Sussex Athletes Make The Most After Inter Counties Cancelled

At 10.58, with the first race, the Under 13 Girls, about to start, the teams lined up ready for the gun. Then came the shocking announcement that the race was called off. Soon it became apparent the whole event was cancelled. By then most of our athletes were there, some having travelled up the evening before, others were still on the train coming from university, and others on the motorway.

 

Along with experienced County athletes, many were representing Sussex for their very first time. The events of the day shouldn’t spoil the pride each athlete should feel in their achievement of being selected, the hard work in training reflected in the successes in recent races. As a county our standards are high, and we're confident Sussex would have seen some great results. But of course, the disappointments and frustrations were all too real. Once the news broke, our U13 girls showed real guts and determination .. they already knew how difficult the course was, with water a foot deep and mud like they'd never seen before, they headed straight out to rerun the course, probably to the distress of some of the officials and parents.

 

With our other teams out walking the course, some at the tent and others still arriving, quickly our experienced coaches pulled together as many athletes as possible. Some headed for a training session on a playing field and others opted to put their numbers on and run the course. Understandably a few parents left immediately, but for those who stayed, the athletes had the opportunity to run off their frustrations, have some fun, photos and cake and the parents were able to chat and relax a little before hitting the M25. The mood picked up and as the Sussex Camp packed up, many were able to reflect on the day as a memorable and a bonding experience.