Surrey Youth Games 2009

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• Surrey Youth Games 2009 - Results 
• Background

Surrey Youth Games 2009 - Results 

Young athletes from across Woking Borough proved themselves to be sporting super stars last weekend (20 and 21 June) when they competed in the Surrey Youth Games and walked away with a clutch of medals and some great team performances.

Ten Surrey boroughs and over 2,000 children took part in the county wide sporting spectacle which took part at The Varsity and The Spectrum in Guildford and Woking Leisure Centre.  Approximately 200 children, aged 7 to 15 years, represented Woking in ten different sports including badminton, boccia, basketball, football, hockey, judo, netball, tag rugby, squash and swimming.

For many of the competitors, this was their first experience of competition on such a grand scale, but they rose to the challenge to scoop three gold and two bronze medals for Woking.

• GOLD – Badminton (Senior Mixed), Football (Senior Girls), Swimming (Under 10s)
• BRONZE – Judo (Senior Girls) and Squash (Senior Mixed)

Both Badminton and the Girls Football teams did exceptionally well to retain the trophies that they won last year, achieving some excellent results. The Senior Squash team also exceeded expectations as it was their first year in the competition and the squad members were chosen as a result of a Sports Unlimited grant which funded the cost of a squash coach for ten weeks in the build up to the Games, enabling participants new to the sport to have a go for free. 

Due to the penalty points received for late withdrawal of teams, the final score did not reflect some of the great team efforts across the weekend, where Woking finished in ninth place. 

One of the aims of the competition is to introduce children to new sports and encourage them to find clubs after the Games are over. To this end, Woking entered a team of hockey players who had never picked up a stick before until the free training programme was offered to them, where they received coaching from a fully qualified coach. After playing and training on the fantastic astro turf pitches at Woking Hockey Club, it is hoped that many of the team will go on to join the club, continuing their involvement in the sport.

All of the Woking competitors across all ten sports had spent weeks training for free with qualified and experienced coaches at some fantastic facilities, in order to learn the skills and tactics needed to compete. It is now hoped that these children will go on to find local clubs to continue their interest and develop their skills.

Cllr David Bittleston, Woking Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Health and Well-being, said: “I would like congratulate all of the participants on a great team performance. I would also like to say a big thank you to our superb coaches who gave up their time in the build up to the Games and during the competition itself, to ensure that all of the participants enjoyed a fantastic weekend of sport. For many of the young people, it was their first taste of competition and I hope that they will continue to participate in sport and hopefully go on to join one of our local clubs.”

The Woking team is very grateful to their sponsors, Mansell, Kall Kwik and Go For It Teamwear for their support in preparing the young performers for the Games.  Thanks to their kind sponsorship Woking Borough Council was able to offer young people a free ten-week training programme and the opportunity to try a new sport.

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Background

The Surrey Youth Games is an exciting event which is the largest sporting competition for young people in Surrey.  It allows young people aged 7 – 15 years to take part in a range of sports at a competitive level representing Woking, against teams from the other 10 boroughs and districts of Surrey.  It is a great opportunity to have a go at a new sport or improve your skills in your favourite sport by receiving coaching, tactics and skills from qualified coaches…and it’s all for FREE!

The coaches all come from local sports clubs and will enable all participants to continue their participation in their chosen sport once the fun of the Games is over.

The annual weekend extravaganza of sport took place this year in several venues in Woking and Guildford on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June 2009.  However preparation for the event begins in Woking during April 2009.

For more information about joining a team for next year or to find a local sports club, please contact Jill Dixon, Woking Borough Council’s Sports Development Officer on 01483 743804 or email jill.dixon@woking.gov.uk