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OSWESTRY OLYMPIANS JUNIOR ATHLETES ANNUAL REPORT 2007

 
  FUNDRAISING:
The club had a hugely successful Bag Packing venture in Sainsburys just before Christmas when £1057 was raised for the track appeal and there were opportunities to talk to people about the situation regarding lack of athletics provision in Oswestry.
ozpark@oswestry-bc.gov.uk
 
 JUNIOR CROSS COUNTRY REPORT 2006-2007.
 The club enjoyed another successful cross-country season with both individual and team successes to celebrate.
 In the Shropshire Young Athletes X-C League Olympians finished in second place overall behind Telford. The club won the Girls Overall trophy and retained the Under 11 Girls team trophy.  Four young athletes received individual awards: Matthew Jones - 1st Under 11 Boys  Ryan Stokes - 2nd Under 13 Boys, Greg Stokes 3rd Under 13 Boys and Toby Blake - 2nd Under 15 Boys.
    Olympian Under 17 and Under 20 athletes competed in the North Wales X-C League during the winter season. Josh Ogden took the Under 17 Mens title.
  Several young Olympians won medals at the Shropshire AA X-C Championships Toby Griffiths won the Under 17 Mens title and Alison Lavender won the Junior Womens title.  Ryan Stokes was second in the Under 13 Boys race, leading his team to second overall. There were bronze medals for Toby Blake (Under 15 Boys) and Kate Keenan (Under 17 Women). Ten young Olympians were selected to represent Shropshire in the Reebok Inter Counties X-C Championships at Nottingham where Alison Lavender was the highest Olympian finisher coming in 33rd in the Junior Womens race.
   Seven Olympians took part in the Midlands X-C Championships at Stafford Common with Alison Lavender the highest finisher - 13th in the Junior Womens race.
   There was success for Olympians athletes in the Shropshire Schools X-C Championships with four athletes winning their races - Lauren Bathers (Year 7 Girls), Joe Morris (Year 7 Boys), Toby Griffiths (Inter Boys) and Alison Lavender (Senior Girls). Six Olympian athletes - were selected to represent Shropshire Schools in the English Schools X-C Championships at Leeds. Congratulations to Ryan Stokes, Steph Butler, Toby Griffiths, Josh Ogden, Kate Keenan and Alison Lavender.
    The Shropshire AA Under 10 and Under 11 X-C Championships were held at Much Wenlock where the Olympians Under 10 Girls team won the team trophy with excellent performances from Sophie Curzon 3rd, Lowri Pryce 7th, Georgia Dixon 12th and Grace Garry 15th. Matthew Jones won the Under 11 Boys race to finish unbeaten in cross- country during the season.
 
SPORTSHALL:
   In the Shropshire Sportshall League Olympians finished in second place overall behind main rivals Telford. The club also took the Under 11 Boys trophy.
    Seven Under 11 athletes represented Shropshire at the Fun in Athletics West Midlands event at Cannock.
     In February eight Under 11 Olympian athletes had the opportunity of a lifetime when they represented Shropshire at a Sportshall Showcase event at the NIA before the Norwich Union Grand Prix. As well as competing on the new indoor track Chloe Mates, Anna Oloyede, Kate Jones, Adele Nicoll, Lee Davies, Matthew Jones, Bradley Coldwell and Harry Hall were also able to watch some of the world's top athletes in action and collect autographs to round off a memorable day.
    Twelve Olympian athletes represented Shropshire at the Under 13 and Under 15 Regional Sportshall Finals at Worcester. Top performance came from Ben Richards who finished in a splendid 4th place overall in the Under 15 Boys All Rounder competition, taking the gold medal in the Shot. Jake Corfield-Jones won the gold medal in the Under 13 Boys High Jump.
    There was a good turn out of Olympians at the Shropshire Sportshall Championships held at Wenlock. Jack Nicholls, Jake Corfield-Jones and Natalie Bathers all won three gold medals each.
   
INDOOR MEETINGS :
     In the Midlands Indoor Championships Under 17 Leila Armstrong-Green took the silver medal in the Long Jump and bronze in the 60m Hurdles.   
 
