Presidents’ Welcome

Hello and welcome to our new club newsletter which we hope to send out on a regular basis. It will have regular sections such as events calendar and results and then occasional articles such as what’s of interest to the athletics community, coaching updates, and club communications.  Really it’s up to you, the club member and associated parents to help provide articles to put into the newsletter. We’re aiming for a monthly newsletter depending on what’s going on. This first version might be a bit wordy but hopefully once we get going we’ll receive articles from you as members to include and photographs you took at events.

This newsletter is just including potential sections in the newsletter that we will bring in from time to time when we have an update of information you should know.  We will also produce some general documents which will sit on the club web site for you to refer to.

Best wishes, Jason Pender, Club President

Newsletter Competition

You’ll notice we have no real banner to the newsletter competition. We need a name for the club newsletter.  It would also be nice if it had a catchy image or picture.  We’re asking members if they could send me a logo with a new name for the newsletter or two separate things a logo that sit side by side at the top of the newsletter name.  It can either be a picture (formats .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP) or you can hand to your coach a nice drawing that could be then scanned and inserted at the top. Entries to jasonpender64@outlook.com by midnight on Saturday 4^th December 2021.  They will then be judged by the club communications subgroup and a winner announced in the December version of the club newsletter which will display the new newsletter tittle and logo.  Please include with your entry, you’re name and a contact email and telephone number.

The prize offered with this is a new club holdall bag.  The prize will be awarded to the winner at a club night at a date to be arranged and will be presented by Jemma Reekie.  Jemma is our star world leading 800m runner who was 4^th at the recent Tokyo Olympics 800m women’s final.  Jemma might even be up to jog a lap with the winner.         Jemma’s warm weather training in South Africa at the moment and will be back after 16^th December.

Club Events Coming Up

Around Christmas time we traditionally organise some club events.  We’ll send out more details nearer the time but here are some details for your diaries.

Sunday 19^th December 2021 Christmas Santa Dash for younger members.

11am start. This is one lap of the Linwood Park Run (2.5km) which starts and finishes on the right side of the ON-X sports centre.  Link to the Linwood Park Run web site for course details. https://www.parkrun.org.uk/linwood/course/

This will be a pre-entry so we can organise bib numbers for athletes, and there will be spot prizes for under 11, under 13 and under 15 age groups.

Free entry details to follow.  We’ll also need volunteers to act as stewards around the course.

Friday 31^st December 2021 Donald Crawford Cup 10.5 mile handicap race

1pm for 1.30pm start. This is a 10.5-mile handicap race starting just outside Kilbarchan public park on High Street and finishing inside the park at the fountain monument. This will be pre-entry, details to follow.  Aimed at 17 plus age group (ask your coach if okay for you to do this).  This is a handicap race, the slowest runner starting off first with 90 minutes being the handicap zero time. Declarations 1pm in Kilbarchan Scout Hall (Barn Green). First athlete away approximately 1.30pm

Scottish Athletics Events Calendar Cross Country

Full details of events organised by our governing body can be found on the Scottish Athletics web site under event.

Saturday 27^th November 2021 British Cross Challenge and European Trial, Liverpool. Entries closed for this but a strong contingent from the club are going to this.

British Athletics, Liverpool Cross Challenge

Saturday 4^th December 2021 West of Scotland Cross Country Championships at Balloch Country Park, Balloch. Entries closed on 18^th November for this. Details and course for the West District Cross Country Championships

Future editions of the newsletter will give details of events and whether the club enters you or you have to enter as an individual. We’ll also look to put a guide together to help you how to do this.

Scottish Athletics Events Calendar Track and Field

Full details of events organised by our governing body can be found on the Scottish Athletics web site under event.

In future editions of our newsletter we’ll flag a few of particular interest.

Young Athletes Indoor League

This competition is organised to take place at the Emirates Indoor Arena in Glasgow (next door to Celtic Football Ground).  The team manager is Richard Farquhar, but he always needs parent helpers to chaperone athletes to their event on time.  Teams are U13, U15, U17, U20 both male and female. Teams are selected based on discussions with coaches and checks on availability.

Dates are Sunday 12^th December 2021, Sunday 16^th January 2022

Club Kit and Vests

Donna Matthews holds our club kit and can meet and greet you most Thursdays 7pm to 7.30pm at the track in the portacabin.  Especially with Christmas coming up it’s a great stocking filler to give some club kit.

Further details on the club website including contact details https://kilbarchanaac.org.uk/kit/

Results Section

We hope to start featuring some of the many results in our newsletter.  It would be great if anyone who was at the event drop me a couple of paragraphs and perhaps some pictures to publish in the next newsletter.

Athletics articles in the press

If anyone spots an interesting article in the press you think other members might benefit from reading please let me know and we’ll include it in a newsletter.

Facilities

The currently trains at ON-X Sports centre.  We plan to publish further guidance on member usage at the outdoor and indoor track in future newsletters.