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Chairman’s Report
Dear Reader
2009 was a very busy year once again for the committee of the Ivanhoe Robins Junior athletics club, pulling on all of our resources. We still endeavour to make our club more openly accessible to the community of North West Leicestershire and have now expanded our membership to 100 athletes. We have 15 UK Athletics Qualified Coaches with others further enhancing their qualifications like Goff Lewis gaining SAQ (Speed, Agility and Quickness) qualification, Mark Woolerton and Jonathan Shaw becoming Level 2 coaches, and others such as me have been on seminars with top coaches such as George Gandy (Lisa Dobriskey’s coach) which has all added to our and the clubs skills.
It has also been a very successful year for our club. The club not only won the England Athletics East Midland Club Community Partnership, it has then gone on to win the award for the whole of England and then further we went on to represent England at the UK Awards. All were very enjoyable events, which put the club on the national map.
We also had Sophie Arkinstall winning the regional award as Young Volunteer of the Year which followed on from Josh Illseley who was a regional finalist the previous year.
Sadly this will be my last Chairman’s Report for the club. After 3 years of being Chairman and further year where I was acting chairman, I feel it is time for someone to hold the reins and guide the club into the next decade.
It has been a great honour and privilege to be chairman of this club and I hope that the club will still allow me to be part of it for a few more years to come. I must say that I have been most fortunate during the time of my appointment. The momentum of the club had already been started by the previous committee members and added to the fact that I was fortunate to gain a fantastic committee (full of hard working and like minded volunteers) my time has chairman has been a breeze. We’ve always worked as a team pulling in the same direction, and because of this we have managed to gain the local and national recognition. Long may it continue...
Lastly, I can’t skip this section without mentioning three other committee members that will also be standing down at the AGM. Ann Holland, Karen Edwards and Sharon Collington have been committee members, throughout my term has Chairman. Ann being Treasurer not only kept the accounts in order, she arranged our Christmas parties, organised medals and prizes for events and the transport to Oxford. Karen has been Secretary and has hosted all the committee meetings over the last few years. This has not been easy as the number of committee members has doubled, while Sharon has been a parent volunteer keeping us in touch with the membership and organising our trophy cabinet.
The club and committee therefore need some blood. We need more coaches, more administration volunteers or even someone with a bit of DIY skills who could help shelf and organise our kit cupboard. The more volunteers we get the less burden on everyone else, and you might not believe it, but we have been known to have a laugh while we’re doing things...
Winter Grand Prix 2008/9
The committee continued to use the Centurion Grand Prix (held at Kingshurst, Solihull) for the clubs Grand Prix, as being a safe off the road environment for the young athletes.
The final conclusion of the Centurion Grand Prix took place in the early part of the year with the Ivanhoe Robins taking away a huge total of prizes.
From this competition, the Grand Prix winners were as follows: -
Girls
Under 9 – Millie Shaw
Under 11 – Harriet Roberts
Under 13 – Ellie Shaw
Boys
Under 9 – Sam Ehlen
Under 11 – Chris Moxon
Under 13 – Jake Shaw
Under 15 Matthew Cox
Overall Winners were Hannah Cox and Zach Meakin
Ivanhoe Challenge 2009
With many thanks for our major sponsor ‘Aldi’, plus support from Severn Trent Water and NW Leicestershire District Council, the Ivanhoe Challenge continues to develop as one of the major local cross country races for juniors.
We had just fewer than 260 entries in the end. The whole event went off well and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves despite the chilly breeze blowing off the reservoir. Many thanks to everyone who helped, but in particular our special quest for the day, Richard Whitehead our Sporting Champion for the day.
19 Robins won trophies this year; Individual awards went to:
George Shephard (2nd place yr 1/2 boys)
Sam Ehlen (3rd place yr 1/2 boys)
Faith Dowdy (2nd place yr 3/4 girls)
Stephen Watson (1st place yr 11 and over boys)
Lucy Arkinstall (1st place yr 9/10 girls)
Hannah Cox (1st place yr 5/6 girls)
Georgia Gartside (1st place yr 7/8 girls)
We also had team trophies awarded to: Faith Dowdy, Kate Riley, Millie Shaw, Nathan Lewis, Zach Meakin, Oliver Evans, Hannah Cox, Harriet Roberts, Lucy Roberts, Georgia Gartside, Ellie Shaw, Lauren Lansdowne, Abby Williamson, Paige Brown and Molly Harper.
