Thanks to John McOmish for providing this report from the U13/U15/U20 Championships which took place on the 10th/11th August at Grangemouth. We’re always looking for reports from any competitions that athletes attend so please feel free to send in any news.

U13/U15/U20 Championships

Last weekend at Grangemouth saw the U13/U15 and U20 Championships taking place; with a number of Lasswade athletes competing. 

U13Boys

Archie made the trip through to Grangemouth to compete in the 200m.  The day started off well for Archie, finishing 1^st in his heat with 28.04 to qualify through to the final in a strong position.  Archie then had to wait for the last race of the day for the final and ran a time of 27.87 into a strong wind, finishing 4^th just outside of his PB.  In between the heat and final, Archie put his speed to use in the Long jump, jumping a best distance of 4.84m to get the silver medal!  An outstanding distance when the winner jumped a new championship performance of 5.59m!

U13 Girls

Similar for the U15’s the previous day, the 1500m were ran as timed finals.  Isla M was running in the first of the two heats, finishing 2^nd in 5:16.98.  When combined with the times from the second heat, this placed Isla 5^th overall and smashing her PB by 15 seconds!  Isla also competed in the shotput, finishing 10^th with a best throw of 5.76m.

U15 Girls

First up on the track, the 1500m.  The races went as timed finals; meaning athletes ran as fast as they could.  Times across the two heats were combined then to produce the medallists. Two Lasswade athletes competed; Emma T and Cerys.  Emma finished 6^th in her heat and 16^th overall with a time of 5:26.17.  Cerys was the only athlete to go sub 5minutes; winning the gold medal with a time of 4:51.72!

Two athletes ran in the 800m.  Similar to the 1500m, these were as timed finals.  Beth ran in the 3^rd heat; winning the heat in 2:25.24 to finish 7^th overall when times were combined with other heats.  Freya ran in the 4^th heat, winning the heat in 2:15.84 which, when combined with the three previous heats – was fast enough for the gold medal by 5 seconds!

U20Men

Andrew was next up on day 1 – competing in the 800m.  Running in the second heat, which turned out to be the fastest heat; Andrew finished 3^rd and qualifying with a next best time of 1:57.28 which was a PB…at the time.

Running in the final later that day, the pace was fast from the start.  Andrew ran well in the final to finish 4^th, just outside the medals and smashing his PB set in the heats, running 1:54.19!

There were two athletes in the 200m,  Ramsay and Petter.  Ramsay running in the first heat, finishing 6^th in a time of 23.85, sadly with the wind being slightly too strong to be an official PB.

Petter ran in the 2^nd heat – finishing 6^th in a time of 23.55 – with a much stronger wind than in Ramsay’s heat!

Alec Miller took to the field for the High Jump in the afternoon.  With the wind playing havoc with the bar, athletes were having to time their jumps when the wind was at it’s calmest.  Alec kept his composure throughout the competition clearing a personal best of 1.86m at the second attempt to earn a silver medal.

Day 2 saw Ramsay and Petter back for another sprint – this time the shorter 100m.  Thankfully the wind had died down from the previous day with the boys in heats 3 and 4.  Petter running 11.80 for 4^th in his heat and Ramsay running 11.76 for 5^th in his heat.  Both these times were quick enough to see the athletes into the semi finals.

Into the semi finals, we had Petter running 11.65 to finish 6^th in his semi final; and Ramsay running 11.75 in the other semi final for 7^th.

Back on day 2 also for the 1500m was Andrew, alongside Innes Wright.  Both ended up in the same heat and with the tough qualification of only the top 6 in each heat led it to be a very tactical race.  Andrew came through the heat in 2^nd with a time of 4:03.57.  Innes finished 9^th in the heat with 4:12.18, his second fastest time of the season.  The final proved to be a tactical affair, starting off slow with athletes watching each other and ending with a burn up over the final lap.  Andrew crossing the line in 5^th place with a time of 4:06.72

U20 Women

Two Lasswade athletes stepped up into the 400m at the championships.  Eloise, stepping up an age group, ran a good race in the first heat to finish 4^th in a PB of 61.41 – this time being quick enough to qualify for the final.  Teammate Abbie also stepped up an age group and ran in the 2^nd heat, finish 7^th in 65.29 for her first 400m in competition.  The final saw Eloise run another PB, finishing 5^th in 61.12.

The women’s 1500m ran as a straight final and we had Olivia Meikle take to the track.  The pace was steady and wound up gradually – Olivia coming home in 9^th with 4:53.64 for a new PB.

Scottish Combined Events Championships

July 13th/14th, Dundee

A well overdue report of the Scottish Combined Events Championships that took place in Dundee in the middle of June. Lasswade had three athletes competing over the weekend with Beth and Emma competing in the Under 15s Penthlon and Archie in the Under 13s Pentathlon.

