Athlete Bio's 2009 Season

Richard Rubenis

PB's Indoor 60m=6.89, 200m=22.15, 400=49.28PB's Outdoor 100m=10.50, 200m=21.54, 300m=34.1, 400m=47.40 Masters PB's 100m=11.3, 200m=22.9, 400m=49.43

Due to me having hamstring problems for the last 3 or 4 seasons i needed to make a decision at the end of 2008 season which was either continue doing 100m and put up with getting injured or make the move up to 400m, after speaking to my coach we both decided the best option was the 400m. Now the distance was not strange to me as i had done the odd race earlier on in my career but the training was gonna be completely new, all the training was aimed at me running sub 50secs by the time i got out to the world champs. I trained hard throughout the winter and soon enough was lining up at RAF Cosford ready to see how the training had gone so far. I ran 51.11 in windy conditions so i was pleased with that but knew i still had a lot of work to do. My first big test came June 14th at the Midland Masters Champs, I won in 50.8secs quickest time so far this year, i was pleased with winning but went too slow through 200m.1 week later i went to run at the midland senior champs i this is where i made a big jump in time as i ran 50.26 massive seasons best, only just missed out on making the final.4th july was the British Masters Champs i really wanted to win this 1, and with about 60m togo i hit the front and won the race in a time of 49.87secs smashing the championship record. I was over the moon with this. My only worry now was could i keep this form for another month.Soon enough august had arrived i travelled out to the World Champs in good form and injury free. i had to get through heats, and semi's before i could even think about the final. I won my ht in 50.99 won semi in 50.07 and in the final i ran 49.43 fastest time of the season a masters PB and it gave me the bronze medal. It was the best feeling i have ever had as an athlete. The next day it got even better as i took part in the 100m and 400m relays and got gold in both and somehow ran a 49.83 last leg.So i cant complain about my season as my cv reads 400m Midland Masters= Gold400m British Masters= Gold400m World Masters= Bronze4x100m World Masters= Gold4x400m World Masters= Gold.

Next season i hope to continue in the 400m and am hoping that although i will be 36 years young, putting another winter of 400m training behind me will help me improve my time even more, I hope to run sub 49 secs. My aim is again to become Midland and British Champion and maybe even European Champion.

Bethan Partridge
Rankings 2009No.1 U20 High JumpNo.11 Seniors High jumpNo.5 U20 Triple JumpNo.40 on the ALL TIME U20 High Jump rankingsI have achieved the UK power of 10 target height/distance in both high jump and triple jump this year!
Since being second year U15 I have had injuries every year, this including a knee op in 2006 which took a long time to recover from and to get back into some kind of shape. I have not been able to train as hard as I could every winter but still i have managed to improve every year! I ended my season last year (08) on a high of winning English Schools with a PB of 1.74cm, then going on in August to jump 1.75cm. Just missing out by 1cm on going to the Commonwealth Youth Games.This season started ok, jumping 1.70cm on all of my indoor competitions. I won the High Jump at the Midland counties champs and got a bronze in the triple jump, i also won the Welsh Senior Open Championships. When I went on holiday to Melbourne, AUS i competed in the Victorian Open & U20 Track & Field Championships jumping a season best of 1.72 and picking up a bronze! It was such an experience jumping there and if anyone gets the chance to go and compete there i would recommend it. Whilst i was away i also missed out on the AAA's indoors, which i know i could have won and gone on to represent England, unfortunately i missed out on this! I was very disappointed. Going on to the outdoor season and having a not so good start things started to pick up after jumping lots of 1.70s. I won the Midland Counties U20 Championships High jump with 1.75cm and picked up a silver in the Triple Jump, I don't know how i managed this as both events were on at the same time so i was running from one to the other and still managed to equal my PB in the HJ. In the Welsh Open Senior Championships I came 2nd and 1.75cm again. I went to an senior international in Cork. Ireland and improved my PB to 1.80cm coming 4th, I was jumping against athletes that have jumped high 80s. I was also the youngest athlete there, i found it a good experience and had a good time! Jumping 1.80 qualified me to compete at the Aviva World Trials & National Championships in Birmingham, I didn't perform as well as i would have liked jumping 1.74cm but i enjoyed the competition and it was my 1st National Championships of many to come. This year I missed out on the U20 European Juniors by 2cms, which I was really disappointed about! One of my other aims is to represent England or GB!I have two competitions left one being this weekend [15-16 August] which is the UK challenge final which i have been picked for and the Telford open. Even if i don’t improve my PB i am happy with the 5cm improvement that i have achieved this year!Next year i move up an age group to U23, I am hoping to improve my average jumping to high 70's/1.80s and to improve my PB to 1.80 something. I want to jump over 12metres in triple jump. I also am looking forward to moving to Manchester and being able to train hard using the indoor facilities!

