Stornoway Running and Athletics Club

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Highlands & Islands Performance Participation Opportunity

HIPPO Open Graded Meeting
Smith Avenue Running Track
Saturday 19th April 2008

Athletes form throughout the Western Isles took part in a very successful first “open graded meeting” in Stornoway last Saturday. The new athletics initiative for athletes from the Highland and Islands region HIPPO, that is; Highlands & Islands Performance Participation Opportunity, also took place in Orkney, Inverness and Shetland. The results from the four meetings will now be scrutinised by the selectors and a team picked to compete in the Scottish athletics league as team HIPPO, representing the Highlands and Islands! Coaching volunteers at both North Uist AAC and Stornoway R&AC are very excited about the new development which now opens up a whole new development pathway to excellence for island based athletes!

The day’s athletics at Smith Avenue went free of any major glitches and there was a very good “turn-out” of SRAC volunteers assisted by parent volunteers from Uist to ensure the event ran smoothly! The weather was also good for the time of year with the biggest factor relating to the proceeding’s being that it was dry all day! But there was a cold wind blowing on the top bend and back-straight of the track that meant that the distance race times were slightly slower than expected.

However there were some very good individual performances across the various categories competing. In the youngest age groups cross-country rivalries were re-established and some gritty and exciting races were witnessed. In the boys under 11’s events Conner MacLean, Fazel Froughi and Mark MacDonald were top under 11 boys and Peigi McKellar, Mairi Macintosh, Jane MacInnes and Mairi MacLennan in the girl’s under 11 tri-event.

Sean Bradley was the fastest boy under 13 in the one and two hundred metres sprints while Campbell MacDonald did a double in the 800m and Long Jump! Elaine MacDonald and Sarah Campbell were the girls U13 sprinters, Sarah recording the fastest 200m while Elaine ran the fastest 100m. Britain’s got talent? So does the Western Isles! Just as Sean did the U13 sprint double, Alasdair Summers did a very impressive double in the U15! The further use of the track facility in Stornoway and the development of a four lane track at Sgoil Lionacleit will result in the two isles club’s producing more than the endurance athletes it has predominantly done in the past.

Eilidh Bolye dead heated in a time of 15.4 seconds with Hannah MacLeod in the 100m and placed second in the 200m behind convincing winner Rebecca Munro. In the girls 800m and 1500 combined race there was superb competition between Ailis Murray, and sister’s Holly and Jane MacIver. Both races were cat and mouse affairs each watching the moves of one another throughout, but in the home straight only one gets the fastest time! But as there was a 800/1500 endurance double all were happy with the outcome; Ailis a second faster in the 800m and the result reversed in Holly’s favour in the 1500m! Jane took a double win in the U17 category. In the ladies U17 2OOM AND 300M Mairi Morrison not only ran the two fastest times but looks to have plenty natural ability running with a most efficient style.

Other competitors of note were Rory McLure, Stuart Chalmers and Stuart Johnson in the U20 men’s events. Rory and club mate Ian Townsend provided a very entertaining 800m, storming into the race with gusto and going through the bell and completing the first lap in 63 seconds!  To end the day there were three 4 x 200 m relays which as ever provide great excitement to round off a good day’s competition.

Many thanks to all the volunteers, judges, timekeepers, administrators, parents and supporters assisting. The next HIPPO vent will double as the Western Isles Championship on Saturday 21st June. If the uptake to take part and the enthusiasm levels are as high a superb day of athletics should follow! Please get pre-entries to SRAC ASAP.