Mixed fortunes for our athletes, with Emma not able to finish the 75m Hurdles race but bravely continuing on in the remaining field events. Beth recorded PBs in the Long Jump, Shot Putt and also improved on her points score from the Scottish Schools Pentathlon to finish 15th overall.

Archie had a fantastic day recording PBs in the 75m Hurdles, Shot Putt and a 13 second PB in the 800m. Even more remarkable was that this was Archie’s first race over the hurdles having only had 2 short sessions in training before the competition. His 12.79s currently puts him in 23rd place in the UK rankings – not bad for a first attempt! His overall points score of 1795 put him in second place, with the winner, Jospeh Lanahan from Shettleston Harriers winning with 2089 points – a Scottish record.

Beth
75mH: 15.58
HJ: 1.20m
LJ: 4.08m PB
SP: 5.68m PB
800m: 2:30.30
Total Points: 1931 PB

Emma
75mH: DNF
HJ: 1.32m
LJ: 3.35m
SP: 5.63m
800m: DNS

Archie
75mH: 12.79 PB
HJ: 1.35m
LJ: 4.72m
SP: 6.04m PB
800m: 2:23.36 PB
Total Points: 1795 Silver Medal

Closing date has now been extended to Sunday evening but please don’t wait until then. This is open to all athletes under 17 and below and open to those who train on Mondays or Thursdays.

NB: The competition starts at 6pm so earlier than the usual training session.

Sign-up here or use the QR Code

Club Competition Sign-up

The team selections have now been sent out, so please check your emails.  We do have some  empty spaces on the team sheet and we can make changes on the day so if you haven’t signed up please let me know if you are interested in competing and we might be able to find an event for you.  There is also a minibus going to Crownpoint and a few spaces left so no excuses about getting there!

Email chair@lasswade-ac.org.uk if you have any questions.

Whilst the school holidays may be over, the track season still continues!

There’s still time to sign up for the CSSAL League competition on Sunday 25th August at Crownpoint in Glasgow. We are hoping to have a minibus (limited spaces – first come, first serve) so don’t hesitate and sign-up now. So far, only 20 athletes have signed up across all age groups which is quite disappointing given the efforts the coaches, volunteers and organisers put in to make these events happen.

We also have the Forth Valley League competition at Grangemouth on Saturday 31st August and our own Club Competition on Thursday 29th August at Dalkeith Campus.

Links to sign-up for all these events are on this post.
http://www.lasswade-ac.org.uk/club/uncategorized/dates-for-your-diary/

Congratulations to our Club Together Officer, Harry Baird who was one the first recipients of the Eric Liddell Recognition Award for his contribution to athletics in Scotland.

Harry has been our Club Together Officer for nearly two years and his experience and expertise has been invaluable while the club recovered from the pandemic.

First recipients of Eric Liddell Recognition Awards announced

Unfortunately, our storage shed at the track is no longer water-tight and so some assistance is required to help move as much of the training equipment to our alternative storage container in Bonnyrigg Park.  If you’re available to assist us load up a van on the evening of Thursday 8th August, please email chair@lasswade-ac.org.uk and if you have any knowledge of metal storage containers, please also get in touch!

August looks to be a busy month before we close out the Track and Field season for 2024.

Wednesday 21st August – AGM at Dalkeith Masonic Hall. Election of office bearers for next 12 months. Details to follow.

Sunday 25th August – CSSAL League Match 3 at Crownpoint, Glasgow
Enter here by 19th August

Thursday 29th August – Lasswade AC Club Competition at Dalkeith Campus
Enter here by 26th August

Saturday 31st August – Forth Valley League Match 3 at Grangemouth
Enter here by August 26th

Wednesday 4th Sept @ 7pm – Virtual members/parent info meeting where we will explain the winter training and competitions, we also invite questions in the sign up form. This is ideal for those new to the club or simply needing a refresher. Sign up here

Friday 27th September – Quiz Night -at Dalkeith Masonic Hall. Details to follow.

Our annual Club Competition will take place on Thursday 29st August from 6.00pm till 9.00pm at Dalkeith Campus. This is open to all members of Lasswade Athletics Club from U9s to U17s and is free to enter and is not restricted to athletes who only train on Thursdays.

*** Please complete the online entry form here before Friday 23rd August 5pm ***

Events

Under 9s will compete in the 60m, Shot Putt and Standing Long Jump.
Under 11s: 3 events from 75m, 150m, 600m, Shot Putt, Long Jump, Javelin and High Jump
Under 13s to Under 17s: 3 events from 100m, 200, 800m*, 1500m*, Shot Putt, Long Jump, Javelin and High Jump
* restricted to 800m or 1500m (not both).
Athletes can do 2 track and 1 field event or 1 track and 2 field events.

