Juniors

A warm welcome to the homepage of Taff Ely Triathlon Club Juniors. We are a long established Club with a Junior Section since Taff Ely triathlon started back in 1989. In that time our Junior section has grown into a thriving, dedicated and friendly group of coaches, athletes and parents. We have a Junior Coaching Coordinator to look after the coaching needs of our juniors and to support them in preparing for races.

Our British Triathlon Federation qualified coaches,( levels 1,2 and 3 ), supported by our accredited Club Welfare officer, ensure our juniors have the opportunity to reach their full potential in a safe and friendly environment.

Joining us and Club Sessions:

You can join our Junior Section if:

  • you are between 8 and 17 years of age (Tristars Start,1, 2 or 3 and Youth categories as defined by British Triathlon Federation)
  • you have existing skills in each of the triathlon disciplines – we’re not here to teach you to swim, bike or run, but coach you to improve your existing swimming, cycling and running techniques and put them all together to make you a triathlete
  • YOU want to train hard, listen to and learn from your coaches, persevere and achieve

We generally have a new squad intake in January, for the beginning of every racing season. However, please do ask your parent/guardian/carer to Contact us through the website if you are wishing to join mid-season. In any case please let us know what training and events you would like to take part in.

Membership of Taff Ely Triathlon Club is currently £10 per junior. Please ask your parent/guardian/carer to apply through the Taff Ely Triathlon Club website Club Membership page  LINK HERE (Junior membership for you or Family options if your parents wish to join or are already members). Your application will be reviewed and once approved and paid, you may join our sessions. If you wish to come along to try one of these sessions as a Taster, please let us know and we will try to arrange with the Junior Coaching Coordinator. We ask that parents/guardians take responsibility for all email traffic when joining their child up to Taff Ely Triathlon club as all communications are done via the email supplied including requests for payments and details of forthcoming sessions. It is also now a requirement of our affiliation and insurance that parents/guardians remain at the sessions whilst their children are engaged with us and wherever possible within direct line of sight of them.

Coached Sessions for Junior Members

Coached Triathlon sessions are on Sundays at Aberdare (Sobells) Leisure Centre and run throughout the year with the exception on holidays, based on quarter of a year (12/13 weeks) roughly corresponding with school terms. Class charges are currently £25 per quarter, but there are no refunds if you don’t attend a session!

You don’t have to become a member of Welsh Triathlon but if you do, you’ll receive reduced race entry fees and other benefits, details on the Club Membership page.

Please ask your parent/guardian/carer to contact the Membership Secretary membership@taffelytri.org who will discuss your application, including any needs you might have with your parent/guardian/carer and may pass on, as appropriate, some of the information with the Junior Coaching Co-ordinator.

What we do:

  • have fun
  • learn
  • achieve

We do it through:

  • improving fitness, endurance and co-ordination
  • building confidence
  • motivating athletes individually and as a team
  • encouraging self-belief, determination and dedication
  • friendship and teamwork.

Safeguarding

Taff Ely Triathlon Club is committed to providing a safe place for children and vulnerable adults to enjoy the sport of triathlon. We have adopted the Safeguarding Policy of the British Triathlon Federation and have appointed a Club Welfare Officer – Tony Dally, please see Committee Page for contact details. All parents/guardians/carers are asked to read the policy by following the link:

British Triathlon Safeguarding

Other aspects of safeguarding such as codes of conduct will be dealt with in the application process.

Please also see our Club Young Person’s Guide:

Safety in Triathlon

Coached sessions take place at Abercynon Leisure Centre with British Triathlon qualified coaches and full lifeguard cover. Almost all Junior Triathlons are pool-based. Any open water races have full safety cover.

Cycling on open roads is not allowed in Junior Triathlons so any coached cycling skills sessions we might put on occasionally will take place in public parks or traffic-free cycle paths.

All races we promote are run under the rules of the British Triathlon Federation and you should check that any race you enter has a BTF Event Permit.

Equipment

We make no bones about it… triathlon at a competitive level isn’t cheap. However, at beginner level, the essential equipment for giving triathlon a go comprises simply:

  • Swim – swim kit and goggles
  • Bike – roadworthy bike and cycle helmet
  • Run – trainers and suitable clothing

A mountain bike is fine (though swapping the knobbly tyres for smooth ones is a cheap and simple upgrade that will make a huge difference). Please ask your parent/carer/guardian to make sure your bike is in a roadworthy condition with handlebars, brakes, pedals, chain and wheels and all the other bits working perfectly – and of course, a helmet.

Juniors are taught and carry out the ‘M’ check method on their bikes before every training session. Any Junior with a bike not in roadworthy condition will not be allowed to participate.

In time for your first race, you may wish to invest in a number belt, lock laces and a trisuit – these will all help you go faster! Taff Ely Triathlon Hoodies look nice too.

Training and Racing

The Juniors are encouraged to follow a schedule of training in each discipline each week. We coach swim and track run sessions regularly over the Autumn/Winter and occasional bike skills sessions on closed park areas or tarmacked, traffic-free trails in the Summer. It is hoped that you will undertake some sessions by yourself or with friends/parents/guardians.

We teach good swimming, cycling and running techniques and focus on the unique skills required in Transition (the changeover from swim to bike and bike to run). We work on fundamentals such as balance, agility, core stability, speed of movement, flexibility and strength.

The racing season is typically May through to September. You will be encouraged to compete in local races where possible. Races which Taff Ely Juniors competed in during 2018 for example were all in the Welsh Junior Series.