Sister act at the treble (From The Northern Echo)

Sister act at the treble

2:33pm Tuesday 27th September 2011 in Echo Woman

As the race to the London Olympics starts and sport takes centre stage, the Darlington Summers triplets tell Sarah Willcocks why everyone should don their tracksuits and have a go.

SIBLINGS tend to be competitive, but in one Darlington household, the competition is very fierce indeed. Darlington-born triplets Chloe, Laura and Megan Summers excel in a number of sports and often find themselves competing against each other.

The are only 11 years old, but already compete at a regional and national level, representing Darlington District in junior athletics and football.

Megan, who looks to heptathlete Jessica Ennis for inspiration, and Chloe, whose sporting hero is Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, excel in cross-country running. Laura, a Newcastle United fan, recently represented the district in football as her team made it to the primary schools finals in the North-East. The high-achieving triplets have won medals and podium positions in Darlington’s Town Sports for sprinting, relay team, long jump and triple jump.

Every week the dedicated Summers sisters train with coach Mike Cherrington, a former international athlete.

With more medals than BA Baracus, Mike once had the experience of being beaten by no less than Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie.

Passionate about grass roots sports, Mike coaches juniors at Darlington Harriers and Athletics Club and at Darlington Spraire Lads and Lasses Football Club.

“The triplets are really competitive and inspiring,” he says. “But they each have different aspirations.”

Chloe excels at high jump and was a finalist in the National Athletics Championships. Megan is sprinting her way up the National Young Athletes League. Laura can score a goal from the halfway line and was scouted by Darlington Spraire while playing for her school.

Laura and her sisters have been playing football competitively for the past three years and now play for boys’ team Spraire Lads North. “We were asked to make-up numbers,” says Chloe, who plays up front. “We were meant to play for three weeks but we’ve ended up playing for two seasons.”

Mike says: “The triplets predominantly play in the boys league and are the only three girls in the team. Even though they are young, they compete really well against boys and present a really positive images of young women in sport and of a healthy lifestyle.”

Chloe says their love of sport kicked off at their primary, Reid Street School, in Darlington. Before long the sisters were successfully representing the school in football, crosscountry, cricket, tag rugby and tennis.

Even though they say the school facilities weren’t great, the girls remember their enthusiastic teachers.

“We didn’t have a field at school,” says Laura. “We learned to play football on concrete and without much space.”

Megan, known as “the rocket”, ran into a wall while practising for sports day in year five, breaking her wrist.

“It was really frustrating. I wasn’t allowed to do any of the events that season,” she says.

The sisters are glad that the FA has decided to let girls play in a mixed team for longer so they can continue to play for Spraire Lads North. Goalkeeper Laura says, “We really like the boys’ style of football. It’s 11-a-side and big pitches. But if you’re a girl playing for the boys’ team, you’ve got more to prove.”

CHLOE, Megan and Laura have won trophies with Spraire Lasses team as runners-up in the regional leagues and in summer tournaments across the North of England and Yorkshire.

Last year the Summers sisters got into athletics when their football team entered a county-level competition at Chester-le-Street to widen the players’ experiences in sport. Their team performed well, coming third overall with each of the sisters achieving podium positions for individual performances including a first for Chloe in the long jump.

Chloe went to Wales to represent County Durham at the National Athletics Championships for clubs for young people, and her team brought home gold.

Since joining Darlington Harriers, which has produced two Olympic athletes, Chloe, Megan and Laura are working hard to improve their speed and techniques in the high jump, hurdles and long jump.

The girls happily admit that there is a lot of sibling rivalry. “If you’re in the same competition and your sister comes first, you get really annoyed,” says Megan.

“With athletics it’s different because you’re aiming for your personal best so really you are competing against yourself,” adds Chloe.

“If it’s football and we are on separate teams, then if you come second, we don’t talk for the rest of the night,” says Laura.

But above all, Chloe, Laura and Megan enjoy all the opportunities sport gives them. Megan says, “You get to travel to lots of different places.

This year we’ve competed in Blackpool and York.”

Chloe adds: “You make more friends. You get to know loads of people from different schools around the UK.”

Future ambitions are to play football for a women’s team and maybe even for England. 2012 looks set to be an inspiring year for the triplets with the London Olympics, bringing with it hopes that one day the Summers sisters will compete themselves.

Chloe, Megan and Laura would encourage other youngsters to discover the appeal of sport. “We couldn’t even kick a ball when we first started,” says Megan. “You should definitely have a try. Even if you’re not good, it’s really fun.”

•Darlington Spraire Lads and Lasses are always looking for new players. To find out more visit dslfootball.co.uk and for Darlington Harriers and Athletics Club visit darlingtonharriers.co.uk. For more information on Mike Cherrington and his work as a business, life and sports coach visit redpressures.co.uk