Haverhill Running Club Juniors is open to anyone aged 8 to 17.

JJs – 8-11 year olds

Juniors 12-17 year olds

We are an inclusive club that welcomes everyone – from those who want to run to stay healthy, those who want to improve their fitness to help them perform better in another sport like football or hockey, to those who want to be fast and compete in races. Whatever your reasons for joining HRC as a young person, they are all perfectly valid.

We have two sections for our younger club members. The ‘JJs’ for our 8-11 year old athletes and the ‘Juniors’ for those aged 12-17. Whilst training is usually separate for these two groups, due to their specific development needs and capabilities, we often come together as a group for warm-ups and various fun events.

The Junior Section was set up in May 2018 by Head Coach Sil Clay, a level 3 coach in running and fitness and athletics. Sil is a long-time member of HRC and was winner of England Athletics Volunteer Awards – Coach of the Year 2023 (East Region). Her assistant coaching staff are all EA qualified, trained in first aid and DBS checked.

Training is targeted at the specific needs of children and is based on teaching good practice in relation to:

• thorough warm-ups and cool-downs
• regular agility, strength, and conditioning training
• the gradual and appropriate increase of workload, speed, and distance
• developing an efficient running technique.

For more information please use the ‘Juniors & JJs’ drop-down menu above or contact juniors@haverhillrunningclub.com

Junior and JJ involvement in senior training and club runs

Children and young people have specific training needs, which vary according to their age and stage of development. Young children in particular need to engage in a varied range of athletic activities, allowing them to explore and develop their potential across different sports and avoid narrowing their focus too quickly. Junior training sessions are designed and structured with this firmly in mind. Junior training also has other benefits, such as motivation through training with their peers, friendship and team spirit, development of life skills such as leadership, teamwork and communication, progressive development aligned to a child’s physical and psychological development, and more structured oversight and supervision by coaches.

Young people continue to develop as they move into adulthood but it is generally accepted that most will have matured sufficiently by the age of 18 to be ready for a narrower focus and to cope with the more rigorous demands of senior training, i.e. a sole focus on running with longer and harder repetitions than they might have experienced as a junior.

With this in mind, as a general rule, juniors and JJs should not attend or participate in senior training. Not only might this compromise their health and safety, but there are safeguarding and welfare considerations if a child or young person is amongst adults that are unfamiliar to them. It is therefore also inappropriate for seniors to participate in junior training sessions.

There are a few exceptions and these are as follows:

• Combined training sessions and other activities may be organised from time to time, which bring Juniors, JJs and seniors together (e.g. sports days), providing content is suitable for all ages and supervised by an Athletics coach.
• Track sessions may be planned as combined junior (12 and above) and senior training sessions. However, slower pace, shorter/fewer reps and longer rests should be included for juniors, appropriate to their age and ability, and under guidance from junior coaches.
• JJs may attend and participate in track sessions but the sessions must be separate to the ones for juniors and seniors, age appropriate, and planned/delivered by dedicated junior coaches under the supervision of an Athletics Coach.
• Juniors over the age of 17 who are planning an early transition to the seniors and who meet the relevant criteria (see the next section below for details) may attend senior training sessions and/or club runs at the discretion of the junior and senior coaches, and with the agreement of their parents or guardians.
• Juniors (12 and above) may participate in the 5K Time Trials on the last Thursday of each month, with the consent of their parents or guardians, and providing HI VIZ clothing is worn during the run in the winter months.
• 3K time trials are provided for JJs (under 12) as part of their regular training and under the supervision of the junior coaches. JJs may on occasion participate in the 5K Time Trials, with the consent of their parents/guardians, but they must wear HI VIZ clothing during the winter months and be accompanied during the run by a parent/guardian, coach or other suitable adult.

Juniors who are not HRC members may participate in time trials, in accordance with the guidelines above. However, HRC must receive written notification of their intention to run, along with consent from a parent or guardian, at least 24 hours prior to the event. The notification must also include the name and telephone number of someone who can be contacted in an emergency.

Junior transition to senior training

Junior HRC members will normally transfer automatically to the Senior section of the Club on reaching their 18th birthday. The transition process will be carefully planned to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible.

In exceptional circumstances, Junior members may be considered for early transition to the Seniors if the following criteria have been met:

• The Junior member is at least 17 years of age.
• The Junior member has been a member of HRC for a minimum of SIX months, to ensure there has been sufficient time to make an informed assessment of their maturity, ability, and potential.
• The Junior member’s running skills and abilities are suited to Senior training.
• The Junior member is able to demonstrate an appropriate level of maturity for training with Seniors. Particular attention will be given to how they behave and communicate with others (especially adults), how they approach the sport and their participation in it, and the extent to which they can make appropriate decisions and take responsibility for their own actions.
• The Junior member has attended a minimum of TWO Senior training sessions as a trial and as a result, the Junior member, their parents, and the Senior coaches are satisfied, and have confirmed that, the transfer should take place.
• The Junior member’s parent, carer or guardian has completed and signed an ‘Early Transfer Form’ giving their explicit consent to the transfer, and for the Junior member to be treated on the same terms* as a Senior once the transfer has taken place.

*An explanation of the terms referred to in the last bullet point above are as follows:

Coaches have a responsibility to ensure the safety of Senior members during Tuesday training sessions. However, all Senior members are responsible for getting themselves safely to and from training sessions, irrespective of where the sessions are located.

Similarly, during Thursday club runs, group leaders/pacers take responsibility for ensuring the safety of all Senior members’ within their assigned group and that all members return to the start location as a group (unless agreed otherwise with a specific member). However, similar to Tuesday training sessions, Senior members are responsible for getting themselves safely to and from the start location of the Club run.

The parent, carer or guardian of a Junior member who has transitioned to the Senior section of the club before their 18th birthday is responsible for ensuring the Junior member arrives and leaves training sessions and Club runs safely, either by transporting them to and from the training location/starting point themselves, or by providing alternative arrangements. HRC’s Policy for Transporting Children and Vulnerable Adults will apply and must be adhered to until the junior member’s 18^th birthday.