There will also be mixed relays for Under 11s to Under 17s.

Medals are awarded to winners of each event. This year, points will be awarded for performances in the same vein as a multi-events competition (rather than points being awarded based on finishing positions) and trophies will be awarded to the overall winner in each age group in the U11s and above for both the male and females. In the Under 9s, a trophy will be awarded to the overall winner (male or female).

We are hoping that older athletes will be able to help with officiating and other duties as there will be no training that evening. Any parents/carers who would like to get involved will be very welcome too as it takes a lot of people to run a competition.

If you are available to help please Susan know as soon as possible so that duties can be allocated. We cannot run events like this without the goodwill of our supporters so thank you in advance of a positive response. Please reply to susanout@blueyonder.co.uk

Note: Timetable is provisional until the number of entries is known. The running order for track events will remain the same but times may vary. The field events order may change depending upon the number of entries in each age group.

The final timetable will be confirmed once entries close on Friday 23rd August 5pm.

Unfortunately the Multi Events group session for Thursday 4th and 11th July are cancelled. We should be back in training on Thursday 18th July. Enjoy the break!

Stacey’s Thursday Throws group will not run on the 11th and 18th July. If you cannot attend any of the other sessions during the summer please reply on the stack app so I know who to expect each training session. This allows Stacey to plan training sessions or assist in other areas of the track if no one is in attendance.

Lasswade athletes have had a busy few weeks competing in various league competitions, Border Athletics Games ans schools competitions. It’s also an increasing number also competing in the Open Graded competitions for extra competition opportunities. These are really good competitions to try something new or even get more experience in your favourite events. Hopefully I haven’t missed any competitions in the round-up but if we have, please let us know and send any photos and a mini-report of the competition. Thanks.

Glasgow Milers Meet, 31^st May Scotstoun

There were plenty of PBs for the endurance runners but the highlight was Andy Brown’s Scottish Record for the M45 800m.

Andy Brown	M45 800m	1:58.79	M45 Scottish Record
Innes Wright	U20M 800m	2:00.57	PB
Cerys Wright	U15W 800m	2:13.28	PB
Freya Brown	U15W 800m	2:16.16	PB
Harry Henriksen	SM 3000m	08:12.56	PB
Andrew McWilliam	U20M 3000m	08:25.96	PB
Laurence Ward	U17M 3000m	09:24.93

Scottish Schools Pentathlon Championship, 1st June Grangemouth

Full Results

Beth, Emma, Yvie and Isla represented Dalkeith High School.

Earlston Border Games, 1^st June

The opening fixture of the Border Games for 2024 saw Keith, Charlie, Petter and Eloise take part in the sprint events.

Petter reached the x-ties (semis) of the 90m and cruised into the final of the 200m with ease.  Unfortunately, coming into the home straight, Petter was badly balked by a runner pulling up and despite recovering well had to settle for 3rd place.

Keith also reached x-ties of the Open 90m and the final of the Vets 90m finishing 3^rd.

Charlie was our only representative in the final of the open 90m where he finished 5th.

Eloise ran well in the final of the 400m and was the first lady to cross the line but a bit behind the eventual winner. Hopefully see a kinder mark from the handicapper in the future will see her challenging for the prizes.

FVL Match 2 – Livingston 2^nd June

Provisional Results

With a busy week of school athletics competitions leading up to the fixture, the team was a little depleted due to athletes having a well deserved rest or having picked up an injury (boo!). 

Stephanie, Esme, Olivia S , Daniel and Leo all made their track debut for the club and acquitted themselves well.  A great run from Esme in the U13 girls 1500m saw her work steadily through the field to finish 2^nd overall behind Isla M which meant we took first place in both the A and B events.

PBs came from Lachlan in the U11s 200m, Antek got his PB in the U11s 600m, Ollie was another runner to get a 200mPB and Lara had a fantastic day with PBs in both the 600m and high jump.

Provisionally Lasswade were 6^th on the day but with the high jump points have been included, we could be lifted into 5^th place.  

Thank you to Fiona, Zee, Ruth, John and Joanna for helping officiate on the day and to Alison who was part of the start team.

Our final fixture for the FVL is on Saturday, 31st August. If anyone is willing to help act as team manager for this fixture please get in touch with Keith.

Scottish Schools Championships, 7th – 8th June, Grangemouth

Results

Strong winds prevented most of our athletes recording PBs in the majority of their events but nonetheless, great performances from our Lasswade athletes. 

In the middle distance events, Cerys Wright won gold in the 1500m; Freya Brown took silver in the 800m and Andrew McWilliam took bronze in the 1500m. 

