News

Small group training in the parks has become the new normal for many athletes from Stevenage and North Herts Athletic Club.

The Club Coaches can now take five athletes at a time and have set up sessions across parks in Stevenage, Hitchin, Letchworth and Shefford. The sprints squad have been active on Windmill Hill in Hitchin, making use of the slope to provide tough sessions. The endurance group are working in Ridlins Park along with the long jump and triple squad. Combined events and pole vault squads are active in Shefford. Pole vault drills are entertaining the dog walkers where all aspects of the vault apart from the jump can be practised. By using a home-made box even the plant and take-off can be replicated! The younger athletes are moving from Zoom sessions to the park with their coaches this week. With guidelines only allowing 5 athletes at a time, several coaches are still providing Zoom circuit sessions. These have proved highly amusing, with some athletes using bags of flour for weights, with coaches attempting to demonstrate a wide variety of activities.

It is hoped that the track in Stevenage will open early August, but training will initially be by invitation as only 25 athletes and 5 coaches will be able to take part in each session!

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We are still waiting to be told by the council when they will be undertaking the work necessary to reopen the track. We will be in touch with members when we hear any news and publish details on the website when we have any further information.

The council have updated us on the plans to reopen the track and this will not happen for at least 4 weeks. We are working hard behind the scenes to ensure that training can return in a safe way for all. There will be updates on this page and the website when we have further details. Thank you to those who returned the survey, we will be in touch when we have an opening date.

The Club’s committee are currently working with Stevenage Borough Council to restart training in small groups as soon as possible. All members have been sent a link to a survey so we can find out who wishes to return to training. To be included in plans for the resumption of training members must complete the survey by Wednesday 24th June.

The training landscape will be very different and all athletes and coaches will be expected to follow self distancing guidelines and safety protocols. Once athletes or parents have completed the survey, the stadium recommissioned, maintenance carried out and risk assessments completed coaches will be inviting groups of 5 athletes at a time to sessions on set dates. Only those athletes invited will be able to train at that session and payment must be made in advance via BACS.

There will be staggered start times and no more than 30 individuals will be on the track at any time. Athletes must be collected promptly and there maybe no access to the pavilion or stand.

There are areas of the track that will not be in use when we return – specifically high jump and pole vault beds. All throwing equipment will need cleaning after use each session.

It will take a few weeks for SBC to carry out general maintenance the track so we don’t envisage the restart to be before mid July.