The following Herts Phoenix athletes have been selected to represent the Hertfordshire County Schools Athletic Association at the English Schools Championships in Sheffield on 10/11th July this year.

Although not as many as last year these athletes represent the club with distinction and travel in the knowledge that this year selection was extremely tough due to the high number of athletes who had achieved the entry standards.  Amongst their number are several international athletes and others who have won medals at regional and national level.

The club is very proud of these athletes who have been selected to compete at these prestigious championships and looks forward greatly to reporting upon their success in due course.  

Katie Grehan Senior Girls (U19) Javelin
Oaklands College.
Katie took up Javelin throwing seriously last year having started out as a sprinter and Long Jumper.  She has trained hard to complete the transition effectively and is now challenging for honours at the highest levels.  This will be her second full season as a javelin thrower and despite breaking a toe whilst warm weather training in Portugal at Easter she has been throwing consistently this year and hope to break the 40m mark regularly by the end of the season.  Currently ranked 12th in the UK.
Recent career highlights
2007 Represented East of England at UK School Games
2008 County Schools Gold medallist with a new Championship Best performance.
         Hertfordshire County AAA Silver medallist
         South of England AA Bronze medallist.
2009 Hertfordshire County AAA U20 Champion.
This will be Katie’s second attendance at the English Schools Championships and she is looking forward to improving on her 7th place of last year.

Eloise Meakins Intermediate Girls (U17) Javelin.
Queenswood School
Eloise has continued to develop and show what an exciting prospect she is.  A very strong all round sportswoman who has represented England at canoe slalom and canoe polo, she and Katie Grehan have formed a formidable team for the club and their friendly rivalry spurs them both on albeit Katie is now in the higher age group.  
Currently ranked 7th in the UK.
Recent Career highlights.
South of England AA U15 Gold medallist
South of England Silver medallist
Hertfordshire County AAA Gold medallist and County Schools Silver
      2009 Herts County Schools and County AAAs gold medallist
This will be Eloise’s second time at the English School’s Championships and she hopes to improve upon the 6th place she achieved last time.

Laura Wake Senior Girls 200m and 4x100m relay
Presdales School
Laura is one of the clubs well established and most successful athletes and has achieved a great deal of success in recent years.
In 2007 she won a schools international vest, representing England at the home countries schools international in Wales, winning a Bronze medal and this year was again selected by England and ran at the Celtic Indoor Cup event.  
Currently running well having moved up to include the 400m in her repertoire Laura hopes to emulate her Gold medal winning success of last year over the 200m.
Currently ranked 2nd in the UK over 400m and 4th over 200m.
Recent career highlights
English Schools 200m Bronze medallist
Schools International Bronze medallist
Hertfordshire County indoor 400m Gold medal
Hertfordshire County AAA 200mGold medal
English Schools 200m Gold medallist
National indoor 200m Bronze medallist
South of England 400m Champion
Laura has attended these championships on a number of occasions and is now an experienced member of the team who has delivered medals as an individual and on two occasions in the relay.  She hopes to repeat these feats this year.

Claire Humphries Senior Girls 100mHurdles and 4x100m relay
Sir Frederic Osborn School
Claire finished 2008 on a high note having won the Bronze medal at the U17 national championships in Birmingham in August.  She moved up to the U20 age group and the 100mHurdles over the winter and started 2009 well by winning the indoor 60mH Bronze medal at the South of England indoor championships – and followed this up by again taking the bronze over the 100mH at the South of England outdoor championships this month.  A former county footballer and cricketer, Claire is currently ranked 5th in the UK
Recent Career highlights
2008  South of England indoor 60mH Gold medallist
Hertfordshire County indoor 60mH and 60m Gold medals
Hertfordshire County AA 80mH Gold and 100m Silver medals
Hertfordshire Schools 80mH and 200m Gold medals
South of England bronze medallist 60mH indoors
South of England bronze medallist 100mH
Hertfordshire County AAA Gold 100mH
This year will be Claire’s 4th time at the English Schools Championships and she hopes to qualify for the final and challenge for medals as well as form part of the relay team with club mates Laura Wake and Steph Gaynor.

Hannah Lloyd Intermediate Girls 300mHurdles
Bishops Hatfield Girls School
Hannah is now in her second season as a 300m hurdler and last year made the finals at all the major championships – South of England, English Schools, UK schools and AAA’s National Championships.  Also a talented dancer, Hannah is currently ranked 7th in the UK.
Recent career highlights
Hertfordshire County AAA indoor 60mH Silver and Outdoor 75mH Gold
South of England AA 75mH finalist
English Schools Championships 4x100m Relay Bronze medal  
Hertfordshire County AAA indoor 60mH and 400m Silver medals
Hertfordshire Schools AA 300mH Gold medallist
2009  Hertfordshire Schools AA 300mH and 300m Gold medallist
          Hertfordshire County AAA gold medallist
This will be Hannah’s 3rd time at the championships and she hopes to again make the final and challenge for medals.

Danielle Currie Senior Girls Triple Jump
Presdales School
Danielle has suffered with a foot injury that cost her most of last season and severely affected her performance at the championships.  This summer she has made a return to her better performances and qualified comfortably jumping close to her personal best in the process.  A talented former gymnast, Danielle is currently ranked 23rd in the UK.
Recent career highlights
Hertfordshire County AA indoor and outdoor Triple Jump Gold medals
Hertfordshire Schools AA Gold medallist
Hertfordshire County AA indoor and outdoor Triple Jump and long Jump
          Gold medals
2009  Hertfordshire County AAA Triple Jump Gold medal
Danielle is working hard in training now to ensure that her 3rd and final English Schools Championships is as enjoyable and successful as her first.

