South West Schools Championships, Exeter – 18 June 2011
Ryan
Walbridge reports.
I was selected to run for Dorset at Exeter in the
South West Schools Championships. Other people from Wimborne that were
selected where Sharon Hutchings, Jack Snook, Saphron Taverner, Mack
Waker, Archie Watts and Hannah Winton.
We had to be at QE School at 7:45 to get the coach
for 8:00. The journey took roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes to get to
Exeter. We had to stop at Dorchester to pick up a few athletes. When we
got there the weather was overcast and cold. There was a wind but not
enough to affect your running.
Just before my 1500 race there were two heavy rain
showers. My race was at 12:50. There were 13 people in my event. On the
start of the gun we all sprinted, but we all had equal abilities so it
was a very close race. I got boxed in at the back for the first two laps
but then overtook four runners at the 400 metre mark, then managed to
overtake three runners at the 200 metre mark to get 6th place
in the end. It was a very fast race on a good track. My time was a PB
which was 4:31. (Ryan bettered this time the following day at
Harrow in the Young Athletes League with a
4:27.3 – a new club record.)
Ryan in the 1500m at Exeter in his green Dorset vest.
Archie Watts came 5th in the under-15s
100m final with a time of 11.91s. He had won his qualifying heat in
11.74s. He also long-jumped and recorded 5.06m which gave him 10th
place.
Mack Waker did the under-15s 80m hurdles coming in 4th
place in 12.50 in his qualify heat. In the final he again claimed 4th
place but with a PB of 12.05.
Sharon was 9th in a congested under-15s
800m race with a time of 2:29.90.
We had two under-17s in the pole vault – Saphron
Taverner for the women and Jack Snook for the men. Saphron came eighth
with a height of 2.45m, while Jack came second with a 3.70m vault.
Hannah jumped 4.94m and came fourth in the under-17s
long jump but injured her back in the process so was unable to
participate in the triple jump. Hannah does progress to the English
Schools Championships in Gateshead in the triple jump because she
reached entry standard earlier season – we wish her the very best of
luck.
