Report by Siobhán Grant

As the number of baby lambs pracing around the fields increases, bright yellow daffodils line the roadside, the skies are blue and you can feel the heat in the sun, this all points to Spring however for the Newcastle AC Junior squad, it also means the arrival of Track and Field Season. The Nike Vaporflies are getting a few more road miles these days and the cross country spikes have been made redundant and replaced for track spikes whilst the trail shoes are just getting a run out at parkrun and family adventures in the mountains.

So as the Easter Holidays got underway, a number of our Juniors headed to Mary Peters Track for the first of five of the Lagan Valley AC Fab 5 Track and Field meets of the year.

Now in its 32nd year, the popularity of this event has grown year on year and is the perfect opportunity for newbies and seasoned athletes alike to test their skills at track and field events.

With various events of differing distances and disciplines perfectly arranged for both boys and girls from eight years old to Masters Level across the 5 meets, everyone gets a chance to experience each event and maybe even unlock a hidden talent and excel within their event of choice. John Glover had overseen the roll out of this year’s event with a well versed support team of organisers and track officials to make this series run flawlessly and Thursday evening was no different.

With over 380 athletes entered, the format of the evening was clearly organised into heats and then the fastest 3 times across the heats, earning podium places.

The evening got underway with best friends Rossa McAleenan and Harry McVeigh lining up for their only race of the evening in the U11 Boys 60m. Harry McVeigh won his heat in 9.58 but his time in the overall results was only good enough for 5th, narrowly missing out on the podium by 2 tenths of a second. Some believe he may have gained those split seconds if he’d run in a straight line and not covered what was essentially at least 65m, video footage would tend to agree with this analysis and has been shelved to be resurrected in years to come. Rossa, taking to the track for the first time showed his strength in shorter distances taking 4th place in his heat and gaining experience for later meets. Both boys were spotted afterwards running the steep slopes around MPT and confirming that Hill and Dale may begin preparing themselves now for these two young lads in the coming year.

The Boys U13 100m saw Connaire Og and Fiachna McAleenan toe the line against each other. Fiachna has proven himself one to watch in Cross Country and even on the pitch he is always first to make the catch as the Sliotar falls. Therefore his first track outing would test his sprinting ability to the max and he aced that test. Coming 2nd in his heat in 14.71 and taking 4th place overall narrowly missing out by 3 tenths of a second. Connaire Og wasn’t far behind him but with another year in this age category, he continues to show promise and that hard work is paying off.

The Girls U13 100m saw the biggest cohort of NACJ runners. With 7 heats in total resulted in none of our runners being pitched against each other and they would get to cheer on their club mates.

Aoife Grant, new to the shorter distances, found the same, run hard and don’t forget to smile tactic worked well for her and finished strong in the fastest heat of this category.

Lily McMurray also tested her track legs and showed she had plenty to give and powered up the finishing straight for a strong run.

Saorlaith McAleenan, trying out the 100m and a baby within the U13 category, was a force to be reckoned with as she only had eyes for the finishing line and smashed through the finish for 4th place in her heat.

The surprise of the night came in heat 4 with Maisie McVeigh giving the 100m a go after weeks of some hard graft during speed training. Knowing from previous experience that she favoured track and has shown her natural talent across various events, the 100m was one she had never fully embraced, choosing longer races like the 800m or 1500m over the shorter, sharper distances. She accelerated up the track in lane 6 in 14.48, swooping over the finish line to win her heat and take 2nd place overall. Bringing home the only medal of the evening for the club.

On the field, U11 Girls, Emily Kerr and Elizabeth Houston were trying their luck in the Turbo Javelin. Not one to feel exactly safe around kids with objects that could potentially be dangerous, the officials ensured everyone was safe and javelins went the right direction. The girls supported each other through their throws and impressed with distances of 8.90m and 6.11m respectively for 6th and 12th place.

At the other end of the field Saorlaith had put herself forward to give the Shot Putt a go for the U13 Girls. Having had a crash course in throwing during the practice throws, she showed elegance and strong form to take 5th place with a distance of 5.02m.