Stephanie Gaynor Senior Girls 100mHurdles
Stanborough School
Steph is now an experienced athlete and has achieved success at almost all levels.  
In 2007 she became an English Schools International at both the hurdles and Combined Events.  She has won medals consistently at all the major championships and has continued to do so this year taking the gold medals at the national U20 indoor championships and also at the south of England indoor and outdoor championships, as well as representing the GB junior (U20) team at the Loughborough international meeting and England at the Celtic indoor Cup.  
A talented former county gymnast, Steph. is currently ranked 2nd in the UK.
Recent career highlights.
UK school Games Gold medallist
English schools AA, National AAAs, South of England AA Silver medals
Schools International Silver medal
South of England AA Indoor and Outdoor Gold Medallist
National AAA indoor and outdoor Bronze medals
National indoor gold medal
South of England indoor and outdoor gold medals.
This will be Steph’s last English Schools Championships having made the team every year since 2004 and she hopes to repeat previous year’s medal winning success if she can.

Richard Humphries Intermediate Boys Hammer Throw
Sir Frederic Osborn School
Richard took up hammer throwing just over 2 years ago and has made rapid progress achieving a UK ranking of no.6 at the end of 2007 and finishing 5th in his first national AAA championships.  Last year he made the top 8 at the UK schools championships and this year he has attained a UK ranking of 7th finishing in 4th place at the recent South of England Championships throwing a personal best in the process of over 54m.  Richard is also a talented rugby player who has represented the county and is a member of the Welwyn U16s who this year won the league and cup double. This is his second year at the championships and he hopes to make the final and challenge for a medal.
Recent career Highlights
Hertfordshire County AAA and Hertfordshire Schools Champion
Eastern Counties AA Gold medallist
Hertfordshire County AAA Champion
Eastern counties Champion.
2009  Hertfordshire County Schools and AAAs Gold medallist
Richard hopes to challenge for honours and qualify again for the UK schools championships in Cardiff this August.

Frances Slater Intermediate Girls 200m
Presdales School
This is only Frances’ second full year with the club and she has made huge progress.  She has stepped up an age group yet still run excellent times this year with the result that she was qualified to run either the 100 or 200m at the Championships.  She recently won the Bedford International Games Inter-County 100m challenge title, taking on all the county champions from across the Eastern region and her personal best times have tumbled  as the season has progressed.  Frances is also a very talented horsewoman but is currently making waves on two legs instead of four – currently ranked 5th in the UK over 200m.
Recent Career highlights
Hertfordshire County Schools  AA 200m Silver and 100m Bronze medals
Hertfordshire County schools 100 & 200m Gold medallist.
Hertfordshire County AAA 100m gold medallist
Bedford International Games inter county 100m Champion
Frances is looking to improve her times and reach the final at this year’s championships having had the experience of competing last year at Gateshead.

Courtney Clay Junior Boys High Jump
Cheshunt School
This will be Courtney’s debut at the Championships but so talented is he that he was also qualified in the 80mHurdles.  The High Jump however is his strongest suit and he achieved the national standard at the county schools championships jumping a fantastic 1.80m at the recent county schools championships.
A  talented combined eventer who is also representing the county at the regional combined events championships over the 27/28th June, Courtney is currently ranked 3rd in the UK.
Recent career highlights
 Hertfordshire County Schools High Jump Gold medal.
 Hertfordshire County Schools Pentathlon Gold medal.
Although as yet relatively inexperienced, Courtenay has shown huge potential and this selection will be a big step along the way to him hopefully achieving great things over the next few years.

Finnola Frederick  Junior Girls High Jump
Broxbourne school
Finnola is in her first full season with the club and has made rapid progress.  She is a talented all rounder and has shown her versatility in a number of pentathlon competitions.  She is also one of the athletes who lives and therefore competes in the Essex county championships yet attends a Hertfordshire school so is eligible for our county schools team – their loss is our gain, most definitely.
Currently ranked 18th in the Uk at High Jump and 3rd in the pentathlon and also selected to represent the county at the regional combined events championships in June.
Recent career highlights
2009  Hertfordshire County Schools Pentathlon Gold medallist.
          Essex county AAA Pentathlon Silver madal.
          Hertfordshire County Schools High Jump silver
          Essex county AAA High Jump Bronze
          South of England High Jump Silver.
This is Finn’s debut at the championships and her recent outstanding silver medal at the south of England championships stands her in good stead to benefit hugely from the competition and experience of the occasion.

Elizabeth Bird  Junior Girls 1500m
Haileybury College
‘Lizzie’ is in her second season with the club and is fast turning into a very exciting middle distance prospect.  She progressed steadily last year but this season has taken huge chunks off her personal bests and on one weekend in May at the South of England championships took nearly 6 seconds off her best in consecutive days to lower it to 4.43.88s and narrowly miss out on a medal – finishing 4th.
Currently ranked 10th in the UK
Recent career highlights
Eastern Counties 800m Bronze
Hertfordshire County AAA 800m Bronze
Represented Hertfordshire at Intercounty X-Country championships
Hertfordshire County AAA 1500m Gold
Lizzie is looking forward to the challenge of these championships and the experience that it will inevitably bring.

Prince Richman Junior Boys 100m
Chauncey School
Prince burst onto the scene this season and has been running ever quicker times since he took the county indoor 60m title on debut with 7.57s in March at Lee Valley.  He twice achieved the 100m entry standard at the recent County Schools Championships and thoroughly deserves his opportunity at the English Schools championships.
Currently ranked 7th in UK.
Recent career highlights.
2009 Hertfordshire County AAA indoor 60m Gold
         Hertfordshire County schools 100m Gold
This will be Prince’s debut at the championships and the exposure to such high quality competition will be an excellent opportunity for him to test himself against the best athletes.