TRACKSPEED1 READY FOR LIFT OFF !

The preliminaries are over, the new guys have been briefed and, despite a slight alteration to the start date, this weekend sees the new Trackspeed1 squad for this winter swing back into action.

The group will reconvene at Crystal Palace on Sunday (October 10th) when every athlete will be put through a rigorous fitness test to assess just how well their preparation training has gone.

"There's no messing around this year," said coach John Powell, " I am absolutely not interested in anyone who is not willing to put the work in.  If I can get up at 5am to go to work in order to ensure I can make training, the least my athletes can do is apply themselves to the job in hand."

Talking of the new faces who have joined the group, John was extremely upbeat about their prospects, but lamented what he referred to as the "usual gossip" about how they came to join the squad:

"I haven't taken on anyone who I do not believe 100 per cent can improve with our training regime - what would be the point?  There's been the usual banter though about athletes moving around between coaches this summer, but I sleep easy at night - every one of the new athletes to Trackspeed1 approached us first, and not the other way round.

"It's never pleasant losing an athlete to another coach (heaven knows, I do know!) but you have to move on - no coach owns an athlete and if the athlete wants to move on there is absolutely nothing you can do about it."

Mark Brown rejoins Trackspeed1 for the coming winter.

John was especially delighted that former Trackspeed1 400m sprinter Mark Brown has returned to the squad after a 2-year absence.  His personal best of 46.3 back in 2008 he hasn't come close to since, and is now hoping that he can rekindle the form that brought him to within one trial race of a place in the Beijing Olympic Games.