Welcome to the Junior section of Witney Roadrunners.
The Junior section is open to children from the ages of 8 to 16 and the majority of our training sessions take place on Thursday evenings (see below for more information.) Our aim is to promote junior athletics in the Witney and West Oxfordshire area and we provide training and coaching in a sociable and structured atmosphere within the facilities available to this club. We expect an athlete to perform to the best of their ability and above all have fun!
Please read on for lots of information to help you make the most of what’s on offer at the club. We pride ourselves on being friendly and inclusive, and we hope that the information contained here helps you to understand what goes on throughout the year, so everyone can get involved. If you have any questions please do speak to one of the coaches at training, or email your questions to one of our team at WRRJuniors@gmail.com.
For membership enquiries, please email Amanda, at amandawrr123@gmail.com, and have a look at our junior membership section on the website – see link below
https://www.witneyroadrunners.co.uk/juniors/junior-membership/
Ways to keep up to date
We have an active Facebook page for the Juniors, where we share photos, news, success stories, information about events etc so please join up (see link below)! This is a great place to connect with other parents if you are struggling for a lift to a training session or event, are looking for some second hand kit, or simply have a question to ask. https://www.facebook.com/groups/464025237038521/
We use an App / web service called Spond for our communications. Here you will receive invitations to competitions, general information posts, and results. When you join the club you will automatically receive a text / email inviting you to connect, alternatively please follow this link: https://group.spond.com/HAQBH. All the fixtures will be listed on Spond and on the website, so remember to get the dates on your calendar. The team lists are selected from the replies on Spond, so do make sure you reply for each event by the deadline.
Coaches & Helpers
The regular coaches are Mike, Tony, Amanda, Verity & Tina. Other members of the WRR Seniors also help out at training. There is a parent helper rota for Thursday evening training (see https://www.witneyroadrunners.co.uk/juniors/training/ ), so please let us know if you would like to volunteer. Parents also help from time to time at competitions – counting speed bounce, holding a tape measure or raking the long jump pit for example. If you are interested in becoming an official, we would be happy to support you in attending a training course, so please let us know.
Age Groups
Classification to an age group is done by age on September 1st, rather than actual age. Athletes move up to the next group at the start of the summer season, so towards the end of years 4,6,8 and 10.
U17s do not compete in the indoor sportshall league.
U9s Yr3/4, U11s Yr5/6, U13s Yr7/8 , U15s Yr 9/10, U17s Yr 11/12.
Training
Athletics is a year-round sport with indoor and outdoor seasons, and we train for both. For details of the training sessions please see the following link https://www.witneyroadrunners.co.uk/juniors/training/
Each training session attended costs £2 payable on the night.
CLUB KIT & FOOTWEAR
Club vests must be worn for all competitions. All items of kit can be ordered from Tony Lock on club nights. Footwear is the responsibility of the athlete but coaches recommend good quality trainers with plenty of grip and cushioning for indoor training and summer training on the field. For track training and competitions you can wear track spikes, alternatively trainers are fine. Cross-Country can get very muddy and slippery, so spikes, trail shoes, studded trainers or football boots may be the best choice.
Look out for other members buying and selling used kit on our facebook page.
Competitions
Details of the leagues and competitions we take part in both individually and as a club can be found on the ‘competitions’ page, see link below. https://www.witneyroadrunners.co.uk/juniors/competitions/
Other Events
- Marathon Relay – each year the junior section run a marathon (26.2miles) as a relay team around the track at Radley College in July /August, which is a relaxed and fun event. It usually takes a couple of hours and is a great opportunity to bring a picnic and enjoy the lovely grounds. In recent times the seniors from WRR have taken part running against the juniors, resulting in a victory for the junior section last year 😊
- Christmas Pudding Relay – this takes place on a Sunday morning in December, when members of the junior and senior roadrunners (and parents if they fancy it) run in mixed teams (preferably wearing Santa hats) over a combined distance of 10km, with each junior athlete completing a 1km leg of the relay. Prizes (mostly chocolate) are awarded for the 1st placed team.
- Junior Presentation Evening – this is a fun evening to celebrate the success of all the athletes throughout the year, which takes place in the Autumn. Presentations are made for the club championships that are held in May (see above), plus certificates for new records and some trophies. Over the last few years this has been a bowling evening with buffet at the bowling alley on the RAF base in Brize Norton, and is lots of fun for all the family. Siblings are also welcome to bowl.