New junior athletics academy is launched in Yeovil (From Yeovil Express)

New junior athletics academy is launched in Yeovil

10:00am Friday 22nd May 2009

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A NEW Junior Athletics Academy for Yeovil aimed at encouraging young budding sports stars to reach their full potential has opened at Yeovil Athletics Arena.

Run in conjunction with South Somerset District Council and Yeovil Olympiads Athletics Club, the academy is offering places for 12 to 14-year-olds to train on Monday evenings with Community Athletics Coach, Stuart Richards and ultimately develop their skills to their very best levels.

Young athletes will be hoping to follow Sam Backwell and Donna Creighton, who used to attend the junior athletics sessions at Yeovil Athletics Arena and now join Olympic Silver medallist Shelley Rudman as members of the current World Class Development Squad for the British Bob Skeleton Team.

South Somerset District Council’s sport development and facility development teams and Yeovil Olympiads Athletics Club are now inviting more young sports enthusiasts to join the academy this summer.

Community athletics coach, Stuart Richards, said: “The academy is a new programme which we have developed to help with the transition of young athletes from junior athletics to the Yeovil Olympiads AC. "We recognise that it can be a daunting experience for young people to join a club where they may not know anyone. "We hope that the Academy will provide a smooth transition for young athletes into the club programme.”

Athletes will spend time in specialist groups focussing on the different disciplines of athletics.

The new academy sessions are part of a Junior Athletics programme at Yeovil Athletics Arena, which includes Monday night Junior sessions for eight to 11-year-olds and also Aviva star:track athletics camps, which run in the spring, summer and winter.

For further information on Junior Athletics, please click on the link in our "related articles" section on this page of our website or phone 01935-462617.

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