistent seacon with First place. Full details at WESSEX XC POOLE MARCH 2007
The following club members have been selected for the Somerset team going to the English Schools XC championships in Leeds this coming weekend.... Shannon Kurle, Emily Derrick, Dan Wright,Nathan Young, Dan Layton, Pat Day, Rose Penfold and Ottalie Day. If you haven't been before , enjoy the occasion and for those who have been before, look after the newcomers ! Best of Luck to you all !
Athletes and parents are reminded that subscriptions are now overdue. You will all have received a letter explaining the various options and it does help our planning and organisation to know who wishes to continue to be members. Check out MEMBERSHIPor contact David Wright on 01749 679061 for futher details.
Last week was the last of the Winter's Street 5k races and a 3rd place for Nathan on the night. Consistent running throughout the series saw Tim Attwell take 2nd junior behind Tom Lock in the series and overall Ottalie Day was 3rd female overall as well as being first female junior ! For a report on the night ( Kieran won again !) and the series overall go to http://wellscityharriers.org.uk/
Another National Title for Nathan at Sunderland ! Magnificent ... further details at ENGLISH XC CHAMPIONSHIPS MARCH 2007
Happy Birthdays this week to Annie McConnell, 13th, Megan Smith, 14th, Joseph Thomas, 15th, and Harry Isherwood on the 19th.
First place too in the Combe St Nicholas Fun Run for Rebecca Carver. Well Done !
The latest round of the Langport Primary Schools XC saw first places for Agnes Dromgoole and Jamie Neslen in the year 5/6 categories. Let's hope they continue this good form on to the track !
All club endurance runners are reminded that the final Wessex League cross
country of the season takes place at Avon Heath Country Park rear Ringwood / Poole
on Sunday 18th March. For further details contact Ian Humphreys on 01749
675100.
Couple of birthdays I missed....... Dave Wright on the 4th and John Young on the 9th........... go easy on the jelly and ice cream !
For a full report on last weekend's South West Schools XC, see Ian's report at SOUTHWEST SCHOOLS 2007
Better late than never but congratulations must go to the last of the Club award winners , those voted by you, the members, who are as follows :Junior of the Year - Dominic Henry and best Supporting Adult - Peter Grosjean. Dom and Peter are both quiet individuals but always willing to help and advise and it is good to see that athletes appreciate this by voting for them. Well done to both of them and they will receive their awards at the get-together on the 29th March
Birthdays this week include Finlay Callender-Wood, 5th, Charles Albrow and B'Al Martin both on the 6th and Aoife Thorogood on the 12th . Have a good one !
Mendip Athletics Club in conjunction with Mendip District Council and Wells Blue School are joining together to provide a Schools Club Link for primary and secondary schools in the area. This will provide opportunities for youngsters who have not been involved in athletics before to find out what they are good at and hopefully go on to join a club . The draft copy of the agreement can be seen at SCHOOL CLUB LINK . Early days yet but David Wright our Chairman signed our part last week so it is starting to happen........
If you got a chance to see some of the European Athletics Indoor championships featured on BBC this last weekend you would have seen some cracking events and good performances from UK athletes. Golds for Jason Gardener ( 4th in a row ! ) and Nicola Sanders in the 400m and Phillips Idowu ,( with Nathan Young hair colouring) , in the Triple Jump. Full details and results at www.european-athletics.org .
The stock of Club Kit now has a permanent home now at the National School Wear shop in Wells at 23 Broad Street , bottom of the High Street, opposite Swan Stationers. They can be contacted on 01749 670000 or by e-mail wells@n-sc.co.uk . There will be new stock being ordered shortly for the coming Track season but there are some half price bargains to be had, particularly on small female sizes. Current stock availability can be seen at CLUB KIT . The shop also do MAC hoodies and sweat shirts and we hope you will try to get along and see them. If you require kit and it is not possible to get to Wells , speak to John Young or your team manager and we will see what we can sort out.
Peter Grosjean ran the Combe St. Nicholas 10K last weekend. He is in training for the Bath Half Marathon but hasn't run a race since our Handicap Race at Christmas and in his own words says ,
"Anyway, glad I did it, despite the driving rain, gales, mud, water above the ankles, and the hills - in fact it felt more like doing a cross country, but with the wrong shoes!! "

"It was certainly challenging and the medal at the end made it all worthwhile! Time was useless at 58:26, more than 5 mins outside my pb! But given that 6 months ago I could hardly walk, I think it's a reasonable achievement!"

