Page 3 - BBHAC Winter 2016-17 Gazette

President’s Profile 3
This year’s President 2017/18 Nick Brooks

So we have yet another
A promising athletics career president born in 1958
sadly curtailed through injury following on from Bill Foster,
and a lifelong involvement in and this one from an illustrious
rugby with a local Club are just Blackheath Harrier family.
some of the features of this year’s Nick Brooks is perhaps one
president’s life, as well as be- of the most likely of heathens
longing to a distinguished Club to assume the ultimate office
family. This president hopes that in the Club. His grandfather
he will be accepted as president George Brooks was Club
but should have no concerns on President in 1972, and he would
that score. have been so proud to see his
grandson in this role. His father
Gordon is a Club member and talent spotted by Graham
Vice President and former Club Botley on his visits to local
Chairman and his brother Andy schools where he focused on
was a Club member during his middle distance. Yet despite this
teenage years. he had aPB in the high jump of
A natural born athlete he had 1.89m often beating Gordon
an active childhood playing Hickey to the Club high jump
rugby for Langley Park Boys championship, one of many PBs
School, and also basketball although mainly on the track
where he went on to gain (800m best of 1.47.01) and many
County honours. He was also of which were reasonable good
an all-rounder at athletics until distance PBs.
he joined Blackheath in 1973, It was on the track therefore
that he made his mark. After
finishing 8th in the 800m as
junior boy he went onto win
the intermediate boys 800m in
1975, and then was picked for
the home schools international
which he also won. The
following year he won the senior
boys 800m breaking the record
at that time ahead of Garry
Cook. From this formative
period of his athletic career he
developed the tactic of running
from the back and relying on a
good finish, using a 160-yard
tight board track indoors.
By 1976 he was attracting a lot
of interest from US universities
and following the southern
800m race which was shown
on TV (where he finished 2nd
Nick tracking New Zealand’s John Walker at the AAAs qualifying to Peter Browne and broke
round over 800m in 1980 where he ran 1.49.4. 1.50 for the first time), David