Longshaw

Sunday 4th saw us back out at Longshaw, by the pole, after the summer break. There were some enthusiastic new faces, who very much seemed to enjoy themselves.

The elder group did some drills, tackled some terrain challenges and got about a bit. The younger group failed to find any worthwhile bog. Played some running & chasing games, and did some relays & intervals.

Thanks to Mark, Julie & Beth for leading and support the groups. Everybody declared their keenness to be back out.

Autumn Term

Autumn Kickoff

This weekend coming (11th Sept) is The Big Kick Off. 9:30 – 11:00.

The Kick Off is a great opportunity for new people to come along to a first session. We hope that everyone who’s been involved in the passed year will make a special effort to get out there. It’s a great opportunity for the curious, or first timers to get out there and see what its all about.

If you want to test the water this is THE day to jump in!

Junior Runners (6 – 17) – The old hands will show the new aspirants the ropes and give the leaders a shake down.

Junior Leaders (15 y.o.+) – This is a great chance to get in on the ground floor! Get an introduction to the groups. Find out what being a Junior Leader might involve. Get to know the Adults you’ll be helping out.

Adult Helpers – Get to know the groups, the kids, the habits and the old hands running the show.

Leaders – those interested in becoming Run Leaders, coaching the groups can meet the great team of experienced leaders we have, the long standing helpers and the kids. You’ll find out what the development paths are and what the expectations are.

Everybody Else – even if you aren’t involved, come along for an adult’s run departing from the same start point at 9:30 sharp. Groups will be out 45 to 90 minutes.

The old hands, both kids and adults will be on hand to lead the running and to show everyone the ropes. It should be a great morning out for both young and not-so-young. Bring along some snacks for afterwards!

About the running. The running is distinctly cross country. There will be some paths. There will also be some vegetation & mud; plenty of mud (conditions permitting). There is frequently steep and technical terrain – but always with options that match skill levels. Trail shoes or full studded fell shoes are the best options. On a dry day its possible to get away with some ordinary trainers. If you need to borrow shoes let us know and we’ll see what we can do. A water proof top is a must. Gloves and a hat are always good and will be an absolute necessity as the autumn draws in.

Getting wet feet and having fun are what its about. Dark Peak do not run an elite athlete coaching programme; there’s time later in life for that sort of suffering!

To register interest, or find out more get in touch with “Juniors” via the Contacts page.

Details are in the calendar.

Summer reports

It would be great to publish some short reports and the odd photo of people’s summer adventures, in kids own words. So if you want to share a paragraph or two about your family adventure please do share it with Lewis.

The summer camping weekend got good reviews from those who were there. It’ll be on again next year, so bear that in mind when making your holiday plans.

Delegation

There are a few key stands of the Junior administration activities that it would be good to share out, to try and stop the Co-ordinator role becoming too large.

Championships correspondent

It would be good to have somebody who is involved in the Junior Championships keeping an eye on things; dates, changes, publications & results and then feeding that information into this blog. So if you are expecting your child to be involved in the majority of the 2023 champs, please consider how you can share the information that you lay your hands on and the experiences you have. We are indebted to Jon Coe for having done that on an ad hoc basis this year.

Results

Dark Peak has, for many years, strived (striven?) to maintain a database of race results for our members, as they perform far and wide. So far the juniors results have been patchy. It would be really good to make this more effective. So if someone would like to take on responsibility for Junior results / Junior Statistician (That’s a very grand way of putting it), then please let me know.

Kit

Kids

As the weather turns autumnal … and heads into some wild days of winter, a kit check is in order.

The older group need a bum bag or (small) rucksack to carry their stuff. They need to be responsible for their stuff and keep it with them as the group roams the hillsides.

For the younger runners, its useful to have a bag on hand, but not essential for the kids to run with them. The group tends to do less roaming & take up a static location once established. Parents are on hand too, to be part of the clothing management thing.

Essential:

• Waterproof jacket
• Extra long sleeved top
• Hat – much as some don’t like wearing one, pack a hat and keep it in the bag. A hat is essential.
• Gloves are a must. Pack a pair now and leave them in there for the whole season.

As the weather gets colder, leg cover becomes essential. running tights should be worn as weather dictates in the early autumn. 1st October to 1st March, full leg cover is requested. Where shorts are worn in this period, carrying full leg cover is mandatory on our runs.

Highly Desirable:

• An emergency bar
• Waterproof over trousers

Leaders

We are in the process of trying to agree a leaders pack with the committee. The request is for all of our leaders to be given a safety pack, with:

• Group shelter (4 person bothy)
• Small first aid kit
• Expanding foil smock

Leadership training & first aid

Leadership

We have budget for two Leader in Running Fitness (LiRF) courses this year, but if more people were keen, we can secure additional budget. Please do think about doing this. We need to keep on adding new leaders to keep the group working; its essential to meet this annual target of two new leaders to keep the wheels on. The course provides teaching in basic coaching skills, that are very much aligned to the skills we need to run the sessions.

First Aid

The club has a First Aid Course scheduled for 22nd October. Please consider signing up for this (free). Initially, if you let Lewis know, he’ll ensure your place is booked.

Next week

Kick Off at Sir William Hill.