LASSWADE ATHLETIC CLUB

Central and South Scotland League – 2024 Match 1 Grangemouth

This interview by Frank Dick, former National Scottish Coach, has been around a while but for those who haven’t seen it please do take a couple of minutes to watch it before reading on….

The first track and field league competition of the summer took place on Saturday at Grangemouth.  Now competing in Division 2, it was important to get a good team out to build on the success from last season.  Not going to lie, it was disappointing to see quite a few blanks on our team sheet when we know we have athletes training hard and running well but not representing the club.  That said, the team that we did manage to put out were absolutely fantastic!

Some performances worthy of mention:

Joella took a staggering 24 seconds off her 600m time from last season and running confidently to take 3rd place.

Alec Miller smashed his high jump PB twice and joined the “6 foot” club, by clearing 1.80m and then 1.85m.

A great series of races in the 800m – Beth and then Bethan ran almost identical races in the U15 and U17 races; both sitting just off the lead for the first 500m and then picking up the pace down the back straight to make their bid for glory.  Beth’s turn of pace gave her a 4 second victory and a PB by nearly 3 seconds.  Bethan had to work a little harder for her victory but her strong kick with 120m to go will be a great confidence booster for the East Districts championships in a fortnight. 

Not to be outdone by his daughter Beth, Ken’s gun to tape victory in the Master’s 800m earned him a 16 second victory and a 5 second pb.  Pocket money negotiations in light of the two PBs in the McWilliam household will be interesting conversations although Beth also won the javelin with an impressive 18m throw so should be the happier of the two. 

Aaden continued his great form in the 800m from last season, finishing fast for 2^nd place in the U17s age group.  His time of 2m10.28s takes nearly 5 seconds off his PB. Aaden also ran his first 400m race earlier in the day running a great time of 55.34s which would have been good enough for 2nd in the Senior’s race.

Our under 11 mixed relay team of Corrie, Lachlan, Lara and Antek showed the future is bright by winning their race with some great baton changes. 

Thanks to the officials, coaches and parents for bringing our athletes to the competition. Thanks also to one of our younger athletes who also convinced their parent to compete – they have reluctantly admitted they enjoyed it too!

Going back to Frank Dick’s interview: Nineteen athletes recorded PBs in various events; three athletes competing for the first time (Eva, Elsa and Kyle) and many athletes competing in new events that they can improve on for next time…  That’s definitely winning!

Provisionally, Lasswade finished in 2^nd place with Shettleston taking the win by over 100 points.  3^rd place Dunfermline were just 2 points behind so those blanks spaces on the team sheet really do make a difference.

For those wanting to compete at the next CSSAL fixture on the Sunday 9^th June, please complete this form. The timetable and list of events is here.

We are convening at this competition so if you’re able to help, please get in touch. Anyone fancy being the stadium announcer?

There were lots of great performances from our small team of 12 at the Saughton heat of the SuperTeams today. Over 120 athletes took part in the competition which comprises of a 75m race, a standing long jump and a (turbo) javelin throw. All results are converted into points to decide the overall winner and team placings.

Although billed as an under 12s competition, a late change to the cut-off dates for the competition led to a little bit of confusion as the results were announced and some of under 12s were reclassified as under 14s. However, it did mean that Lasswade walked away with a few more medals! In the under 14 girls, Ada and Katie took silver and bronze and in the under 12s, Lara took another silver home for Lasswade. Unfortunately, with only 2 boys representing Lasswade, we only had one complete team (two girls, two boys) who finished 4th and qualified for the final in June.

Well done to our 12 athletes: Neave, Katie, Lara, Ada, Kupa Ayla, Anatswa, Corrie, Amber, Orla, Lachlan and Isla. I’m pretty certain they all had a great time and it would be good to see more athletes (especially boys) turning out next time.

Thank you to our friends at Harmeny and Corstophine for organising the heat and to our coaches who got the athletes ready for the competition.

