600 people to compete in orienteering race in Harrogate and Knaresborough

A major international orienteering event will be held in Harrogate and Knaresborough this weekend.

The City Race Euro Tour includes orienteering contests in major towns and cities across Europe every year.

For the first time, the Harrogate area has been made one of the nine stops on the tour, which also includes places such as Córdoba, Ancona, Vigo, Ghent and London.

More than 600 people have signed up for the race, which takes place on July 15 and 16.

Kay Hawke, project officer at British Orienteering, said:

“Participants from across the UK and Europe will be tackling the orienteering courses set around the locations with different length (and difficulty) courses for different age groups, meaning that there is a course suitable to the very young, families and beginners to the elderly”

The weekend event will start with a sprint race around Knaresborough Castle and, on the following day, participants will tackle an urban course set in and around Harrogate Ladies College.

Ms Hawke added:

“Funding has been secured from North Yorkshire Council to create an accessible course at the Sunday Harrogate event which is wheelchair and limited mobility friendly.”

Orienteers have also been invited to a free guided tour of Harrogate led by local guide Harry Satloka as well as a meal at the Old Bell pub on Saturday evening.

Prizes will be provided by local companies and artists, including the Harrogate Chocolate Factory – a social enterprise helping young people with learning disabilities to gain valuable work skills.

To learn more about the European City Race and how to take part, visit the website here.

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Local girls’ football team struggle to find a female coach

A Harrogate based children’s football club has launched an urgent appeal for a young female coach.

Pannal Ash Panthers under fourteens girls’ football squad has been looking for a suitable candidate for more than 18 months.

The squad members have asked for a female coach closer to their age range, ideally between seventeen and twenty-five years old.

Chris Makin, head coach at Pannal Ash Junior Football Club said:

“We understand the importance of representation and relatability for our young players.

“Unfortunately, despite casting our net far and wide, we have encountered several false starts, leaving us empty-handed.”

The number of girls playing football has seen a huge rise following England’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 win.

At Pannal Ash FC, the girl’s section has grown rapidly over the last five years, with around 110 more girls from ages five to eighteen joining.

According to Mr Makin, the Lionesses are icons to the girls playing at Pannal Ash.

He believes a young, sports-minded female coach, like those playing for England’s women’s team, would “inspire and empower” the squad’s players.

The district has spawned its own football superstar, Rachael Daly, who won the 2022-2023 Women’s Super League Golden Boot and recently opened a café in Killinghall named after her.

The club has made many efforts to find a suitable match but have been unsuccessful.

Mr Makin told the Stray Ferret:

“We have left no stone unturned in our search, leveraging extensive social media coverage with captivating video content featuring esteemed members of the England Lionesses squad.

“Additionally, we have even offered funded FA Coaching qualifications to potential candidates. Our aim has been to find a coach who resonates with our girls and meets their specific preferences”

Throughout the search, many potential candidates were contacted. However, the club was met with few responses, as well as several last-minute cancellations and no-shows.

The team will continue to look for a coach who is more representative of its members and hopes to find the right match soon.

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Harrogate’s roller derby team seeks new recruits

The Spa Town Roller Derby Team is on the lookout for new recruits after covid took its toll on numbers.

The team, which was set up in 2012, is Harrogate’s only roller derby league team and has 19 players.

It is made up of men and women putting on their skates and taking to the floor at Harrogate Ladies’ College each Sunday.

Roller derby is a contact sport played by two five-person teams skating counter-clockwise around a track. In each team there is a jammer and four blockers.

The jammer scores points by lapping members of the opposing team. The teams attempt to hinder the opposing jammer while assisting their own jammer, in effect playing both offence and defence simultaneously.

The team sometimes competes and is currently at tier 4 of the British Championships. In 2016 to 2020 the team competed in the championships each year and without the disturbance of covid the team could have moved to tier 2.

Gemma Wilson has been a member from the start. She started after the birth of her son when she was living with post-natal depression and said being part of the team “saved” her:

“When I put my skates on I was able to forget everything and just laugh, sweat and learn alongside the team. Some say it’s cheap therapy!

“I am one of millions of people who were saved by the crazy, fast paced sport full of some of the most supportive and incredible people the world has to offer.

“During my time skating I have competed all over the country, travelled abroad, tried out for Team England, have some hilarious after party stories and have made lifelong friends across the globe.”

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Ms WIlson is encouraging people of all ages and abilities to sign up. They began recruiting six weeks ago and are in the middle of teaching new members the basics of contact.

The hope is with more members they can add another session in each week. She added:

“People really can take from it what they want as some just want to have a little slice of time for themselves or get fit whilst having fun, but if players want to then they can compete in scrimmages and bouts against other teams.”

To find out more about joining click here.