November 19 2022 Monmouth Show Ground
After a cold start, the XC Champs at Monmouth warmed up superbly creating a wonderful atmosphere with a stunning backdrop for racing.
The East was well represented in all races, resulting in an over-all position of 2nd. Thank you to all athletes who represented the region, we are very proud of you.
With his new role as Welsh Athletics National Talent Development Coordinator for Endurance, Steve Mitchell will no longer be able to do his role as East Wales Regional Coordinator for Endurance.
Please see link to below apply for the role if interested.
Please pass on to anyone you feel may be interested in applying. If you have any questions about the role or applying for the role please email Steve.
We wish him all the very best in his new role, and offer our sincere thanks for all his hard work over the last few years.
Email: Steve Mitchell
The East Wales Regional Athletics committee is a very pro-active group – committed to delivering, and campaigning for, the very best competition and development for our athletes.
The role of the Vice Chair is to attend the meetings every quarter, and to chair the meetings if the Chair is unable to attend. Additionally, you may be asked to set the agenda (if Chair is not able to). There may be the occasional meeting with governing bodies that you would be asked to attend on behalf of the Committee. Full support is always available. This is an excellent opportunity to become more involved with the grass roots of our sport, and bring your own ideas to the table.
For more information, or an informal chat, please contact Joyce
As the 2021-2022 season comes towards a close, I thought this would be a good opportunity to let you know what is being planned for junior endurance in Wales for the 2022-2023 season. The aim for these plans is to ensure we can provide Welsh junior endurance athletes with the best possible support so that they continue to both enjoy the sport and progress. In the longer term this will increase retention in the sport and increase the conversion of talented junior endurance athletes into successful senior endurance athletes who reach their potential.
In this email I will go through plans for the Regional Development Programme (RDP). I will go through the National Development Programme (NDP), Future Programme and Welsh International Opportunities in future emails (would be an essay if went through them all in one email!)
Regional Development Programme (RDP):We will be continuing the great work done by Liz Davies on the RDP over the last few years. This programme is for athletes from year 9 to year 13 who are showing potential and have demonstrated a commitment to both training and competition. Athletes are only ever at one stage of the development programme so if an athlete is selected, for example, on the NDP then they will be in that rather than on the RDP. Athletes must be in at least year 11 before they can be selected for the NDP.
The RDP involves three training days a year which will give both athletes and coaches ideas for both running sessions and physical preparation work that Welsh Athletics believe should be a regular and consistent part of the training programmes that all developing junior endurance athletes do within their regular training groups/clubs. These days should also be fun and something that both athletes and coaches look forward to engaging with.
The training days and venues are as follows:
RDP day 1: Saturday 8th October 10:00-12:00West – CarmarthenSouth – AberdareNorth – TreborthEast – Brecon
RDP day 2:Sunday 15th January 10:00-12:00West – SwanseaSouth – Cardiff MetNorth – DeesideEast – Brynmawr
RDP day 3:Sunday 19th March 10:00-12:00West – CarmarthenSouth – AberdareNorth – Deeside East – possibly Cwmbran (to be confirmed)
Regional Staff:
The staff for leading in each region are as follows:
West: regional coordinator – Neil Thomas; support coaches – Carol Jones and Rob CampionSouth: regional coordinator – Mark Gold; support coaches – Pete Ryder and Lucy ArcherNorth: regional coordinator – John Messum; support coaches – Neil Edwards and Donna WelshEast: regional coordinator – Steve Mitchell; support coaches – Deb Howells and Tom Marshall
Firstly, I want to say congratulations to Mark Gold on being selected as the South Wales regional coordinator. I am sure he will do a fantastic job in the role.
Secondly, as I am currently acting as the Welsh Athletics National Talent Development Coordinator for endurance on an interim basis until the end of October, it has been decided that for now I will keep my role as the East Wales regional coordinator. Depending on what happens from the end of October will depend on what happens with this role moving forward.
In September regional coordinators will be sending out invites to athletes selected to be on the RDP 2022-2023. They will also be sending out information regarding what will be happening in each of the three RDP training sessions so that they can be planned into the regular training you have for athletes you coach.
I hope this all makes sense with regards to plans for the RDP 2022-2023. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions and to pass on the information to other coaches and networks you are a part of. I will send an email out about the NDP for endurance next week and about junior endurance international teams for 2022-2023 shortly after.
Many thanks
Steve
| Steve MitchellNational Talent Development Coordinator – EnduranceAddress: Cardiff International Sports Campus, Leckwith, Cardiff, CF11 8AZMobile: 07754 660380Email: steve.mitchell@welshathletics.orgWebsite: www.welshathletics.org |
Following East Wales brilliant success winning the Track & Field Inter-Regional Championships, our Under 17 and U20 athletes won the Youth Development League South West Promotion match on 7th August, which secures a place in the Premier division for next season (2023).
East Wales athletes won 22 of the A events and 13 of the B events.
A tremendous effort from all athletes.
May I take this opportunity to thank all athletes, officials, coaches and parents who have support our YDL UAG team this year.
The athletes have worked together to produce some excellent results, throughout the season, with many of them featuring in Po10 rankings.
