Games LEAD through sports

Sports festivals could be developed in local communities to promote involvement in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. Keen young athletes will lead the way to create this interest with support from the LEAD 2014 Campaign. The campaign is a youth leadership and volunteer mentoring programme aimed at university students and high school pupils across Scotland as part of the Games build-up.

Triathlete Grant Sheldon and swimmer Cameron Brodie – who are working towards competing in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games – were among the top young sports people who launched LEAD 2014 at Stirling University on Friday 3 February. The campaign will hone and develop leadership skills among the young generations. This could include LEAD 2014 protegees helping run sports events in their own communities. Organised by sportscotland, the Youth Sport Trust and Glasgow 2014, LEAD 2014 the main idea is to inspire a real interest in the Games and support for them so that volunteers will come forward at the right time and young people will be enthused to take part in sports.

Harriers gear up for the holidays

By Alex Mackay

While most people were enjoying their Christmas holidays Shettleston Harrier athletes tested their fitness over a variety of events.

Highlights at the Kelvin Hall Yuletide meeting included a 3m 47cm clearance for Ian Paget in the pole vault and an easy victory for Nicola Mackay in the shot with 8m 77cm. In the endurance events, Euan Penrice recorded 2.26.33 over 800m and his older sister Laura recorded 11.18.21 for 3000m.Veteren athlete Denis Williams, running indoors for the first time, ran 10.07.94 in the 3000m. The sprinters and jumpers were also busy, with John Ruddy running a swift 7.45secs over 60m and Ava McLean recording 9.66. The Glasgow School of Sport jumpers also posted some impressive distances in the long jump through Mahad Ahmed (5.73), Joseph Amonzo ( 5.55) and Ingles Lumfuankenda (5.16).

Daniel Bradford, running the Ribble Valley 10km on Boxing Day, recorded a new personal best of 31.40 to follow up his run of 17th in the North Eastern Counties Championships a few weeks ago.

Matthew Gillespie and Lachlan Oates have been rewarded for their good form with selection for Scotland at the Celtic International Event in Edinburgh next week. An Inter-area event is also included and a number of Shettleston athletes have been selected for the West District or for the Scottish Universities team. Unfortunately a number of senior men had to turn down selection, including Matt Sullivan,Tewolde Mengisteab, Jethro Lennox and Tom Owens, but those who are running include:

Senior Ladies – Lindsay MacNeill and Shona Robertson

Senior Men – Paul Sorrie

Under 17 Ladies – Stella Winters and Laura Penrice

Under 15 Girls – Myrtle Breckenridge

Under 15 Boys – Ryan Flannagan

Universities – Michael Gillespie and Adam Peters

 

Double Gold for Lindsay of Shettleston Harriers

by Alex Mackay

At the end of the year, Lindsay MacNeill of Shettleston Harriers, claimed the West District Senior Women’s title with an aggressive run over a muddy Irvine course.

Returning to the form which saw Lindsay being a regular member of the international team, she tracked the other athletes during the first lap before pushing clear over the last half mile. It was a great day for the ladies with Shona Robertson taking the Masters title in the over 40, when finishing 9th overall and with Avril Mason closing in the team in 18th position Shettleston took the team title for the first time in the club history.

Avril did a great job getting out a strong team with Carole Setchell (23rd)

and new member Neah Evans ( 24th ) supported by Susan Breckenridge

(69th) and Joanne Harkins (89th ).

The ladies were delighted with their success and it set up the men to defend their district title.  Trying to claim the title for the 5th year in a row did not get off to a great start. Thomas Fay suffered a pulled hamstring in the first 100m and Tewelde Mengisteab also failed to finish because of a back problem. It looked as if the Club was in trouble.

Strength in depth is the key to success in team competitions and with 17 athletes starting for the club and strong competition to make the team we were never in danger.

Inverclyde athletes broke clear to fill the first three positions but then Shettleston athletes closed in.

Junior star Lachlan Oates returned to great form finishing first in the under 20 athlete then finishing 4th in the Senior race and leading his team to victory.

Medical student Michael Gillespie,  just off night duty, finished 5th and with Scottish Hill Running Champion Jethro Lennox coming in 9th,  it made a good base for the team.

Later, Mike Deason was competing in a 28 mile race so the 6 miles of Irvine must have been light relief for him when finishing the course in 11th position. Matt Sullivan returned to cross country for the first time this season after helping the club dominate the Hill Running scene in Scotland during the summer and took 5th position for the team.

New boy Adam Peters had a big smile on his face claiming his first ever district medal and closing the team in to win from Cambuslang and Inverclyde. Since 1991 the club has taken the title 8 times placing second 11 times and third once. Congratulations to all who have made this possible.

