Langholm's ladies going for gold talk to ITV Border about the cost of competing

Competing in sport can be hard, but the hidden costs are often yet another hurdle for many young athletes.

Four athletes who competed at the Scottish Indoor Athletic championships last weekend talked to ITV Border about their experience and the financial cost of competing.

Matilda Brockley and her younger sister Antonia Brockley both took part in the championships.

Matilda took the gold in the U17 triple jump and her sister took the bronze in the the U17 60m.

Antonia said: "When I'm running, I don't think - nothing goes for my head.

"But after it it was a really close race.

"I didn't know what I got but, it was really good when I found out I got third because I didn't really expect to get anything"

Aioffion McVittie Brangan, 11, was also gunning for gold, taking the win in the U13 60m in her first indoor competition.

She said the experience was "surreal":"It was like I didn't actually know what was like because it's like it's just a blur.

"You hear the gun, then you're just gone, then you're done.

"I wasn't expecting to win, but I just went for the fun."

All four athletes have been supported by the Welcome to Langholm Future Champions Award set up by David Stevenson, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 in pole vaulting.

He said: "The ability of young people in rural Scotland, and that's not just Langholm, that's the South of Scotland and north of the Edinburgh-Glasgow central-belt, are seriously disadvantaged when it comes to trying to follow through in sport.

"That is really what we're trying to do at all at a local level to bridge that gap, but also highlighted to other charities, other parts of the sporting structure."

Aioffion said: "There's different entry fees and then there's the fuel getting up there and get in the special equipment and not for it, but it's really good and it really does help the expense of competing. 

Ava Bell who also competed last weekend said: "We have to travel so much to get there, petrol's a lot of money. 

"It's really helpful because it's really expensive for the spikes especially which can be around £200. 

"You need to buy your own kit, travel and stay in over if it starts really early in the morning, it's really expensive. 

"So it's really benefited me." 

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