NEWSLETTER
SEPTEMBER 2008
Biggleswade Athletic Club

News    Races    Results    Contacts    SEPTEMBER 2008   Old News Club Website

  BE SAFE, BE SEEN - wear a fluorescent vest when running at night

News and events for September 2008:
Stayin' Alive...
Junior Disco and Presentation evening - Sat 13 Sep
Grafham Relay - Sat 13 Sep (am)
BAC 'Throwing Night' - Sat 2 Aug
Biggleswade Throws Fest - Thu 7 Aug
Annual "Senior v Junior" Rounders - Tue 19 Aug
Annual Subscriptions
Club Tour - Derbyshire Peak District 10-13 Oct
Coaching by Graham Bufton
Club Championship Races in 2008
New Members
Affiliation to England Athletics
The Seniors Tuesday Night Programme
Leagues, Series, and Other Events
News of Members...

 

 

Stayin' Alive...

Now is the time to hunt out those reflective bibs

Now is the time, 
To make sure yourself seen, 
You don't want to be splatted, 
Across someone's window screen. 
 
Yellow bibs are cheap, 
And could save your life, 
Being hit by a car, 
Could put you in strife. 
 
So as the nights get darker, 
And you're out for your run, 
Make sure you're seen, 
And have lots of fun! 

Gavin Elliot's annual plea to you all to be SEEN in the dark, is in verse this year.  Your newsletter editor fully endorses Gav's concern - you aren't half as visible as you think you are.  I haven't driven over any athletes yet, and I'd like to keep it that way.

 

 

Junior Disco and Presentation evening - Sat 13 Sep
Sandy Upper School main hall, start 7:30pm

DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR TICKETS FOR THE JUNIOR DISCO AND PRESENTATION EVENING!  Everyone welcome.  Tickets are £5.00 Seniors and £3.00 Juniors, available from Gav Elliott, Nigel Bush, or ask any of the coaches on club training nights.

Tickets are selling fast for this large event, so see Nigel or Gav if you have not purchased your tickets yet.  It promises to be a top event with many surprises in store.

 

 

Grafham Relay - Sat 13 Sep (am)

Get your teams ready for this year's Grafham Relay; the Seniors will be looking to regain their title once again.  This event is for Juniors as well as Seniors.  Teams of 8 required.  Application forms will be available shortly (entry is FREE to all Biggleswade AC members).  More information to appear on the forum nearer the time.

 

 

BAC 'Throwing Night' - Sat 2 Aug

Have you ever tried to play Petanque blindfolded?  That was one of the challenges set at the Club's Throwing Night at the John O'Gaunt Pub in Sutton on Saturday.  Instead of Hammer, Discus and Javelin, members of the Club and their friends and families competed in games of Petanque and Darts.

The Darts competition was run by Richard Cooper and the 'killer' format brought out the ruthless side of many of the usually mild-mannered people taking part; the winner was Rhiannon Goodman with runner-up Rosemary Prior.

Beautifully crafted trophies for the winners of each event were hand-made and donated by Mick Greenfield of Potton.

The highly popular blindfold Petanque competition was organised by Robin Wynde and was won by Peter Howell from Biggleswade AC; runners-up were Diane Daniels representing Sandy Posties and Anne Bland whose daughter Katie was the inspiration for the event.  Hammer thrower Katie competed for Bedfordshire in this years English Schools Competition at Gateshead and is just one of Club's Track and Field athletes competing at a very high level of competition.

The evening raised a staggering £150 which will enable the Club to buy much needed equipment which will give all our young athletes the best chance to fulfil their own potential.

 

 

Biggleswade Throws Fest - Thu 7 Aug

There were some top quality competitors in all disciplines as well as some disabled athletes hoping to get recognition for the Beijing Para Olympics, so a very good event for Biggleswade AC to host.

There were some personal records for Biggleswade AC members and some athletes coming from as far as Boston and Tamworth and this event helped them to climb up the national rankings (power of 10) controlled by the sports governing Body UK Athletics.

 

 

Annual "Senior v Junior" Rounders

Biggleswade AC Seniors 4   Biggleswade AC Juniors 2

The three Jones sisters (Anne, Tiffany and Loran) came together in the junior team plotting to beat their much older rivals (who were looking for revenge after loosing heavily for the last two years).  With Oliver Godding playing really well for the juniors they were looking to extend their two years winning streak.  But once Catherine Millard was caught by bowler Gavin Elliott of the seniors the rest of the junior team crumbled, much to the delight of the seniors.  Some fine fielding was shown by Rob Morgan and Natalie Darlow of the senior section.  Finally the seniors sensed victory as the evening drew to a close winning 4-2, giving them bragging rights for a whole year.

A celebratory BBQ was then held (cooked by head coach Ken Prior and Chairman Nigel Bush) where the finer rules of Rounders were discussed and the challenge of a rematch was laid down for next year.

