{"id":101,"date":"2012-11-27T08:25:37","date_gmt":"2012-11-27T08:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.time-to-run.co.uk\/scotland\/?p=101"},"modified":"2012-11-27T08:25:37","modified_gmt":"2012-11-27T08:25:37","slug":"commonwealth-squad-size-increase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.time-to-run.co.uk\/scotland\/news\/commonwealth-squad-size-increase","title":{"rendered":"Commonwealth Squad size increase"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Stephen<\/a>

Stephen Maguire – Director of Coaching<\/p><\/div>\n

scottishathletics will soon be announcing our ‘Commonwealth Squad’ with support for athletes for the next 12-month period.<\/p>\n

It is an essential part of the on-going work here for our Performance team with the initial selection process and then continued backing both regarded as very important as we seek to raise standards.<\/p>\n

And now Stephen Maguire, our Director of Coaching, will be very much involved in the squad management through to the end of 2013 when it is next reviewed.<\/p>\n

In mid-December last year, scottishathletics named a 41-strong group of athletes as our \u2018Commonwealth Games squad\u2019. The group at that time did not include Para athletes.<\/p>\n

This time, we are able to offer support and help to more athletes and we will release\u00a0 51 names next week, including four Para athletes.<\/p>\n

scottishathletics are delighted with the increase in the size of the squad being supported as it reflects improved performances and a desire also to look towards Gold Coast 2018 – the Commonwealth Games after Glasgow 2014 – as well as the short-term future.<\/p>\n

\u2018With Glasgow 2014 looming ever closer, we naturally have a short-term focus over the next 18 months or so \u2013 but we are also looking beyond that in terms of development,\u2019 said Maguire.<\/p>\n

\u2018The squad programme is very much geared towards the needs of each athlete on an individual basis and the coach\u2019s responsibility to manage that.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are working closely with the sportscotland Institute of Sport to ensure our \u2018medal-zone\u2019 athletes (in tandem with support from UK Athletics) will have the best possible backing in order to compete at the very top level.<\/p>\n

\u2018Whenever any annual squad is announced in sport, personnel changes are inevitable. Our last squad was based largely on performances in the summer of 2011.<\/p>\n

\u2018But just because an athlete isn\u2019t named next week doesn\u2019t mean by any means the door is closed on them \u2013 by scottishathletics or indeed for Glasgow 2014.<\/p>\n

\u2018The selection standards for the Commonwealth Games are available online and each and every athlete and coach is invited to study them and strive for them. With the marathon qualification period opening on January 1 and all the rest on April 1 then the race to post them is very much on.\u2019<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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