Even Steven(age)
Even Steven(age)
Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 09/07/23–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
9 July 2023
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If members fail to pay fees, the cost of the monthly track pass will need to be increased for everyone.
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As track season continues, party season is upon us too – with the big 125th party coming up in September. This will be a night for the whole club to remember, so make sure you get your tickets quickly!
HAPPY 125th BIRTHDAY TO KENT AC
It’s not often that a 125th birthday comes around, and this year we’re celebrating in true Kent AC style. Back in July 1898, the Lewisham Hare and Hounds amalgamated with the West Kent Harriers to form what has now become the club that we know and love today.
Roll on 125 years, and we’ll be celebrating with a weekend of events on 16- 17th September, including an evening of drinks, food and dancing at The Old Joinery in Greenwich. It is sure to be a night to remember so we would love to see all club members coming out to join in the fun.
OVER THE (SUT)CLIFFES AND FAR AWAY
On Thursday night, the clouds broke, the sun shone, and Kent AC gathered en masse in Sutcliffe Park. No stranger for many of us as the site of a fast and furious parkrun, and close enough to the track that a run from Ladywell could have been considered a warm-up, this was the first time the Assembly League had been held at this 3 lap course.
Even though the course ended up being 120m short, 42 Kent AC runners stormed around the course, sweeping up first place for the Women’s and Men’s A teams and B teams! Jake Simmonds was the first Kent AC runner home, in 15:04 in fourth place overall; first lady through the finish line was Alexa Parker in 17:20.
We absolutely swept up the age category victories too – a huge well done to Guy Barnett who was the first U20 and massive kudos to George Searle and Lucas Stickland for both breaking 20 minutes.
Going upwards in age, but no less in impressiveness, Jonathan Tipper and Bryony Proctor both won the 35+ age category, Chris Mullin narrowly beat Che Compton to the 45+ podium, Caoimhe Nic Fhogartaigh smashed to success in the 50+ group, Clare Elms topped the 60+, and Zoe Gaffen rounded out our incredible domination by winning the 65+ category.
We then decamped to The Depot for a post-race debrief and rehydration. See you all on 3 August at Victoria Park for the next one!
SPEAK NOW…IF YOU CAN HELP OUT THE CLUB
Would you like to take a leading role in the club? Are you organised and have an eye for detail? Or do you just want to earn a pint for some volunteering? If you answered yes to any of these questions, we have just the ticket for you.
We are looking for a new Track Admin Officer. This is a committee post, which involves technical admin of the track pass app and negotiating hours and rates for the track with GLL and the council.
If you would like to find out more about this, then please contact Amelia.
FROM EARLY TO GATE
Gate volunteers form the unsung heroes spine of the club, making sure that our Tuesday and Thursday night sessions can run smoothly and safely. It’s a great way to meet new people and have a chat with friends too, as well as give back a little bit of time to the club. You can sign up here!
GLL SPORT FOUNDATION AWARDS
For any of you that have benefitted from the GLL grant previously, please contact Krys, the Ladywell Arena Manager.
Krys is looking to organise a publicity event to recognise the GLL’s 30th birthday and 15 years of the Greenwich Sports Foundation. Find out more.
Contact Krys here.
ALL SUMMER LONG
Events for the diary:
If you are interested, the British Milers Club are hosting a track and field night on
19 July at Sutcliffe Park Athletics Track. Registration closes on 12 July!
19 July – BMC event, Sutcliffe Park
25 July – Track social
26 July – BMC event, Tooting Bec
30 July – Burgess junior parkrun (for juniors or adults who want to volunteer)
3 August – Assembly League, Victoria Park
19 August – SAL, Thurrock
29 August – Track Social
3 September – The Big Half
7 September – Assembly League, BPP
16 September – 125th Anniversary Dinner, Greenwich
LET’S MAKE IT OFFICIAL
Athletics needs more officials, and volunteering in this way is a wonderful way to give back to the club.
This is a great opportunity to help get club events’ results on Power of 10. And it’s fun.
Our SAL performances not only need athletes, but also qualified officials – so you can directly contribute to our success! Every qualification counts!
It’s a straightforward process that the club will pay for, with more detail on available courses here.
Please contact Len Reilly for more info.
It would be great to see a few more people put their names down to help out!
CLUB DRAW
Last week’s bonus ball was 34 – meaning that David Sanders won £250.00.
There are still two numbers available for the sum of £6 a month.
If you are interested in supporting the club with this draw – email David at
EASYFUNDRAISING
Over 7,000 brands pay easyfundraising a commission when you start your shop through their platform, so you can raise FREE donations for us no matter what you’re buying. These donations really help us out, so please sign up if you haven’t yet. It’s easy and FREE! You can get started at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/kentac
You can also install a helpful Chrome extension, which prompts you to donate whenever doing any online shopping – really handy
WIN A TRACK PASS
To be added to the rota simply email Jacqueline or Laurie
We only need each track attendee to volunteer a couple of times a year to spread the responsibility fairly.
T&Cs for the track pass draw:
All volunteers for the current month will be added into the hat for a draw each month.
The winner will win a free pass for the next calendar month.
Names will be automatically drawn from https://namepicker.net/ (or similar alternative)
The winner can either chose to:
use their free pass within a calendar year
allow their free pass to roll down to another volunteer
annual pass holders can nominate another club member if they cannot make use of the pass themselves
No refunds/discounts will be provided in place of the free monthly pass.
Volunteers will only be eligible to win a pass once every three months.
TRACK, TRACK, TRACK
Buy your track pass here.
The usual track times are:
Tuesday 17:30 – 20:30
Thursday 17:30 – 20:30
Sunday 09:00 – 11:30
Please note that individuals are permitted to do their own sessions during club opening times, but coached group sessions continue to take priority.
Track Pass – Juniors
Please purchase your £5 junior monthly track pass in advance here. When purchasing the track pass can parents/guardians please enter the athlete’s name when completing the transaction
Please see a helpful FAQs guide here
Ladywell Arena now has new opening hours dedicated to the public. While during these times the Kent AC track pass is not valid, members can pay for an individual session.
Session times are:
Monday: 07:00 -15:00
Tuesday – Thursday: 1300 -1700
Friday: 07:00 – 15:00
Saturday – Sunday: 09:00-15:00
Price:
Adult resident: £2.70
Adult non resident: £3.00
Junior (U16): £1.30
The Kent AC track pass continues to be required for training on Tues/Thurs evenings and Sunday mornings.
Track staff have encouraged people to double check the opening hours before their training session, as they may occasionally be closed for school sport days and football friendlies. Hours can be checked here. This will likely suit members who can’t make training sessions but would like to train in the morning/lunchtime/evening.
Pay as you go fees can either be paid via cash to the desk or using the Better app (note: staff are working to add the sessions to the app).
KEEP US UPDATED
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