A brief break allowed for a round of hot chocolates and coffee from the boot of the McVeigh’s white wagon which was definitely needed as the sun began to set and a sugar boost was needed before the longer races got underway.

Emily and Elizabeth were the first to take to the track after the sugar rush for the U11 Girls 600m. Elizabeth in the first heat, hung on to the main group the whole distance and with 120m to go she moved quickly up the gears for a step by step attack on the runner in front gaining an additional place just before the line. Club mate Emily ran a textbook race, finding herself space in 2nd for the first 300m. As the runner in front showed signs of slowing down going into the second half of the race, Emily capitalised on this and accelerated at the right time, knowing her ability and produced a finish akin to her parkrun finishes, taking 1st in her heat. However this unfortunately was not enough for her to place on the podium but was a perfect display of what this young lady is capable off on track, afterall it was her first time on track and in spikes.

The U13 Boys race was split over 2 heats with Connaire Og in Heat 1 and Fiachna in Heat 2. The first got off to a fast start and Connaire Og slotted in nicely within the main group. Again he was running against boys over a year older than him but he put up a great fight for a 2.53 finish. Fiachna found himself in a strong position from the start but also was in the faster heat against more experienced 800m runners. He ran an impressive 2.38 and gained invaluable experience at the same time.

The U13 girls race was a 2 heat battle also with Heat 1 being the faster of the two. The long standing, multi event competitive battle between friends off the race line,  Willowfields Lily Foster, North Downs Cassie Curran and Newcastle’s own Maisie McVeigh continued as they moved from pitching their talents more recently against each other at Cross Country, to the track. It was a race dictated from the gun by Foster who ran a flawless race, Maisie had encountered some friction for place over the first 50m and this cost her in the closing stages as although she held onto second place for the majority of the race, the final straight assault from Curran was just too much for her to find that last push, after unexpectedly having to use a little extra at the start. Being the stronger of the 2 heats, Maisie secured 3rd place in her heat and overall took 4th place missing out on the podium by only 8 hundredths of a second which was very little. Brother Harry asked afterwards how long that actually is and he was shown that it was shorter than clicking your fingers to put it in perspective.

In the same heat, Eve McNamara toed the line for her only event of the evening alongside Mary Houston and Aoife Grant with all girls putting in some of their best running this season. Mary and Aoife also ensured as Heat 2 took off that they were sitting track side cheering on club mates Saorlaith and Lilly as they completed the same distance and showed grit, determination and heart as they completed the 2 laps of the track.

By now, the moon had started to rise and brighten up the sky as numbers around MPT began to diminish. However Newcastle had one more runner to take to the track. The will he/won’t he debate of the evening was settled when Fab 5 Stalwart, Henry Houston took to the track. With some gentle support from those around him, Henry had a very brief warm up before taking to the track in the U15 boys 800m.

Yet this didn’t deter the young man from putting on a fabulous display of his abilities as a tracker runner and race navigation skills. He glided around the track in 2.34 as the skies of South Belfast were filled with the loud cheering of his clubmates from the stand.

If there were medals for the most supportive club, Newcastle AC would have, without a doubt, won that one. Our Juniors were a credit to the club, every athlete supported one another before, during and after the race, they were the first to shake hands with other competitors and were the personification of inclusion.

Also to the parents and siblings of the young athletes, who came along, with a steady stream of hot drinks and treats, extremely instrumental in making the evening that extra bit special. Who knew boiled eggs would be such a hit!

Without a doubt it was a memorable evening for the Junior squad. Plenty of positive outcomes and even more lessons learned. Unlocking potential within events many of them had never considered as something they would excel at. Fab 5 will continue on Thursday April 20th with a whole new range of challenges to embrace and registration is now open.

Maisie Mc Veigh Saorlaith McAleenan, Aoife Grant, Emily Kerr and Lily McMurray arrive at MPT dressed for the occasion

Harry McVeigh, Rossa McAleenan, Fiachna McAleenan and Connaire Og McVeigh geared up for a busy night on Track.