Santino Dummett
I'm Tino Dummett, I'm an under-20 100m runner.My PB from 08 was 11.2 for the 100m and 23.0 for 200m. Starting January I realized more speed training would suit me better than the endurance training style I had been doing the past two years, so I started training by myself once a week, doing pure speed work.In the Tipton Games in April, I was still a little slow from the winter but I ran 11.1, a PB already. I won the RAF Invitational 100m into a really strong headwind in 11.6. The next event was the Shropshire Champs in May, and I got a PB of 10.9, just beating Alex Nwenwu and equaling the Championship Record, and moving to first in the Welsh Junior rankings. Because I was so fast I had no endurance so I jogged the 200m, but still got a PB of 22.8.I was invited to the MeesPierson Golden Series in Guernsey with the Welsh Senior team, against two other Welsh 10.9 runners and the runners from the England, RAF and Guernsey teams. As the gun went I had a fast reaction but the stadium blocks slipped from under me and all of a sudden I was in last when I should have been one of the first. I was about 2m behind this guy at the start, but finished about 1.5m behind so I know I could have beaten him because he was a slow starter type of runner and I would have been ahead. He won the race in 10.87 and I came nowhere with 11.09, but I think I could have got around 10.83 if my blocks hadn’t slipped, so I was really annoyed by this.Later in the season I badly dipped in form and only came seventh in the Midlands u20 100m final where I should have probably came second, and only came third in the Welsh u20 champs where I could have come first, but probably second, and posted bad times. I furthered my electronic PB to 10.99 in the welsh champs but this was nowhere near what I could have got at my top form. Anyway, I came out of my bad streak and ran 11.0 in the men's league. I went back to doing speed work once a week on top of Dave's training, which I had stopped doing after the Shropshire Champs, and ran 10.8 soon after. Since then I’ve only ran twice. Once was 11.3 at the junior league into a big headwind and 22.9 in the 200, also into a headwind. The other time was the men’s league in Birmingham where I ran a 200 before the 100m. I didn’t go fast so I could save energy for the 100m but somehow came second with a new PB of 22.5 but I was tired for my 100, so I ran 11.1 but could feel I wasn’t running as fast as I could. Next I ran in the Shropshire vs. RAF match, winning in a slow time of 11.36, but it was on a slow track with a headwind. I also came second in the 200m with 22.9.The only run I have left is the Telford Games.So my new PB's so far this year are 10.8 and 22.5 from 11.2 and 23.0.

Ben Simons
I'm a long/triple jumper and had surgery on my right ankle last Christmas... Rehab took a long time and I missed most of the years training. As I couldn't jump on the ankle I decided to sprint at the start of this season, as I'd won the Welsh Senior 60m the winter before. I was able to sprint by May and got a bronze medal at the British Universities in the 4x100m... but then it was time to cram for exams and training was put on hold.I entered the Midlands Championships not expecting much, and suffered in the last 40m. But I ended up picking up a bronze in 10.78. A week later I posted a 10.7 (shocking last 40m again!) at Telford and was on my way to the UK champs and World Trials... but it was a disaster, I got cramp in both calfs on my way out of the blocks and I ran the whole race with cramp... 10.89 and no semi-finals for me.I'm now back to jumping off short approaches and popped a 6.80m off 10 strides... with a couple of 7m fouls... and will be on a full run-up soon. And maybe with some speed endurance I can get closer to 10.5 in the near future.

Laura Gibbons
Im Laura Gibbons, i am in my first year of being an under 17 women. I am a 100 meter runner and a long jumper. I have not had a very good season with my long jump, however i have with my 100 meters. My PB for 08 was 13.5, which i only ran once that year and the closest i got to that after was 13.8. After the season finished i did alot of winter training which i didn’t do the previous year. This showed alot seen as this year i have matched my PB of 13.5 alot and have not ran over 13.8. The other weekend i ran at Birmingham in the under 20 league. I came 3rd in my race running against people who where up to 4 years older than me because i am only 15. I ran at this meeting because some of our under 17's get chose to run if we are short of runners. On top of coming 3rd in my race i also ran a PB of 13.1. Which i am extremely happy with. I think the winter training i had done and the training twice a week has paid off. Also in my race i had a good start which helped me have an advantage over some of the other runners. Now my goal for next year is to get down to 12.6 which is the english schools qualifier. And in my long jump to achieve a distance of 5.30 which is also the english schools qualifier. I am going to do alot of winter training and speed endurance etc to make sure i have a successful season next year. Also i am going to build up more strength because i have an injury that keeps coming up in my right ankle, when i do long jump. I am going to build my ankles stronger so i don’t have this problem for next season.

