BBA NEWS

September 2008

Welcome to the start of what will be another thrilling Bobsleigh season.  Following a hectic 2007/2008 season, athletes and coaches alike will surely be raring to get out on the ice.

After a summer season marred by poor weather, the growing realisation of the credit crunch and a noticeable lack of a home nations team competing in the European football championships, the success of Team GB at the summer Olympic Games must stand out as the major positive talking point in homes, offices, sports clubs and pubs in this turbulent time. 

With the eyes of the world turning to London for the 2012 Games and the results of the Beijing Games signaling a rebirth of British athletic success, attention will  undoubtedly fall on the winter Olympics 2010 and our BobTeamGB.

With the British Championships taking place in November 2008, as well as 4 World Cup and 3 Europa Cup meetings before the New Year, there is lots of work ahead!

The clock is ticking…Bring it On!

The 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM)

The 2008 AGM and EGM will take place on Sunday 14 September at 15.30 at the Sports Training Village, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY.

We will be saying farewell to 3 retiring board members. Chairman of the Board Bruce Ropner, Director of Sponsorship Simon Meade and Director Gordon Bosworth will all be leaving their posts. Mr Ropner will not be leaving the BBA completely, however, continuing his current work on a schools programme initiative. We thank them for their hard work and dedication and wish them all the best for the future.

The purposes of the AGM are both financial and administrative, while the purpose of the EGM is to vote on the amalgamation of the British Bobsleigh Association with the British Bob-Skeleton Association to form the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association.

To be eligible to attend either of the Meetings as well as vote on any issues the annual membership fee must have been received by the Company Secretary (Mark Carter) not less than 48 hours before the start of the Meeting.

The 48 hours rule also applies to those members voting by proxy and with under a week remaining until the AGM and EGM there isn’t much time left.

More information and copies of the forms can be found on the News section of the BBA website www.bobteamgb.org

Membership

With an exciting season of Bobsleigh action on our doorstep there has never been a better reason to renew your membership. At only £25 for the year, your fee helps our GB men and women to represent you at the highest level as well as progressing and developing towards the Winter Olympics in 2010 and 2014.

With the AGM and EGM next week, if your membership fee is unpaid you will not be able to have your say on the issues that affect your sport as well as not being able to attend or vote.

Please contact the BBA Office on 01403 221844 for membership information.

The Trials

As most of you know the 2008 Athlete Trials are taking place at the Sports Training Village at the University of Bath on the weekend of 13th and 14th of September.

The Sports Training Village has been the home of BBA since a push-start facility was built in 2001 and as well as being a Centre of Sporting Excellence also provides other facilities, both physical, medical and psychological.

The Trials are very much a first step in the selection process for new athletes as well as a vital process for current athletes as it provides valuable information to themselves and their coaches on their development, crucial when selecting and grouping into teams for the competitions ahead.

The National standards that all athletes currently have to reach in order to be considered consist of a 30 metre sprint, vertical jump, power clean and single bob push. The men have to complete the sprint in under 3.90 seconds, achieving a jump of 0.70 metres, a power clean of 110kg and a single bob push of 5.80 seconds.  The women on the other hand are required to sprint in under 4.25 seconds, jump 0.50 metres, power clean 70kg and single bob push in 6.50 seconds.

It is mandatory that the athletes achieve the standards in sprinting and single bob push and either power clean or vertical jump. Athletes who pass the 3 out of 4 then will be invited to more specific talent days and National events while being expected to aim to improve and develop to reach International Standards. Only athletes that reach International Standard will be considered when selecting the World Cup and Olympic teams.

In what promises to be an explosive start to the new season, the Trials weekend will be the first step in deciding who represents GB throughout the coming season.

The British Championships

The British Championships will be held between 8th and 16th of November 2008 and will take place in Cesana, Italy.

Further information to follow…

Season Calendar 2008/2009

For those of you who haven’t seen this season’s schedule the calendar can be found on the BBA website www.bobteamgb.org and can also be found below:

That’s all for this edition, just remains to say good luck to all of our athletes at the Trials this weekend and look out for a Special Edition of the newsletter reaching your inboxes after the Trials!

We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter and welcome any comments and suggestions you have for topics that you would like to see featured, email ed.stannard@bobteamgb.org