Welsh Triathlon Academy Day
26th April 2008

Saturday saw Wales' best young triathlon talent emerge at Swansea National Pool for another Welsh Academy Training day. All athletes were put through a rigorous training schedule covering many aspects of triathlon including turbo session, track intervals, triathlon specific swimming and tranistion. The academy days have been very successful with the number of athletes participating has gradually increased. Well done to all athletes who attended and all parents and coaches who have given support to both athletes and the training days. There will be a break academy days over the next few months due to the racing season but hopefully be running again by September.

The first of the Grand Prix race took place at the University of Wales, Newport ISCA Duathlon on the 20th April. In the male race there was a very strong field of athletes with Phillip Matthews first into tranistion after the first run leg, closely followed by Rhys Jones and Matthew Newman. On the bike leg Richard Wilder recorded the fastest bike split, moving the field of athletes but was unable to catch Rhys Jones who had now moved to the front of the pack followed by Richard Wilder, second and Matthew Newman, third. The race was going to be decided on the final run leg and with Rhys Jones recording the second fastest split time on the first run leg. It was expected that he would come home first as he did. Richard Wilder held on for second and Matthew Newman came home in third.

The female race was also closely contested with the first three females entering tranistion at virtually the same time, led by Katherine Broomhall, then Angela Jones and Debbie Cook. However, Katherine's strength on the bike began to show as she pulled away from Angela and Debbie. In the final run leg Angela Jones tried hard to close the gap but was unable to catch Katherine Broomhall who finished first, followed by Angela Jones, second and Debbie Cooke, third.

2008 GP Series Results Race 1

The British Elite Duathlon Championships were held in horrendous conditions on Saturday 19th April at Bryn Bach Parc, Tredegar.
This event also incorporated the 2008 Home Nations Duathlon Championships.

The Welsh team consisted of:-

Alex Lewis (Senior male)
Rhian Roxburgh (Senior Female)
Luke Watson (Junior Male)
Mannon Williams (Junior Female)

Unfortunately, Scotland and Ireland had difficulty getting a team together, which just left Wales and England to battle it out for the Home Nations title. It was very close between the both teams, but England had the slight edge.

In the senior male race Alex found the going tough, in his first race after returning from injury and pulled out midway through the bike section.

In the Senior Female race Rhian was slightly off the pace in the first run, but absolutely blitzed the bike leg which elevated her into the Silver medal position. During the final 5k run Rhian held her form to secure a thoroughly deserved silver medal.

In the male junior race Luke showed good form, with a solid bike leg and impressive second run leg to finish sixth in the British Junior Duathlon race.

In the female junior race Manon Williams competed well, showed great determination and appeared to thoroughly enjoy with a constant smile on her face.

Congratulations to all the athletes who participated in very challenging conditions.

 

The Elite British, Junior and Youth Duathlon Championships took place on Saturday 19th April in apalling conditions at Bryn Bach Parc, Tredegar. This event also incoorporated the Welsh Junior and Youth Duathlon Championships. In the male youth category there was a strong Welsh presence with Liam Lloyd who took the lead on the bike leg and held onto the lead with a strong second run to take the Welsh title. An excellent achievement from an athlete who is still in Tristar 3. He was closely follwed by Jake Watson in second and Alex Matchett third. In the female youth race a strong bike leg from cycling specialist Ruby Miller gave her enough of a lead to take first place from a chasing Elinor Thorogood. Both females finished 3rd and 4th in the British Duathlon race

In the male junior race Luke Watson showed good form with a solid bike leg and impressive second run leg to take the Welsh Junior Duathlon title and finish high up the rankings in the British Duathlon race. Manon Williams also had solid race to win the Welsh female Duathlon Championships. Well done to all the atheletes who participated in some very tough conditions.

Results
Welsh Youth Duathlon Championships
1st Male - Liam Lloyd 2nd Male - Jake Watson 3rd Male - Alex Matchett	1st Female - Ruby Miller 2nd Female - Elinor Thorogood
Welsh Junior Duathlon Championships
1st Male - Luke Watson	1st Female - Manon Williams

• The Welsh Youth Triathlon Championships will take place at the Llanelli Sprint Triathlon on 18th May 2008. An entry form can be download below.

