London Olympics

[Tog]

Well done Coe & Co on getting the 2012 games held in the UK.

Now I've got to try to get my kids (12 & 15) interested in some event!

[Elton]

How's the training coming along....?

[Chris Plumb]

How's the training coming along....?

 

Both my lads took up Athletics in a big way in 05 as a direct result of London winning the bid - and are both rather good if I say so myself. Will be both too young come 2012 - but if they stick at it - who knows for following years. Sam is currently ranked 8th in the UK for the sprint hurdles and is off to represent his county at the ESAA finals in Birmingham this weekend. Matthew has had top 20 rankings for Triple Jump and Top 50 for Long jump and has competed at national and regional level - alas he's suffered from a knee injury this season but has still managed grade 1 jumps in both disciplines.....

 

Lord Coe would be proud! (I certainly am!)

 

C.

[Elton]

That's fantastic, Chris!

[Colin Brett]

Both my lads took up Athletics in a big way in 05 as a direct result of London winning the bid - and are both rather good if I say so myself. Will be both too young come 2012 - but if they stick at it - who knows for following years. Sam is currently ranked 8th in the UK for the sprint hurdles and is off to represent his county at the ESAA finals in Birmingham this weekend. Matthew has had top 20 rankings for Triple Jump and Top 50 for Long jump and has competed at national and regional level - alas he's suffered from a knee injury this season but has still managed grade 1 jumps in both disciplines.....

 

Lord Coe would be proud! (I certainly am!)

 

C.

 

As Elton says "That's fantastic" Tell the boys well done and I'm sure you are proud of them!!

 

Are you going to be like Tom Daley's Dad?? An embarrassment to them!!

[Chris Plumb]

Are you going to be like Tom Daley's Dad?? An embarrassment to them!!

 

Probably - though they've got me involved - to the extent I've now got my level 1 UKA Coaching Licence! After the bid win they both joined a local athletics club and it took a couple of seasons to find what they were good at. Sam took up the hurdles out of frustration at always coming 2nd in the sprints - and became area u15 champion in his very first race back in 2007 (!) At U17 he has broken the club record 3 times and with a top ten UK ranking has a real chance of making it. Matthew was competeing for the senior mens team as soon as he was old enough (15) and has gone on to break a whole clutch of club records (5 - including the senior triple jump record last year when he was 17). Its what they both want to do - and rather than being 'pushy parent' its them that pester to be taken to training throughout the winter - I've even been known to join them in the gym on circuit training night!!!! (Not a pretty sight!).

 

To encourage competition UKA introduced a very simple - but very motivating - idea - a UK ranking system for all age groups and disciplines - along with performance targets. www.thepowerof10.info is essential viewing for young athletes and my 2 logon after every new PB to see where they rank in the UK!

 

Off to Brum in the morning with fingers crossed that Sam gets through his heats especially as the finals are on telly (SS3 - Saturday afternoon).

 

 

C.

[ColinW]

Congratulations to them both.

 

It's nice to see the authorities trying to promote things like ranking tables. In the past athletics has always seemed to me to be about supporting the top guy and forget the rest. Usain Bolt wouldn't look very impressive running on his own!