Elgin Amateur Athletics Club aims to create new facilities in Moray to help develop more national medal winners after impressive winter season
Not having a synthetic running track or indoor facilities hasn’t prevented a Moray athletics club from completing a superb winter season and making national podiums.
Elgin Amateur Athletics Club amassed an impressive array of medals at Scottish indoor championships, smashing countless personal bests and club records in the process.
Despite the vast majority of their winter training sessions being held in school halls, the club continues to produce first class talent, backed by a team of coaches bringing the very best out of its members.
Their ultimate dream is to one day establish a proper athletics facility in Moray, with fundraising and grant options constantly being explored.
Across the winter season, Elgin AAC competed at open graded events in Aberdeen and Glasgow, heading south by bus during the darkness hours to test their abilities against the best in the country.
Emerging young talents, as well as more experienced campaigners, impressed at the indoor relay championships, Scottish student and schools championships and the national indoor championships at Scotland’s top indoor athletics facility, the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.
Their performances not only gained a fine medals haul but many record-breaking displays, as well as the experience of competing at top-level athletics competitions.
Elgin AAC chair Dawn Cruickshank outlined her club’s “remarkable” efforts as a small club in comparison to larger outfits blessed with the luxury of first class facilities on their doorstep.
“Our winter training comprises of sessions in school halls with the occasional visit to the Morriston track when the weather allows,” she said.
“It leaves EAAC athletes at a disadvantage during the indoor competition season when they are competing against athletes from other clubs who have access to synthetic tracks all year round, with some clubs also having indoor training facilities.
“Our coaches work hard during these winter months in developing strength training in the athletes, and they are extremely resourceful in adapting normal objects into training implements.
“Our athletes commit to this training, and to be able to put in good competitive performances, coming away with personal bests, medals and club records is remarkable and indicative of all their hard work.”
It has been a long-term aim of the club to attract the considerable funding needed to give Moray a new athletics facility.
Through the Elgin club, Moray has for many years produced a conveyor belt of talented young athletes good enough to shine on the national track and field.
The performances of the current crop of athletes over the past few months - without a proper training arena - highlight what huge future gains the club could achieve with a better facilities to call upon.
“They make us all proud at the club,” Dawn added. “They are a superb team of youngsters who represent our club with exemplary behaviour and passion.
“As a club, we are actively working on fundraising and plans to see new athletic facilities for Elgin and the people of Moray to level that playing field and to give all local athletes a better chance on a national stage.”
The club outlined how well their developing talents performed against the best in the country at indoor meetings.
The winter season has seen EAAC members work hard on their training and attend competitions in Aberdeen and Glasgow, the only indoor events in Scotland during the indoor season.
Three open graded events at Aberdeen’s sports village allowed older athletes like Quentin Fowlie, Lexi Grant and Ava Cruickshank to prepare for national competition, while youngsters like under-11 Isla Harrison and under-13 Jonnie Harrison made a competitive debut. t
Both impressed in the long jump and shot put while Isla also took part in the 60m sprint.
Erin Rigg managed a new personal best over 60 metres both on the flat and over the hurdles. Fellow under-13 Olivia Hale managed her best yet in long jump, shot and 60m.
Also producing three new PBs was under-15 Erin Young, also in the long jump, shot and 60m.
A 4am departure on a Maynes bus took a large Elgin AAC contingent to the Emirates for another open graded event - the Glasgow venue hosted the last indoor world championships.
The group, led by coach Kelvin Hirst, refused to get intimidated by the big stage as they gained some PBs and excellent performances over a long day.
Back to the Emirates Arena in Glasgow in February, some of the EAAC girls made the trip down for the Indoor Relay Championships.
In the under-13s, Erin Rigg, Romina Rowe and Abigail Scott were only competing at the Emirates for the second time and Holly Lightfoot, tackling the arena for her very first competition, as the girls finished the 4x200m relay in 2:10.42 and set a club record.
The senior team of Ava Cruickshank, Lauren Abbott, Lexi Grant, and Tamsin Fowlie ran 1:47.42, just missing out on a place in the finals by 0.3 seconds but also setting a new club record.
Back at the Emirates, some of the club’s older athletes represented their universities at the Scottish Student Championships and three medals were achieved.
Tom Palmer was part of an Aberdeen University relay team who won bronze, and he won silver in the high jump with a PB of 1.70 metres and was fourth in the 60m hurdles.
Tamsin Fowlie, competing for Edinburgh university competed in the 60m and 400m making the finals of both and winning bronze in the 400m with a season’s best performance.
At the Scottish Schools Athletic Association Championships, Lossie High’s Andrew Lumsden won bronze in the long jump with a PB of 5.92 metres.
Competitors over the short running distances had to complete 1600m of sprints in just two days, with Elgin Academy’s Lauren Abbott just missing out on a medal in the 200m and 400m.
But there was joy for fellow Academy pupil Ava Cruickshank who competed in a new 4kg weight in the shot put and produced a new PB of 9.17m to claim the bronze medal, as well as earning a season’s best in the 60m sprint earlier.
Finally, the National Indoor Championships, also at the Emirates Arena, proved to be a big success with medals and personal bests gained.
In the under-13 girls, the long journey south certainly didn’t faze Erin Rigg as she smashed her PB in every event, winning bronze in the 60m hurdles and breaking the club record in the shot put.
Another PB and club record came for relative newcomer to the Glasgow arena, fellow U13 Charlotte Hirst who produced a blistering final lap in the 800 metres to finish in 2:51.15.
Under-15 boys’ talent Quentin Fowlie produced his best effort yet in the shot put to claim bronze (10.13m), while a PB in the 60m sprint earned a semi-final spot and a club record 27.68 seconds run in the 200m saw him impress in the heats.
A silver medal arrived for Tom Palmer in the under-20’s 60m hurdles with a run of 8.80 seconds, then he broke his own club record in the 400m in 53.55. Palmer also came back a week later to step up an age group and compete in the senior 60m hurdles, clocking 9.12 seconds.
Andrew Lumsden also moved up an age range and became a senior Scottish bronze medallist ion the triple jump with a leap of 12.34m, and was close to a PB with 5.69m in the long jump.
A sensational performance by Lauren Abbott in the under-20 women’s 400 metres saw her run a new PB of 57.51, then impress in the final to finish second and land a silver medal for her club.
A week later she returned to compete in the senior 400 metres and came second in her heat in 57.78, just missing out on a senior medal when she came an impressive fourth in the final.
Championships, 400m category. Finishing her heat second with a time of 57.78, she then finished an impressive 4th in the final.
Ava Cruickshank took on three events in the under-20 women. A throw of 8.23m in the shot helped her to eighth place in the final, and she went straight to the 60m sprint coming fourth in a tough heat in 8.52 seconds.
Just back from injury, Ava finished off with a run of 28.05 in another difficult heat of the 200 metres to finish fourth.
“As a club, our focus is now shifting to the outdoor season, when we get back to full training at Morriston and we are looking forward to watching and supporting our wonderful athletes compete this summer,” Dawn added.
