Wednesday 18th April 2007
Triathlon England are very proud to have delivered the nations first ever training camp for disabled triathletes, The training weekend was held at Loughborough University on 31st March – 1st April. The camps team of coaches came from across the country, and were selected on their previous coaching experience and their commitment to develop disabled triathlon opportunities in the future. Many of the disabled athletes attending the weekend had never participated in triathlon before, and had limited knowledge of the sport.The weekend comprised of a series of lectures, delivered by Julian Wills (National Equity Manager), Mark Barfield (Director of Development) and Gareth Hall (Welsh Triathlon National Manager), followed by practical coaching sessions delivered in the world class facilities at the University. Chris Meaden and Lorna Kennard (Triathlon England National Classifiers) officially classified the athletes, as part of the weekend, documenting the Profile and Class of each athlete.
It is envisaged that official Classification will be a stipulation of the 2008 Triathlon England Disabled Triathlon Championships.
The weekend was inspirational for all involved, with the athletes, coaches and tutors pledging a commitment to take positive action relating to the disabled triathlete project.
Alan Rayment (athlete) has already joined Triathlon England, and will be working with Morgan Williams to develop disabled triathlete opportunities at Wakefield Tri Club. Athletes Edward Fletcher, Maggie Bowes, James Nicholson, Anna Turney, Martin Broomfield and Fiona Neale plan to enter triathlon events across the country. Coaches Barry Craven, Dean Baker, Craig Edwards, Simon Edwards, Douglas Eke, Helen Hutton and Rob Harvey have committed to developing their clubs to enable disabled athletes to experience the sport of triathlon at both participation and competitive level.
National Equity Manager, Julian Wills, said “I am delighted with the success of the camp, and the enthusiasm shown by all athletes and coaches. We have a great opportunity to use this event as a springboard for delivering the next phase of the national disability project”.
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