Is track and field dead in Macclesfield?

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Is track and field dead in Macclesfield?

Postby Tank » Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:25 am

Where are the athletes? Where are the volunteers? Where is the interest in Track and Field at the Club? Is Macclesfield Harriers only a club for road / fell runners - is track and field athletics dead in Macclesfield? This Forum would suggest it is!!! Or is it that they are all too busy training for team and individual competitions which they never seem to enter!
Great track and website a but where are you all?????

[moderator edit: I changed the title to remove capitals. Capitals = shouting which is bad manners!]
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Postby BARRY BLYTH » Wed Apr 16, 2008 10:29 am

I'd pull a muscle or stick a Javelin in my foot if I took up T & F. Much better to sprain an ankle or bash your bonts on an overhanging branch on the fells. The club is fortunate to have the volounteers that coach T & F.
Fell running is more a "grass roots up" sport (excuse the pun). Lots of varied races all over the country and "challenges" available. It was typical to see half a dozen crowded round a map of the scottish highlands in the pub last wed planning Digby's Ramsey round.

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Postby phil cheek » Wed Apr 16, 2008 11:10 am

Barry,you`re right it`s a very different game.
The facetious answer is cover the track in mud & rock,tilt it 45degrees & lengthen the races to 20 miles or so!It would be useful for you `cos you could dispense with navigation!
As I understand it the problem is that bwhile training is very popular(just see the number of kids of all ages on a Tuesday) they don`t race.So the coaches become frustrated by being a keep-fit & social club who don`t see any "outcome" of their hard work.
Just 1 idea,they seem to love "racing"each other on training nights.Could we exploit that & get them used to "meets" by having an informal race night ,say 1 Tuesday in 4,or an event,distance & discipline varying,every week at the end of training?
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Postby Raph and Barbara » Thu Apr 17, 2008 11:24 pm

T&F definitely not dead Phil. Plenty of folks out training at the track tonight and on Tuesday. As you mention just need to translate these into competitors. First opportunity this Sunday at the first round of the Cheshire T&F league at Crewe. Road and fell runners very welcome I'm sure! 3000m starts at 2pm, also 800m for senior men and 1500 for senior ladies.
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Postby Philip Barnes » Fri Apr 18, 2008 12:25 am

Tank, the reason you might think T&F is dead in Macclesfield is because your Dad has no idea whatsover as to the location of the track :lol:

Though there is a large contingent of members who are convinced that "longer is better" it should be remembered that we have some excellent runners who don't think that 400m sprinting is for the faint hearted. I wonder who would walk up to Michael Johnson (400m 43.18s) and say "yeah but have done the Bullock Smithy!" :shock:
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Postby Tank » Fri Apr 18, 2008 12:28 am

Spot on Phil - If you can't get the young athletes to compete then bring the competition to the athletes. Regular mini multisport events over a short period of time would give kids a taste of what the sport should be about i.e. training to improve your performance against others but more importantly against yourself. As I see it we have a lot of people training and receiving excellent coaching but they can't be bothered to represent their club in competitions - This is like revising for an exam but not taking the test!!
The club is finding it difficult to find volunteers to manage teams and help out with officiating / catering - WHY?
No ladies team manager for the first Cheshire League fixture on Sunday - it's not a big task - surely someone could take on such a simple role and put back a little into a sport which is based on the volunteer brigade!
WHERE ARE YOU ALL? Or is there something I'm missing here :?
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Postby Tank » Fri Apr 18, 2008 12:38 am

[quote="Philip Barnes"]Tank, the reason you might think T&F is dead in Macclesfield is because your Dad has no idea whatsover as to the location of the track :lol:

My Dad used to run 10x400m on said track and take in Bullock Smithy on the way home - and all in wooden clogs before breakfast - he said it were luxury! And tell this to kids today and they just don't believe yer :shock:
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Postby Chris » Sat May 01, 2010 12:54 am

i know i'm posting 2 years after the last post on this, but as you've pointed out there isn't much else to reply to on the track and field section :)

I've just rejoined after a 4 or 5 year absence from the club and the track, but before that competed for around 7 years for Macc

I think the main problem isn't with younger kids but the older ones.

1. main fact with T&F, once kids hit 16 and leave school, numbers drop off - they don't have that push from school anymore

2. Of those that do stay. some go to college and then uni - they might stay in part of the country or find a new club where they go to uni and compete for them

3.. this is a middle ish club, those that have stayed with us after 16 and school leaving (and not gone to college then uni) are more hardcore - but problem is we don't have the pulling power of top national coaches and super competition standard to keep the highest points pullers with us. We lose chunks of our best to higher level clubs down the road like Trafford and Sale.

Solution?

tough one - vicious circle really, get into higher leagues so the better athletes have better compeition, but how to get into high leagues when better athletes are leaving :(
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Track

Postby frosty » Sat May 01, 2010 8:52 pm

Well I am pretty new to all still, and I never had the oppunity to run while I was at school so finding the track events I do really enjoyable, and I always want to improve and being on the track is a great indicator to how you are doing or not!! lol
It would be great to see more seniors going to track meets think we could have a really strong team and move up the table a bit more, it can't be done by one person alone it does take all of us to make a effort. :lol:
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Postby Declan Murray » Tue May 25, 2010 4:13 pm

Hear, hear Frosty

There were plenty of medals up for grabs in the recent County Champs with hardly any of the senior events being contested! Track and field also puts seniors head to head with the juniors - a challenge that is seen less often on the roads/fells/longer distances. I know how reluctant my dad was to let me beat him and it certainly kept him running faster. I'd encourage everyone to give it a go and see if you can beat the knee-high teenagers you'll come up against!
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Postby whiteflyer » Wed Jul 21, 2010 2:26 pm

I'm a photographer who covers the Young Athletes League and was at the Wavertree match this weekend. I would have said Macclesfield had a thriving track and field section looking at the number of athletes on show at this round.

Maybe you can't compete with the like of Sale or Blackpool Wyre and Fylde as these ate very long establish clubs with very lager catchment areas, but your certainly doing better than many other clubs ie Scunthorpe and District AC who has 6, yes that right 6 athletes available for the first round of YAL.

I would say to the volunteers and coaches to keep up the good work and keep plugging away.


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Re: Is track and field dead in Macclesfield?

Postby scott » Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:02 am

The problem why T&F is quiet is because nobody is informed about it. It is never advertised. I would be up for doing some Track races but I have to find out about it and I go to track! So for the people that don't train track will never find out as it is never advertised!
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Re: Is track and field dead in Macclesfield?

Postby Neil Gunn » Thu Aug 08, 2013 2:30 pm

Hi Scott

As part of the MH&AC committee (not directly linked with T&F) your comments are very interesting. The committee put a lot of time and effort into the club and the level of volunteer support and the limited number of competing members is often discussed (for T&F and for Road running).

You obviously have strong thoughts that something is missing regarding T&F and so would you be willing to speak with the T&F manager (Kevin Ranshaw) to help us understand what we could do to improve things.

If you PM (private message) me then I can provide contact details, or you could speak with Kevin at the track on a Tuesday or Thursday night.

Thanks

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