Following the enthusiasm shown for the English Schools’ AA Virtual Track & Field Championships last month, we are pleased to offer a similar opportunity to Combined Events Athletes.

With the loss of the Championships that so many young athletes had hoped would be able to take place in September, we have made the decision to offer athletes the opportunity to build their ‘scores’, competing with and against others across the country, between Thursday 20 August and Sunday 20 September (which would have been the second day of the Championships in Bedford).

We hope that by competing, either in training sessions or club Open Meetings (should more of these become possible), that the gradual accumulation of performances for the appropriate events for a Pentathlon, Heptathlon, Octathlon or Decathlon will raise the mood of so many athletes and, even if they can’t be in the same place to do so, they will get the great feeling of competition and camaraderie that the ESAA Combined Events Championships always bring.  

We are aware that many tracks across the country are still closed, coaching sessions remain difficult and that the school holidays have now begun.  Nevertheless, we still feel it is worthwhile trying to do something, hence the decision to stage these virtual competitions during the month leading up to what would have been the Championships weekend.

In order to make the competition attractive and accessible, we have decided that events do not have to be completed in the correct order, nor on any particular day.  Track events will be scored from the manual scoring tables as most athletes will not have access to electronic timing.  Also, athletes are not restricted to 3 trials in Long Jump and Throws - their best result will be used to determine their points score.

However, to ensure uniformity, High Jump competitions must go up in increments of 3cms (if necessary starting below 1m40 but then through 1m40 and up).  The Senior Boys’ Pole Vault must go up in increments of 10cms (if necessary starting below 3m00 but then through 3m00 and up).  Details are on the entry form.  
   
Clearly, as these will be training results, and full complements of officials and  photo-finish won’t be in use, they will not be eligible for Power of Ten. in addition there are areas where errors can creep in, from coaches misreading tapes to out and out exaggeration of results, which we hope won’t happen, but we hope to get a good set of results from a fun competitive opportunity, even if nobody is going to be crowned ESAA Champion!

These are 2020 age-groupings and are based on the school year you were in prior to the summer holidays. This includes senior athletes who were in Y13 prior to the school holidays.

All athletes will receive a certificate to show that they participated in the event, sent by email to the contact email address given on the entry form.  Please be sure to make sure you have entered this accurately.

After the competition and your entries have been processed results will be  published on the ESAA Facebook page. This is very much a trial on our part, and volunteers are staging it, so please bear with us that we can’t provide running results during the month, but only final results as soon as possible after the event closes on 20  September.

To enter the competition, submit your information and performances on this entry form - once you have completed all of your events and do not forget to click on SUBMIT when you have added all of the key information.   You will receive an emailed copy of your entry. All entry forms must be received by midnight on Sunday 20 September.

We shall need various details about the athlete, all the appropriate event performance (verified by the teacher, coach or official in attendance) and a contact email so we can send the certificate to show you competed in the 2020 virtual ESAA Combined Events competition.

We are only asking for the data and information that we need to organise and run the ESAA Virtual Combined Events Competition. All information submitted will only be used by the volunteers appointed by the ESAA in order to run this Virtual competition.  As soon as it has been checked and verified and results have been produced personal information will be destroyed. Whilst it is being reviewed all data will be kept secure and under password protection and only shared with relevant ESAA personnel.

For more information and the ESAA Privacy policy go to:  http://www.esaa.net/v2/info/privacy.php

We hope you are able to put together a Pentathlon, Heptathlon, Octathlon or Decathlon, according to your age group, and get some enjoyment out of being part of a national event, albeit a virtual one.  Good luck to you all!

Iain Presnell (ESAA Combined Events Co-ordinator)
Richard Bowden (ESAA Combined Events Assistant Co-ordinator)