PETE’S POST – JANUARY 2024
I thought that I would do my post a little early this month so that I can wish you all a very Happy Christmas time, and a wonderful 2024!
In my last post I listed just a few of the club’s achievements in 2023. Since then another proud moment for both athlete and club, as Callum Elson was announced as G.B. Team Captain for the European Cross Country Championships. What a proud moment for Callum to top-off his amazing year. How great it was to hear the race commentator say, “The G.B. Team Captain, who competes for Cambridge and Coleridge…..”. And what is even more, Callum captained the most successful team EVER in the history of these Championships, as GB won 7 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals.
The holiday period can be a great time to reflect on how your past year went, and think about your targets for the coming year. Having clear goals keeps your motivation strong. That’s important at this time of year when it can be cold, dark, and wet. Having a good winter of training is really important though, it’s the time to lay down a strong foundation of fitness and strength.
There are still plenty of competitive opportunities though, with indoor competitions, road races, and cross country.
The 14th January sees the 4th race of the Frostbite League and it would be great to see another good turn-out there. Before that though, on 7th January, at St Neots, there are the Cross Country County Championships. The club had really outstanding results there last year, and we should be looking to do just as well, if not better, in 2024. It’s a great opportunity to get the new year off to a flying start! Let’s make sure those start lines are dominated by the famous white and blue vests!
A new year brings a fresh start. They say that athletics is an individual sport, and, of course, to some extent it is. You are responsible for your own performance on the day. But at athletic meetings, we are a team. In training, at the track, or doing hill sessions, or running reps at Eddington, we are a team. The sessions can be tough, but we help and encourage each other through them. If the club mate next to you is struggling, we support them. Through working as a team, we get strong individual and team results. We are a powerful athletics club, but above all C&C is a friendly and supportive place to be. And as we get bigger we must ensure that this remains to be the case.
I sometimes receive emails from former C&C members saying how pleased they are to see the club doing so well. Telling me how proud they were to represent the club. How they enjoyed every minute of competing. How they can still look back and remember every second of their most successful days. They created memories that will stay with them forever.
Make sure that, in 2024, you are creating your own treasured moments. Athletics is about strength and speed and many other physical attributes, but it’s also about emotion, joy, and spirit. It is uplifting, not just physically, but mentally too. It’s an amazing journey where you don’t need a camera, all the pictures remain in your head.
I am delighted to announce that Mo Park has been made Vice Chairman of C&C! The position of Vice Chairman isn’t a permanent club role, and for Mo it is in addition to his title of “Operations Manager for Carver”. However the committee felt that what Mo is doing in setting up C&C’s new Carver base needed, and was deserving of, the greater gravitas that being Vice Chairman will give him. He, and the team he is building, are doing a great job, and it will be so exciting to see how Carver develops in the new year.
Finally, I want to wish every member a really happy time over Christmas and a wonderful new year. May it bring you every happiness and success.