Belgrave Juniors Useful Information

Session Times and Age groups1st session (ages 10/11-16) is from 5:30pm - 7pm, Coach Charlie's session (all ages) is from 6:30pm and Coach Bob's session (16+) is from 7pm.Of course we understand that school timetables and traffic do not always allow for juniors getting here at 5:30pm (particularly those at the Lycée who have longer school hours) but please make sure that your children arrive and get changed as quickly as possible.Juniors do not have to come to both the Tuesday and Thursday sessions.If your child is under this age then there is a Wednesday session at 4:30pm which lasts 1 hour. This is with Coaches Charlie, Terry and Vilma. From this session the children are able to progress up to the Tuesday and Thursday sessions.TrainingNow that the winter season is here we want to make sure that all the children get/remain fit. Number of coaches permitting we are going to start each session in the park, however your child must come into the stadium as normal to leave bags etc and meet up with the coach (es). Not every session will be the same, sometime we shall do hill work and other times runs along the paths. As the nights get darker we shall adapt and keep to well lit paths (bandstand etc). I would also like to buy some high vis vests or bands for the juniors to wear when running in the park. Rest assured a coach or myself will remain behind in the stadium for any juniors who are late, however time permitting they may still have to do their park or hill run.We are now in the fortunate position of having more coaches although you must all know that our coaches are all unpaid volunteers who have other commitments and jobs, it may be that they cannot make every session every week.Where possible now we are going to split the sessions into groups as much as possible (coaches and number of juniors being the deciding factor). However every junior is expected to arrive and warm up and also warm down at the end of the session - this is to prevent injuries.Sometimes we may have a coach who can give some specialist knowledge/coaching on hurdles or javelin for example, however this also means that not all juniors can do the same session as some group sessions need to be small for the sake of safety. We will try to let every junior try different events, so if they come regularly they will get to try everything. During the winter a lot of field events are not so easy to do - for example High Jump.CompetitionsAs you are of course aware this is a running club and as such juniors are expected to run for the club i.e. take part in competitions. These usually work out at less than 1 a month. As we move into the winter season there will be cross country competitions (please let me know if your child wants to do this as we need to register them) there will also be 3 Indoor Sportshall Competitions these take place on a Sunday in October, November and January and we do expect juniors to take part. They are fun competitions and a great team building experience. They take place in Guildford and run from 11:30 - 4pm (usually). We need U13G and U13B team and U15G and U15G teamPLEASE NOTE IT IS THE AGE THAT YOU WERE ON THE 31st OF AUGUST 2015. SO IT COULD BE THAT YOU WILL BE 13 or 15 ON THE DAY OF THE COMPETITION BUT ARE STILL CONSIDERED UNDER 13/15MINIMUM AGE RULE - YOU MUST BE SCHOOL YEAR 6 (AGED 10/11)MembershipIf you are not already a member of Belgrave then please go to the website www.belgraveharriers.co.uk click on Membership - You need to be 11 years old -there you can either apply on line or download a membership form. You need to send membership fees separately. For an under 17 this works out at £27 per year (this includes a £12 fee to England Athletics).Club VestIn order to compete you need to wear a club vest (I am trying to get a stock of these) they are either £10 or £15. You can also order a sweatshirt (hoody) these are either £20 or £25 and need to be pre paid.Running shoes/spikesJuniors are expected to wear proper running shoes. Once they know that they enjoy the sessions they should also get spikes. My daughter runs a charity "Gifted Shoes" so has some trainers/spikes that may fit your child. For the most part these shoes are second hand but have been washed and are in good condition. If your child needs a pair please contact me and I shall see if we have your child's size.WeatherThe sessions are always on, all through the year UNLESS it is snowing heavily or there is torrential rain so it may be that your child is training in the rain. Please make sure your child dresses weather appropriate. They will soon need to wear waterproofs/ hats/ gloves also make sure that their legs are covered in the winter.Child pick upPlease remember you are responsible for your child after the session has finished. Please make sure that your child knows if you are picking them up and where from. In the winter the park can be very dark at 7pm if you are picking up by car it is free to park after 5pm so please walk down and collect from the arena. If your child is going home alone, please make sure they know the route and have an Oyster card or equivalent.Junior DetailsI am trying to get together a proper database of athletes even if you think I already know your details please tell me again via email. I need to knowNameDate of BirthContact Phone Number - yours and your child's if they have a phoneContact EmailAddress Post Code (necessary when it comes to county competitions)Kind RegardsSian GoodladBelgrave Junior Team ManagerTel: 07817720201