FEBRUARY 2007

Ian's report on Mendip and other local athletes at the Inter Counties in Nottingham can now be found at INTER COUNTIES FEB 2007 . Commiserations again to Nathan Young who hasn't had a lot of luck this year with Cross Country.
Full results from the weekend's Inter Counties XC championships can be found at http://www.ukathletics.net/press-centre/news-archive/february-2007/article-42/ . I haven't had time to go through them yet but I know that Shannon Kurle in her first National championship was in 50th place in a strong field of 280 odd. Nathan Young was once again a DNF but I don't know the reason.Charles Albrow was 70th in the U20 race. I am sure Ian will have a full report later in the week but if you want to e-mail me with your details please do so.
Next week's birthdays are Hal Davidson on the 28th, Nick Rideout on the 1st March and the oldest sprinter in town, Peter Grosjean on the 3rd.
Other Club members in action this weekend were Matt Parsons in the Taunton Aquathlon ( IK swim, 10K run) ; he led his group out of the swim and through the first lap of 2 1/2 K but Matt wisely realised that 10K was perhaps a bit too far and finished further down the field. Meanwhile Doug Hall was attempting his longest race so far in the Pewsey 10 1/2 mile off roader known as the Terminator, where he came 3rd in a strong field of 800 +. Doug is in preparation for the Bath Half Marathon mid March extending his legs a bit further but that will be mainly on the road and not through fields and rivers...........
4 MAC members attended the open @ YOAC (20th), results as follows:
Rachel Andrews 60m 9.94s, shot 4.97m

Sarah Geary HJ 1.40m, LJ 4.51m
Rob Eales shot 10.0m

Alice Grosjean 60m 9.13s, shot 8.06m

This event was quite well supported, a shame more MAC members were not in attendance - there was a very well supported 3000m tonight, and the 300m hurdles was interesting! ( Thanks for report, Pete)
UK Inter Counties Cross Country Championships

The following local athletes are due to compete for the Avon and
Somerset team in Saturday's UK Inter Counties cross country championships at
Nottingham's Wollaton Park. Under 13 Girls - Rebecca Carver (Mendip AC),
Shannon Kurle (Mendip AC), Emily Smith (Wells City Harriers), Isla Ness
(Taunton AC). Under 13 Boys - Kieran Young (Mendip AC), Blair Brown (Taunton
AC), Isaac Taschimowitz (Taunton AC). Under 15 Girls - Ottalie Day (Mendip
AC), Leighana Chappel (Wells City Harriers). Under 15 Boys - Nathan Young
(Mendip AC), Tim Attwell (Mendip AC), Charlie Maclean (Wells City Harriers),
Ben Venus (Wells City Harriers). Under 17 Women - Rose Penfold (Mendip AC),
Sara Geary (Mendip AC), Naomi Taschimowitz (Taunton AC), Anna England
(Taunton AC), Hannah Forrest (Wells City Harriers). Under 20 Men - Charles
Albrow (Mendip AC), Ed Knudsen (Langport Runners), Ryan Higgin (Taunton AC),
Peter Baker (Taunton AC). Senior Women - Karen Buckley (Wells City
Harriers), Jenny Moore (Wells City Harriers). Senior Men - Frank Tickner,
Andy Hennessy, Adrian Marriot and (subject to confirmation) Ben Tickner all
join a sparkling mens team that also includes Ben Node, Richard Williams and
Gary Davenport - all top 20 finishers in last weeks World Championship Trial
at Bath University. With the senior men a likely tip for team gold, both the
under 17 men and under 15 boys could come close to medals. Best wishes go to all the Somerset athletes but particularly our Mendip runners.Cross Country fans should note that the entire days action is being shown live on Sky Sports 3 from 11am.
Mendip athletes had good runs in the latest round of the Mendip Junior Schools XC held at Millfield Prep. First places for Rebecca Carver and Ben Miller (again). Full results, individual and team, at MENDIPJUNIORSCHOOLS XC . The last race in the series takes place on Tuesday 22nd March at Tor Leisure, Glastonbury. Why not go along and support the stars of the future.
Well Done to Jason Gardener who just managed to pip the up and coming Craig Pickering in last weekend's Indoor 60m. Sprinting is back!
Street 5K saw Tom Derrick first Mendip runner back in a new PB of 18 minutes dead with Tim Attwell not far behind in another PB for him in 18.15. First female junior was Ottalie Day cruising round in 22.18. In Nathan's absence Kieron Young took the 2K race in 7.10. Full results for junior and Senior races on www.wellscityharriers.co.uk
Some more good performances from our athletes at Salisbury in Round 5 of the Wessex XC League. Cameron Kurle was 4th in the Fun Run; his sister, Shannon was 2nd to Isla Ness of Taunton in the U13 girls; Rebecca Carver in 8th and Adele Martin in 16th scored well to leave the U13 girls still leading the league. The Young brothers had mixed fortunes with Christian making his debut for the U13 boys racing with Kieron who eventually finished 4th. Nathan had a niggling knee problem and retired after leading. Doug Hall ran well for a depleted Senior Team to finish 4th . Full results ( in due course ) on www.wessexleague.com
Congratulations to Frank Tickner of WCH for winning the BUSA championships and World XC trials and commiserations that he is unable to take up his place as it clashes with his final exams at Birmingham University. There is often a difficult choice at any level of study but more so on this occasion. Best wishes to Frank for the exams and his future running career.
Birthdays next week include Kieron Young , 21st, Chris Hiew, 23rd, and Ottalie Day on the 24th. Happy Birthday !
An interesting weblink at http://www.tri247.com/article_1600.html explains Heart rate and measurement and there is a calculator to find your optimum rates.
First places in the latest round of the Mendip Junior Schools XC for Rebecca Carver and Ben Miller and good performances by other Mendip runners as well. Full results at http://www.mendipjuniorathletics.org.uk
The following athletes have been selected for the Avon & Somerset cross
country team for the UK Inter-Counties championships at Wollaton Park Nottingham on February 24th . Good luck to all of you.
U13G - Rebecca Carver, Shannon Kurle, (Aoife Thorogood and Emily Derrick
were unavailable to run)
U15G - Ottalie Day
U17L - Rose Penfold
U13B - Kieran Young, Ben Miller
U15B - Nathan Young, Tim Attwell (Reserve) (Tom Derrick was unavailable to
run)
U17M - Dan Layton (Reserve)
U20M - Charles Albrow, Matt Parsons (Reserve)
Birthdays this coming week are Jack Day14th and Jacob Gooch 17th. Have a good one !
Well done to those Mendip runners taking part in the Somerset Schools XC at Millfield last Saturday. First places for Kieron and Nathan Young in the Junior and Intermediate Boys , second behind the unbeaten Isla Ness for Shannon Kurle, and a fourth for Adele Martin in the Minor girls. Ian's report can be found at SOMERSET SCHOOLS XC . If any one can tell me where to find full results on the Net please let me know.
There is now a fuller report on the Bicton combined meeting from Ian Humphreys at SOUTH WEST XC CHAMPS JAN07 .Next Wessex fixture is February 11th at Salisbury.
Next week's birthdays are Jessica Benjamin, 6th, and Daniel Barker, 8th. Have a good
day !

