A Word about the Young Athletes.

Since we were unceremoniously turfed off our training track at Dean Street, Whitecrook in the early 1990's we have had problems retaining good young athletes. The problem was disguised to some extent by the fact that there were seven or eight good coaches who had their own athletes and recruited to their own squads. Scott Govan (HJ and Hurdles), David Gibson (Pole Vault), Bill Hislop (Sprints), Bobby Bell (Throws), Brian McAusland (Endurance) plus Hugh McArthur from Lochgilphead all worked superbly well for the club. We had teams in the Men's League (often in Division One of the five eight team divisions), the women's league (all ages from Under 13 to veteran) and the Young Athletes League. BUT the athletes came largely from Bearsden, Milngavie, Balfron, Killearn with about a fifth coming from Clydebank. The lack of a local training venue was disguised. Although we were seventh club of the 400+ in Scotland and VPAAC was fifteenth, we had a problem building up. It became clearer after Bobby Bell moved house, Scott Govan stopped coaching, David Gibson was promoted and Bill Hislop had health problems.
We still managed with guys like Alex Fisher (Boclair Academy), Richie Blair (Thomas Aquinas), Derrick Speirs (Cleveden) and Angus McInroy (Lomond School) and there was a good number of Clydebank athletes but as the demands for more training were imposed and the cost of all the additional travel to Kelvin Hall or Scotstoun was added up we lost more and more athletes. Retention became a real problem. We needed a local facility and we needed a range of coaches covering most events.

While we can do little about the facilities problem other than keep hassling the Council about the track at St Peter's, we can get the structure right. On the structure front the key figures are Donald McLeod for track and field and Phil Dolan for endurance running. Donald has experience, he is very good with the older athletes and is the top man. If he can give Donna Campbell more responsibility and get even one day a fortnight from her while she is sorting her career as a teacher out, she can be a real asset next summer as a long jump coach and in time as a recruiting agent. If Paul Doherty can be kept involved at any level through the winter as a hj coach he can be useful as an athlete as well as a coach next year.

There is word that Jolene Ennis might be available to help Phil - women are more necessary in endurance events than in any other because for psychological reasons as well as for physiological reasons. Jolene is also a level 2 coach, a former Scottish Schools and Scottish age group internationalist and club champion who has had experience of US College athletics. We also have many very promising young athletes. On the coaching front - if Phil and Donald can figure out ways of getting the younger coaches involved - things are bright.

At Committee level we really must, must, must get the Clubmark award sorted out. OK it might just be a bit of paper BUT - Victoria Park has it, Garscube Harriers has it, West Dunbarton has it and we don't despite us having the relevant papers passed to our Committee before any of these clubs. Scottish Athletics will, when asked to recommend a club, recommend clubs with the clubmark. Schools will know about the clubmark and while other clubs can say that they have it, Phil and Donald can't. Where do the schools send their athletes? The Committee needs to get a grip on this. It's not good enough to say that it will take as long as it takes.
For the young athletes I am optimistic. About recruitment we need a local facility and on a lower level we need the clubmark.