Becca Fagan
Hey. Rebecca (Becca) Fagan first year of U17 Women, I throw Shot Putt for Telford & Shropshire.Started training July '08 when the school (Idsall) put me in for the Shropshire Schools Champs and then I went through to Mason Trophy. After a winter of training I have managed to get a PB of 10m 57cm at the same competition where I started throwing- Shropshire Schools Champs. It came from nowhere the closest I've got to it since is 10m 20cm at Cosford (Shropshire vs the Atc 8th August). Got to go to English Schools for Shropshire and came 10th out of 17 and threw 10m 10cm which meant I achieved both my targets to come top ten and throw 10m+. Hopefully with more training than last winter and a little luck, I am hoping to throw 11+ next season (which is national standards) Bring on 2010!

Mitchell Jenderko
I’m Mitch Jenderko, I’m in my first year of U17 Men. I am a 100 and 200 meter runner and i also do Long jump. I have had a fairly successful season getting PB's in all my events. Last season my PB's were 11.8 for the 100m, 24.5 for the 200m and 5.83 in the Long Jump. I knew that if i trained hard through the winter I could easily improve my PB's... so that’s exactly what I did, I worked hard through the winter and entered a few indoor competitions to see how fast was running pre season. My indoor competitions didn’t go that well, as i had not done any training with my blocks so my starts were dreadful! I started to use my blocks in training again and began to get a feel for them again and my starts have been pretty good since! I entered some competitions early on in the season and my running seemed to be going well. But my Long Jump was shocking as I did not train through the winter for this as there is no real Long Jump coach at Telford! So I decided to go to Shrewsbury to train for Long Jump so I could improve my technique. The training paid off as I began to Jump equal or further than last year, which was good and it gave me some hope for a good year of Long Jump. The season just got better and better I had finally broke 6m which was a big achievement, and I jumped a PB of 6.12 at the Shropshire schools competition. Soon after I jumped another PB of 6.21 showing that my Long Jump training had paid off. I started to progress in the 100 and 200, after being entered for some Men’s leagues for the club. At Derby I ran 11.5 which was a new PB and I beat alot of good athletes who were much older than me! Later in the season I was invited to another Men’s league held at Telford where I ran another PB of 11.4 which I was extremely pleased about! I did not get the chance to run the 200 at these Men’s Leagues so I only got to run them at other U17 competitions. Never the less I ran a 23.9 at Telford which was already a huge PB for me, but I still knew i could run faster. I was right. Soon after I ran 23.5 and then later in the season i ran a 23.4 even though I tripped coming out of my blocks but it was still a PB!I have had a very good season and have done well at some major events such as the Midland counties competition where I came 3rd in the Long Jump against some of the best in the Country. I also qualified for the English Schools Championships in Sheffield, which again was a big achievement for me! I did not compete well as the Championships but it was a very good experience and I hope to go again next year! So my PB's so far this year have been 11.4 in the 100, 23.4 in the 200 and 6.21 in the Long Jump. I hope that 2010 will also be a successful season and I hope to be able to get many new PB's.

Hayley Rubery
Hiya, I'm Hayley I've started athletics in 2007 doing high jump and javelin but was not very successful at these events. So, I had a few weeks training with the discus and entered Discus at the Shropshire Schools AA in 2008 and I did not think I would do very well, however I won this with a distance of 25.48m and went onto win at the Masons Trophy as well as getting the english schools qualifying distance throwing 27.29m. I competed throughout the rest of the summer in discus, javelin and shot for the NYAL and went to English Schools at Gateshead where I got a further PB of 28.42m and finished 6th overall. At my last competition of the season I threw 30.02m which ended the season well. At the end of last season I decided to try Pole Vaulting and was entered in comp 3 weeks after I started to train and I jumped 2m which qualified me as a vaulter. After that it was winter training at Telford and Birmingham HP Centre. Without the winter training I would never have achieved the success I have had this year. We entered some open meetings early in 2009 and by April I had jumped 2.9m in Pole Vault and qualified for English Schools.At the Shropshire Schools 2009 I threw a PB in discus of 36.07m which also qualified me for English Schools and was also a National standard throw. On the same day I jumped 2.95m in Pole Vault which was a championship best performance. At the end of the day I was lucky enough to win Best Female Performance of the day and I received a trophy. This lead to a big decision because I had to choose which event to do at English Schools, I chose discus again because I felt comfortable with having done this event there before.I was entered at the Masons Trophy and because Pole Vault and Discus clashed I ended up Vaulting and came 1st with a new PB of 3m. I also managed to win 2 bronze medals at the Midland County Ch. despite having to run between vaulting and throwing the discus. English Schools at Sheffield came and went and was a big disappointment as my throwing was far from its best. It was a good experience though and I had some very understanding friends there with me to cheer me up.The good thing is I have clawed my way back and have just returned from the English Athletics Championships in Bedford where I finished a creditable 6th in Discus and 8th in Pole Vault having thrown and jumped against the best in GB. I am currently ranked 10th in discus and 17th at Pole Vault but since this is my first season vaulting I am pleased with my results. I have also been selected to represent the West Midlands in both Discus and Pole Vault at the UK School Games in Cardiff on my birthday. Again I had to choose one event and this time I have gone for the Pole Vault. I am looking forward to this in Sept. Overall I have achieved two national standards and am looking forward to more PB's next year as an under17.

