Junior Competitions

Whatever your ability or experience, taking part in competition is a great way to measure your progress, build your confidence and contribute to a team effort.

This page explains all about the types of competition available. Visit our What’s On page to see specific dates.

Junior Age Groups

Juniors always compete in their own age group, which are:

Under 12 – Schools years 5 and 6 (Under 12 as at 31st August)

Under 14 – School years 7 and 8 (Under 14 as at 31st August)

Under 16 – School years 9 and 10 (Under 16 as at 31st August)

Under 18 – School years 11 and 12 (Under 18 as at 31st August)

For the cross country and sportshall season (October to March), the age group is based on the age at 31st August for the year that season starts (i.e. follows track and field age group from preceding season).

Cross Country Running

We organise our very own series of cross country races in the beautiful woods at Shouldham Warren. There are 6 races in the series, one a month from October through to March. These are suitable for all ages and all abilities, with races from Under 9s upwards.

These races are great for general fitness and for those with a competitive streak there are prizes on offer. Running the same course on a relatively frequent basis also offers the perfect opportunity to monitor your own times and improvement.

For parents/guardians, the Under 9 and Under 11 races incorporate a primary schools competition – we ask that you share this with your child’s school PE representative.

Ryston Cross Country Grand Prix

Sportshall Athletics

Sportshall is the indoor brand of junior athletics for the winter months, taking place in a sports hall (hence the name) using reversa boards for running and adapted events for all the main athletic disciplines such as standing long jump and hurdles. Other events include the speed bounce and obstacle relay. The motto is ‘fun first’ and this is for everyone aged from 9 to 14.

Those who have attended these events in the past will confirm how much fun they are, how active the athletes are and how much this improves your overall performance.

We compete in the Norfolk Sportshall League as a team and it is a great introduction to competitions and for the athletes to support each other. We organise teams so watch out for communications when these matches are approaching.

There is also a yearly Sportshall County Championships which is individual entry. Athletes can be selected to represent Norfolk based on performances at the league matches and county championships. 

Please see https://norfolksportshall.org.uk/ for more information

Norfolk sportshall website

Track and Field

East Anglian League

The East Anglian League (EAL) is a Sunday league for all athletes aged 9 upwards. Athletes compete in their own age-group, with each age-group scored separately as a ‘mini-league’. These totals are then aggregated to give an overall match result.

Under 11s compete for fun and experience only – it is not a scoring age-group, with scoring team in the Under 13 Girls, Under 13 Boys, Under 15 Girls, Under 15 Boys, U17 Women and U17 Men categories. There are scoring and non-scoring places in each age group, providing opportunities for people at all levels. 

There are 3 league matches with the top 8 clubs in each age group progressing to the final which takes place in September each year. For more information on this league please contact the junior track and field rep.

More information at http://www.cambsathletics.org.uk/east-anglian-tf-league

EAL website

Other opportunities

 

More competitive opportunities exist for individuals outside the organisation / scope of Ryston Runners AC. These include (but are not limited to):

  • County Championships (Organised by Athletics Norfolk)
  • Quadkids (Organised by Athletics Norfolk)
  • Schools Events (Access via school PE department)
  • Eastern / Southern Regional Championships (Organised by ESAA / SEAA)
  • National Championships (Organised by England Athletics)