Biggleswade AC June 2006

Steve Worrall

Steve's funeral was held at Biggleswade Baptist Church on 31 May. Several members of the club (many wearing their club jackets) were present in the full church. The spoken tributes from the club (by Zoe Dawson) and Steve's employer, and the minister's address, attested to Steve's many personal and professional qualities. Steve will greatly missed, and our condolences go to Karen and their children, and the rest of Steve's family.

Paying to Use the Track at Sandy

Agreement was reached at a recent meeting with representatives from MBDC and Stevenage Leisure, regarding payment by Club members for use of the Track at Sandy. For a 6-month trial period (1st July to 31st December 2006), all members of the club who wish to use the track at any time on a regular basis, including club nights on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, should purchase a Track Pass from Stevenage Leisure.

The Track Passes must be purchased for the whole of the six month period and although the price has not yet been calculated, it is likely to be very good value for money (there will be a junior rate for under-16s). This will avoid the need to collect single payments on club nights, which at the moment takes up a considerable amount of time, and will also reduce the queues that sometimes occur on entering the facility. A Track Pass will take the form of a Swipe-Card so entry can be registered quickly and easily. A six-month Track Pass will also include Sports Centre membership.

It was also agreed that all members entering the facility, even though they do not wish to use the Track, should be members of the Sports Centre. If you are already paying for the use of the Fitness Suite then membership is automatic, otherwise annual membership is Ł18.60 for seniors and Ł6.20 for juniors and Over-60s. This enables club members to use the shower facilities and the bar.

Club Members who wish to use the Track on an ad-hoc basis but decide not to purchase a Track Pass, will pay Ł3 (Ł2 for juniors) as a Centre member or Ł4.05 (Ł2.50 for juniors) as a non-member, for a one-hour session.

There will be a review before the end of the trial period to ensure that the arrangements are acceptable to all parties, and Club members will be notified in December of any changes to Track use charges for 2007.

Club Membership - Subscriptions

Club membership runs from 1st January to 31st December, so as you are probably aware, all club members' subscriptions become due on 1st January. At the last AGM in March, it was agreed that membership subscriptions should remain the same for the forthcoming year of 2007 - ie Ł15 for seniors and Ł7 for juniors.

However, in order to make it more equitable for new members during their first calendar year of membership, it was also agreed at the AGM that we should implement a graded level of subscriptions during that period. These have been set as follows:-

Month of Joining Juniors Seniors
January to March Ł7 Ł15
April to June Ł5 Ł12
July to September Ł3 Ł8
October to December Ł2 Ł4

Sandy 12-Hour Track Relay - Sat 24 June

Damien and Simon are now collecting teams for the 12hr Relay. If you would like to take part (even for just 20 minutes) please see them so they can fit you in to a team. All abilities welcome. Gavin will soon be looking for helpers for this day as well so if you are free please let him know.

Check out www.biggleswadeac.org.uk/12hr.html for more details

The Tuesday Night Programme

You can find these and other training events in the training section of the Club website

6th Jun Everton loop
13th Jun Away Day - Navigator Way - Led by Stuart / Nigel
20th Jun Blunham Handicap loop
27th Jun Club Photo and RSPB loop (club kit if possible)
4th July Steve's Speed Sessions (taken by Zoe)
11th July Away Day - Old Warden - Led by Tanya
18th July Run to Danish Camp
25th July Hill Training - Sand Hills

What to look out for over the next few months: Summer Kingfisher Way, another talk by "Buffy" (Nutrition), Royston Heath Away Day, run round Rutland, RNR and lots lots more!!!

Thursday evenings will be "General Running", dictated by the race calendar, and is tailored on the night to the participants needs. Runners are usually split into ability groups to ensure everyone has a good run.

If you would like to lead an Away Day in your home town, or you have any comments about the above programme please speak to Gavin or any of the committee.

Leagues, Series, and Other Events

Eastern Young Athletes League (EYAL)
For U13, U15 and U17 age groups
All meetings are on Sundays

Jun	18	Huntingdon
Jul	2	Bedford
Jul	30	Sandy
Aug	20	Luton

Southern Mens and Womens Leagues 2006
All meetings are on Saturdays
The Team Managers are Sharron Best and David Brown

Women
15 Jul	Cambridge
12 Aug	Peterborough (2ndary Hosts)
2 Sep	Sandy (Prime Hosts)

Men
3 Jun	Sutcliffe Park
8 Jul	Walthamstow
5 Aug	Basildon

Round Norfolk Relay - 16th-17th Sept 2006
All runners/support crew who wish to take part in this years Round Norfolk Relay should see Gavin to be given a questionnaire to be filled in and returned as soon as possible, so we can determine if we can field one or two teams this year for this excellent event. If we are to have two teams in it we need at least 34 runners and 7 support crew so don't delay. Team selection will take place in July.
There's more information on the race and its history at www.roundnorfolkrelay.com, and more about the club's plans at www.biggleswadeac.org.uk/RNR.html

New Members

Welcome to the following athletes recently elected as members of the Club: we are very pleased that you decided to join us and hope that you get much pleasure from your membership.

  Matthew Roberts   a junior from Biggleswade
  Gary Albon   a senior from Blunham
  Andy Sadler   a senior from Sandy
  Ruth Flory   a second-claim junior from Eynesbury
  Louise Hadfield   a junior from Upper Caldecote
  Tiffany Jones   a junior from Sandy
  Stephen Penny   a senior from Biggleswade

Best of luck in all your athletic endeavours!

NEWS FOR YOUNG ATHLETES

All Tuesday and Thursday JUNIOR sessions now start at 6.30 pm

National Junior League
We have been approached by Bedford & County to enable the U20 age group to compete with their peers and compete in the NJAL. Dates (all on Sundays) and venues are:

11 Jun	Ipswich
16 Jul	Bedford
13 Aug	Cambridge (clash with club proposal for Gt Yarmouth Meeting)

Eastern Young Athletes League

Jun	18	Huntingdon
Jul	2	Bedford
Jul	30	Sandy
Aug	20	Luton

These matches are on Sundays and are for Under-13s, Under-15s and Under-17s. (u/13, u/15/ and u/17). We are currently just a few places off the bottom of the league. We are good enough to be near the top, we just cannot get enough juniors to turn out for these fixtures. You do not get many opportunities to compete (and win) - take them while you can!

Important! - Track Charges
See the note about track charges - they will apply to everyone after 1st July. Exact charges will be notified as soon as they are confirmed.