News
March 2022 Newsletter
Published Thu 10 Mar 2022
It's sad news that Athletics Wollongong's summer season of local meets concludes this coming Wednesday on March 16th. The good news, though, is that our End of Season Special is gonna be HUGE!
- The 60m Skins Champion of Champions will have $100 in cash prizes up for grabs: $50 - 1st, $30 - 2nd, $20 - 3rd. The prizepool is generously donated by top bloke Anthony Howlett, for no reason aside from him loving the event! For those who haven't participated before, each 60m race is handicapped so that everyone should cross the line, more or less, at the same time. Those last across the finish are knocked out, while the remainder return to the start for the next race. But no dilly-dallying! There's only a short recovery before you're at it again. This is a fitness challenge and we continue until there's a shoot-out to progress through to the final. The final money round will be one and done: so leave nothing on the track!
- The Chocolate Run (with chocolate prizes, sponsored by dentists everywhere). This is a handicapped race by time, so that everyone runs a full 800m and slower athletes get a 'however-many' second headstart, based on their performances throughout the season. Will it be an 800m star who takes it out, having the novel experience of needing to chase down runners? Or will it be someone at the front of the pack, inspired by the prospect of chocolate to produce a best-ever effort?
- A free BBQ for members and their supporters! As a thank you from the Committee for the AW Spirit you've shown this season, we'll be holding a free bbq. Come along and grab a can of drink, bacon and egg roll, or sausage sandwich. (Vegetarian options also available).
- A throwing event extravaganza! The poor weather of late has seen the Beaton Park infield closed for the last few weeks. So long as the windy/sunny weather continues to dry out the ground in the meantime - and the Council gives the go-ahead - we'll be giving throwers the opportunity to catch up on their missed events. Last chance to break club records, set season bests - and move your way up the pointscore ladder! Don't forget that there's a minimum attendance requirement to get a pointscore trophy! This could be the day that gets you over the line...
So get hyped! It'll be a tremendous finish to our 2021/22 Season and we'd love to see you there.
Our End of Season Special will also be the first opportunity for you to purchase tickets in a club raffle. We're still finalising prizes at this stage but come along next Wednesday and you'll be able to buy tickets via cash or card. If you aren't able to make that date, tickets will also be available for purchase online all the way up until our Club Presentation Night, where the winners will be drawn. The money raised from the raffle will go towards paying room hire and catering costs.
Athletics Wollongong Presentation
Preso will be on the evening of April 30th at the Wollongong Tennis Club, our neighbours in the Beaton Park sporting precinct. In the lead-up to the event, we'll post which awards everyone is eligible to receive as well as announce nominees for the major trophies - all to build suspense! Even if you're not up for any bling, it's recommended to come along. It's a fun and light-hearted occasion as well as an opportunity to mix with your clubmates away from the crucible of competition. It's also a chance to show your appreciation of your fellow members' performances and thank them for the inspiration they may have provided you this season.
The club will put on a few nibbles to keep the hunger pangs away but, if you're looking for something more substantial, the Tennis Club recommend pre-booking your meal from the on-site restaurant Bistro 37. Drinks will also be available from the bar downstairs; please consume responsibly ;)
We'll be asking people to RSVP online for catering purposes; keep an eye on your inbox for a Presentation-specific email in the next few weeks with further details.
Annual General Meeting Heads-up
As an incorporated association, Athletics Wollongong must hold an annual general meeting where the club's financials are presented and officebearers elected for the following year. To allow the current committee to complete this season's activities - and to give the incoming committee time enough to get any of their projects underway before next season begins - it's been determined that Athletics Wollongong's AGM will be held on June 14th.
You'll hear more about it as the time approaches (there are all sorts of legal requirements we must follow regarding announcing it) but at this stage we encourage everyone to give some serious thought regarding how they might participate on the club committee. Many of the current members are pulling double duty (or more!) to fill vacancies, as well as having been around for 15+ years. It's unfair to lump all the work on such a small number, as well as unhealthy for an organisation not to have new blood in decision-making roles. Growth comes from new ideas or from challenging the status quo - without growth, the club can stagnate.
Here are the position descriptions for the roles that will be up for election at the AGM:
We are very interested in speaking with anyone who has even an inkling of interest. Please contact athleticswollongong@gmail.com, or speak with a current committee member, for an obligation-free chat.
Our more senior athletes will be in action this weekend at the NSW Masters Athletics Championships. Encouragingly, Athletics Wollongong has some of the highest representation of any club at this event. Powerhouse UTS Norths are well ahead of everyone else but, just after NSW Masters themselves, are Athletics Wollongong with 19 representatives. That figure also doesn't include all of our Masters-aged Community members, who are only eligible to compete at our own meets; an option that most other clubs don't provide. It just goes to show that AW is a great club at which to be a Master: we encourage more of our junior athletes' parents to become involved. Join us!
AW's reps will be out to show that they're not there just to make up the numbers and will be looking to bring home a truckload of medals. You can track how they do on our Facebook group, or the Results page on the club website at the event's conclusion.
Christine Shaw received multiple nominations from NSW Masters for their Annual Awards, based on performances from the 2021 calendar year. Christine was up for awards in the Sprint/Hurdles Athlete of the Year, Jumper of the Year and Multi Athlete of the Year categories. It was a very competitive field and while Christine didn't get the nod, it was surely an honour to be nominated.
Being held this Saturday, March 12th, are the first of the popular Track Classic events. These are designed to be a sporting occasion that's a draw for those from outside of our sport, showcasing the hottest athletic talent in an entertaining package.
