05 May 2009

Welcome to the first UKA Development Newsletter! It has been acknowledged that communication is something that we need to improve on and we aim to do this via monthly newsletters and ensuring that all information is kept up to date on the UKA Website – www.uka.org.uk – I would appreciate it if you have any feedback on the newsletter to please contact me as I want to make sure you’re getting relevant & useful information, if there’s anything you think I’ve missed, anything you would like further information on or anything you would like to include please let me know!

My contact details are: myates@uka.org.uk                                                                                               0121 713 8462

UKA London Disability Athletics Challenge 2009

As part of the new competition structure being developed by UKA, we are very pleased to announce that we will be hosting the UKA London Disability Athletics Challenge 2009 alongside the Aviva London Grand Prix in July. There will be events on both the Friday and Saturday as part of the Televised Events and Sunday 26th will see competition for athletes who are beginning in the sport through to the GB Squad.

The day will be split into two parts; the morning will incorporate an ‘all comers event’ which is open to any athlete who is eligible within the IPC Classification Groups. This will be a real opportunity for developing athletes to compete at a high quality event. As UKA is developing competitive opportunities this will be the pinnacle event in the UK Calendar. We hope that athletes who compete in the morning will stay on to watch and support the athletes who are competing in the afternoon.

The afternoon will see the Great Britain’s Elite Level Competitors competing against athletes from around the world at the highest level. The Head Coach will also select up and coming athletes to compete against the best in the world!

Entry forms for the ‘all comers event’ can be found at – www.uka.org.uk/grassroots/parallel-success – and the deadline for entries is Friday 3rd July 2009

Classification will be available for athletes at this event and details about the timetable for classification will be available soon.

Wheelchair Racing Summit 2 – With Jeff Adams

We held the first of our Wheelchair Racing Summits on Saturday 18th April which focused on fundamental coaching principles and physiology. The day was led by Peter Eriksson (Head Coach) and Tom Crick (Coaching & Education Manager) and we have received positive feedback about the Summit. It was agreed that there was too much information to cover in just one session so we have arranged a second day to cover some more practical guidance around Wheelchair Racing. We are holding this day on Saturday 30th May 2009 at UKA Head Office from 10.30-3.30 (lunch will be provided!)

We are very excited to announce that Jeff Adams will be the main speaker for this session. Jeff Adams is a Canadian Paralympian and a six-time world champion. He has competed at six consecutive Summer Paralympics from 1988 to 2008, winning a total of three gold, four silver, and six bronze medals. At the 1996 Summer Paralympics he won gold in the 800m, silver in the 400m, and bronze in the 4×400m relay. Four years later, at the Sydney Games, he won five medals, a gold in the 800m and 1500m, a silver in the 400m and a bronze in the 5000m and 4x100m. At the 2004 Paralympics he won a bronze in the 400m race.

There will be a number of areas covered at this session including;

·         Racing Stroke, track, road, hills and sprints

·         Glove building

·         Equipment, tires etc

·         Tactics, Road and Track

·         Classification (and implications for athletes with CP)

To sign up for this session please contact Marie Yates (details above) by Friday 22nd May 2009

Classification Course

UKA will be hosting a Classification Course later in the year and at this stage we are look for expressions of interest from people with the following backgrounds:

·         Doctors

·         Physiotherapists

·         Technical

If you are interested in becoming a classifier please send your contact details and some information about your interest in this area to Marie Yates (details above).

Classification and the development of classifiers is a key area that we are concentrating on and if you have any questions about how you can get involved please contact us!

MIDDLESEX COUNTY A.A. TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS 

Incorporating the AVIVA PARALLEL SUCCESS 2009 LONDON CHALLENGE    

On Sunday 10th May we will be holding the first Aviva Parallel Success Competition at Perivale Park Athletics Track. This will mark the end of the pilot phase of Parallel Success and with over 50 athletes competing in this inclusive event we are looking forward to launching Parallel Success as a Nationwide Campaign in September and replicating this around the UK.

With thanks to our sponsors, Aviva, NASUWT and London Marathon we have been able to dramatically increase the opportunities for disabled athletes as well as provide information and support to teachers, coaches, officials, parents and athletes themselves.

The Middlesex County Athletics Association and Jamie Bath, the Facility Manager at Perivale Park have been proactive in ensuring that the athletes have a positive experience and have worked really hard to make the event happen. With a fantastic facility in which to hold the event and a truly inclusive approach to the timetabling and the management of the event we are excited about this being the inaugural event that will lead the way for the new competitive structure being developed by UKA.

For many athletes this will be their first competition and in contrast, we have a small number of GB Squad Athletes who will be competing and sharing their experiences with the athletes who are embarking upon their athletics careers.

Good Luck to all athletes!

Power of 10

We are working with Power of 10 to ensure a comprehensive ranking system is available which will be linked to the Paralympic Pathway. Please could HCAFs, NDSOs and individual athletes (especially those competing in mainstream athletics events) send through the results to Marie Yates. See www.thepowerof10.info for more information.

If you have any questions about this please contact UKA using the details above.