What really counts - the winning or taking part? And what if you could do both?
Why Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club’s first place in the prestigious Youth Development League was down to everyone playing their part
We hear so much in the world of running about how everyone’s efforts matter. Why inclusion is vital and how this is a sport for all.
Facebook memes scream at us about how a 15 minute mile is the same as a six minute one, while running clubs boast about no-one being left behind.
But what about when it comes to competition?
Sure, parkrun might not be a race but plenty of events are. ‘The Olympic Spirit’ can brag all it likes about the important thing being not to win, but to take part, but how many people remember who came second to Usain Bolt?
Perhaps, though, there is a world where participation and competition can co-exist. That’s certainly what Adrian White, the chairman of Rugby & Northampton Athletic Club believes.
His ethos was perfectly demonstrated earlier this year when the club’s junior members won a prestigious national competition by just one-and-a-half points, bolstered by the efforts of those who finished further down the field.
Adrian told Running Tales that every one of the club’s athletes had made a contribution to victory at the Youth Development League Lower Age Group National Final.
The tournament, which took place in September, saw Rugby & Northampton beat off the challenge of clubs including Liverpool Harriers, Edinburgh Athletic Club, and Blackheath and Bromley Harriers.
It came after three consecutive second place finishes in previous years.
Each event at the finals saw winners get 10 points, with whoever came second earning eight. The points gained then fell by one for each of the remaining positions.
Adrian said the result was symptomatic of the club’s desire to achieve both excellence and inclusivity: “To win by one-and-a-half points really was pretty incredible.
“It really was a tight competition. That one-and-a-half points could be the difference between being last in the throws, but having made a legitimate throw or not. If you come last [in that scenario], you’ve got some points.
“An athlete could have thought, I’m not going to win this, I might as well ease off. But that person who didn’t ease off and just pressed on, held to second or third, it all counted.
“There’s not a single person on that day that could say my point, my contribution hardly counted. Who earned that one-and-a-half points? Everybody really.”
One young athlete who competed at the event was Freya, who said her favourite part was the team camaraderie that existed throughout.
She said: “We had hair ribbons, face paint, YDL t-shirts, everyone just felt like a team. It was so nice. It makes me want to carry on running forever.
“The team atmosphere is really nice and I would just love to keep being fit and keep running. When they revealed we had won, it was so good.
“They announced the second placed team and then we all knew that we had won. We did a victory lap and then one of the nice teams made a tunnel for us and we all went through it.”
From eight to 80 - running for everyone:
Competing across track and field, cross country and road running, Rugby & Northampton AC has more than 1,000 members ranging from eight years old to those over 80.
The club is based at centres in the two towns that bear its name, with training sessions taking place at Moulton College’s athletic track in Northampton, and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Sports Centre in Rugby.
Boasting more than 50 coaches, its athletes take part in track and field, cross country and road running events and training. The club has recreational sport written into its very being - or at least its constitution, with the first line saying it exists to promote recreational and competitive athletics within the community.
Adrian told Running Tales: “I like the fact it is in that order. Recreational is a great word in itself - it’s about the idea of recreating, or making yourself whole and stronger.
“Competitive sport is important, but so is getting off the couch to a 5k or your first half-marathon, or losing some weight, getting fitter, and getting healthier.”
And while winning events is nice, the club remains committed to its mantra of community and athletics for all.
Stephen Buck, who is a coach and Masters athlete, said he feels most proud when watching young athletes develop and achieve their personal goals.
He told Running Tales: “That can be taking somebody who perhaps was lacking in self-confidence or struggling a little bit, and bringing them to where they feel more than what they were before, and they start to ooze with belief in themselves.
“Or it may be taking someone with ability and stretching them, and seeing how far that ability can take them. I feel a lot of pride as a coach whenever I see my young athletes move up into an older age group.”
Adrian added: “When you train and keep going at something, you improve. Life is difficult and there are lots of things you can’t change, but through training you can change that bit of reality and it gives you confidence to think, ‘maybe there are some other things I can change’.
“People, young people, start to think, ‘I’m not just being pushed around by forces that I can’t control, I’ve got some say in this,’ and that’s powerful isn’t it, that makes you powerful and strong.”
Sounds a lot like winning.
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