Sponsors
Athletics Wollongong's Thomas Noakes is currently in Saipan, the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. He'll soon be making his debut representative appearance for Australia, who are at the Pacific Mini Games by invitation. The Games are a multi-sport event, with competition already underway in the Baseball and Tennis. Thomas will be taking to the javelin runway on Wednesday, from 5:20pm, in what will also be his first crack at the senior 800gm weight.
Competition is set to be livestreamed on the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 YouTube channel, so we should be able to cheer him on from home (which is in the same timezone). Best of luck, Thomas!
Also heading abroad to compete is Adriana Van Bockel, who will be flying out next weekend for the World Masters Outdoor Athletics Championships in Finland. This edition was originally scheduled for Toronto in 2020 but was first postponed, then cancelled due to COVID. The Championships will take place from June 29th through to July 10th. And aren't those Masters keen on their track and field?! Over 4500 athletes from 90 countries have entered the event. There'll be slightly more there than at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games!
Athletics Wollongong's 2022 AGM was held on June 14th at the Tennis Club. As an incorporated association, such a meeting has to be held to present the club financials to members and to hold elections for the next year's committee. If any current member who was unable to attend the meeting would like to see the Annual Report, please send an email to athleticswollongong@gmail.com to be sent a copy.
Some superstars returned in their positions along with a couple of new faces: welcome to the Committee Tom Schambron (Vice President) and Will Tyler (Secretary)!
You can see a full list of the incoming 2022/23 Committee in this separate news item. Note that there remain a few vacancies to be filled and we are keen to hear from anyone who has an interest:
If the positions don't get filled then either the work doesn't get done, or existing Committee members have to unfairly fit any must-do extras around their regular duties. Either way, the club member experience may be left as sub-optimal. We're not asking for heroes, just people who have a couple of hours per month to spare. Contact us for an obligation-free chat if you want to hear more.
Thank you to those who were able to assist at last weekend's Bunnings BBQ that helped raise funds for Delta Amidzovski's tilt at the U20 World Championships. And thank you also to the insatiable appetite of the people of Wollongong for a juicy sausage sanga!
The U20 World Champs are drawing ever closer, with a training camp and meet 'n' greet being held on the Gold Coast last month. The team will be departing Australia in late July for Miami, where they will recuperate before making their final preparations. The big show in Colombia starts on August 1st.
Congratulations must be made to two of our members who were recently able to secure corporate sponsorship for their athletic endeavours. While the club can provide a small amount of financial assistance to certain events and to eligible applicants, sometimes it can pay to cast the net wider - and just ask!
If any potential funding source you find can't directly support individuals, the club is more than happy to apply on your behalf. (Particularly if we can get a Fundraising & Sponsorships Officer!)
Beaton Park - Community Support
Another avenue of sponsorship is via Wollongong Council. Beaton Park are now accepting applications for support from individual athletes. Up to 10 Centre memberships will be offered each year to assist those training at the facility. Applicants need to live in the Wollongong City Council area, be a member of a club resident to the facility, and of a standard where they are qualifying for Championship events. To see more details - and apply - check the website here: https://www.wollongong.nsw.gov.au/leisurecentres/join/community-support.
While no closing date is specified, given that the scheme is to be aligned with the financial year it's time to submitt your application NOW. Note that your club needs to write and provide a supporting letter, so don't leave it too late!
On her Australian representative debut, Zoe Daniels won a silver medal in the U18 discus, throwing a new PB of 45.28m in the final round to leapfrog her way onto the podium. Zoe certainly made her Kiwi competitor work hard for victory: she had to wrest the gold from Zoe's grasp on the very last throw of the competition...
Thomas Noakes was part of the Regional Australia team, competing at the Championships by invitation. Finishing 4th in the U20 decathlon, it somewhat made up for his disappointment of tearing his hamstring on the eve of Nationals. While he still wasn't quite back to 100% in some of his efforts, it must have been very encouraging to make it through both days and all ten of the events.
