A special farewell
A special farewell
Please see this week’s update for Kent AC members – 20/08/23–
KENT AC NEWS BULLETIN
20 August 2023
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RON HALE
Ron Hale, Kent AC’s longest standing member, died aged 98 earlier today in Lewisham Hospital. Ron joined the club in 1947 and made a huge contribution to it as a competitor, administrator and enthusiast. He was also involved in the county and regional associations. He epitomised the grass-roots, voluntary approach that is at the heart of our sport.
A full obituary will follow.
Len Reilly
Co-President
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
We saw some media highlights for Kent AC this week. Clare Elms featured in Athletics Weekly on Tuesday as her 1500m in 5:01:85 was a world age-59 record. Really inspiring for us all!
You can read the article here.
Heading into Friday, our golden boy executed a fantastic performance at the Olympic test event in Paris, delivering a 13 second win against a stacked field. Alex had a strong start in the 1.5km swim but with a tight pack during the 40km bike, the race truly began in the run. Finishing 16th place on the bike, he quickly left his chasers behind on the first lap of the run, completing 10km in a blistering 29 minutes.
This result qualifies Yee for next years Paris Olympics and he is now leading in the points table in the
Photo credit: World Triathlon
Then onto Saturday, the final SAL of 2023 took place in Thurrock.
The Southern Athletics League 2023 is now over and we have secured our place in division 2 for another year.
With the final league table to come later next week we have a good chance of a top half finish.
We finished 3rd out of the 5 teams we were up against on the day.
Our sprinters have been key to our improved performance this year. Clio Parkes dominated the women’s 100m and 200m. Darren Smith, Jacob Lawrence and Shamariah Notice all also competed well in the one of the most hotly competitive events at the SAL.
A dazzling 14.19 run from London Heathside’s Seyfu Jamal in the men’s 5000m is worthy of a mention. James Bousted closed in second place in 15.55. In the women’s event, Sarah Crichton ran 19.45 to get 3rd place. Closing just behind was Victoria Cartwright.
Alexa Parker dominated the women’s 800m to win and backed this up with a credible 2nd place in the 400m.
Joe Hartley won the men’s steeplechase for the third time this year. Ian recovered from an early barrier crash to win the B string finishing 3rd overall. Only one point was dropped in the men’s steeplechase across the whole season.
Multi eventers are always critical to building a points total in league matches and notable mentions go to Sofia Contino, Jo Mott, Parris Williams, Alex Harris, James Bowler and Daniel Ansell.
Field events are not normally Kent ACs strong point, but this is slowly changing. Yesterday’s standout performance was a 5.50m jump from Kehinde Onasanya in her first outing for the club. Lara Ellis also had strong performances across in the throwing events with PB performances in the shot and javelin.
Thanks to everyone who turned up to officiate this year. As well as ensuring the events go ahead, this scores us valuable points, pushing us up the league.
Special thanks go to Sally Ellis who took on lots of team management responsibilities on the day of the events.
There are many club events coming up for the rest of the year and it would be great to see as many of you as possible at all of them.
Take a look at the calendar of events as you read your way through!
AGM AND COMMITTEE VACANCIES
Please carry on reading.
This is early informal notice that the club’s annual general meeting will be held in the autumn, so informal that a date hasn’t been set yet.
An important function of the AGM is to elect the club’s committee and other officers – all posts, not just vacant ones (except the president which is on a three year cycle) are subject to an annual vote.
The club has a number of vacancies that need to be filled to continue the club’s smooth running. Currently these roles are being done by existing committee members, or not at all.
Most pressing is that of club secretary. As with all roles this is very much what the post-holder wishes to make of it and its duties can be shared. The secretary is one of the key admin roles, responsible for agendas and minutes, distribution of external communications, oversight of all the club’s activities and shaping its direction. The postholder(s) need good admin and communication skills, some diplomacy, and a knowledge of the club and athletics in general.
Track pass administrator. This role maintains the track pass payment system dealing with payments, receipts and the occasional query.
Trophies secretary. This role is custodian of our silverware, keeping a record of what is with who and looking after the rest. You will arrange for engraving and keep a stock of medals for presentations.
Please come forward to help with these roles. We have a tradition of a large number of people doing a range of small jobs. We also have about 600 members, so I hope it is possible to welcome some new faces to help keep the club running smoothly.
Len Reilly
Co-President
I’LL HAVE A PB PLEASE
Two PB opportunities in one week (or more for those racing in other events that week!)
The club 5000m champs is taking place on 14th September.
Firstly a quick shout out to all Kent AC ladies to sign up as there are currently more men on the spreadsheet!
The champs is open to every member and there will be awards for all age groups. Race results will be used to inform selection for the Southern Road Relays the following week.
Plus, Ben Clarke will be pacing 16:50 for anyone looking to drop below 17 minutes.
Leading onto the weekend, our special anniversary parkrun takeover will be on party day (16th September) in Dulwich park.
The location may switch to Hilly Fields but we will keep you updated on this!
You can register to race or volunteer at both events here!
LIFE OF THE PARTY
Join us to celebrate Kent AC’s 125th Anniversary with dinner and dancing on the 16th September
It’s a celebration of the club of course, but the club is only made by the people who are in it, and that’s you! So please come along and celebrate yourselves and the contributions you’ve all made over the years, the good times we’ve all had and the lovely running family we’ve built up together.
The tickets are being very kindly subsidised by the club – £42 includes a delicious 3 course meal (veggie and vegan options), table wine & drinks reception on the terrace for speeches and toasts!
Deadline to purchase your ticket is 31st August and there are only 30 left!
RUNNING DOWN MEMORY LANE
What better way to address your slight hangover than to go for a lovely nostalgic run?
It is with this in mind that Len Reilly has decided to lead a Sunday morning run on 17 September to visit places that have been our base over the years. It’ll start at 9.45, to allow for slow starts and anybody involved in junior parkrun, and meet at what is now Ninth Life, as was the Black Horse on Rushey Green, Catford where it all began for us in 1898. It’ll finish at the track.
Thanks to Neil Gordon-Orr for the idea and help with the list of places.
SHALL WE HIT THE ROAD?
Saturday 23rd September, the day of the Southern Road Relays in Aldershot.
We are entering senior and vet teams plus the club will cover travel!
Speak with Katie Rowland or Chris Busaileh if you have any questions.
Spreadsheet is now live, you can sign up here!
Another date for your diary:
National Road Relays
7th October – Sutton Coldfield
MUD AND SPIKE SEASON
After the relays, you have the cross country to look forward to of course!
Spreadsheets and further details to follow but make sure to note these dates in your diary, it’s non-negotiable.
Surrey League XC:
14th October – Richmond Park
11th November – Mitcham Common
13th January – Wimbledon Common
10th February – TBD
XC events:
25th November: South of the Thames Junior – Beckenham Place Park
16th December: South of the Thames Senior – Lloyd Park, Croydon
6th January: Kent County Cross Country – Brands Hatch
27th January: Southern XC Champs – Beckenham Place Park
National Cross Country:
Saturday 24th February – TBD (Midlands)
ADMIN ON TRACK
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.
GATE READY FOR ACTION
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!
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!
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 18:00 – 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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