JUNIOR TRACK AND FIELD REPORT 2007 
   The track and field season got off to a good start with the Shropshire AA Track and Field Championships held at Telford in May.
     Olympian athletes put in good early season performances with several young athletes winning two or three medals. Cameron Dixon set a new Championship Best Performance in the Under 13 Boys Long Jump, breaking a record, which had stood since 1974!   As a result of the Shropshire Championships a number of Olympian athletes were selected to represent Shropshire AA in Inter County meetings at Cosford.
    Several Olympian athletes competed in the Midlands Under 20 Track and Field Championships at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham.  Toby Griffiths took gold in the Under 17 Mens 800m and Leila Armstrong-Green finished 3rd in the Under 17 Womens 80m Hurdles.
   There was further success for Olympians athletes at the Shropshire Schools Track and Field Championships held at Telford in June, with a number of athletes finishing in the top three in their events and winning several medals.  After these championships a number of Oswestry athletes were selected to represent Shropshire Schools in the Mason Trophy Inter Counties meeting.
     This year Olympians had seven athletes selected to represent Shropshire Schools in the English Schools Track and Field Championships held at the Alexander Stadium, Birmingham in July. Congratulations to Charlotte Roberts - Senior Girls 400m Hurdles, Hannah Wood - Senior Girls Long Jump, Alison Lavender - Senior Girls 1500m, Toby Griffiths - Inter Boys 800m, Mike Pugh - Inter Boys Triple Jump, Leila Armstrong-Green - Inter Girls Long Jump and Laura Elliott - Inter Girls 100m for achieving the high standard required to be selected for this prestigious event.   Further congratulations to Hannah and Leila who both finished in 4th place overall in their first English Schools finals and Charlotte who finished 5th, three of the four best positions in the Shropshire team.
    In the U20/U23 Championships at Bedford, Olli Blake finished in 5th place in the final of the Under 20 Mens 800m. He was invited to compete in the Senior AA Championships and World Trials at Manchester where he finished third in the final of the Junior Mens 800m (B race).
     Leila Armstrong-Green and Toby Griffiths represented the West Midlands at the UK Schools Games at Coventry in August where Toby finished in 4th place in the 800m final.
     Charlotte Roberts was selected to represent the Midland Counties at the Antwerp International meeting in August. Olli Blake and Laura Elliott represented the Midlands at the Home Counties International match in Copthall, London in September.
   In the Shropshire Young Athletes Track and Field League, Olympians finished second overall behind Telford, winning the Under 11 Girls and Boys, Under 13 Boys and Under 17 Womens team trophies. In addition there were league records for Matthew Jones (Under 11 Boys 600m and Under 13 Boys 800m, breaking a record which had stood since 1993) Joe Morris (Under 13 Boys 800m record), Laura Elliott (Under 17 Womens Long Jump) and Mike Pugh (Under 17 Mens Triple Jump). Two Olympians relay teams Under 11 4x50m and Under 17 Mens 4x100 also set new league records.
   During the season the club also competed in the National Young Athletes League, NW Division One. The athletes enjoyed good competition and several athletes received Athlete of the Match awards during the season. Congratulations to Toby Griffiths, Ben Mates and Cameron Dixon.  However, lack of strength in depth against much bigger clubs meant that Olympians were relegated to Divison Two for next season
 
NATIONAL JUNIOR LEAGUE  :
        National Junior League: Border Olympians, the composite club with Under 17/Under 20 athletes from Oswestry Olympians, Bridgnorth AC and Hereford AC, had a successful third season in the National Junior League. Competing in the Central Division. Border again qualified for the Midlands Promotion match at Derby in September.
 
COMBINED EVENTS:
  Four Olympians athletes - Kez Ogden, Leila Armstrong -Green, Natalie Bathers and Mike Pugh represented Shropshire Schools at the NW Regional Combined Events Finals in Stoke. Leila finished in 5th place in the Inter Girls Heptathlon and qualified for the English Schools Combined Events Finals at Exeter in September. Unfortunately due to injury she was unable to compete.  (See also Border Olympians page - Ed.)
 
