News
February 2022 Newsletter
Published Fri 11 Feb 2022
On February 19th Athletics Wollongong will be operating the BBQ at the North Wollongong Bunnings store. We almost have a full roster of helpers, only requiring a few more on the final 2:30pm - 4:30pm shift. The pool of volunteers is a little shallower than normal, with a number of our athletes contesting State Opens and ACT Juniors that weekend. If you're able to assist, don't be shy: email athleticswollongong@gmail.com ASAP.
Those who help out at Athletics Wollongong fundraisers are eligible to receive financial assistance from the club, typically when they contest the National Championships. The level of assistance certainly won't make anyone rich, but it can take a little sting out of the bill. Those who assisted the club at the Australia Day Aquathon are now eligible (as will those be who help at the Bunnings BBQ) and there is a similar upcoming opportunity for others.
Splash Wollongong is on Sunday, March 6th and AW will be providing check-in services and run course marshals. The event organiser makes a donation to the club as thanks, so it's worth the couple of hours' work for most. The majority of positions we need to fill are out on the course, between North Beach Bathers' Pavilion and Fairy Meadow Surf Club. Volunteers will set up their area with cones and signage as per a provided map, then encourage competitors as they go by, ensuring they don't take a wrong turn or collide with other cycleway users. It's from 8am to 930am/10am, whereupon the course materials are collected together for pick-up or returned to North Beach. If you can help out, send an email to athleticswollongong@gmail.com.
Along with our End of Season Special, we have one more rotation (i.e. 4 weeks) of our Wednesday Meets remaining: one last chance to set a Season Best in all of your events. While track and field may be winding down locally, we still have some big things in store:
- Steeplechase is on this coming Wednesday, February 16th. This is the sole occasion it will be held this season, on account of us missing our earlier date with the delayed start/shortened Centre opening hours. This event is suitable for everyone! For those looking for a trial or taste, we have an 800m 'Steeplesplash' with the barriers at the lowest height. We'll also hold a series of steeplechases over various distances and heights so that performances are eligible for club records. It's an event you won't experience at school or Little A's, so come and give it a go! Don't forget to bring along a change of footwear - and a towel, if you go for a full-on dip in the water jump!
- Age division changes are also on for the final rotation. Post the New Year, with changes to age groups and attendance, some of the divisions are huge and others are now quite small. It's of no relevance for track events (with athletes self-seeding themselves in races) but it can cause delays in the field program, make it harder to officiate, etc. So, for the remaining weeks, field events will be held in the following divisions: U10-U14, U16-49, and 50+. Looking at recent rounds, this will result in mostly even-sized groups: great for competition. A few small changes to field events will be necessary for some age groups, but no-one will miss out: they just may be held in a slightly different order. Check the program posted to Facebook for the upcoming week, each Sunday.
- End of Season Special: more details next newsletter but be sure to keep March 16th free: we'll have the handicapped 60m Skins (w/ Champion of Champions), an 800m Chocolate Run, a free BBQ for members and their supporters, etc.
Speaking of keeping dates free, Athletics Wollongong's Presentation Night is on April 30th. That's not news, the date having been set prior to the start of season, but we can now confirm it will be held once again at Wollongong Tennis Club. Much like last year, it will run from 6pm to around 7:30pm, with attendees encouraged to order from the bistro and bar downstairs.
Grill'd Wollongong - Local Matters
Athletics Wollongong has been the lucky beneficiary of Grill'd Wollongong's Local Matters campaign a number of times recently. We have unexpectedly been added to the list of options AGAIN this February! How it works is that every burger bought earns a token. If you dine in-store, you can then place that token in one of three jars, each of which represents a charity or community organisation. If you order online, you receive a confirmation email with a link that allows you to cast your vote. The cause with the most tokens/votes at the end of the month wins $300; the other two each receive $100.
Grill'd Wollongong are located in the Wollongong Central complex on the corner of Crown and Keira. You can see their menu, or order online, here: https://www.grilld.com.au/restaurants/new-south-wales/south-coast/wollongong. Treat yourself to a burger!