Llanelli Sprint Triathlon entry form

• The Tristar 2 and Tristar 3 Welsh Triathlon Championships will take place at the Cardiff Junior Triathlon race on 31st May 2008 at Maindy Leisure Centre. An entry form can be download below.

  Cardiff Junior Triathlon entry form

The Team will consist of male and female Tristars 2, 3 athletes and Youth Triathletes.

There will be two male and two female in the Tristar Categories and three male and three females in the Youth Category.

Tristars

1. The winner of the Welsh Trisatr Triathlon Championships (IRC selection race) Cardiff Junior Triathlon, 31st May 2008 will gain selection.

2. The second placed athlete will be selected by a Welsh Triathlon selection committee. Please note, only under exceptional circumstances will the second placed athlete not gain selection.

Youth

1. The winner of the Welsh Triathlon Championships (IRC selection race) Llanelli Sprint Triathlon 18th May 2008 will gain selection.

2. The 1st Welsh Youth Triathlete at the Cardiff Junior Triathlon, 31st May 2008 will gain selection.

3. The 1st Welsh Youth Triathlete at the Eton Super Sprint, 19th July 2008 will gain selection.

Should one athlete gain selection more than once then a Welsh Triathlon selection committee will decide the remaining places.

ALL Athletes must fulfill the following prerequisites to gain selection for the National Inter Regional Championships team

Athletes must be members of the Welsh triathlon on the day of the selection race and eligible to race for Wales.

There has been an amendment to the Welsh Junior Duathlon Championships. Both Youth and Junior races will now take place at Bryn Bach Parc, Tredegar on the 19th April 2008 in the National Duathlon Championships. Any athletes wanting to race must have a valid WT membership card.

Entry Form

Welsh Triathlon had their AGM today in the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Sarah Springman OBE, the President of the British Triathlon Federation, was unable to attend but sent an address to Dean Hardie, the Chairman of Welsh Triathlon – click here to view.

Chairman’s report – click here to view.

Rick Velati’s performance report – click here to view.

Gareth Hall’s development report – click here to view.

Tony Goddard presented his treasurers report. Members of Welsh Triathlon can contact the secretary for a copy.

There were no resolutions put forward.

Terry Jones was elected as Vice-Chairman.

Bridget Heath was re-elected as Secretary.

Andy Bartlett and Richard Jones were elected as Executive Officers.

Click here to view the AGM minutes.

The next AGM will be Saturday 21st February 2009.

The Annual General Meeting of Welsh Triathlon will be held at 10am on Saturday, 23rd February 2007 in the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Click here to access the agenda.
Nominations received are as follows:-

The Treasurer will be presenting his report at the meeting and copies of the accounts will be available to all present. If any Welsh Triathlon member wishes to have the Treasurer’s report before the meeting please email our Secretary for a copy.

Saturday 26th January saw the launch of the Welsh Triathlon Academy based at Swansea National Pool. Twenty six athletes attended the day ranging from T2 to Junior categories. There were also a number of coaches who were able to benefit from the expertise and knowledge available from Rick Velati and Richard Jones. The next scheduled academy day is on Sunday February 17th at the Welsh National Pool in Swansea. For anyone wishing to attend the day or requires further information please contact Welsh Triathlon.

Welsh Triathlon requests that any resolutions to the AGM be submitted to the secretary, Bridget Heath, by the end of January 2008. Any resolutions need to be proposed and seconded by two Members of the Association.

The Annual General Meeting of Welsh Triathlon will be held at 10am on Saturday, 23rd February 2008 in the Welsh Institute of Sport, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

The posts of Vice-Chairman, Secretary and 3 Executive Officers will be up for election. Nominations for these posts need to be sent to the secretary, Bridget Heath, by the end of January 2008. A nomination form needs to be completed by the proposer and seconder on the form using the link below. The nominee will need to write a short report of no more than 200 words detailing why he/she would be suitable for the post they have been nominated for. At the beginning of February a list of nominees with their resumes will be published on the website together with the agenda for the meeting.

Nomination form

e-mail to Secretary

Note: Save nomination form to your computer, complete it and then to attach it to the email.