The under 20 athletes,  Gary Turner and Gary McBride, combined well with Lachlan to take silver in the team competition. This was repeated by the under 17 girls with Stella Winters in third position just beating club mate Laura Penrice who finished 4th.

The team was closed in by Victoria McGloin in 21st position. The first race of the day at Irvine was the Under 13 Girls in which Shettleston had four finishers. The team finished 8th with Natasha Mackay 32nd, Claire Mason 49th, Emma Arbuckle 57th and Georgia McDonald 64th. In the under 15 Girls, Myrtle Breckenridge finished 13th with Amy Harkins 21st.

Ryan Flanagan finished a credible 12th in the under 15 Boys race with Daniel Tolland coming in 24th.

The Glasgow Athletics Association is now on Facebook and Twitter!

click “like” on their Facebook to stay up to date on all GAA activity – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glasgow-Athletics-Association/131911086885981?ref=tn_tnmn

Follow them on Twitter -https://twitter.com/#/glasgowath or see the GAA website: www.glasgowathletics.org.uk/

Ciaran wins Christmas event

by Alex Mackay

Ciaran Duncanson held off the fast finishing Cameron Casey, Natasha Mackay and Claire Mason to win the 2011 Christmas Handicap at the East End Healthy Living Centre (EEHLC) on Tuesday 20 December. Only 8 seconds separated the first 5 runners. Ciaran set off quickly to chase the scratch runner Eilidh Gunn, pulling away from the rest of the field to hold off Cameron Casey by 3 seconds at the finish. Ciaran collected the boys’ trophy with Cameron 2nd and Paul Simpson getting the bronze medal. The girls’ event was a close run race with Natasha Mackay beating Claire Mason by 3 seconds with Claire holding off Heather Waddell for silver medal by 1 second. Amy Harkins was the fastest girl on the night when she ran 6.11 for the course. Daniel Tolland was the fastest boy running 5.31, exactly 1 minute faster than his 2010 time. For photos of the medal winners in the club’s photo gallery and detailed results see the website: www.shettlestonharriers.org.uk

Well done to all the athletes who turned out. The club would like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and all the best for 2012. Training will resume on Tuesday 10th January 2012 at the EEHLC.

Matthew shines in European Cross Country

by Alex Mackay

Shettleston Harriers athlete Matthew Gillespie helped Great Britain have an unparallelled success at the European Cross Country champions in Velenje, Slovenia earlier this month.

Finishing 41st in a high quality field,  he helped his great Britain team claim silver in

the under 23 event.

It was a great day for Britain claiming team medals in all six team contest.

A law student, Matthew travelled to Brussels the following weekend to compete with the cream of Europe again in the IAAF event. He was accompanied by West District under 20 Cross Country champion Lachlan Oates and his brother Michael.  Scottish 5000m champion Tewelde Mengisteab from the club had to withdraw because of a back injury. Ladies West District champion Lyndsey MacNeill was with them as part of the team management.

Aged 19, Lachlan confirmed his recent good form when he was placed 2nd in the Junior Lotto Cross Cup in Brussels. It was a 1, 2, 3  for UK runners with Lachlan just behind 9th-placed European Cross Country competitor Kieran Clements of England.  This is the second time Lachlan has been supported by Glasgow Athletic Association to compete in Belgium. Just 17 the last time, the experience put him in a good zone to improve his performance this time.

The Senior race is one of the top IAAF events on the Cross Country circuit and assembled a world class field. Three Shettleston athletes had been selected but Tewelde Mengisteab had to withdraw with a back injury which has already forced him to drop out of the recent West District Cross Country Championships. Silver UK Team member at the recent European Cross Championships, Matthew Gillespie and his brother Michael toed the line for the race over 10.5km. World star Isiah Koech of Kenya destroyed a high quality field to win.

By all accounts, Matthew tried to match the African runners at the front but faded towards the end to finish an excellent 33rd in the world class field. Working his way through the field, Michael finished a fine 35th. The club would like to thank Brian Donaldson and Lindsay MacNeill for looking after our athletes in Belgium. The opportunity given to the athletes by the Glasgow Athletic Association can only help their development and the club is very grateful for this support.

Post Christmas workout

Glasgow Athletics Association “Christmas Gathering” for junior endurance runners aged 13 -18. will take place on Friday 30 December 2011 at 9am meeting in Scotstoun Stadium. The distance to run will be between 5 and 8 miles. This is a great chance to meet up with other junior endurance athletes for a pack run (groups based on ability) along the Forth and Clyde Canal paths, followed by two athlete education sessions back at Scotstoun Stadium. Shower facilities available. Athletes interested should email: gordon.phillips@glasgowlife.org.uk to check what spaces are available.

Fast fingers catch the athletes

The Glasgow Athletics Association is now on Facebook and Twitter!

