We are pleased to announce that a new section will be added to the Bees Academy to cater for children in the age range 5 to 8 years of age. This new section will be known as the "Mini Bees".

In essence this new section will be focussed on developing the athleticsm of children primarily through specially adapted games and fun activities.

365 Athletics Academy is pleased to announce that the Bees Academy "off the track" Cross Country Club Saturday sessions at Norman Park  will now continue without a break until the 6th March 2010.  This is the week before the Bromley Primary Schools Cross Country at Crystal Palace.

We are pleased to announce that as from Saturday 16th January 2010, we will be introducing a new offering targetting school years 4, 5, 6 and 7, namely an "Off the Track Cross Country Club!". Older athletes are welcome to attend.

This scheme is in essence a cross-country club at Norman Park with the key highlights as follows:

• it will run from the Saturday 16th January for five consecutive weeks  last session being Saturday 13th February 2010 - please note that if this scheme proves to be popular, we may well extend it for a further four weeks after half-term (first extension to 6th March, second extension 20th and 27th March),;
• each session will be one hour in duration from 9.00am until 10.00am;
• each session will contain a "skills and drills" element;
• each session will involve endurance running around the park, through woods, over streams - basically getting muddy;
• the cost will be £15 for the 5 sessions, or £4 per session (pay on the day);
• qualified CRB-checked coaches will lead the sessions.

The weekly registration for the Off the Track scheme will be at the same location as the normal Bees Academy Saturday session, namely inside the Norman Park Athletics Arena. From there the group will be taken out into the park for the main activities.

You can book the Cross Country club by clicking here.

For children that will be taking part in the Crystal Palace cross-country later in the Spring term this club should be of significant benefit.

On Sunday 29th November there is an opportunity for members of the Bees Academy to participate in a Sportshall event in Maidstone. The event will run between 12.00pm and 3.30pm and the venue is Astor of Hever Sports Centre, Oakwood Road, Maidstone ME16 8AE - View Google Map.

Sportshall athletics is a fast growing branch of athletics that allows young athletes to compete in a fast and furious set of events during the winter but in a conventional indoor sports hall. The type of events that are included in a typical sportshall competition are various running events from short to not so short, hurdles using corrugated cardboard safety hurdles, obstacle courses, various types of relay, foam javelin, vertical jump, standing long jump, standing triple jump, speed bounce, weighted ball chest throws, to name but a few.

For our Bees Academy children we are able to enter Under 11 teams and Under 13 teams of boys and girls. There are either 6 boys or 6 girls in a team for Under 11s and between 5 and 8 boys or girls for the Under 13s. For Sportshall the age group definitions are school years 5 and 6 for Under 11s and school years 7 and 8 for Under 13s. For this event in Maidstone the organisers are allowing us to include school year 4 children in our Under 11 teams if we so wish. That means there is something for everyone.

What I need to know fairly urgently is who is interested in taking part. Can you please let us know if you would like your child(ren) to be included.