JANUARY 2007

One of our website links is www.athletics-results.co.uk, this is more than just results and it does have some pretty forceful opinions which should start a few debates ! http://www.streetathletics.co.uk/ is a cool website, plus sound track, and is not what you might think! Set up by Linford Christie and Darren Campbell .This week's weird website has to be http://www.lostkit.co.uk/ where you can access a lost and found database for stuff you might have left somewhere ! Let me know if you come across any other useful (?) sites !

Good performances from the small team that went to the SEAA XC championships in Norfolk. Nathan was able to add the U15 title to the U13 one he got 2 years ago but the race was not easy ! Full details of all the MAC runners at SEAA XC CHAMPIONSHIPS 27TH Jan and the full results for all age groups can be found at http://www.race-results.co.uk/results/2007/pdf

David Wright has recently updated the Welcome letters we send to new athletes and their parents and very comprehensive they are too. Even for existing members it is worth a look at WELCOME LETTERS as most of the Club info you might need is all in one place !

Rob Eales and Alice Grosjean were the only two MAC athletes who attended the Bath Indoor Open on Saturday. Rob's best throw in the shot was 9.95m - 4th place.

Alice entered the 60m sprint, and finished 6th overall with a best time of 9.12s. In the shot she managed a best throw of 8.90m (1st but there were no other competitors in her age group!) - the Power of 10 website ranks her at 14th in the UK!

Please accept our apologies for being off line / not updated over the past couple of weeks. Some of the January news now seems a bit dated ! Do read back to make sure you haven't missed anything. I have been without internet access and battling against Internet providers, broadband and router suppliers and British Telecom for over 3 weeks now, with no one knowing what the problem was , (least of all me ) Very frustrating ! Hopefully now all back to normal ! Please let me have anything that has been missed !

Membership renewal letters are currently being sent out and if you have any queries please contact David Wright at dw.wright@tiscali.co.uk or 01749 679061 . Please try to get them back as soon as possible as it helps with administration. Thanks !

