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Here come the Phoenix Flyers.......



The North East Relay Championships has always been an event close to my heart as I love watching relay races and the kids (& I) have enjoyed competing in them.


Relays are a fine art and the NE Champs always generates a fine atmosphere with a big crowd, lots of clubs competing and most of the races under the floodlights to add to the tension.


This year was different though and for a very special reason, the first time that the Phoenix Flyers (our fledgling new club), joined the fray.





We had three teams competing in the U11 boys, U13 girls & U13 boys races. The build up was tense on the night with a bit of rearranging needed to the teams (thanks to Blyth for the loanee for the U13 boys race) & once the teamsheets were in, it was time to enjoy the action.


The U11 boys were first to go, with Huw, Will, Dylan & Dominic creating a little bit of history by being the first Phoenix Flyers relay team to appear on a results sheet. The boys ran well, finishing in a time of 1.07.64


The U13 teams got two races each, with the first race for the girls being a bit untidy but the team of Ava, Niamh, Chloe & Alana got the baton around safely. Their second race was a huge improvement, with the girls changing the order and all four ran extremely well with much better changeovers. It was a very tight finish, with the girls taking 4th place in a time of 1.03.79, some 2 seconds faster than their first race.


The U13 boys had two great races too, especially as most of them prefer middle distance running. Luke lead the team off and had two very strong races with good changeovers to Dan in the first race & Marcus in the 2nd. Marcus & Dan ran strongly too, with Dan taking part in his first ever competition & Marcus still recovering from surgery earlier in the year. Chad, our loanee from Blyth put in a good 3rd leg in both races, leaving it to Marcus & Dan to finish the races off. The boys finished 6th in each race with 1.07.24 being their fastest time.


In recent years, the relays have been joined by the NE Throws Festival & Amy McLellan was representing the Phoenix Flyers in the U15G Shot Putt. Amy's throwing has improved a lot this season, as has her confidence in competition. Amy made her own piece of history in the competition, becoming the first Phoenix Flyers medal winner, gaining the bronze medal with a new pb throw of 5.87m.




All in all, a great night of action for our new club and thanks to Louise & Steve for their team management and to our athletes and parents for competing and creating a great atmosphere for the kids.

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