Wondering what to buy that triathlete in your life for Christmas? Well, British Triathlon have the answer with their exclusive, limited edition, fantastic opportunities in the BTF shop!!

Welsh Triathlon are creating a Welsh Triathlon Academy for coaches and athletes as part of our regions development.

The aims of the academy are:

• to provide education, opportunity and training for coaches and athletes.
• coaches and athletes will be given information to use in their day-to-day and yearly planning for individuals or their club.
• to develop athletes for the IRC (Inter Regional Championships) team.

To achieve these aims the Welsh Triathlon Academy must:

• be sustainable and will fit in with British Triathlon structure.
• be open for all athletes who come into the age group of T2, T3, Youth and Juniors, along with any coaches working with the athletes, and the regional coaching coordinators.
• be based at the Welsh National Pool, using other centres as required.
• be run by a team answerable to Welsh Triathlon.
• not be intended to be a squad or designed for talent spotting.
• be self-funding, subject to grants and sponsorship.
• not be providing a planned structure or specific standard for athletes to achieve.

The administration responsible for creating and developing the Welsh Triathlon Academy are:

Andrew Bartlett - Reporting to Wesh Triathlon, website communication and IRC
Manager.
Gareth Hall – Management of coaching cordinators
John Nicholls – Team coordination
Rick Valeti - Wales National Pool, Coaching day content

Any relative outgoing information from the academy will be sent to:

• Welsh Triathlon
• Welsh Academy management team
• Regional coaching Coordinators
• Welsh based coaches
• Triathlon clubs
• Attending athletes on database
• Sports Council Wales
• Sports governing bodies in Wales
• Other bodies or individuals

The Welsh Triathlon Academy will meet on a monthly basis excluding July and December and training will primarily be based at the Wales National Pool, Swansea. At present the following days have been planned:

• January 26th 2008
• February 17th 2008
• March 15th 2008

All parties who are interested in participating on the above dates or would like further information regarding the Welsh Triathlon Academy should apply, stating the following:

• Name
• Status (athlete, coach, club or parent)
• Coach qualification (if applicable)
• Age and DOB if under 18
• Contact Tel number
• Email address

to Welsh Triathlon.

Information is being collated for the 2008 British Triathlon Annual Handbook, which will be sent to all members of Triathlon England, triathlonscotland and Welsh Triathlon in January.

Event and club details are an integral part of the publication, allowing Home Nation members to plan their season around specific races and to view regional club details.

The final closing date for club and event information is 21st NOVEMBER. All details received after this date will not be included in the Annual Handbook.

To register your club or event, simply click on to the British Triathlon Federation home page and choose event registration and/or club registration in the 'useful links' bar on our homepage, log in, and simply enter or update your details.

Chris Jones, Womens' Head Coach at the British Triathlon Federation, has today announced his decision to move on to pursue further opportunities and challenges outside the British Triathlon Federation, and to spend more time with his wife Jane and their young family.

Chris joined the Federation in 1999 and was initially based at the Bath High Performance Centre, before moving to Swansea in 2003 to set up the Welsh Performance Centre with support from both British Triathlon and the Welsh Sports Council.

During his tenure, Chris coached four Olympians and his athletes also contributed eleven European Championship medals, four World Championship medals and one Commonwealth medal.

Chris asked that the following statement be placed with this announcement:
“I have enjoyed every moment and opportunity to work with some of the best athletes in Great Britain. I am grateful for all the support in performance sport, coaches, support staff but most of all the athletes I have had the pleasure to coach and learn from.

“I have met some truly charismatic people that have dedicated their lives to the sport of triathlon and I also have the utmost respect and admiration for age group performers and volunteers that give so much to our sport.

I would also like to thank Heather Williams for her support and understanding and wish all the Great Britain performance team and athletes the very best of luck for the coming Olympic Games in 2008.”

Heather Williams, British Triathlon’s Performance Programme Director said:
“Chris is one of the pre-eminent coaches in the world of elite drafting triathlon, and his contribution to Britain's success over the last decade has been immense. I'm very sorry to lose Chris and the knowledge and experience that he possesses from our programme. I wish him the best of success in his future endeavours.”

