For the great majority of juniors aged 8-17 years old, training takes place on Monday and Wednesday evenings in sessions at Horspath Track, that run at various times between 5.30pm to 8:00pm. Some groups also train on Tuesdays and Thursdays and at weekends. Training is designed to be fun, and begins with introducing young athletes to the basics of good movement, while also progressively introducing strength and endurance. All athletes will be given an opportunity to learn the elements of running, jumping and throwing, and as they progress through the junior age groups will be given ever-more structured coaching in the various athletic disciplines.
U10 and U12 athletes will also be given opportunities to compete, in indoor Sportshall Competitions, outdoor Quadkids Competitions and Cross Country. where they will compete against children of the same age and general ability. Competitions are generally short, and parents are encouraged to support and assist their children to learn about the sport.
U14-U18 have opportunities to compete in the Track and Field and Cross Country matches as part of our local leagues, as well as a variety of Opens.
At junior training all athletes must register with their coach so that we know who is training each night. The training sessions are included as part of the monthly club membership cost. Parents are encouraged to arrive in plenty of time to enable their children to book in well before training starts and MUST collect their children promptly at the end of training.
Junior training generally continues throughout the year and in all weathers. Please make sure that your child comes properly dressed in warm clothes when the weather is cold – gloves, track suit and hat, and in cool clothes when the weather is warm – shorts and T-shirt. Children should wear trainers.
On a few occasions each year we cancel training due to extreme weather conditions or due to a shortage of coaches in peak holiday periods. As we are not always able to give distant advance warning of such cancellation parents are advised to regularly check Spond for announcements about last-minute cancellations.
Our core junior coaching team is: Elton Jones, Ian McCulloch, John Conway, Mark Pitt, Mark Bristow, Agnes Ligeti-Pretorius, Martha Stevens, Ian Marriott, Gareth Davies, Mel Lewis and Neil Barry. Supported by parent and athlete volunteers.