Tipton Harriers athletics club will celebrate its centenary year in 2010. The club has a vast history of producing some of the countries finest athletes in track and field, particularly in long-distance and cross-country.

We decided to learn more about Tipton Harriers first hand and meet some of the top young athletes the club has to offer. So on a hot sunny day in Tipton we met up with sports development officer Kate Williams to find out about what was on offer for young people interested in athletics. “Tipton Harriers run coaching sessions on Tuesday and Thursday from 6pm. Working with people from the age of 8 years, the groups either go out to the stadium to work on track and field events; which include jumping, throwing, hurdling and sprinting or groups will go out running on the road. In the winter there is also training for cross-country and indoor competitions. The club also offer a 6-week taster session for beginners, so they can pay £2.00 per session to see if they like it, as well as running expert coaching for its members.”

Along with the top class facilities the club has created a perfect environment for young athletes to develop and simply enjoy the sport. “The sessions are increasingly popular due to the new facilities and athletics track. The track is still fairly new in comparison to other clubs. Before we had the track down we never really had any track and field athletes, we really only had road and cross-country. Now we have specialised groups performing i.e. pole vault squad, hurdles groups and jumping squads.”

We asked Kate about the coaching on offer and if the young people who take part in the sport was equal between boys and girls.

“We offer mostly group coaching. We have got some athletes who are at the level where they have individual coaching, or they are members of regional coaching squads, where they meet up with other athletes who represent the county. The training nights tend to be group coaching for the different age groups and different disciplines. With regards to participation I’d say it’s equal between boys and girls but probably what we differ on is competition with less females competing over the age of 16 years. The biggest problem our juniors face is having to work weekends whilst in further education, this conflicts with many of the club competitions and it’s during this age when we have
our biggest drop out rate.”

During our visit we chatted to Steve Walton, who has been coaching in athletics for 15 years since finishing his own athletics career. Steve, as well as the other coaches, volunteers his own frre time to help support the young talent at the club.
“Tipton Harriers has come on and is now getting a reputation as a good club with a good track squad, where as in the past it was more of a road/cross- country club. We now have some good youngsters, not just long distance but also sprinters, hurdlers, field events and a good range of coaching. Were in a good position because some clubs haven’t got the range of coaches we have, such as level three and four which is a master coach, who can help athletes specialise in their chosen discipline.”

We asked Steve about the controversial subject of drug cheats, in particular Dwain Chambers, who in his frank admission admitted to taking drugs and claimed that many other athletes are taking performance-enhancing drugs to cheat their way to victory. “I see no part for drugs in the sport as far as I’m concerned. I think it should be a life ban for all drug cheats and as far as Mr Chambers is concerned I have no time for him. He decided to take drugs and knew exactly what he was doing, so there’s no use in him trying to overturn his Olympic ban. I would advise anyone to steer away from cheating. I go into schools and say: “I want you to be the best you can.” There are many opportunities out there and all sorts of medals up for grabs in a variety of different activities. I always say: “don’t tell me you cant do it, tell me you’ll try your best.”

Finally, we chatted to Steve about what he most enjoys about athletics, why he thinks young people should try athletics and how the sport can contribute to a teenagers well being and personal growth. “I am just really passionate about the sport. I enjoy seeing athletes working hard helping each other, the positive attitudes they exhibit and the sense of achievement they experience. I would say that athletics underpins every other sport so when I go to school's I tell youngsters to think about run, jump and throw which are the three main parts of athletics and can be transferable into every other sport. Sport can give you so many different benefits not just physical well being but you get a sense of achievement, personal esteem, it teaches you to co-operate with others, team spirit, motivation, it keeps you out of trouble and helps you make friends.”


KATE WILLIAMS
Tipton Harriers Development
Co-ordinator


STEVE WALTON
Tipton Harriers Level 3 Athletics Coach