Results

Sunday 27th April, 2024 – Grangemouth

The timetable for the first league fixture is now available here. We still need more athletes to sign-up for the competition especially in the male age groups and senior women. There are events for all age groups from Under 11s to Masters.

Being part of this league means that we will occasionally be asked to help play a bigger part in the running of the competition on the day and so Lasswade will be doing so for the second fixture (Sunday 9th June at Grangemouth). We’re looking for a couple of volunteers to help record the results from the day (familiarity with spreadsheets would be an advantage). Please let Keith or Leigh know if you can help. We’re also looking for assistance with team management this season in both the CSSAL League and for the Forth Valley League so please get in touch with Keith if you’re interested in helping out.

Sad to see Ross Finlayson, one of Lasswade’s club stalwarts move on to another club. It’s fair to say that Ross has achieved alot during his (almost) 30 years with Lasswade and has got out of athletics (and club membership) that we hope all members will.

Ross Finlayson writes:

I was just writing as I think the time has come for me to join a local athletics club. I’ve been living ‘up North’ since 2011, and over time the opportunities to compete for Lasswade have been less and less, and with the dissolving of the Men’s League I don’t think there are any team competitions I can make any more.

I wanted to just say a little bit about my love for Lasswade and all the club has done for me… From what I can recall, I came to the Midlothian ‘Come and Try’ athletics at Lasswade high school in 1996. We ran a race and I was narrowly beaten. Almost immediately I had Davy Hand chatting with me, and before you know it, the second I turned 9, I was competing in the U11s cross-country. 

From there on I ran cross country every winter, and did track races in the summer. The team minibus journeys are a strong memory for me, travelling through with the people who would become lifelong friends, mentors and heroes. I was naturally tall and strong and so pentathlon was a happy hunting ground – I believe I still have the National Record for this at U13 level. There were Scottish titles and podiums indoors, outdoors, and some great trips across the whole country. I did all the events, and I mean all of them! 

I specifically remember my first Men’s league event in Inverness. I was too young to compete in the main A or B stream event but I think I got a guest spot in the 800m, this was all part of Davy’s plan to get me ready for the big time the following year. With Andy Sobik’s help we had a great run in the Men’s League including winning Division 2, and being voted Club of the Year while I was captain. This is a stand-out moment of pride for my life. I dabbled in Pro running at the Border Games events – always wearing the Lasswade vest with pride, and won the league a couple of times, with some great memories along the way. To this day my 800m PB is from a glorious race at Meadowbank in the Men’s League. I knocked over 4s off my time in one day. I’m still not 100% sure how I did it.

I never quite cracked the 1,500m and so with University then work and moving to the North east of Scotland, it took me some time to find my way back to enjoying running and learning that winning isn’t what makes running great. To this day, I miss the club training atmosphere, the characters, the routine, and all the friendly faces turning up week-in and week-out. 

I’ve chased the distances all the way up to a 36 mile Ultra marathon, and probably my peak race lately was a 2.48.30 marathon in Boston in 2023. 

Joining Lasswade unquestionably changed my life for the better. It gave me a focus, an outlet, and a social group that was absolutely key to making me more confident, happier, and helped shape my future. I could not have been without my club. 

So although it is sad to move on, I have so many good memories and the permanent benefits from being a part of Lasswade. I want to thank every single person who was part of that childhood journey. I could share these stories for hours/days/weeks. 

If anyone has any pre-loved kit that is no longer being used but still have a bit of life in them, we’d love to help find them a new home. Running spikes, club vests and starting blocks are always in demand. Please hand them to your coach at training or drop us an email.

Get Competing!

Participation? It’s not just about Monday and Thursday training nights!

The summer track and field season will soon be upon us and we’ve now updated the Track and Field guide on our website.

For under 12s, we have the superTeams qualifiers at Saughton Park, Edinburgh on Sunday, 14th April. Sign up using this Google Form.