We've often said that 'word of mouth' is the club's best advertisement, so why not make the 'word of mouth' even more visible? Eagle-eyed website users may have noticed a new Testimonials section on www.aw.org.au, added under the About menu. There are a couple of quotes there already and we're keen to add more! If you think the club is doing a good job and want to let people know, share a few words with athleticswollongong@gmail.com and we'll post them up.
AW's Karlee Symonds has asked us for help in seeking a training partner. As a visually-impaired athlete, Karlee needs assistance with long jump (where her guide shouts and claps to indicate where the take-off board is) and sprinting (where her guide runs alongside and directs her via vocal cues and hand tether). To run together, both Karlee and her guide need to have similar stride lengths and frequency, and - of course - be capable of running the same times, or faster. Karlee holds National records for her classification and will be looking to improve further on her 100m PB of 14.42s. She's hoping to train Monday and Saturday, or Tuesday and either Saturday or Sunday. Kiama is her base, but she may be able to travel further afield for the right guide. If you're dedicated and keen for a trial to see if you and Karlee 'mesh', we'll happily pass your details on.
Athletics Wollongong were also asked to pass on details of the OAGames: a new multi-sport event for athletes with intellectual disabilities in the Asia and Oceania regions. Athletics is one of the sports under the umbrella, with the Games scheduled for Brisbane in early November. There's no news regarding selection processes as yet, but you can keep abreast of all the news on the Games website: https://oagames2022.org/.
Some track damage and general wear has been noted on our surface, with the installers Polytan thinking it may be due to inappropriate spike use. Beaton Park have asked the clubs to remind everyone of the spike rules, which are pretty much the same as for any other track:
- 'Pyramid' or 'Christmas Tree' spikes only
- 7mm max spike length on the track
- 9mm max spike length for jump/throw areas
- no sprint starts without blocks
- no personal blocks to be used without Centre approval first
- blocks to only be used at set start positions
AW's Donna Hiscox has been nominated as the Australian Masters Athletics Coach of the Year. The winner of the award will be announced as part of the Masters National Championships in Brisbane, on April 3rd.
Donna is just one of the coaches listed on our website for those looking to improve their athletics. The club has recently invested further in coaching options in the region, sponsoring speedster Mitch O'Neill to receive his accreditation. He'll be mentored by Donna with a view of taking on some athletes of his own in time. And who wouldn't want to learn from one of the best!?
In further coaching news, cheers must go to Chris Twigg who has recently opted to step back from his coaching commitments. He's spent many years providing guidance to athletes either privately or through schools but has chosen to concentrate on his new position: teaching at Keiraville Public. Thank you for your service, Chris!
The 200m Zoom night was AW's premier race meeting of the season. The track was exclusively booked (no ground entry fees for attendees!) and the competition was opened up to members of other clubs. A busload came up from Nowra, with our farthest travellers coming all the way from Mingara. Our friends from Wollongong City Little Athletics operated their timing gates which, along with pre-seeded races, allowed us to blitz our way through the night.
The 200m races were the feature event, with the fastest male and female athletes receiving $100 from our event sponsor: club member Peter Gandy's company Process Integrations. Just so AW's fastest runners wouldn't go home empty-handed, some Life Members also put up $50 for our fastest-finishing members. As it was, AW runners clean-swept things with both Mitchell O'Neill and Tierney Dunne taking out their respective categories - and defending their titles.
Finishing position isn't always the best indicator of effort, determination and hard work, so we left it to the running gods to decide who was worthy of a lucky lane draw prize. $50 wins went to Savannah Wiki and one of our Nowra visitors, while Miller Siasat and Tayissa Buchanan both took home a prize pack.
This Zoom edition was an experiment to see if a mid-week ANSW 'boutique meet' made financial sense and it was a qualified success. We'll look to expand the occasion in future years, with the next step to be permit timing. Thanks to everyone who participated and was involved!
World U20 Championships Qualifier
AW's Delta Amidzovksi may only be 15, but she's chasing a berth in the Australian team to attend this year's World U20 Championships. To be held in Colombia this August, Delta is a red-hot chance in both the 100m Hurdles and Long Jump. She's come close to the qualifying standard of 6.12m in the Long Jump a number of times, but it's somewhat surprisingly in the hurdles where she's made her mark. Skipping entirely over the U18 specifications that she "should" be contesting, Delta attained the U20 standard on only her 3rd ever attempt at the height and distance (which included at one of our club nights!).
