SRAC Success at new Regional Champs!

Full Results pdf

After many years of attending the North District track and field championship’s the event took on a new look as a Regional Championships, with the addition of clubs from the Grampian region.

The SRAC team were missing some of the club’s established athletes but still travelled with twenty seven athletes. The medal count by the end of the day was fairly satisfactory, but perhaps the amount of personal best performances was more significant with so many young athletes competing! Of the twenty seven competing at the regional finals twenty athletes achieved at least one personal best performance with Jenny MacTaggart posting three personal best’s in 100, 200 meters and long jump! Jane MacInnes, Chirsty Graham, Amanda Nicolson, Connor MacLean, Joseph O’Drisceoil, Micheil R Smith and Campbell MacDonald all achieved two individual personal best performances (P.B’s).

Get Set	Go!

A factor pleasing to SRAC’s club development as the coaching volunteer grows and more athletics disciplines are offered to young local athletes is that P.B’s were achieved in sprints, middle distance, jumps and throws! SRAC also took one of the under 11 group with the “bigger” boys and girls and in his first mainland track and field Ross Budge did just fine! A good run in the 75 meters with a particularly good start helped him take third place. Another third was achieved by Ross in the long jump with a leap of 2 meters 85, while his throw of 4 meters 84 gave him fourth place. A good all round effort in the run, jump and throw introduction to athletics.

From the medal count of eight bronze, seven silver and 3 gold medals there were some great performances and other fine efforts in contesting finals of different events!  Amanda Nicolson won the first gold medal of the day for SRAC in the under 13 girls 70meters hurdles from her team pal Abbie MacKay. Both are fairly new to the event so such an encouraging result should lead to some more specific training and hopefully further success! In the older age group sprints Alicia MacSween and Hannah MacLeod had very tough head to heads in the 100 meters and 200 meters. The girls placed second and third in both races respectively with Alicia ahead by 0.13 of a second in the 100 meters, while it took a photo finish to separate the girls in the 200 meters, both given 28.8 seconds though Alicia got the judges decision. So some more Tuesdays and Saturday training sessions with Adrienne should ensure more leg speed and hopefully further progression in the sprints!

In the under 15 100 meters both Joseph O’Drisceoil and Mairi Graham put in very good races. Mairi ran a P.B. in the final and as one of the younger runners in the race while Joseph also ran a P.B. and took the bronze medal, as he also did in the 200 meter final. Miss consistent Rebecca Munro continued to compete well and took second place in both the 800 and 300 meter women’s race, achieving a P.B. on the back of a hard 800 final. Kristina MacKenzie also trying the 300 meters as a new event seemed to enjoy the new distance though less than a tenth outside her P.B

Of the older SRAC athletes competing on the day the performances of Campbell MacDonald and Alastair Summers were very impressive. Both lack regular competition as all the club’s athletes do, but to compete so infrequently and turn in P.B’s and pick up medals is a fine achievement! In both the 100 and 200 meters Alastair lead his races and though put under pressure in the middle of the races his strength proved too much for his opposition. Ranked 4^th in Scotland last season and in his fist year in the under 17 category his commitment to regular trips from Harris to Stornoway to training sessions should continue to pay dividends!

Middle distance performance of the day from the boys came from Campbell MacDonald. In a very intriguing and tactical two lap race he never gave up the pace or the fight for second and third place with the very impressive Ross Gollan of East Sutherland AC. The race won by Fraser Scott of Forres who early lead was never in doubt, but the chase for next place by Campbell and Gollan was riveting to watch! Both made two surges a piece in the second 400 meters to move into the runner-up slot. But about 150 meters out from the finish Campbell moved clear for second place in a new P/B. of 2minutes 21.38. Another very good 800meters performance was also put in by ex club runner Stuart Chalmers (though running in a very familiar vest) as he clocked a new P.B. of 1 minute 58, surely auguring well for next years World Island Games in the Isle of Wight?

  A Tupper.