 

 

Annual Subscriptions

The committee has been discussing ways of how they might make the whole process of paying annual membership subscriptions more simple for all parties - Standing Orders or Direct Money Transfers may be an option.  More on this later.

 

 

Club Tour - Derbyshire Peak District 10-13 Oct

Training runs, walks and other social activities are planned.  Ex-club member Jan Forrester, who now lives near Matlock, is organising the training runs with help from Matlock AC, and she has promised that they will be more accurate in distance this year!  Details for Darwin Lakes can be found at www.darwin-lakes.co.uk

 

 

Coaching by Graham Bufton

To read more about Graham "Buffy" Bufton's training sessions check out the senior training page of the website, or Buffys speed sessions on the message board.

The sessions for September are:

  • Tues 2nd Sep
  •    Pace judgement + other stuff - track
  • Tues 9th
  •    12 x 400 - good rec - Road near track
  • Tues 16th
  •    2 x 8 hills - jog recovery - 5 min between sets
  • Tues 23rd
  •    10k Tempo once warmed-up. - sandy
  • Tues 30th
  •    200/400/800/1600/800/400/200 - track

    All session will start from Sandy track car park or on track at 7.00 prompt.

    Those that are interested in joining Buffy's speed sessions are more than welcome - all standards catered for, however, in order for you to reach your full potential commitment will be required.  It would be helpful to Graham when planning these sessions if he can have the names of those who are interested and prepared to commit to attending on a regular basis.

     

     

    Club Championship Races in 2008

    The remaining Club Championship races yet to be run in 2008 are:
     10 Mile    Swineshead 10 Mile    Sun 7th Sep  
     Half Marathon    Beds Harriers Half Wootton    Sun 14th Dec  

     

     

    New Members

    Welcome to the following new senior members who have joined us in the last month or so:

      Andrew Gregory    who lives in Biggleswade
      Moira Ward    who lives in Letchworth
      Helen Middleton    a second-claim member living in Arlesey
      Richard Warriner    who lives in Sandy

    We wish you all the very best of luck in all your athletic endeavours

     

     

    Affiliation to England Athletics

    No news has been received from EA relating to the issue of Competition Licences, despite several chasing e-mails and telephone calls.

     

     

    The Seniors Tuesday Night Programme

    You can find these and other training events in the training section of the Club website
           
       2nd  Sep  AWAY DAY - Cockayne Hatley, led by Nigel
       9th  Sep  Everton Donkey Hill
       16th  Sep  Hills are fun
       23rd  Sep  RSPB loop
       30th  Sep  Speedwork with coach Zoe
           
       7th  Oct  AWAY DAY - Dunton, led by Rich
     
     ***   you may need a track pass or to pay for a day pass when doing Speed or Track work

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

    If anyone would like to organise an AWAY DAY in your village or town in 2008, or a run on your favourite training route, please let Gavin or one of the committee know.

     

     

    Leagues, Series, and Other Events

       

    • Round Norfolk Relay 20/21 Sep
      Hopefully by now you have all (runners riders and support team) seen the
      RNR page on this website explaining some of the duties, and runners and riders should be planning their "pre-race" look at their routes.

      Please can all runners, riders and support team attend this year's RNR Team Briefing on Tuesday 9th September at 8.15pm in the Classroom of the Future
      * Logistics documents will be handed out and explained
      * Race numbers will be handed out
      * Camping requirements will be discussed
      * Other important information will be passed on
      Even if you have been a part of the team before, the BAC RNR committee still suggests you attend, as some things have changed this year!  If you can't attend the briefing please send a representative.

       

    • St Neots Half Marathon 16 Nov
      This race is now full, but you can still add your name to the 150+ on the waiting list at half.riverside-runners.com. The Club has 26 runners in this race.

       

    • National Junior Athletic League
      All dates are on Sundays in 2008
        7th Sep - Promotion matchs
        14th Sep - Finals

       

    • Eastern Young Athletes League
       Sun 14 Sep (Finals)

       

    • Some International Events in 2008
       Sat 6 to Wed 17 Sep  Para Olympics  China
       Sat 13 to Sun 14 Sep  World Athletics  Germany

     

     

    News of Members...


    Congratuations to Coach Buffy and Jan Blake on their engagement
    Biggleswade AC look forward to watching you both running down the aisle.  Rumours are that she will be wearing a Blue and Yellow Dress!

