Funding plea to help potential medallists
Aug 28 2008 by Richard Fletcher and Lorna Gangel, The Journal
Archery club can’t afford home premises
ARCHERY got a surge of interest after TV’s Robin Hood series – and the Olympics have had a similar effect.
Killingworth Archery Club are even having to turn people away, with 40 people already on the waiting list for the beginner course.
But once again, a lack of funding could mean Team GB misses out on some North East talent. Despite having Phil Logan and Vicky Rathbone, 18, aiming for the 2012 Paralympics, the club cannot afford its own premises and moves between four different sites to train.
The club even gained Sport England’s Clubmark status four months ago, in recognition of the work they do with junior members. But the club says the title has had little effect.
Field captain Len Rathbone said: “It hasn’t made any difference to us.
“We’re reliant on councils, schools and leisure centres. It makes it difficult to bring people in at a time when we want to encourage them.
“It’s very difficult — it’s becoming more and more popular, certainly this year, but as soon as you go looking for money you have to explain to people it has been an Olympic sport for a long time. It’s just about getting funding. Everybody is starting now to think about 2012 so everybody is going to be after funding. We don’t have the facilities in the region. If people want us to do well then somebody will have to help us.”
But shooting is in good shape in the region thanks to lottery funding, according to the owner of a clay pigeon shooting ground.
Jack Reed, owner of Steve Smith’s in Dinnington, said medal success caused a surge in interest after the Sydney Olympics in 2000. But he believes the focus has been on London 2012 rather than Beijing, which could have caused the lack of medals this year.
He said: “For the last two or three years they have been training youngsters for 2012.
“We have some good youngsters coming through and we have some excellent clay pigeon shooting facilities in the North East.”
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Cyclists miss out
AN astonishing seven gold medals propelled GB to the top of the cycling world.
But one of the region’s coaches said North East youngsters were being put at a disadvantage by lack of facilities.
The quality of clubs in the region means junior talent is quickly spotted by Go Ride accredited clubs, which attract and nurture young riders.
But with only two full-time coaches covering the whole of the North East and no velodrome or top quality training grounds, they are forced to look elsewhere if they are to become Olympic heroes.
Steve McIntosh, of Hetton Hawks, said: “We’ve hardly got any facilities in the North East. On Monday nights, some children go down to Bradford to the talent team. It’s awful that we haven’t got a velodrome – what the boys and girls lack is the experience of riding in a velodrome.” Virtually all the coaches are voluntary, too. Mr McIntosh said: “If they could get more full-time coaches in, that would be the big difference.”
