WCAC Newsletter #275, 29-05-20
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Many happy returns to the following Club members who celebrate their birthdays this week:
Ellie Collins, Ian McLintock, Phoebe Arnold, Lexi Ireland, Sophie Grainger, Clive Giddis, Adam Poole, Katie Stow-Povall, Angela Tegg, Liz Renondeau.
And next week: Julian Tegg, Alex O’Hare, Lowri Huxley, Rhys Young, Josh Ford, Dan Gilroy.
PLEASE PAY YOUR CLUB MEMBERSHIP
Please remember to renew your Club Membership to help support West Cheshire AC prepare for life after the lockdown when the Club is aiming to organise a Club Track & Field Championships in September and hopefully host the Cheshire Track & Field Championships if restrictions are lifted.
The link to the Club Membership payment page on the website is here.
STAYING IN TOUCH
Club chairman Jon Clarke and I took part in the Virtual North West Forum earlier this week to find out how other regional clubs are addressing the strange times we are experiencing.
It was so hard to hear the frustration shared by everyone on the webinar and listen to how the sport can try and return in a new normality. With the leisure centre and track at Ellesmere Port Sports Village still closed and with restrictions on the number of people allowed to train together, athletics is restricted to one-on-one instruction and online tuition, and competition is restricted to just virtual races.
The hope is that local events will be permitted when restrictions are lifted, but for now it is important to adhere to the government guidelines.
I hope you enjoy this latest weekly issue of the Club Newsletter which features news, work-outs, links to video clips, and a list of club members who are celebrating birthdays.
Remember that you can all play your part in communicating and sharing your thoughts and ideas during this lull in Club training and competition.
Hopefully you are continuing to stay fit, healthy and upbeat in these strange times. Please forward me your contributions for the Club Newsletter by email to: [email protected]
CORONAVIRUS STATEMENT
England Athletics issued their latest statement on Tuesday this week
FEEDBACK REQUEST FROM ENGLAND ATHLETICS
England Athletics want your views and thoughts on the challenges you are facing at this current time, to better understand your fears about the future and to determine where best you feel that England Athletics can support you to meet these challenges and come out healthier. With this in mind, EA are encouraging you to submit your views, using the online form at the bottom of the page on this link.
WELL DONE MICHAEL!
Michael Young has finished runner-up in the Ultrarace Romania Lockdown event.
He completed a 70km distance in four hours three minutes and 49 seconds at 5.36mph, behind eventual winner, Stefu Lucian Mihalta, with six-stage fixture split times of 34:24 (10km stage one), 41:30 (12km stage two), 37:53 (11km stage three), 72:11 (20km stage four), 31:06 (9km stage five), and 26:45 (8km stage six).
Michael, who raised Β£2,000 for the NHS on his 33rd birthday earlier in the month after completing 69 miles in just under 12 hours on a treadmill at his home, is now focusing his sights on the GB Ultras Chester 100 miles Race scheduled to be held in November.
FREE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS COURSE AND RESOURCES
Many thanks to Graham Patterson for providing a link to a Free Mental Health Awareness Course and Resources which can be found here.
LEGO WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS…
Many thanks to Glenys Potter for providing a link to the Lego World Athletics Championships. Glenys says: “It would be easy to use the same idea of using dice to do lots of other events too – maybe even devise a points system for multi-events! In the absence of Lego, maybe families could create a whole Athletics board game!
CONGRATULATIONS BRYONY AND MARK!
Glenys Potter’s daughter, Bryony, a former West Cheshire AC member, and her husband Mark are expecting a baby in November! Many congratulations to Bryony and Mark.
THE BENEFITS OF SKIPPING FOR FITNESS
Skipping is great for your overall fitness, whether itβs part of a warm-up or included in your main exercise session. Find out some of the benefits of skipping for fitness and suggested skipping exercises to get you started here.
USE THIS TIME AS A STEPPING STONE INTO COACHING…
A new online workshop course is available to book now β England Athletics are delivering a Leading Athletics practical workshop as a two-part webinar-based series. This new online delivery will incorporate two 1.5 hour sessions. Webinar course dates are currently available for 1 & 3 June or 15 & 17 June. The course is open to anyone aged 14 years and above.
While not a formal qualification, the Leading Athletics workshop is aimed at individuals who are interested in an introduction to the skills needed in leading athletics activities for young athletes. Itβs perfect for athletes wanting to support younger members at their club or parents who want to take their first steps into volunteering and leading. Individuals completing the course will be able to support Coaching Assistant and Athletics Coaches.