Entry to the Scottish Schools championships is organised by the athlete’s school so it can be quite tricky sometimes to get more of our athletes competing in this competition. A quick scan of the results shows Lasswade having at least 20 athletes competing – well done to all of you.

Peebles Border Games, 12^th June

Murray, Keith, Eloise and Charlie all raced in the 110m sprint where Charlie and Murray reached the final where they finished 3^rd and 6^th respectively.  It was a fine achievement for Murray to reach the final – his 2m handicap after his win in Jedburgh last year left him too much to do in a good quality final.

Eloise ran a great race to qualify for the one lap final where she finished 5^th.

CSSAL Match 2, 9^th June Grangemouth

Results

After a great team result in the 1^st Match,  Match 2 was going to be a more challenging competition as the timetable featured a large number of sprint hurdle races where we’ve yet to re-establish a hurdle group.  Lasswade was only able to fill a small number of spaces on the team sheet in the hurdle races and our athletes who filled in did well to earn us some valuable points.  Despite this minor setback, there were good performances in the remaining events to make up lost ground. 

In the 200m, James ran a fantastic first race for the club winning the U17 men’s B race.  In the U15 girls B race, Aoife S, recovering from a sore ankle, won her race too.  Kyle and Eva covered the A races and ran great times – Eva running almost a second faster than her first 200m in the FVL just a week earlier.  More great runs for Bethan and Abbie in the U17 200m – their times would have been PBs but for the strong wind behind them.

Double wins for Charlie and Petter in the senior 200m.  Despite having run the 200m twice the day before at the Scottish Schools where the windspeed was too strong for legal PBs, Petter did get finally get rewarded with a new legal PB of 23.34 (0.0 windspeed – the same time as one his runs the day before which had a +4.0 wind!).

Sarah Donnelly won her Masters 200m in her first race for the club.  Sophie B having jist returned from a warm weather training jaunt with her university ran well for 3^rd in the 200m and despite still being very tired from the travelling, still managed to score important points by competing in the 1500m and discus.

Having had a busy few weeks competing in schools competitions, Beth and Emma picked up important points covering events that they don’t normally train for.  Both ran the 70m Hurdles and finished in the exact same time.  Beth also picked up points in the High Jump and Long Jump.  Emma set a fantastic PB of 1.40m to win the U15 girls high jump. 

Lara and Isla H both recorded new PBs in the 600m (Lara’s 2nd PB over 600m in a week!).  Lara also won the LJ in a new PB.

Isla M and Esme ran well in the 1200m, with Isla taking 2^nd and Esme backing Isla up well to win the B race.  Bethan K scored more points in the 1500m with 3^rd place in the U17 Ladies ‘A’ race, the same position as Olivia in the senior women’s race.

Lachlan was our only U11 Boy competing in the CSSAL today.  As always Lachlan competed with a smile on his face and recorded a PB in the long jump.  Big brother, Ollie also recorded a PB in his LJ and has now added nearly half a meter to his PB from last season.  Well done, Ollie.

Petter picked up more vital points in the LJ, gaining a second PB of the day in the process.  Both Petter and Ken also score useful points in the SM shot putt.  Kyle finished 2^nd in the U17 javelin. 

Luke B threw well in the javelin – not too far off his performance last season’s club competition.

Struan was well pleased with his 22second PB in the 1500m although he just narrowly missed breaking the 5 minute mark.  Next time Struan!

Aaden took over 12 seconds off his 1500m PB in the Under 17s age group.  He was narrowly beaten into 2^nd place with a hard fight down the home straight.  Definitely more to come from Aaden. In the Masters 1500m, Ken took maximum points again with a 1500m PB.

Lasswade finished a credible 5^th place on the day and sit 3^rd in the league overall.  Our next (and final fixture in the CSSAL League is on Sunday, August 25th.

Big thanks to Ross Milne and Scott MacIntyre for diligently recording all the results on the day; Sam Kitchin for volunteering to be the stadium announcer and to our officials/helpers, Harry Baird, Susan Outerson, Ruth Szymanski and Kelly Grieve.

SuperTeams National Final, 22nd June Ayr

Our team of Kupa, Lara, Anatswa and Lachlan did superbly well to finish 13th overall out of 35 teams across the whole of Scotland.

It’s worth noting that the long jump distances were recorded from the point of take off rather than the usual method. Lara’s and Lachlan’s jumps are around 30cm further than their official PBs and a good indicator that there are plenty more PBs to come from them both.

Thank you to Darren Winters for helping out as team manager and chaperone.

Falkirk Harriers Open Graded: June 26^th, Grangemouth

Results
Highlights for Lasswade were two PBs for Sophie B in the 100m and 400m; Emma T and Aaden in the 1500m. Well done to all of you.