This week, the Gazette & Herald launches a series of articles which focuses on some of the people and organisations in Ryedale that should make us proud. To kick off the series, CLAIRE METCALFE profiles Pickering athletics star Richard Buck.

RICHARD Buck turned 17 last week. Like most lads his age, he's looking forward to getting behind the wheel and learning to drive, having just received his insurance in this morning's post.

But Richard had another nice surprise through the letterbox - that was certainly not your run-of-the-mill birthday card.

On Wednesday, November 12, he found out that he is ranked number one British under-17 400 metres runner.

For more than a year, the Pickering youngster has been groomed by the English Institute of Sport's World Class Potential training squad.

Expectations of Olympic success have fallen squarely on his shoulders, but he seems to be taking it in his stride.

When I asked how it felt to find out he was the official number one, he shrugged, smiled and said: "I already had an idea that I was. I keep an eye on my opponents and on my own performance so it wasn't that much of a surprise."

Athletic achievements are not unusual in the Buck family.

Richard's mum, Karen, won the 100m English Schools' title in 1980 and has held the Yorkshire 200m record for 24 years.

Richard's grandfather, Geoff Baraclough, has been a coach all his adult life, and trained first Karen and now Richard.

With that kind of background, you would imagine strong encouragement at an early age - the term 'pushed' might even spring to mind.

Not a bit of it. "I used to be quite chubby and didn't like joining in with stuff," he laughs.

"It was my PE teacher at Lady Lumley's who persuaded me to run my first race when I was about 13.

"Mr Buckley and Mr Inman convinced me to do it and I'm glad they did now!

"In my first year, I went from nothing and ended up seventh in the country in the under-15s 400m.

"I wasn't very good at finishing races that year. I was all right for the first but by the second and third I had burnt myself out.

"Now I've trained myself to build strength so I can put two or three races together with no problem."

The resources Richard has access to through the training programme are top notch.

It provides him with medical insurance for possible scans and operations, as well as access to physiotherapist and massage treatment.

And he has regular meetings with nutritionists, sports psychologists and sports scientists.

Money is also provided towards the cost of training kit, equipment such as heart-rate monitors and dumbbells, and travelling to training and competitions.

His weekly training routine involves one night a week in Sheffield, completing three hours intensive training, complemented by Huntington stadium in York, and a third, more low-key, evening training in Pickering.

Despite all this, he remains disarmingly nice and easy-going.

He doesn't take himself too seriously and is still very much a local Pickering lad.

Even within his finely-tuned training schedule, he manages to fit in work training other youngsters from Pickering - most of whom are fellow pupils at Lady Lumley's.

He plays basketball with his mates and is currently doing A- levels in economics, business studies, biology and sport.

I ask him what the sports psychologist made of him. "He laughed at me!" he said.

"He asked me what my goals were and I said I wanted to study Gothic mythology at university. I don't think he realised I was pulling his leg at first!"

The world-class potential programme takes Richard to Italy next year for the junior world championships.

The following year he will be looking at the senior world championships, and the year after that it's the senior Commonwealth games.

But it is 2008 that Richard has really got his eye on, and the Olympic games in Beijing.

I ask him if it's a lot of pressure. "I think it's like with this season. I knew what I was going to do so I did it.

"It doesn't affect me what other people think of me because I tend to know exactly what I'm capable of. It's quite a way away but I feel calm about it."

Something tells me this boy can afford to pull the leg of a sports psychologist and have a laugh with his mates playing basketball.

With such a positive, easy-going nature underpinning his outstanding athletic form he really does have everything to look forward to, and the chance to make himself, his family, his school and Ryedale very proud.

Do you have a nomination for Ryedale Pride?

Contact Claire Metcalfe on (01653) 695600, e-mail maltongazette@ycp.co.uk or write to Ryedale Pride, Gazette & Herald, PO Box 29, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN.

Updated: 11:45 Wednesday, November 19, 2003