Finally, Rebekah Power contested the associated Oceania Masters Challenge. With the 2022 Masters Oceania Championships previously being cancelled, this was looked upon as a fair replacement by many. Bek certainly impressed, winning five gold medals from her five contested events in the Women's 40-44 division (60m, 100m, 200m, 400m and Long Jump).
Winter Distance Running Pointscore
Athletics Wollongong's winter pointscore has completed its first month of competition. The series is held over parkrun events and is based on age graded percentage.
After one month, the best performance in the seniors division is from Ros Perry, with a 74.97%. In the juniors the leading runner is Carlo Tallarida with 73.50%.
Members have predominately competed at local parkruns at Sandon Point, North Wollongong and Shellharbour, though the farthest afield results have come all the way from Broken Hill: two members were in the area on holiday and what better way is there to spend a Saturday morning!
The competition window closes at the end of August, with participants needing to contest at least six events to be eligible for awards. No time like this coming weekend to get started!
For more details on the competition, see here.
The State Cross Country Championships returned this year to everyone's favourite course at Willandra, a farm north-west of Nowra. Ros Perry won the only AW medal at the event, taking out the W70-74 6km race. Alongside husband Ron, she was one of three generations of Perrys running at the Championships. Son Stuart (a former World Schools Cross Country Australian rep) contested the 4km fun run, while grandson Noah made his club debut.
You can see the full results of our club's representatives here.
This is just one event on the ANSW Winter program. Athletics Wollongong members have already participated in other events at SOPAC, Ramsgate and more. A few eagle-eyed field exponents have also contested meets held by the NSW Throwers Club and the Narrabeen Pole Vaulting Group. Keep an eye on that Athletics NSW Event Calendar!
There's an exciting upcoming opportunity for distance running fans as part of a trial of the course for the 2023 World Cross Country Championships. On Saturday, August 6th you can participate in a mile run along Pit Lane of the famous Mount Panorama racing circuit. On the Sunday, the NSW Short Course Cross Country Championships will be held at the venue, following the World Champs track. You can do a "Hot Lap" of 1.6km or a number of other distances up to 6km. Book your trip away in Bathurst for a great weekend of running!
More information is available here, with entries closing on August 3rd.
The NSW All Schools Championships return this year to their traditional spot on the calendar. They're scheduled to be held on September 24th-27th, with entries closing on September 9th. Registrations should be opening soon. You can see a draft timetable and read information about the event on the ANSW website here: https://www.nswathletics.org.au/events/144824/.
The Australian All Schools Championships have been announced to resume after a couple of years' hiatus during the pandemic. They'll be held in Adelaide on December 9th-11th.
Six members of Athletics Wollongong have been selected in ANSW's 2022 Target Talent Program squad:
The TTP is part of a high performance pathway, identifying talented athletes and encouraging them through training and education to progress through the sport alongside their peers. You can read more information about the program here: https://www.nswathletics.org.au/athletes/ttp/.
The Beaton Park infield has been stubbornly sloppy for months now. With the recent dry and windy weather though, we've seen some marked improvement of late. Following some "vigorous lobbying" from a certain thrower, the ground is now open for javelin and discus - as per Beaton Park management. The other throwing events are still considered to be a little too destructive but hopefully aren't too far away either. Please don't engage in shot, hammer or weight throw at the track until we get the green light.
Once the infield is entirely open, you'll likely see it reflected on the Wollongong Council Sportsgrounds webpage. Else keep your eye on the Athletics Wollongong Facebook page; we'll update it as soon as we hear the news.
Looking to the future, there is soon to be some substantial construction at the tennis-end of the Beaton Park precinct. Planning for this will reportedly include an examination of drainage across the entire site. With water seeming to pool towards the centre of the track, they will be looking to see if there are any ways of mitigating that.
Sports NSW Award
Athletics Wollongong Life Member Howard McGarry will be a recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Long Service Award from Sport NSW. This award is presented to those that have given exceptional service to their sport for over 25 years. The ceremony will be held on Thursday, 30 June 2022 at CommBank Stadium.
Coming Dates
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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