The Cyril Elliott Open Track & Field Meeting Out of the shadow of Tom Flory, Coach to the Boys and Colts section at the time, came a man who was destined to have such a long lasting effect on our club. Cyril Elliott had been Tom's right hand man and when Tom left, Cyril stepped in to take over the coaching of the younger athletes until his untimely death in 1986. The Club used Stockton 's Tilery Sports Centre as its base but moved to Clairville in the early 80's. From the comments of all our contributors, Cyril possessed many good qualities. He had a calm disposition and treated everyone equally. He was cheerful, always encouraging, a father figure to many of his athletes and his sessions reflected his character. Cyril was there to develop fitness, enjoyment and a level of discipline. If he thought an athlete too good for his group and with prospects, he encouraged them to move on. Some evenings he would have up to 50 athletes using the gym at Tilery. (Long since demolished by Stockton Council) He had many successful athletes over the years with at least 2 of our young! Ladies still members of the club and competing under the name of Middlesbrough Athletic Club (Mandale). After Cyril died, to our surprise, he had left a legacy to be used as we saw fit for the benefit of the club. So why an open meeting? Both Roy and Mike as administrators of the trust and as coaches decided that it would be useful to initiate an Open meeting using Cyril's money to fund the venue etc. but more importantly to have a standards meeting early in the Track & Field season. The first was held on April 3rd 1988 and has continued to take place successfully every year since. As you athletes and parents read this about Cyril, a man dedicated, enthusiastic, cheerful, positive and prepared to put a lot of time and effort into all his athletes, think about your own coaches and Club Committee and what they do for you. Never take them for granted! Contributions from: Mike Starford, Roy Bradley, Brian Davison, Andy Ward and Jill King
We need more adults involved who could help us on the day by offering to:
Generally help where you can.
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