General information
The club has been monitoring both the Government and England Athletics guidance and feels that it is now in a position to offer training sessions with the appropriate social distancing and risk assessments in place. Athletes, parents of athletes and runners must however recognise that there is a significant degree of individual responsibility to conduct themselves in a safe way and follow any specific instructions given by the coach or run leader. Coaches and Run Leaders will have at their disposal a first aid kit and carry a face covering and disposable gloves in the event of having to administer first aid.
For ALL sessions there will be a requirement to pre-register. Groups will have a 1 coach to 5 athletes ratio and allocation will be on a first come first served basis.
Athletes, parents of athletes and road runners must understand that booking onto a session run by the club is done so with the knowledge and acceptance that although the usual EA and WAC insurance is in place, no liability attracts to the club in respect of Covid 19 loss. Paul Hine has offered his services as Covid 19 Coordinator and can be contacted for further clarification (hinepad@me.com).
Track & Field
We have contacted and are keeping in touch with QELC regarding the use of the track and associated external facilities. We have not yet been given the go ahead to return but have informed them that we would like to maintain our previous time slots when resumption is cleared. We await the green light from Blandford Camp also.
In the meantime we have entered into negotiations with Canford school with a view to utilising their track and other facilities. As these facilities will have to be paid for we will require a £2 session fee from attending athletes with the exact money payable to the coach at each session. A risk assessment has been carried out and your attention is drawn to the fact that unfortunately there are no toilets on site or provision for refreshments. When approaching the school from Magna road, access is gained by turning RIGHT into the school before you get to the main arched entrance which is chained and out of use. Follow the school road round to the left behind the pavilion and proceed to the Leisure Centre car park. There is a straight path through to the grass track. Parents are welcome to stay for the session provided they recognise the appropriate social distancing restrictions, stay within the confines of our designated training area and do not bring dogs.
A separate email will be sent out stating what sessions are being offered, when and by whom. It will also provide information on how to book onto the session. Athletes must appreciate that while the club values it’s role in encouraging social interaction amongst its members, the training session needs to be focused.
Endurance (Ian’s group)
The endurance section has been operational for a couple of weeks with sessions at Canford Park SANG and Blandford Stour Meadows. Risk assessments for these venues were done and athletes and parents are aware of session and venue restrictions. Again, pre-booking is essential. Attendance has been good. To date, no session fees have been charged. Ian is considering Canford School as another venue for Tuesday evening. Session information will be communicated via Ian’s normal channels.
Road Running
The first WAC sessions took place form Pamphill on Thursday 25th June and are planned to continue on a weekly basis. A risk assessment has been done and we have sufficient Run Leaders to stagger timings and/or routes for groups of 6. In the short term these sessions will take the form of general runs. Pre-booking is required on a shared spreadsheet with details available through the weekly Road Runners newsletter. Tuesday was discussed as a possibility for a 2nd weekly session dependant upon Run Leader availability and Runner demand.
For further information please refer to the England Athletics website: https://www.englandathletics.org/athletics-and-running/news/guidance-update-step-2/
Glyn Davies
Club Secretary
27th June 2020