     

     


    News    Races    Results    Contacts    SEPTEMBER 2008   Old News Club Website

     

    RACE   LISTINGS

    If you have transport problems, and need transport/lift to an event,
    please contact the
    Team Manager
     
    Sun 7 Sep    Swineshead 10 Mile
     also Club 10 Mile Championship
         National Junior Athletic League (promotion matches)
    Sat 13 Sep    Grafham Relay
    Sun 14 Sep    National Junior Athletic League (finals)
         Eastern Young Athletes League (finals)
         Beds Harriers Invitation 10k
    Sat 20 to
    Sun 21 Sep
       Round Norfolk Relay
    Sun 28 Sep    Biddenham River Run 10k  
     


     
    Sun 26 Oct    Bedford & County AC River Valley 6m
    Wed 12 Nov    RAF Henlow 10 Miles
    Sun 16 Nov    St Neots Half Marathon
    Sun 14 Dec    Beds Harriers Half Wootton
     also Club Half Marathon Championship

     

     


    News    Races    Results    Contacts    SEPTEMBER 2008   Old News Club Website

     

    RESULTS
    supplied or compiled by
    Tim Huxtable David Brown, Nigel Bush, and Neil Gregory

    For a number of reasons, some earlier results were not shown or were imcomplete in previous newsletters, so they are repeated here.

    Wellingborough 5 Road Race 
    5 mile course around the country lanes of Northamptonshire
     Jan Blake  42mins 50secs.

    Marston Forest 5k , 20 June
    376 runners
     Vince Plosky  18:00  25th  PB
     Richard Bevan  18:32  38th  PB
     Craig Brown  20:22  76th  
     Deb Bryant  20:27  ?  7TH Lady
     Jonathan Bevan  21:47  122nd  
     Fiona Hunter  21:10  104th  9th Lady, PB
     Julie Sutton  22:27  140th  21st Lady PB

    Milton Keynes 10K , 1 July
    variously described as "a very hot evening" and "pleasantly warm"; 419 or 430 runners
     Richard Bevan  39:39  66th  
     Vincent Plosky  37:08  22nd  19th senior man, PB
     Fiona Hunter  44:37  152nd  7th Senior Lady, 19TH Lady

    Southern Womens League , Mile End 26 Jul
    Amy Lyons threw the javelin over 30 m for the first time (32m + in fact for a new PB and club record).

    Southern Mens Stevenage  3 Aug
    Hosted by Biggleswade, a close competition with the victors guaranteed to get promoted.  We were a little down on strength but never the less, during the match there were new club records for David Brown in the 400m, 800m, Hammer, and Steeplechase, and a new record for the 4 x 100m squad of Kieran Best, Jordan Smith, Craig Morse and Zack Morrison.  This record has stood for over 22 years!!!  Final match result Queens Park harriers 1st, Watford 2nd, Biggleswade 3rd by 4 points.

    Nene Valley Road Race , 8 Aug
    5k, 183 runners
     Peter Howell  25:58  166  Season Best

    Dorset Doddle  17 Aug
    31 mile run with over 8000ft ascent, 280 runners
     Chris Clarke  6:58  40th
     Nigel Bush  7:07  43rd

    South of England Intercounties Champs , Barnet 24 Aug
    Alice representing Bedfordshire was only one of two victories for the county and it was in the 400m Hurdles which she won in a new Club Record.  Alice also ran in the 800m and ran a comfortable tactical race to come home in 3rd and qualified for the final.  Alice withdrew from the final with a slight injury - saving her self for the Southern Womens on the 30th.

    Herne Hill Harriers Open , 24 Aug
     High Jump  Zack Morrison  1st  1.88m  close to a PB, a seasons best by some margin

    Peterborough Open , 25 Aug
    Zack Morrison won the High Jump but the height was not as good as the previous day at Herne Hill.

    Southern Womens , Braintree 30 Aug
    The squad competed very successfully in this final match of this season.  Victories for Katie Bland in the Hammer, a PB for Angela King in the B string Hammer, victories in the 400m Hurdles and 400m for Alice Middleton.

    PBs also for Sandra Ingham in the Long Jump, Sonia Wallis and Amy Lyons in the Shot.  It was also good to see Rachel Baust back in a Biggleswade AC vest doing well in the 200m to show a solid performance and a time to improve upon.

    In the relay (4 x 100m) the quartet of Sandra, Amy, Rachel and Alice came home in 6th but close to the club record - waiting for results.

    South of England Intercounties 
    In the U13, Rhys Harvey representing Bedfordshire in the javelin was 3rd in a new Club record and personal best.

     

     


    News    Races    Results    Contacts    SEPTEMBER 2008   Old News Club Website

    Biggleswade Athletic Club contacts

       
    Most contacts can found on the Club website,
    together with a map of where the club meets:
    view Contacts in this window
    view Contacts in a new window
     
    Web sites     the club www.BiggleswadeAC.org.uk
      latest newsletter www.biggleswadeac.org.uk/newsletter
      previous newsletters www.biggleswadeac.org.uk/newsletter/archive

    Newsletter Editor:     David Hindle 6 Mallard Walk, Biggleswade, BEDS SG18 8DY
    davidhindle@msn.com
    Tel: 01767 316479


    NEWSLETTER
    SEPTEMBER 2008
    Biggleswade Athletic Club


    News    Races    Results    Contacts    SEPTEMBER 2008   Old News Club Website