A couple of months ago, Colin asked if I’d take over the Heart of England team. I looked him in the eye, smiled politely, and thought:
“These are some very big shoes to fill… but hey, why not jump straight in and see what happens?”
Fast-forward to comp season: fixture clashes everywhere, athletes flying off to senior events, U15s and U17s disappearing to represent West Midlands Schools at the Mason Trophy, others vanishing for exams (how dare they prioritise education?), and the final meeting landing right in the middle of holiday season. Perfect timing!
Was I panicking?
Absolutely not (okay, maybe a little). But I looked at our talent pool, counted heads, and realised: we’re still in great shape.
We filled every event. Everyone held their own. And some stars even stepped up an age group to compete in the age above, special shout-outs to Gabriella Blake and Amerai White, total legends. Also Matty Morris, Robert Lee, and Alba Smith-Penna, two lads and one superstar who managed to compete in both the Senior and First Heart of England matches and revise for GCSEs… all in the same weekend.
That’s not commitment, that’s borderline witchcraft.
Parents: If any of them flunk an exam, I was never here. And it was all Nigel’s fault. (Just kidding 😅)
But honestly, if they bring half the energy to their studies that they bring to athletics, they’ll all pass with flying colours.
So, how many athletes?
Across the fixtures I managed around 108 athletes (yes, really!) per match, from U11 to U17/20: boys, girls, sprinters, throwers, jumpers, you name it. Managing that many kids? Piece of cake.
Okay, more like juggling cakes… in the rain… blindfolded.
Then came the meetings… and guess what?
WE WON.
Every. Single. One.
No home matches, two long-distance venues, and still, we came out on top. If that’s not superhero-level organising and effort from the whole club, I don’t know what is.
💥 HUGE THANKS 💥
To the parents, you beautiful taxi-driving, cheer-screaming, snack-packing heroes. None of this would’ve happened without you.
Massive thanks to Rebecca Jones, too, our number-distributor, chaos-controller, and general calm-in-the-storm.
🧢 OFFICIALS—THE UNSUNG LEGENDS
To all the new and old faces out there officiating, we see you. Events like this only happen because of people like you.
Want to join the cool gang next season?
Enjoy an Aldi special meal deal lunch courtesy of the host club and a stylish BRAT T-shirt.
Just have a word with Colin Bailey – he’s basically the officiating Yoda (after Gordon, of course)..
🏆 NOW FOR THE BEST BIT… WE ARE CHAMPIONS (AGAIN!)
We didn’t just win, we dominated.
- Won overall by 300+ points
- Girls U13/15/17 combo smashed it by 100 points
- Boys U13/15/17 combo by 200 points
- U11 Boys won their mini-league by 9 points. Small but mighty!
🥇 BEST PERFORMANCES (A.K.A THE WOW FACTOR)
Across all 3 matches, these legends delivered the top performances in their events, beating athletes from every club in the league. Absolute stars! They are:
- High Jump – Jaya Bathgate – 1.41m
- Long Jump – Jaya Bathgate – 4.27m
- 75m Hurdles – Alisia Thomas – 11.8s
- Long Jump – Alisia Thomas – 4.90m
- 100m – Araya Williams – 12.0s
- 200m – Araya Williams – 25.2s
- High Jump – William Tse – 1.55m
- 75m Hurdles – William Tse – 12.4s
- Discus – Adrian Demanya – 21.53m
- 300m – Muayyad Mohamed – 38.4s
- High Jump – Sam Morris – 1.80m
- 100m Hurdles – Robert Lee – 14.1s
- U15 Girls Relay (Match 1) – 50.7s
Medals will be handed out soon, just waiting for the medals to arrive via carrier pigeon. Stay tuned!
🚨 CLUB RECORDS BROKEN OR EQUALLED
- High Jump – Austin Demanya – 1.70m
- High Jump – Jaya Bathgate – 1.41m
- U15 Girls Relay (Match 1) – 50.7s
- 75m Hurdles – William Tse – 12.4s
- 1500m – Nya Williams – 5:06.6
Records falling left, right, and centre, what a season!
🏁 AND THAT’S A WRAP
That’s it from me for this year! Massive well done to every athlete, parent, coach, and volunteer. You lot make it fun, frantic, and 100% worth it.
I know I can’t select everyone, but keep training, stay committed, and who knows, next year itcould be you wearing the medal or breaking the record.
Oh, and keep your eyes peeled, there are some sneaky plans happening behind the scenes to get even more of you involved next season (because apparently I enjoy chaos).
Now go on, enjoy your holidays, and don’t forget to sign up for our Open Meeting on September 7th.
See you there, with your spikes on and your game face ready! 😎
Your very proud (and slightly exhausted) Team Manager
Chris McDaid