While she's currently the only Australian to have attained the hurdles qualifier, her selection is no guaranteed thing as yet. Ultimately, winning the U20 National Championship will make it next to impossible not to pick her. There'll certainly be plenty of her clubmates either at SOPAC or glued to the livestream, cheering her on, at 1:35pm on Sunday, 27th March. Best of luck!
Delta's hurdles effort was just one of the medal-winning performances at the increasing popular (for our members) ACT U20 & Open Championships. Also collecting a gold medal was Olivia Sivills in the U20 Steeplechase. Our other clubmates to be found on the dais were: Lara Check (2nd U20 HJ), Thomas Noakes (3rd U20 PV), Rosie Tozer (3rd Open HJ), and Karen Clarke (3rd Open Jav).
NSW Combined Events Championships
Also held in Canberra were the NSW Combined Event Championships - themselves combining with the ACT Championships. It was a golden sweep by our Athletics Wollongong clubmates, with each of our representatives taking out their respective divisions.
Caroline Ellis's performance was perhaps the most impressive, contesting the 45-49 heptathlon and pentathlon concurrently. She had to participate in an incredible nine events on the first day, before having to back up for Day 2 of the hep! It wasn't a smooth road for Thomas Noakes in the U20s either, with the final decathlon event of Day 1 - the 400m - having to be held over until the morning of Day 2. This meant that the 400m and the hurdles (!) were held back-to-back, with scant recovery time between the two. Finally, Anthony Howlett (50-54) and Christine Shaw (60-64) also took their titles to complete the club's clean sheet.
A huge team of 49 AW competitors made the trek to Maitland to contest the NSW Country Championships. While we're still waiting on the pointscore results, we do know that we collected 35 gold, 37 silver and 19 bronze - a tremendous performance by all. This is still the best event on the calendar, with it being the largest Championship open to all ages. The club spirit was fully on show, with loud support to competitors and a club dinner held on the Saturday night. Full results are available on the club website.
Incorporating the 60m and Mile State Championships, the Track Challenge was off to a great start before Beaton Park was hit by a ferocious storm. Sadly, there wasn't any choice but to cancel the remainder of the event. There was talk of holding the 60m and Mile races at a later date, but we are yet to hear anything firm in that regard.
As previously reported in the October newsletter, former club member Rhys Peters was selected as a member of Australia's Bobsleigh Team. He made his representative debut the following month, with the team contesting a series of 2-man and 4-man events across North America. At the end of the season, the Aussies were ranked in 34th position, just shy of the top 32 who were eligible for Beijing. While no doubt devastating to be so close, it has only made Rhys more determined to help the team qualify for the next Winter Olympics, to be held in Milan in 2026. We'll be cheering him on!
AW's Thomas Noakes is on a golden run of late: first he swept the big awards at the South West Sydney Academy of Sports annual presentation, then - as reported above - he took out the State Decathlon title, before he was recently announced as the 2022 Wollondilly Shire Council's Sportsperson of the Year. Buy him a lottery ticket; just to see if his winning ways continue!
Coming Dates
- 12th February - NSW 5000m Championships, SOPAC
- 12th February - Illawong Track Challenge, The Ridge
- 18th - 20th February - NSW Open & U23 Championships, SOPAC
- 18th - 20th February - ACT U14 - U18 Championships, Woden
- 25th - 27th February - NSW Junior Championships, SOPAC
- 5th March - Bankstown Milers IV, Bankstown
- 6th March - Sutherland Sprints, Sylvania Waters
- 11th - 13th March - NSW Masters Championships, SOPAC Warmup
- 12th March - Sydney Track Classic, SOPAC
- 16th March - Athletics Wollongong End of Season Special, Beaton Park
- 17th March - Bankstown Milers V, Bankstown
- 26th March - 3rd April, Australian Track & Field Championships, SOPAC
- 30th April - Athletics Wollongong Presentation Night, Wollongong Tennis Club
- 1st - 4th April - Australian Masters Championships, Brisbane
Contact Details
Email davidrosswollongong@hotmail.com with athletics news to include in our regular Illawarra Mercury column. Send other enquiries to athleticswollongong@gmail.com.
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