Dean Lewis collecting the Club Runner-Up award presented by Becky Lyne
| News : Winter 2007 |
KINGSTON ARE SECOND BEST CLUB IN YORKSHIRE
Yorkshire & Humberside Regional Awards
By Jon Mattos
KINGSTON Upon Hull Athletic Club have come second in the Yorkshire Track & Field Club of the Year awards.
A big reason for their runner-up gong was the new look open meeting they put on in April to try and refresh how athletics competition was viewed. The event at Costello Stadium had over 700 athletes competing, including many household names and the meeting also attracted the support of BBC commentator Paul Dickenson. Furthermore, on the track the club's teams won Northern League promotion for the second year running and won the Northern Knockout Cup Plate final in Blackpool
Off the track Kingston revalidated their clubmark accreditation and have been instrumental in the formation of a development group in the Hull & East Riding Area, supporting a range of activity including Startrack schemes and a Spar Sprints Challenge for local schools.
Elsewhere at the awards, Kingston 800m star Rob Hodges was hailed for his great work in putting together the club’s new-look website after scooping the young volunteer of the year in Yorkshire, while club coach Dave Smith won the podium coach of the year. Hammer coach Smith is currently working with several of the regions best throwers and saw three of his athletes represent Great Britain this year.
Club stalwart Mike James was also rewarded for his tireless efforts after being named the track and field official of the year. A Kingston spokesman said: "Mike has dedicated his life to athletics. Not only is he an excellent official but someone who is committed to supporting and building his club in any way he can"
Mike James receiving Official of the year from Abdirisak Ahmed
Hodges, who received his gong from local 400m runner and Great Britain international Richard Buck at the awards ceremony, was also in action for the club on the weekend at the National Senior Road Relay Championships in Birmingham. After James Johnson again posted the fastest time of any Kingston athlete on the day of 18min 05sec for the opening leg, Loughborough student Hodges passed to his next team-mate in 41st. Good runs from Tom McKee, Dave Ricketts, Jack Cutsforth and Andy Lyons followed as the team came home a fine 37th spot in only their fifth time competing at the national event.
Results from Sutton Park:-
37 Kingston Upon Hull AC 1:55:05 (James Johnson 18:05, Rob Hodges 18:51, Tom McKee 19:45, David Ricketts 19:49, Jack Cutsforth 19:14, Andy Lyons 19:21)
Rob Hodges receiving Young Volunteer of the Year from Richard Buck
KINGSTON TRIO DOMINATE RANKINGS
By Jon Mattos
EAST Yorkshire has always had a fine pedigree of producing top throwers and the conveyor belt does not look like stopping any time soon with the emergence of three young stars in our region.
Many will know of the hammer achievements of Dave Smith for Great Britain and more recently of his two sons Alex and Pete in junior British vests.
But it is with the shot putt and discus that teenagers Nathan Barr, Alec Russell and Anthony Norfolk have made a name for themselves over the past year.
The trio, who all compete for Kingston upon Hull Athletic Club, ended 2007 in the top three for both the shot and discus in the Yorkshire under-13 rankings.
Barr was the star in the shot as he topped the list with a best of 9.74m, closely followed by Russell (9.57m) and Norfolk (8.93m).
In the discus Russell leapt to the top of the rankings with a best of 26.29m in September, with Norfolk (23.03m) second and Barr third (22.48m).
Twelve-year-old Russell, who travels from Barton to train under the tuition of coach Dave Bennett, said: "I was surprised when I saw the rankings.
"The discus was most surprising because it was my first competition at that event and I did not know what to expect so the outcome was great.
"It's good for the reputation of the club to have the three of us in the top three in both."
The trio will now move up to under-15 level where they will have to adapt to using heavier and bigger implements, with the shot going up to 4kg and the discus to 1.25kg.
However, 13-year-old Barr sees no reason why they cannot dominate again next season.
He said: "I'm happy to be at the top as it was not something I was aiming for, it just happened.
"But if we keep training hard we can all definitely stay in the top three even though we are going up an age group."
For Norfolk the outcome of his season was extra special, after he had battled a bad shoulder and played second fiddle to training partners Barr and Russell in most competitions.
The 12-year-old from East Hull, who is the younger brother of Great Britain 400m junior international Phil Norfolk, said: "I've been bottom of our group since I started so it's been hard climbing the rankings.
"In the middle of the season I was doing quite poorly so it's been good to finish on a high.
"I like shot and discus the same and now it's just my javelin that I want to work on."
Norfolk's progress was remarkable as he improved his shot distance by 2.28m in the space of a year, while Barr had only been throwing in the low seven-metre range throughout 2006 before finishing this year 40th in the overall UK rankings.
Russell also improved his shot by over two metres and his only discus event of the season at the Kingston Open saw him move to 21st in the UK rankings.
The multi-talented starlet was not content with that though and also ended 2007 as the fifth best long jumper in Yorkshire with a best of 4.68m, sixth in the javelin (25.70m) and 14th in the 75m hurdles (14.6sec).
"I train for everything as you might as well keep your options open while you're young" added Russell. "I will decide which one to do when I'm older."