Malcolm Dawes Jnr.
I’m Malcolm Dawes. My main events are the High Jump and the 400mH I also take part in many other events. As moving into my first year of U20 Junior men I have competed in my first decathlon this season which involves 10 individual events.My season didn’t have the best of starts as was still struggling with niggling injuries including shin splints which I still have. At the start with my high jump I was jumping 10-15cm below my PB which is quite far, my 08 PB was 1.76 but my aim for 09 was 1.80+. Though out my season I was getting back to PB jumping as my injuries were slowly disappearing, I managed to jump over 1.80 9 times but came down on it with my calves or my heals then last weekend at the ATC invitational event at Cosford I jump my 1.80. My 400mH have improved steadily from running 67s to a 61.1, but I recon I could shave another second or two of that if I get a decent race plan, which is improving.This year was my first year doing my decathlon, I qualified to go to the regional combined events which I also squeezed through to qualify for the English schools combined events held in Bedford international athletic stadium in September.Other PBs of 09;100m - 12.0110mH - 17.4400 - 56.11500 - 5:17:0Long Jump - 5.36 (miles behind board, I can’t seem to hit it)Shot Putt - a massive 6.74 (only result which I could find)Discus - 20.14mJavelin - 26.97Decathlon - 3463points which I could improve on, at least 500pointsThat’s 09 so far… more PB to come this year and the next.

Callum Rubery
Im Callum Rubery, im a discus thrower and when needed a shot putter. I started throwing for school in 2007 and after winning the discus, my sister Hayley finally convinced me to join Telford Athletics Club.I started throwing discus not far off of the end of the season and was throwing about 25m. Hayley had decided to come over and also have a go at discus, to see if she preferred it to everything else she had tried, and like me she took to it pretty quickly. But unfortunately after about 4 weeks of hayley throwing with us, our mum tore the tendon in back of her leg and could not drive for months. With our dad working late and so far away, we had no way of getting to training, so unfortunately our season came to a very sudden end. The next time Hayley or I were to see the track again was May 2008.By this time i had moved up to the U15 age group, and was a bit rusty from the lazy winter, but i was ready to start the new season hard. i trained every tuesday and thursday that i could and when the competitions started soon after i was amazed to be throwing what i was. Coming into the new season my PBs were sky rocketing with me throwing 25.89m to 29.65m.When it came to the shropshire schools champs Being the younger of the age group finished 3rd throwing 29.87m which didn't qualify me for the masons trophy. But fortunately for hayley she did qualify, and while there threw the english schools standard. though i was nowhere near the english schools qualifier i was determined to reach it by the end of the season, preparing me for next year.That winter every tuesday i went to the local school where i did circuit training with Jim, wednesdays I would go to SCAT to do Weights with the other throwers and Thursdays would go to the track in the dark and rain.Coming back into the new season, we went up to Blackpool to do the open as well as to see some old friends. While there on my very last throw I Threw the English schools Qualifier, by throwing 35.07m. We went to many more competitions and i seemed to have a very mixed number of results. Next when i went to the tipton games I threw 37.91 M which i was over the moon with. Then this year at the Shropshire schools Champs i threw 37.63m which wasn't my PB but i was happy with it. I went to the midland champs and was amazed at throwing 38.24m to place first. I qualified for english schools and had a great time, though I didn't throw very well and didn't place as high as i would have liked i had a great time and never looked back. Then Last sunday I went to the under 15s and under 17s england champs and so proud, i was second until the very last 2 throws of the meet and both lads threw distances to beat me placing me 4th over all, but i was so happy i number 1 qualified, number 2 got a PB of 40.37m and number 3 proved i am a force to be reconed with.So I am looking forward to a hard winters training and to come back next year in a new age group to cause a stir and to throw even further with my new discus.