A Message From The Lower YDL Team Managers

As some of you may already be aware, we came third in the Lower YDL promotion match. This was a very good position as we were against eight strong clubs, some of which were able to cover all events with large and established teams of athletes. Unfortunately, we will not be promoted this time, but if we continue to develop our team we will be in a very strong position for promotion next year. We cannot fault the performances of the athletes in our team. Everyone gave of their best and we had some excellent personal achievements. Once again we were grateful for athletes who were prepared to compete in additional events which they were not used to. This made all the difference to the final positions, as the points score between third, fourth and fifth place was close.

The athletes of the match this time are :
Oliver Holford : Oliver gave up his key event, the 800m non-scoring, in order to compete in four scoring events. He has been a very reliable athlete who has given his best across all four matches. Thank you for being such a great team player Oliver.
Annabel Ita : Annabel was very eager to compete in middle distance events at the YDL matches, but we needed her for her excellent sprinting and hurdles ability and to fill spaces in field events. She accepted the team selection with a smile and good grace every time, and gave great performances in hurdles and sprints.
George Stevens: This was George’s first YDL and he got plunged in the deep end with 100m A string, 200m, long jump and relay. Thanks for taking up the challenge and scoring valuable points for our team George. We look forward to seeing you competing in the YDL matches next year.
Amy Braithwaite : Amy gave up her preferred event of the shot to compete in the high jump, as this suited the team selection better. She managed to equal her pb in this event and in addition achieved an excellent pb in the long jump, winning this event. To cap it off she won the 100m B string too. Well done Amy !

We have both really enjoyed managing the team this year. It has sometimes been a difficult job, as it is impossible to please all the people all of the time and because we have had to learn as we go along. However, it has been a pleasure to manage such a keen and positive group of athletes. We hope to see many athletes competing for us again in the Lower YDL next year, and to see our older athletes progressing to the Upper YDL.

Finally, if anyone has any improvement suggestions regarding team management we would be happy to hear from you. Hearing your comments directly is the most constructive way for us to develop the role. Alternatively, you are welcome to speak to any member of the club committee. We would also love to hear from anyone who would be interested in taking on this role in future years, or from anyone who would like to contribute any of the other voluntary roles within the club.

We wish our athletes all the best for the rest of the athletics season.

Angie B and Sarah H
Lower YDL Team managers