IMPORTANT NOTICE:
Due to the Red Alert for extreme temperatures on Thursday we have made the decision to cancel Thursdays sessions for BOTH Junior & Youth sections at Downside.
A number of clubs have also taken the decision to cancel training this week and some schools are also closing earlier to avoid children being in the heat. Considerations that have directed these decisions have been focussed around athlete/volunteer welfare & that there is likely to be additional strain on emergency services. Also the training venue itself has had an impact on this decision.
Cancelling sessions isn’t being mandated by England Athletics at this point, however, clubs are being encourage to act on the side of caution & consider cancelling training to avoid athletes being exposed to the heat.
This decision has not been taken lightly and we did investigate some considerations to enable sessions to potentially go ahead which would have included:
- Delivering revised sessions with reduced volume and at a lower intensity
- Providing additional breaks
- Access to water
- Deliver sessions where there is shade or shade close by to avoid exposure from the heat
- Encouraging athletes to have additional fluids and wear hats, sunglasses etc for heat protection.
As we only have an hour with the athletes, these mitigations would have drastically had a negative impact on the structure of the sessions and as such a club decision in line with both Downside and our current risk assessments was made to cancel.
We look forward to welcoming everyone back next week and trust to both understand and agree with our decision.
Those entered into the Yeovil open should also have had an email notification that it’s cancelled this week and the organisers are looking to try and host it next week should they be able to get enough officials.
Yours
The coaching team
This week we have a nice simple session that merges the speed and endurance athletes togetheras we are low on coaching numbers due to the Yeovil Open . As such please book your athletes on in plenty of time to aid planning.
We'll start off with a gentle warm up run through the woods and once around the dog walking meadow followed by a meet and retreat session on the track working in pairs.
please ensure you are well hydrated throughout the week due to the expected heat and if your not feeling well please have the week off and be safe.
Session may vary depending on coach cover/availability.