Birthdays this week are Ben Gowland, Jamie Neslen and James Wilson, all on the 26th, and Sam Stevens on the 29th. Due to internet problems we may be too late for your date but Happy Birthday anyway !

The Langport and District Primary Schools XC championships ( 24th ) saw wins for Mendip runners Jamil Carse (Year 3/4); Agnes Dromgoole (Year 5/6) with Erin Martin close behind in 2nd place and Jamie Neslen also Year 5/6 boys. All showed good running tactics, not stampeding off at the start but gradually working their way to the front and winning well. If you have details of any Mendip juniors in similar schools events please let us know and we will give them the mention they deserve.

Congratulations to Paula Radcliffe ( and Gary ) on the birth of a daughter today (17th) !

Today's useless piece of information...........next Tuesday, (23thJanuary), it will be 2012 days to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London.

It seems Dwain Chambers has decided to turn his back on Athletics and concentrate on American Football. Is this a loss to our sport or vindication that cheats never prosper ?

Good run from Dan Layton in the Street 5K to come 3rd in 16.56 and consistent performances have seen him take 2nd place overall in this year's Street series. Nathan fell foul of cramp again but Tim Attwell was 17th with 18.26 which I think is a new PB. Ottalie was first female junior home and is third female in the overall rankings . Kieron Young won the 2K (again) with 5 seconds to spare and Amy Reakes ran splendidly to win the 1K race . Well Done ! Full results at www.wellscityharriers.co.uk. Next month's race is on Valentine's Day!

The Bicton meeting was also the usual monthly Wessex League competition and although finishing positions were complicated by other regional runners I can confirm that Aoife was second (again) with Emily and Rebecca close behind in the U13, whilst Kieron had a good 4th in the Boys U13. Nathan won his event with good support from his team mates for the U15 boys to be second team home. The U17 are still second team overall being led by Dan Layton in 5th place. Doug Hall in 6th and the other seniors are now 2nd team in their overall table. Full results as usual at www.WessexLeague.com . There is now a fuller report from Ian Humphreys at SOUTH WEST XC CHAMPS JAN07 .Next fixture is February 11th at Salisbury.

Some great results from the combined SW Inter-counties championship at Bicton Park. We won the U13 girls team event and they also helped Somerset win this age group overall. Nathan Young despite falling at the start of the last lap, recovered to win the U15 event and with the strong presence of Mendip and WCH runners , Somerset won this team event also. Nice to see Shannon Kurle making a rare appearance and well done too to Stevie Manns, running for Mendip for the first time. Full details at http://www.somerset-athletics.co.uk

Happy Birthdays coming up to Blake Parkinson 12th, Sam Talbot 18th and Daisy Bentley who shares hers with me ( Ken ) on the 22nd.

Talking of quizzes , well done to the California Angels who won the Christmas Social Quiz and to the Stars who beat the Bells at Skittles (or was it the other way round ? )

Did you do the Quiz in the Newsletter? Nobody came up with a response - the questions were obviously harder than Ian and Denise's at the Christmas Social ! Impress your friends and check out the answers at PUZZLE PAGE

Next Sunday sees the 4th round of the Wessex XC league to be held at Bicton Park in Devon. The event will also incorporate the South West XC championships ( individual) and the South West Inter -Counties XC competition. Confused ? - we were to start with but don't worry , you don't have to run three times ! Further details, times, directions and course map can be found at www.southwestathletics.com . Those who are also running for Somerset should wear their county vest in preference to their Mendip vest. If you are not sure if this is you check http://www.somerset-athletics.co.uk where the provisional teams are listed, or speak to Ian Humphreys.

None of our hard working coaches and officials seem to have made it into the official New Year's Honours List so we take this opportunity to say " Thank You" to all of you for everything you do for Mendip AC throughout the year. Clubs such as ours cannot begin to operate without the hard work put in behind the scenes and it is much appreciated !

The end of 2006 has seen several Mendip athletes in the regional 'Top Ten' in their best events but sadly only one in the national rankings . Hopefully 2007 will enable us as a club and individual athletes to start making our mark and feature more often ! Check out your details at POWER OF10 .

A new website www.englandathletics.org says it is the new site for English Athletics but the old site www.ukathletics.net is still up and running. perhaps someone will confirm which is which, to us in due course..........

Birthdays coming up soon in January................have a great day..........Hayley and Rebecca Carver , 2nd, Simone Young, 7th and Ellie Norris on the 8th.

Happy New Year to athletes everywhere and may 2007 be a successful year for you in all you do , on and off the track.