Congratulations to the following volunteers who won the Welsh Triathlon regional awards and whose names went forward to the British Triathlon national awards:-

Coach of the year – Kelly Gaffney

Volunteer of the year – Steve Butler

Young volunteer of the year – Luke Watson

Official of the year – Tom Roberts

Special congratulations to Luke Watson who won the British Triathlon national young volunteer of the year. Unfortunately Luke was not able to attend the awards dinner in Loughborough but his trophy and prize were accepted on his behalf by last years national volunteer of the year and Welsh Triathlon chairman Dean Hardie.

Several Coach Education courses are being run in East Wales based at UWIC Cyncoed Campus.

Level 1 = 24th/25th November and 8th December.

Level 2 = 23rd/24th February, 8th/9th March and 22nd March.

Level 3 = 15th/16th December, 12th/13th Janury, 1st and 2nd March and 29th March

Please complete the application form if you would like to attend asap as places are limited. If you have any questions or require further information please contact Andy Lane eastwalescoaching@britishtriathlon.org

Application form

British Triathlon Federation, Chief Executive Officer
Salary = £65k + performance bonus of up to 20%
Location – Head Office Loughborough

The BTF is fully committed to leveraging the outstanding opportunities for sport in Great Britain over the next five years, by building brand equity, maximising public investment through World-Class and Grass Roots initiatives, and additional multiple strands of support, while increasing income from commercial sponsors.

To help achieve these aims the BTF is looking to recruit a Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation and work with the BTF Board, and that of Triathlon England, to shape the future strategic direction.

The principal accountabilities of the role will be to:
• Manage operationally a business with approx. 45 employees and a turnover of £3 million,
• Ensure the objectives of the BTF and TE are fully and promptly carried out,
• As a Director, act in the best interests of the BTF and of the constituent governing bodies, employees, funding partners, sponsors and the communities within which the company operates,
• Ensure that the strategic relationships with sponsors and external bodies (e.g. UK Sport, Sport England, British Olympic Association (BOA)) and other National Governing Bodies (NGBs) are maintained to a high level.

For a more detailed job description is available for download at the bottom of this page.

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience:
- Experience as a Senior Manager/Director within a Sport related environment.
- Experience of working with National Governing Bodies of sport and/or similar or related organisations.
- Experience of preparing budgets, delivering these against agreed programmes, and monitoring their expenditure.
- Experience of managing staff teams, both salaried and volunteer.
- Experience of generating revenue from commercial partnerships and other external sources and successfully growing such relationships.

British Triathlon seeks someone who can perform a consolidating role with meticulous attention to detail whilst at the same time capable of being a visionary entrepreneur, who can think outside the box.

If you wish to apply, please send your CV and covering letter to dawnbrown@personneldynamics.co.uk

Closing date for applications Friday 9th November 2007
Please note final interviews will take place on the 6th December.

The British Triathlon Federation is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to ensuring that no job applicant, employee, volunteer or member receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, gender, disability, race, ethnic origin, nationality, colour, parental or marital status, pregnancy, religious belief, class or social background, sexual preference or political belief.

Job Description

Bala standard distance triathlon saw the final race in this years Welsh Grand Prix Championships. With the four best times scoring from a possible seven events the racing was competitive. In the male category solid perfomances from Philip Marland (Llanelli Tri) help him gain first place with a score of 3807 points. In second was Craig Hughes (Celtic Tri) with a score of 3724 points and third was Gareth Battle (Rhondda Tri) with 3679 points. Anne-Marie Hutchinson (Celtic Tri) dominated the female category to gain first place by accumulating 3349 points with Josie Evans (Monmouth Tri) in second with 3096 points and third, Jayne Arnold (Celtic Tri) with 2869 points.

For a full list of the results please use the link below. Well done to everyone who competed and any queries please contact Gareth Hall.

Grand Prix Results 2007

After many years of service to Welsh Triathlon Dave Hart has decided to resign from the executive committee to concentrate on work and family life. He has made a great contribution both on the WT executive board and the BTF performance committee, we thank him for that. We wish him and his family all the best for the future.

Richard Jones has been co-opted onto the committee as an executive officer and to be the WT performance committee representative.

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