Bromley is currently in first place on the scoreboard for the London Youth Games, the largest event in Europe for children and young people, after only four competitions with teams put together by social enterprise Mytime Active.
“Each year Bromley faces tough competition from 32 other London boroughs and has a great reputation at the Games, winning the overall Jubilee Trophy three times in the last five years – we are fortunate to have a great network of school and club-based teams who perform to an excellent standard,” said Louise O’Callaghan, Sports and Events Manager for Mytime Active.
“Over 71,000 participants began the journey to represent their local borough in 2011 and Bromley will be entering forty five teams into twenty eight different sporting competitions over the coming six weeks.”
Last Saturday [May 19], five participants from Bromley, aged ten to seventeen, entered the BMX competition at Hornfair Park, Greenwich and finished in fifth place. Southwark won the competition with Havering and Hillingdon picking up silver and bronze. Lewis Warren and Ewan Stark from Bromley finished in fifth place in the boys junior event which included a single circuit of the challenging track.
Bromley’s BMX team manager, Leigh Stark, recruited the keen bikers from Brixton Cycling Club and was delighted to be involved. He said, “Our Bromley team was a credit to the Borough, we didn’t win medals but came a very credible fifth out of 17 boroughs. Count me in for next year’s event as manager, it would be a pleasure to assist.”
Bromley teams will be out in force over the coming weeks as the build up to the finals weekend at Crystal Palace National Sports Centre quickly approaches. Langley Park School for Boys represented Bromley at the volleyball qualifiers at The Score Centre, Leighton and Glebe School will compete next Wednesday [May 30], as the disability football team ventures north of the river to Hackney Marshes.
June 30 and July 1 will be the ultimate sporting weekend after months of qualifiers come to an end and the 2012 champions are announced. Last year Bromley finished in sixth place and will be hoping for a top five position this year.
For more information on the Youth Games and to see the latest results, see www.londonyouthgames.org