Click “like” on their Facebook to stay up to date on all GAA activity – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glasgow-Athletics-Association/131911086885981?ref=tn_tnmn

Follow them on Twitter -https://twitter.com/#/glasgowath or see the GAA website: www.glasgowathletics.org.uk/

Last chance to nominate Olympic flame heroes

There is still a chance to be one of the people to carry the Olympic Flame on its 8000 mile journey across the UK next year.

At Braehead Shopping Centre today (Thursday 26 September) Samsung will have the London 2012 Olympic Torch on display to encourage people to nominate someone they feel has gone ‘the extra mile’ and is worthy of carrying the Olympic Flame on a part of its epic journey to the Olympic Stadium in London.

The Torch relay will take 70 days to cover the UK and will pass through Glasgow.

One person who has been nominated already is 28-year-old Jonathan Mackie from Glasgow. He holds six Gold and a Silver medal from the World Special Olympic Summer Games.  Said his Mum Anne, ‘Despite the challenges Jonathan faces because he suffers from microcephaly, he has never let this get in the way of his dreams. He is a dedicated gymnast training four times a week and coaches young children in the sport.’

Jonathan has just returned from Athens with his latest medals. He also went to Delhi with the City of Glasgow to bring home the Commonwealth flag for the Commonwealth Games in 2014. He said: ‘The Olympic Games in London next year will be a huge event and hopefully, will inspire more young people into sport like gymnastics – which have been such a great focus for me all my life. To be part of those Games and to say I was there, would be the icing on the cake.’

Others who feel like this about the Olympic Games next year should get to Braehead fast as nominations must close on Friday this week – 30 September. Or nominate your local unsung hero by visiting the website: samsung.com/london2012 Alternatively, this can be done in local Vodafone stores where the Samsung Olympic Torch Relay nominations zones are available.

Commonwealth flag passed over and on course

As the Commonwealth Games flag was passed over this week to Glasgow’s Lord Provost Bob Winter, in Delhi – making Glasgow the official host city for the Games in 2014 – it sparked wild celebrations in Glasgow.

The countdown to the opening ceremony at Celtic Park in July 2014 has begun! The closing ceremony in Delhi heralded the end of the 2010 games and Glasgow came to life as it looked towards 2014.
In a display of dance in George Square, the pupils of Blackfriars and Oakgrove Primary Schools were among those who gave a stunning performance at lunchtime to kick off the festivities.
The closing ceremony in India was beamed live to the Fruitmarket, where Councillor Archie Graham, deputy leader of Glasgow City Council, summed up the excited anticipation in front of 700 local people. ‘It hardly seems like three years since we were awarded the Games. This is an invitation for the world to visit us, our world class facilities will be showcased to a global audience. We look forward to our time in the spotlight.’
In Glasgow, Robbie Rennick was on hand with his 200m freestyle swimming gold medal at the lighting of a ceremonial lamp – a Hindu symbol for a new beginning.
Scottish Clan Wallace drummers with Kay Affleck gave a vibrant performance as the fusion of Scottish and Indian music heralded the dawn of the run-up to the Glasgow Games.

A spokesperson for the games said: ‘All is on time and on budget at this stage. Many of our venues are already built and in use including the Opening Ceremony which will be held at Celtic Park, very close to the National Indoor Sports Arena & Velodrome and the Athletes’ Village. The closing ceremony will take place at the National Stadium, Hampden Park.’

City FC show 6 appeal in Hibs defeat

by Laura Montgomery photos; Lorraine Hill

It was business as usual on Sunday 24 October at Glasgow Green, in the Scottish Women’s Premier League, when Glasgow City crushed Hibernian 6-0, to move 3 points clear at the top of the table with just 2 weeks of the season remaining.
Within the first minute of the match the home team scored,  Katharina Lindner smashing a goal home at the back post.
 20 minutes later  Sue Lappin sent a header across the face of the goal and Lindner was first to react in the crowded box, sweeping in her and City’s 2nd.
The second half was more of the same from City who increased their lead on 51 minutes. This time it was Ruesha Littlejohn’s goal, meeting Emma Fernon’s cross with a fantastic glancing header across into the bottom corner of the net.
8 minutes later and Littlejohn doubled her tally with an unstoppable shot from the edge of the box following samba-esque trickery from.
The fifth goal came from Rachel Corsie who had remained up the park following a corner and when a ball found Sue Lappin in the box she squared for the centre back to slot home with ease.
With 6 minutes left, the scoring was complete, after Emma McCulley upended Ruesha Littlejohn in the box. Up stepped Leanne Ross to fire home the resultant penalty for her 52nd goal of this campaign and round off a great day for the home team.
Manager Peter Caulfield was full of praise for the team after the game and said:“ We were quick to move the ball and set a very high tempo for the match right from kick off. There was a real incisiveness about our play today and we saw the real quality of Glasgow City in this match.”

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