CLUB RECORDS: 2007 
  2007 has been another bumper year with 21 club records tumbling, including some longstanding ones. Remarkably, standards continue to rise each year and all those young athletes who have broken a club record are to be congratulated. They will be receiving trophies at the Presentation Evening.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS:  
  The following five Olympian athletes are ranked in the Top Twenty in the UK in their events  - a great achievement for a small club. 
      Olli Blake (7th Under 20 Men 800m), Toby Griffiths (4th Under 17 Men 800m), Laura Elliott (6th Under 17 Womens Long Jump), Leila Armstrong-Green (12th Under17 Womens Long Jump) and Ben Mates (16th Under 13 Boys High Jump).
     The above athletes plus a number of other Olympians figure highly on the West Midlands age group rankings. For further details look at www.powerof10.co.uk
 
INTERNATIONAL HONOURS:
Cherida Lauriello was selected to represent Welsh Schools at an Inter Regional match.
 
CONCLUSION:
Sadly, the club lost its President in the summer when Doug Morris died while
out on a training run. Doug was a founder member of the club and was very proud of the achievements of the junior Olympians athletes. He and his wife Margaret presented trophies to the juniors at last year's presentation evening and he is greatly missed in the club.
In honour of Doug's huge contribution to the Olympians, and to athletics in general, four new trophies will be awarded each year to the outstanding cross-country runner in each of the junior age groups : The Doug Morris Memorial  Cross Country Awards, and we are honoured that Margaret has agreed to present them tonight.
The new training facility at The Marches is now complete and will be available for Olympians to train on next year. This is a substantial area of synthetic track surface, up to 70m long, with a double long jump pit at one end, which is perfect for coaching hurdles, high jump, long jump and sprints. While it is no substitute for a full track it provides a great facility for much of our coaching while next to it will be a grass track where longer distance running and throws can be coached. We have also had confirmation of funding from England Athletics to take the club over to the Shrewsbury track once a week in the outdoor season. We have come a long way from the despondency of this time last year when we had no facilities at all. A very big vote of thanks goes to all those who have been involved in this fund raising effort especially club chairman Jon Hancock.
 As always, the club would like to thank all the young athletes for their enthusiasm and commitment over the past year and also those parents who have responded to the appeals for support. Now, more than ever, we are looking for parents who would like to get involved with the club. Your help is invaluable and without it we would not be able to carry on
    A big thank you to all who have helped with Team Managing, providing refreshments at events and helping in training sessions. Thanks to all the coaches Arnie, John, Nick, Kathy, Tracy, Andy, Gemma, Josh and Olli. Thanks also to those who are in the background doing all the administration, especially Kathy Wray who writes all the letters and the newspaper reports which keep the Olympians in the public eye. All this work is done voluntarily.
   Thank you to all those who have stood in the rain, raked the sandpit, stuck in spikes or helped in any way to officiate at meetings. It is very encouraging that we now have a new group of parents who have got involved in officiating and are in the process of becoming qualified.
   Thanks, once more, to Sandy Ogden our Junior Membership Secretary for all her hard work during the year and for organizing the Five Star awards that the young athletes will be receiving tonight. Your efforts are much appreciated.
   Thanks to Keith Weetman for all his work on compiling and updating all the young athletes PBs during the season and also for setting up and maintaining the superb Junior Olympians website. Current information, past history and tips about training can all be found there, so if you want to know anything about the club just log on to www.oswestryolympians.co.uk
 
    Oswestry Olympians is a happy club with a family atmosphere, which has enjoyed continuing success for many years. It has built up a good reputation in Shropshire and beyond. There are growing numbers of young Olympian athletes who have represented not only their county, but also their country. If we are to continue to be a successful club it is vital that we continue to attract more coaches, helpers and athletes. All these roles in the club are performed on a voluntary basis for the benefit of local youngsters but the successes of the past do not automatically lead to successes in the future. Circumstances change, coaches, helpers and athletes move on and we need new people coming in to replace them. Almost all our volunteers are current or past athletes or parents.
      If any parents feel that they can help in any way, please come and speak to us and let us know what you feel you could offer to the club. We still need more help in all sorts of areas otherwise the club cannot continue to function successfully, This is especially true at the moment as we are losing Arnie and Kathy who are moving to Shrewsbury in the next few months after seventeen years at the club.
 
