Last year we published this "guide to the T&F season" to make the competitive season a little more understandable to new athletes and parents joining the club - hopefully it will be of some use this year too!!

The new Track & Field season is already underway, with Open meetings, YAL meetings and Cheshire T&F meetings showing in the calendar for the coming weeks and months.

Athletics is both an individual and team sport, and this is reflected in the fixtures throughout the year. There are some fixtures that Team Managers would like all athletes to turn out for, some that rely on selection as there are only a few places available, and others which athletes are encouraged to take part under their own initiative.

Cheshire Track & Field meetings are open to all athletes in all age groups. The club competes as a team against many other clubs in the Cheshire (and wider) area, taking part in 4 meetings throughout the year. Every athlete that trains with the club can and should be trying to turn out for these meetings, no matter whether you think you are a front-runner or still learning - its all about the taking part!

The Young Athletes League is a national competition, with Harriers in the gaining promotion last year from the Second Division North. U13s, U15s and U17s take part in these league matches, with athletes selected by Team Managers. Again, there are 4 meetings per season in this competition.

The Cheshire AA also hold three championship events throughout the year. The first is the Cheshire T&F Championships in May. U13s and older compete to be crowned the Cheshire Champion in a full range of events, taking place jointly with the Greater Manchester AA again this year in Warrington.  Team Managers will normally encourage athletes to enter, but entries are individual and will need to be sent in in advance.

The Cheshire Track Relays championships also crowns local champions, this time over short and middle-distance relays. To make sure that teams are well organised, Team Managers will help to put together relay teams for this.

The Cheshire Combined Events championships, towards the end of the season, is for budding heptathletes and decathletes. Again, official championships are for U13s and upwards, but U11s can also compete for the U11 title. This is another self-entered event.

Finally, there are Open Meetings. These are organised by a range of local clubs and are completely up to individual athletes as to whether they attend. Locally Warrington, Deeside and Trafford usually put on several events throughout the year (details on the fixtures list), but there may be others. You'll most likely bump into other Harriers at these events, as they provide a great testing ground before competing for the club or in county championships. Most open meetings allow entry on the day.

Whatever you decide to take part in, wear your Harriers vest with pride and above all, enjoy yourself!