Further details can be found here.
RACE THE TRAIN IS CANCELLED
The popular Race The Train fixture at Tywyn, Mid-Wales, scheduled to be held on August 15 has been cancelled because of the Covid-19 crisis.
Runners who have already booked will have their entries and train ticket orders automatically transferred to 2021 and receive an e-mail from FR Systems giving further details. Any deferrals from the 2019 event will be valid for 2021. Entries will open soon for next yearβs event which will be held on Saturday, August 21.
HEATHER McLINTOCK’S REHAB EXERCISES…
Club member and physio Heather McLintock has provided a webpage developed for athletes to access over the COVID period. The link contains video exercises which can be used to rehabilitate whilst you canβt visit her at the practice. The link is here.
HOME PENTATHLON UPDATE…
If you haven’t completed the Home Pentathlon yet, please give it a go and let me know how you get on. The link can be found here.
CATHRYN WOODALL’S WORK-OUT INVITE…
Club member and Farndon physio Cathryn Woodall has posted crab walk and squat video exercises on her Farndon physio Facebook page here.
Cathryn is also thinking of doing a Facebook live/Zoom video of a 20-30 minute exercise routine, if anyone is interested.
JASON OSWELL’S LOCKDOWN PHYSIOTHERAPY
Jason Oswell has been in touch to say he is doing Physiotherapy video consultations during lockdown. If anybody has any issues, he is prepared to provide a consultation to anybody from the club for Β£10. His email address is: [email protected]
HOME CHALLENGES WITH JENNY MEADOWS…
If you need something to brighten up your week, then the Jenny Meadows Weekly Challenge is just for you! Our friend, World and European medallist at 800m and coach Jenny Meadows, will be setting a special fun challenge each week, that you can do within your home. This week is a Combination Jumps Challenge.
SWISS BALL WORK-OUT
A Swiss Ball is a very helpful piece of kit, if you have one try the workout demonstrated by Imani-Lara Lansiquot at this link.
HELP AND SUPPORT
Anyone requiring help and support while self-isolating can contact the local council hotline number of 0300 123 7031.
This is a dedicated hotline number for those self-isolating and who don’t have anyone to help. A call to this number will provide help organising food or medicine deliveries, or some sort of social contact. The number for the most in need is 0300 123 7031. It is open Monday to Sunday (8am-7pm).
ALSO – Please feel free to ring me (Dennis) if you want a chat or need any help or support. My numbers are: 0151 201 1254 and 07968 643038.
UPDATED ONLINE ATHLETICS WEBINARS
In these unprecedented times, I wanted to draw your attention to some of the great resources available online. England Athletics is expanding its campaign to support Athletics and Running for everyone @home, with a focus on βRunning @homeβ support and advice. The homepage can be accessed here.
There are many webinars, interviews and tips from top coaches and athletes on how to stay conditioned and focused.
In addition, there are some fantastic videos for 4-11 year olds on the Funetics webpage put together in conjunction with England Athletics. The videos demonstrate parents and children (aged 4-11) taking part in FUN activities based on fundamental core movement skills: running, jumping and throwing. Funetics is a programme that has been designed to reflect the requirements of the National Curriculum Key Stage 1 and 2. At this time when our children are currently schooling at home, we hope that these video activities will support the need for education to continue at home. You can access the videos here.
The link to other updated webinars can be found here, here and here.
VIRTUAL CHESHIRE ROAD RACING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cheshire County Athletics Association in conjunction with Run Cheshire and Gogledd Cymru are organising the Cheshire County Virtual Road Racing Championships.
The online entry link is here.
STAYING FIT AND HEALTHY
The links below offer a range of advice on exercises we can all do while confined indoors.
MIND provides a series of workouts at the following link.
Joe Wicks has become a household name with his daily online morning workouts which can be found here.
Sport England is offering tips, advice and guidance on how to stay active around the home on this link.
Youth Sport Trust is providing healthy tips including a series of 60-second Challenges on this link.
Realbuzz has provided strength and conditioning exercises to help avoid injury.
MORE GREAT MEMORIES…
Yvonne Murray, Linford Christie and Mary Peters feature this week. Enjoy…
ITβS GOOD TO TALK
Members and parents are reminded to look at the following links for updates about the Club:
FACEBOOK: West Cheshire AC, West Cheshire AC Road Running, West Cheshire AC Jnr to U20 middle distance group
WEBSITE: www.westcheshireac.co.uk
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/westcheshireac
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/westcheshireac/
