|
|
||
|
comment Winning is not the only thing that counts LAST weekend I had the pleasure of attending a small reunion with my old clubmates, some of whom I had not seen for a decade or more. In my absence, Newquay & Par AC’s men’s team from the early 1990s has continued to meet every December for a Christmas dinner. And as I discovered on Saturday night, the fact few of them still compete in athletics does not stop them meeting up for old time’s sake. In our prime, we were more than a match for any club in the Southern Men’s League division three (although we tended to struggle during brief spells in division two). Memorably, we also once thrashed a local football side in a friendly. “I thought they’d be rubbish,” one of the embarrassed footballers was overheard whinging after the game, “but they just kept running and running”. With a three-hour drive simply to reach Bristol - the unofficial border between the West Country and the rest of England – this often meant jumping in a mini-bus before 6am to get to fixtures. After a gruelling afternoon of multi-eventing, we’d be lucky if we got home before midnight. Then it’d be off to the local nightclub, where we’d still be going strong at 2am. An older club official described us as “The Animals”, although this nickname was mainly earned following incidents where athleticism met alcohol, creating a lethal cocktail. None of us were great athletes, but that did not stop us having a great time in athletics. After 10 years spent interviewing elite athletes and coaches, my mindset has changed and I now despair when I see talented young athletes eating junk food or goofing around. But last Saturday reminded me that athletics isn’t all about high performance and pressure. The camaraderie and the craic are just as important. One of my old team-mates, Tarquin Hill, is one of the few who is still an active athlete. A useful sprinter in his day, he now jogs around the
5000m “for a point” but puts most of his
energy into coaching his son, Jay, an English Schools’ silver
medallist in the hammer last summer. ► THE December 27 issue of Athletics Weekly is our annual rankings special, which is available on the newsstands over the Christmas period but has been sent to subscribers together with this December 20 issue.
The first issue of the new year is out
on Thursday January 3, but contributors and suppliers of results and
news to AW should note that Finally, a merry Christmas and happy new year to all of our readers. The festive period is a great chance to do more training, too, so do not waste the opportunity to get a headstart on your rivals in 2008. Jason Henderson, Editor From this week's Athletics Weekly, - available in WH Smith and all good newsagents, or on subscription
|
TRAVEL PARTNERS
|
|
