And I know for a fact that I’m not the only person who feels this way. There’s nothing more frustrating than developing an extreme passion for something, doing everything in your power and working tirelessly to improve, but then feeling incapable of simply going out and taking part in competition. And even then, when I was able to compete with only a few bumps in the road I felt rubbish about myself when it was all over.Īll of this was caused by one thing: the use of a real gun to start races or to signal false starts. It took over four years for my coach to convince me to give it another go. But after just one competition I was left feeling embarrassed, worthless and overall terrible about myself. I started athletics in 2015 and competed for the first time in 2017. This is something I have absolutely no control over and that I can’t change. I am very sensitive to sudden loud noises. But I have a problem which massively impacts my enjoyment of the sport, my ability to compete and how I feel about myself as a result of this. I’m just one of millions who partakes in track, and I have grown to love it. We have acted upon feedback from timekeeping officials around the flash, and have rolled out an improved starting actuator for all 13 systems over summer 2023.” Eilidh’s storyĪthletics is huge. ‘This will fill an identified gap when one of the custodians of the scottishathletics systems is not available.
‘In partnership with Aberdeen AAC, Shetland AAC, Cumbernauld AAC, Ayr Seaforth AAC and Nithsdale AC, we have also recently purchased a further five basic systems, which will be owned and operated by the clubs. There are three of these systems with one in the East, North and West District areas. ‘In addition to our track systems, we also have developed an electronic start system for off track events with a slightly adjusted start signal – a longer sound rather than the crisp signal for track & field events. This allows its use at matches up and down the country.
DEAD OR ALIVE 3 ORIGINAL SOUND TRAX FULL
Head of Competition for scottishathletics, Alasdair Love, says: ‘At present, scottishathletics has one full TESS (The Electronic Start System), which is used at our main championships, with another six basic entry level systems loaned out to starters in the East, West and North of Scotland. Below, young athlete Eilidh Scobbie shares with us her own experience, explaining how the use of start guns can in some cases prevent athletes from wanting to compete at all. There are also benefits for some athletes and spectators – for those who struggle with loud noises, traditional start guns can be incredibly difficult to tolerate. The transition towards using electronic starting equipment continues across athletics in Scotland, with a range of benefits over the use of traditional start guns – there’s a cost saving for starting officials, and the move also aids in the recruitment of new officials, who no longer need a firearms licence. Above: Electronic starting system in use at this year’s SUPERteams regional heat at Saughton Track, Edinburgh
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