Avon SportsHall Team Retains National Title
Avon U13 Boys SportHall Athletics Team retained their UK SportsHall title with their biggest ever score at the UK Finals in Birmingham last Sunday (3rdApril) to round off a great season of SportsHall athletics in Avon.
With all four age group teams having convincingly won the SouthWest Regional finals in February, the Team Managers and athletes went to Birmingham with high hopes of further success, and these were justified as not only did the U13 Boys team retain their title as UK Champions by 140 points from the second place, but the U13 Girls Team was third, their best ever place, and the U15 Girls Team was fifth, their best ever placing as well. With numerous withdrawals due to injury, the U15 Boys Team was not able to achieve its potential and were, a still creditable, ninth.
As with any Team competition of this nature, titles are won by the points contributions from every member of the team, where gaining that one extra place can make all of the difference to the final score, and the Team Managers have been quick to point out the great contributions made by all members of the Teams, including the reserves. Nevertheless, it is good also to celebrate those who came first in their events against competitors from across the whole of the UK: Cameron Thaws U13B Long Jump, Sophie Thomas U13G SpeedBounce, and the U13 Girls and Boys 4x1Lap Relay Teams (Ada’ora Chigbo, Amy Parker, Alice Reynolds, Emily Wright; Ryan Fowler, Sam Hippisley, Sam Noakes, Cameron Thaws).
With the teams drawn from 20 Secondary Schools across Avon, it was a truly representative group of athletes, and shows the continuing strength of athletics and SportHall Athletics in both the Primary and Secondary sectors. SportsHall Athletics in Avon has also enabled the local Athletics Clubs to make closer contacts with a number of the schools close to their bases which will lead in the future to greater liaison and development.
The Team Managers would like to thank everyone involved in the long journey to these UKFinals, from the District competitions, via the County and Regional finals: the School staff, the County Sports Partnership Competition Managers, the local Athletics Club representatives, the parents, and the athletes, both those who made the teams, and those whose competition brought out the best in the finalists at every round.
The Avon Network would like to express its gratitude to the SportsHall Competition team and Team Managers, without whose dedication, expertise, and boundless enthusiasm these results would be much harder to achieve: Susan Jones (U13Girls), Hilary Nash (U15 Girls & Boys), David Turner (U13Boys), and Jake Fisher (Assistant TM)