54 Robins ran altogether and every one of them put in a terrific performance.
Derby Runner League
Many of our athletes this year took part in the Derby Runner Cross Country League. The awards for this series were given out at their last run and the following Robins received prizes:
Year 9-10 boys second overall Matthew Cox
Year 7-8 girls first overall Georgia Gartside
Year 5-6 Boys first overall Zach Meakin
Year 5-6 Girls first overall Hannah Cox
Year 1-2 boys first overall George Shephard
Other awards went to Jake Shaw (5-6 boys), Isobelle Hughes (5-6 girls), Millie Shaw (3-4 girls), Sam Ehlen (1-2 boys), Vincent Stiles and Ellie Shaw.
Cross Country Races
A well done should go to all those that took part in other events representing the club and also to those that represented their schools. Races such as the local small and large primary school cross countries races. As well as the Leicestershire County cross country races at both primary, junior and senior level.
For the first time we had teams representing the club at the national cross country relays at Mansfield and already we have had 4 athletes representing the club at the Leicestershire County Cross Country Championships, this year. Although we had a further 9 athletes that represent their 1st claim club at the championship and there are no races for U11, I am sure we should be turning more athletes out at these events. It is only by taking part in competitions, that improvement can been seen.
Oxford 10 Steps 5 Stars Competition
Another glorious day for the Oxford trip this year saw 25 Robins and their supporters take part in a successful track event with a good few personal bests and for some, the first opportunity to compete on a track against other clubs. The standard was high and although we did not bring home any medals this year, we acquitted ourselves well as a club and the support everyone gave to each other was fantastic.
The results are summarised below. It would be great to see even more Robins attending an event like this next year. The 10 step and 5 star certificates will be handed out once they arrive at the club.
10 Step Competition (Under 9’s)
|
Name |
Total Points |
Award |
|
Millie Shaw |
51 |
6 Steps |
|
Sam Ehlen |
33 |
3 Steps |
5 Star Competition (Under 10’s)
|
Faith Dowdy |
114 |
4 Star |
|
Rhiannon Woolerton |
92 |
4 star |
|
William Paling |
100 |
3 star |
|
Elliott Kind |
91 |
3 star |
5 Star Competition (Under 11’s)
|
Amy Shaw |
112 |
4 Star |
|
Daisy Tyers |
79 |
3 Star |
|
Isobel Hughes |
66 |
3 Star |
|
Daniel Edgecombe |
130 |
4 Star |
|
Jordan Fellows |
71 |
2 Star |
5 Star Competition (Under 12’s)
|
Hannah Cox |
181 |
5 Star ***** |
|
Harriet Roberts |
156 |
5 Star ***** |
|
Lucy Roberts |
132 |
4 Star |
|
Gemma Holland |
121 |
4 Star |
|
Millie Ramsell |
78 |
2 Star |
|
Jake Shaw |
178 |
5 Star ***** |
|
Oliver Evans |
166 |
5 Star ***** |
|
Chris Moxon |
148 |
4 star |
|
Reece Paling |
124 |
3 Star |
5 Star Competition (Under 13’s)
|
Holly Drake |
173 |
5 Star ***** |
|
George Roberts |
160 |
4 Star |
5 Star Competition (Under 14’s)
|
Ellie Shaw |
122 |
3 Star |
5 Star Competition (Under 15’s)
|
Megan Lewis |
192 |
4 Star |
|
Matthew Cox |
187 |
3 Star |
Norwich Union Star Track
Once again the club assisted providing coaches for this event. It is often a popular summer holidays activity for the athletes and long may it continue. Please look out for the event this summer.
Pentathlon Challenge
During the summer months a considerable number of Robins took part in the Pentathlon challenge organised by Goff. Testing balance, eye to hand co-ordination, agility, speed and acceleration, rhythm and jumping. From the first two groups 62 Robins completed the challenge with 11 gold awards going to : Ross Parnham, Oliver Evans, Reece Paling, Adam Smith, Millie Shaw, Molly Harper, Abby Williamson, Millie Ramsell, Paige Brown, Faith Dowdy and Holly Drake.
Highest marks went to Boys: Oliver Evans (282) and Girls: Holly Drake (278) with Millie Shaw being the youngest to achieve gold for her age.
The performance group later took on the Pentathlon Challenge and although I haven’t got sire of the results golds were once again issued out.