1 East Wales 542
2 Cheltenham & County Harriers 484
3 Cardiff Athletics 466
4 West Wales 325
5 South Wales 302
Congratulations to everyone, I’m so proud of all of you
Joyce T & F Team Manager
Congratulations to all East Wales athletes who took part in the 2022 Inter-Regional Track and Field Championships, which were held in Aberdare on Sunday 10th July.
The team secured 15 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze medals with 15 personal best and 2 seasons best performances.
East Wales were triumphant in the male category, second in the female category and overall champions, a huge achievement for our team.
| Scores | East Wales | South Wales | West Wales |
| Males | 256 | 252 | 199 |
| Females | 208 | 182 | 232 |
| Overall | 464 | 434 | 431 |
The team were supported by 21 East Wales officials and volunteers who all helped to make the day a great success as well as athletes’ families and coaches.
The Team Managers, Claire Barraclough, Kirsty Crane and Darryn McAtee; supported by Joyce Tomala did a great job encouraging our athletes to participate.
Congratulations to our athletes participating in SIAB and the U20 International we wish them all the best.
Three East Wales Officials who worked at the Inter-Regional Championships, Sue Hooper, Amy Price and Becky Gibbs will be heading to Birmingham to officiate at the Commonwealth Games, as well as Lorraine Mulvaney who will be working as a volunteer at the Games. Congratulations to all.
Welsh Athletics recently introduced a new Secretary’s Portal to help athletics clubs manage their club online. For more information about the Secretary’s Portal, please click here.
For a guide on how to use the Secretary’s Portal, please click here.
To use the Secretary’s Portal to it’s full benefits, clubs will need to have a configured Stripe account to take online payments. Full details can be found here.
A Welsh Athletics sample Club Constitution may be downloaded here:
The family of athletics In Wales are saddened to hear the news of Mary’s passing after a long illness bravely borne. We wish to offer our most sincere condolences to Sally, David and family.
Mary came into athletics supporting her husband John who was a sprinter. Both of Mary’s children were athletes and Mary attended many grass roots meetings encouraging them in their chosen events.
Following the death of her husband Mary returned to athletics and trained as an official. Mary was one of the first women starters and marksman in Wales. She later qualified as both a track and field judge in the 1980s.
Mary officiated at both Valley and Gwent cross country leagues. She was an important member of Gwent AAA where she undertook the role of Championships secretary for many years. She represented East Wales at the General Council in 2010.
Mary was a life member of Cwmbran Harriers. Shewas Treasurer of Torfaen AC which became Cwmbran Harriers where she continued in this role and also became membership secretary of Cwmbran Harriers. She represented her club at Welsh Athletics AGMs and would always uphold the views of the club and area.
As Coordinator and Treasurer of the South East Wales Track and Field League Mary made a significant contribution to the development of grass roots athletics in Wales.
Mary also served Welsh Athletics as both a track and a field technical official. She served as a Field Official at the Welsh Championships at Cwmbran in 1994, a Field Official at the Welsh Games in 2002 and a Field Official at the Wales v England v Ireland v an International Select Indoor International in 2003.
Mary was appointed part of the Welsh Athletics management team at the Celtic Games held at Mary Peter’s Stadium, Belfast.
In 2001 Mary was presented the Welsh Athletics Meritorious Award, followed by the Award of Honour in 2013.
Outside of athletics Mary was a FE Lecturer, in dressmaking, at Pontypool College. She could frequently be seen behind the wheel of the Mayoral car as she was a part time chauffeur for the borough.
Another of Mary’s passions was her caravan. She travelled across Wales, even transporting athlete’s poles to the Welsh Championships in Wrexham.
Mary will be remembered as a champion of grass roots athletics. She loved our sport and was greatly respected by her friends, colleagues, and athletes alike.
Joyce Tomala, Life Member Cwmbran Harriers
Lynette Harries, Honorary President Welsh Athletics
Mary made the decision for a pure cremation, with no funeral or service. The family have said that if anyone wishes to make a donation in Mary’s memory, please support Parkinson’s Disease research.
Junior Mountain Running Development Days
Welsh Athletics and the Welsh Fell Running Association will be joining forces to support Junior Mountain Running Development in Wales. This exciting collaboration will see regional development days hosted at the following venues in North and South Wales:
North Wales
Sunday April 3rd – Plas y Brenin, Capel Curig, Conwy, LL24 0ET
South Wales
Sunday April 10th – Margam Country Park, Abbey Road, Margam, SA13 2TJ
The provisional itinerary for the day is as follows:
9:30-10:00 – Arrival and Registration
10:00-12:00 – Practical session on the hills focusing on descent technique
12:00 -12:45 – Lunch (not provided)
12:45-13:45 – Indoor session – Mountain safety and kit requirements for Training and Racing 14:00-15:00 – Practical session on navigation and map reading
15:00 – Close
These sessions will be open to Junior Athletes in the Upper U15 (Year 9) to U20 age groups. The sessions are FREE to all WFRA and Welsh Athletics affiliated young athletes. No prior experience in mountain running is required to attend the sessions. To register for the day please fill out the registration form
If you have any queries about this opportunity please contact Liz Davies (Endurance Talent Development Lead – Welsh Athletics) – liz.davies@welshathletics.org
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