Seventy youngsters attend athletics spring festival

Shetland Amateur Athletics Club hosted a new development event at the Clickimin track recently with nearly 70 youngsters taking part in the spring festival.

The competitors were split between senior (15 and over) and junior (nine to 14-year-olds). The seniors consisted principally of island games athletes and the junior inter-county squad and they concentrated on competing in their specialist events. The juniors competed in three races – 100m, 200m and 800m; and four field events – high jump, long jump, javelin and shot putt.

The juniors will all receive certificates from Shetland Amateur Athletics Club this week, which will detail their performances on the day.

Their results will also be submitted as part of Shetland’s entry in this year’s HIPPO (Highland and Islands Performance Participation Opportunity) competition. Shetland are the defending champions from last year’s inaugural event in the under-17, senior and overall categories. Results are submitted by email from Shetland, Orkney, Western Isles and the Highland region. There are two local HIPPO competitions and a grand final held in Inverness.

This will boost Shetland’s results in the under-11, under-13 and under-15 categories, as well as attract new juniors to the sport. The next HIPPO event is on 7th June and the club looks forward to even more children taking part as the word spreads.

To boost the event three free buses were laid on to transport anyone interested in taking part. They aimed to cover all the Shetland Recreational Trust leisure centres: one started at the Toft ferry, picked up in Brae and then the Whalsay ferry; the second started in Aith, picked up in Whiteness and then Scalloway; and the third started at Boddam Hall and picked up in Sandwick, Cunningsburgh, Quarff and Gulberwick.

A spokesman thanked all the volunteers who helped on the day and the recreational trust staff for the organisation of facilities and equipment.