Gemma Weetman.
It is only fitting that the club acknowledges the most successful junior Olympian of all time.  Gemma has now moved away to university and has, for the past year, been competing in the Under 23 age group, often in Olympians colours. This puts her beyond the remit of the junior section, hence no awards tonight.
However, we would like to take this opportunity to recognise Gemma's achievements and to wish her continuing success for the future.
Gem joined the club as a waif-like nine year old and quickly established herself as one of the best young x-country runners in Shropshire. She continued to gain success in x-country over the next few years but found that she had talents in other areas too. Learning to high jump, long jump and hurdle naturally led to Combined Events and so, as an Under 15, Gemma won a silver medal at the AAAs CE championships and a silver medal at the English Schools track and field finals.
This was to be the beginning of a series of national medals for Gemma and led to selection for English Schools international meetings.
In 2005 Gemma won gold at the English Schools CE finals and bronze in the long jump, in her first year as an under 20 and was subsequently awarded the Outstanding Sporting Award by the Oswestry Sports Council.
The following year, in her most successful season to date, she gained the first of many Great Britain CE international vests and was selected for the National Squads in long jump and combined events. This followed gold medals in both disciplines in her last year of the English Schools finals and led to her being brought on to the National World Class Talent Programme.
In 2007 Gemma competed for GB in combined events in Holland, France and Italy improving her points score at each meeting and setting Personal Bests in 8 different disciplines. She also shattered the Shropshire County Championships records for hurdles and long jump.
I am sure we all look forward with interest to watching Gemma's career over the next five years. Will she be at the London Olympics? 
Will we see this level of success from any of our current young athletes?
Now there is a challenge!!!
 
Arnie and Kathy
As I am sure you all know we are moving to Shrewsbury in the near future and this will be our last Presentation Evening. We have been involved in the Olympians in one form or another for 17 years since our kids joined in 1990. Little did we know where that would lead! Neither of us were involved in athletics prior to moving to Oswestry and I certainly never imagined that I would be running marathons within four years, or that our 12 year old daughter would be running 62k races in New Zealand 17 years later.
We have both learned a vast amount from our time with the club and have been privileged to help many young people discover the joys of being involved in athletics. Kathy has welcomed and nurtured so many under 11s and given them a great grounding in athletics and I have gained huge satisfaction from helping talented young people achieve their potential.
Kathy will continue to look after the under 11s until next Easter and support whoever is going to take over the role. I will continue to coach my events with older Oswestry athletes while broadening my county coaching responsibilities, which will be much easier in Shrewsbury.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Oswestry Olympians, past and present, for all your support over these past years and also all the young athletes who we have worked with. We have a great reservoir of happy memories of training sessions and competitions, especially at Park Hall which I was very sad to leave.
Olympians, however, is beginning a new chapter, with new facilities and, soon, new coaches so we wish the club every success for the future and I am quite sure I will see many current and up-and-coming Olympians at county squads, championships and English Schools finals.
Best wishes to you all,
 
If you want to know anything about the club just log on to www.oswestryolympians.co.uk
 
  If any parents feel that they can help in any way, please come and speak to us and let us know what you feel you could offer to the club. We still need more help in all sorts of areas otherwise the club cannot continue to function successfully. At present we are especially short of qualified coaches, track officials and timekeepers; could you help with this?
    Oswestry Olympians is a happy club and has enjoyed continuing success for many years. It has built up a good reputation in Shropshire and beyond. There are growing numbers of young Olympian athletes who have represented not only their county, but also their country. If we are to continue to be a successful club it is vital that we continue to attract more coaches, helpers and athletes. All these roles in the club are performed on a voluntary basis for the benefit of local youngsters but the successes of the past do not automatically lead to successes in the future. Circumstances change, helpers move on, athletes move on and we need new volunteers to replace them. Almost all our volunteers are current or past athletes or parents.

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