Summer Grand Prix 2009
The summer grand prix consisted of 6 events
Event 1: Donisthorpe Fun run
Event 2: Long Jump at Shobnall Track
Event 3: Woolaton park fun run
Event 4: Worthington fun Run
Event 5: Throwing (during Robins sessions)
Event 6: Sprint (during Robins sessions)
Lots of certificates were given out to those who had completed at least four of the summer grand prix events. The winners of each age category were as follows:
Girls:
Under 9 - Millie Shaw
Under 11 – Harriet Roberts
Under 13 – Hannah Cox
Overall winner Megan Lewis
Boys:
Under 9 – Dominic Brown
Under 11 – Jordan Meakin
Under 13 – (Joint) – Nathan Lewis and Zach Meakin
Under 15 – Matthew Cox
Under 17 – Stephen Watson
Overall – James Collington
The track and field trophies were also awarded to Holly Drake and Stephen Watson.
The Graham Blythe trophy for endeavour was awarded to Ellie Shaw
The Coaches’ special award went to Matthew Cox
Training Sessions at an Athletic Track
Lacking a track in North West Leicestershire we have this year split our track training sessions between Burton and Loughborough. Both sessions were very enjoyable and we hope all the athletes enjoyed the experience.
Training Sessions at Loughborough HiPac
All Robins were invited to attend the Hipac High Performance Centre at Loughborough University during this year. Over 60 Robins attended the session which was held one Saturday morning while the Leisure Centre held a bird show. This is a marvellous indoor facility and assisted by two flying coaches from Charnwood AC, as well as former Olympic Shot Putter Geoff Capes. It was a great event and everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Sportshall Athletics
England Athletics this year delegated the responsibility for running the U11 Leicestershire Sportshall Competition to Leicestershire and Rutland Athletics Associations. Our club played a major role in making sure this event took place, organising the venue and chasing up Leicestershire and Rutland Athletics Association to make things happen. The event took place at Hermitage Leisure Centre and Ruth and Mark did an excellent job selecting and coaching teams to represent the Ivanhoe Robins, and after a very exciting competition the club come away with 2nd place, just 2 points behind the winners.
From this Mark went on to assist the management of the team that represented Leicestershire at a regional competition. 14 Robins (half the team) had the honour of representing the county. This was yet another very exciting completion at Grantham.
Coming up we look forward to the U13 and U15 competitions which we hope the club can do well at.
Area Youth Games
The club took charge of the athletics team for North West Leicestershire in the Area Youth Games. We invited all the children of the district of the appropriate age categories, to trials and selected teams for the different age groups.
What is always a brilliant day out, in a carnival atmosphere proved even better when we did the double and won both age categories. What a fantastic achievement.
Training and Orienteering in Sence Valley
Again this year we have used Sence Valley Park (near Ibstock) as a training area when the Leisure Centre was busy. The most notably of these events was when Goff organised an orienteering challenge around the park. We had lots of good feedback about this
event and fortunately none of the coaches got lost.
Adrian Smith Handicap Race
For the second year in a row, we organised a mini Adrian Smith Handicap Event to run alongside our senior club Ivanhoe Runners 10k event. Once again all entry fees where combined with that of the Runners and went to the British Heart Foundation. The winner of the race this year was Sam Shepherd, who was presented with a nice new trophy we have added. Many thanks to all that supported the event. I know I’m rubbish at handicapping and would welcome someone else to take over in the coming year.
Nutrition Workshop
Nutritionist Emma Kemp came over to Measham and gave us a talk on how nutrition impacts on our young Athletes. I hope those that were able to attend found this useful.
Grant from East Midlands Airport Community Fund
Ivanhoe Robins have recently been awarded a £500 grant from East Midlands Airport Community Fund - to purchase Speed, Agility, Quickness (SAQ) Equipment. Thanks to Goff Lewis for not only applying for the grant and being successful, but for taking the SAQ course and exam. It very much helps the club provide extra variety of training sessions.
Vision 2020 Network
During this year we have been working closely with three other clubs in Leicestershire (Wreake Runners, Fleckney & Kibworth and Stilton Striders) to create a bid for what is being labelled as ‘network money’. England Athletics with money from Sport England are looking for groups of clubs working together that will build a legacy for the future. Unfortunately there isn’t enough money to build a track in North West Leicestershire, but we are in the process of developing a strong network, that will share and build on skills within our clubs, that will develop coaches for the future, organise events, and will attract athletes into our sport.
After our initial submission, England Athletics asked us to increase the number of clubs from the original four, so that we could reach a wider number of athletes. From January 11th we invited four more clubs, (Charnwood AC, Barrow Runners, Hinckley Runners and Desford Striders) and are confident that they will join in to our network.
The cheque is almost written. We’ll let you know as soon as things start to happen.
Finally
Please come forward if you can help in whatever capacity you can. The committee adheres to its Club Mark status and is a ‘Club for All’.
MANY THANKS TO YOU ALL
Ivan Arkinstall.