Our first league competitions are in the Central and South Scotland League at Grangemouth on Saturday 27th April. This is for U11s to Masters age groups. Sign up using this Google Form

The next competition after that is just a week later (Saturday 4th May) in the Forth Valley League for U11s to U15s and is also at Grangemouth. Sign up using this Google Form.

New to the club or competitions? We have our virtual parent’s evening on Tuesday 26th March at 7pm where we can answer all your questions about track and field competitions. Sign up using this Google Form

Ahead of the summer Track and Field season we will be holding a virtual members/parents night on Tuesday 26th March at 7pm. The topics will cover how the various competitions run and go over some volunteering roles. To register please complete this form and details will be sent nearer the time. If you have any questions in particular just mention them in the form.

This seasons National Cross Country Championships took place at Callendar Park, Falkirk on Saturday. The conditions were perfect for February it was a beautiful sunny and mild day with little or no wind. Conditions underfoot were generally good with only a few muddy sections.

The first race of the day was the under 13 girls and we had six girls running. One of our newer members Isla Madhra got the day off to a flying start, finishing 3^rd and winning the bronze medal. A great performance after only a few races for the club. Next home was another one of our newer members Rosa Gomez Candy in 50^th place. Team mates Laura Kitchin, Olivia Spark and Eilidh Mowbray were next in 74^th, 78^th and 86^th respectively. Our final athlete home was Darcy Esson in 128^th place.

In the under 13 boys Francis Ovani- Finnegan had another good run to finish inside the top 15 in 13^th place with team mate Fraser Houston continuing to improve with a strong finish in 83^rd place.

The next race was the under 15 girls and we knew we had a strong team so had high hopes of picking up medals. The girls performed well on the day with Freya Brown our first counter in 2^nd place with team mate Cerys Wright not too far behind in 5^th place. Our next counter was Lucy Ward in 23^rd followed by Beth McWilliam 36^th and Emma Thomson 43^rd.  There was some confusion over the team results due to an issue with the technology but after some manual intervention it was announced that the girls had won team gold by the narrowest of margins with one point separating the first three teams.

Our under 15 boys team was incomplete as one of our athletes had a stomach bug. Aaden Robertson was our first athlete home in 38^th place. Only a few places separated our next two athletes with Finlay Troup in 76^th place and Struan Milne in 79^th.  

In the under 17 women’s race Bethan Kitchin was our only athlete. In probably her best race of the season Bethan had a great run to finish in 24^th place.

The under 17 men was another race where we had a strong team, but unfortunately one of our athletes was injured so was unable to race on the day. The remainder of our team performed well with our first counter Rowan Taylor in 7^th place followed by Innes Wright in 11^th place. Third counter was Laurence Ward in 36^th place.

In the under 20 women, Olivia Meikle had her best run of the season to finish inside the top 10 in 8^th place.

Club member Harry Henriksen finished 5^th in the u20 men’s race representing Edinburgh University.

Claire Houston was first home for Lasswade in the senior ladies race finishing in 120^th with team mate Alison Binns in 239^th place.

The final race of the day with the biggest field was the senior men and we had four athletes racing. First home for us was Martin Gore in 255^th place with the fast finishing Ken McWilliam in 265^th place well ahead of his target. Euan Hood was next to finish in 413^th with Doug MacDonald completing our runners in 568^th. Lasswade athlete Magnus Tait finished in 78th place running for Glasgow University.

A great days athletics that I hope all athletes, parents and supporters enjoyed.

Congratulations to all the athletes on their performances.

For full results please click here

Thanks to Linden Nicholson for consistently representing Lasswade as an official throughout the season and to all the other volunteers who helped marshal on the day.

BIG thanks to Kate Kitchin for the chocolate cake !!

Our VMH Solicitors Lasswade 10 Mile Road Race is just under a week away. Entries close midday on Friday 1st March, 2024 but don’t wait until the last minute!

Entry via EntryCentral: https://www.entrycentral.com/Lasswade-Road-Race