The main program is an invite-only affair, with two AW members asked to be a part of the big show. Susie Seitaridis returns to the grand stage in the 400m Hurdles, while Delta Amidzovski debuts in the 100m Hurdles. Delta will be up against a red hot field with Liz Clay, Celeste Mucci, Abbie Taddeo and Michelle Jenneke all set to be alongside. Making it even more challenging: it's listed to be over the Open hurdles height, higher than the U18 height she should be contesting (let alone the U20 height Delta's qualified for World Juniors for).
As part of the build-up, there'll be a bunch of TTP events, highlighting some of the athletes in ANSW's Target Talent Program, featuring AW's Tayissa Buchanan, Kailee Moore and Charlize Colwell.
The postponed NSW 60m Championships (the heats having been held at the Illawarra Track Challenge and the finals called off there due to a fierce storm) will be commencing the program. A number of our Athletics Wollongong clubmates had made it through to the deciding round back in January.
All the action starts 4pm, this Saturday. It's a ticketed event and - if you want to be track-side - you can purchase yours from https://www.ticketebo.com.au/sydney.track.classic. Make sure to use the 'CLUBS22' discount code for 10% off, as per the email sent out this afternoon by ANSW.
Also held this Saturday is the Great Illawarra Walk. It's a community fundraiser where participants can walk all the way from Shellharbour to Austinmer (40km). All money raised this year will go towards a purpose-built gym for athletes with a disability, to be part of the Illawarra Academy of Sport's AWD program. Athletics Wollongong currently has two of our members in the program and has had many more in the past. Apart from actually doing the walk, those who would like to contribute to the fundraising can also sponsor participants and teams. Several more of our clubmates are involved in the IAS LoneStar program and - while there's an unfortunate clash with the TTP as noted above - you can sponsor the LoneStar walking team here: https://greatillawarrawalk.com/team/ias-lonestar.
The culmination of the 2021/22 track and field season will be the Australian Championships and it'll be action aplenty with all age groups competing across an 8-day period. Our Juniors and Open competitors will be doing battle at Sydney Olympic Park, 26th March through to 3rd April. Our Masters will be in Brisbane, 1st - 4th April. We'll be keeping track of the results on Facebook, with daily threads ensuring you can keep abreast of it all. Best wishes to those who are competing, we're sure there'll be a lot of you!
Athletics Wollongong winds down somewhat during the winter months, but athletics never stops. We intend to continue to hold a parkrun-based competition, as we have the past few years, likely from May through August. Details will be in the next newsletter, but the rules from last season will give you a rough idea of how it will all likely work. ANSW also holds various State Championships in Cross Country and Road Walking events. Your 21/22 Membership is valid until September 30th, so take advantage of it! School athletics, of course, will also begin shortly; while any time is a good time to start improving your athletics with an accredited coach. You can find some of these listed on the club website.
What a tremendous performance we saw at the NSW Junior Athletics Championships! While the club's medal tally was very healthy - 12 gold medals, 10 silver and 6 bronze - what was most encouraging was the high level of participation. Our 41 members in action made us the most represented country club and in the top 10 clubs overall.
There's a lengthier recap of our medallists and their performances in a standalone News item on the club website, along with the full results from all of our representatives. Well done, everyone!
The competition was a little fiercer and our team a little smaller at the NSW Open, U23 and Para Athletics Championships. Karen Clarke was AW's sole Open medal winner, collecting a bronze in the Women's Javelin. U23 medals went to Tierney Dunne in the 400m (gold) and Rosie Boyland in the Para Ambulant 800m and Discus (silver and bronze, respectively).
The hard-luck story went to 15yo Delta Amidzovksi, who has been on the hunt for a World U20 Championships qualifier in the Long Jump to match the one she's already achieved in the 100m Hurdles. She jumped the exact qualifying distance of 6.12m - only to receive an illegal wind reading! Very unfortunate, but she'll have a few more chances at it yet.
As above, there's a lengthier recap of the Championships in a standalone News item on the club website, along with the full results from all of our representatives. Nice work!
Other State/Territory Championships
For some, too much athletics is never enough, and this has seen AW's colours fly at other State's and Territory's Championships. William Willis, in particular, is now in the unique position where he holds titles along much of the eastern seaboard. He's the NSW U16 Discus Champion, ACT U16 Hammer Champion, and the Qld U16 Hammer Champion! You can see full results from all our participating members at both the ACT Junior and Queensland Championships by clicking the links.
Little A's State Championships
43 of our Dual members have progressed through to the Little A's State Championships, to be held on March 19th and 20th. Best of luck!
Though the merger may have fallen through at the National level, Little A's and 'Big' A's continue to develop closer competitive ties. The latest example was at the Kumon Combined Events Carnival, held in Maitland. Usually a strictly Little A's affair, this time it was opened up to ANSW-affiliated athletes in the U20 and Open categories. Dual members Amelia Bongiorno and Chelsea Nicol rep'd their Little A's Centre, but Lara Check took out the U20's title under the Athletics Wollongong banner. Interestingly, Lara's win was in the 'hexathlon', with the hurdles missing from the 'heptathlon' event that she normally contests.
A thank you to those club volunteers who recently manned the BBQ at North Wollongong Bunnings, along with the healthy appetites of the local residents, who helped us raise $800.
The club also finished their tenure as a 'jar' in Grill'd Wollongong's ongoing Local Matters campaign. While we didn't 'win' on any of the occasions, we were lucky enough to get a 'bonus month' due to a head office error, earning a total of 300 unanticipated dollars across this season. Thanks to James Mcpaul for highlighting the scheme to us and to Grill'd Wollongong for putting it on; buy a burger from them as thanks!
It wasn't quite as good news regarding Splash Wollongong. The club was anticipating assisting on the day with athlete check-in and run course marshaling - and receiving a donation from organisers as a result. Unfortunately the event was postponed on account of the terrible weather. It's now likely to be rescheduled for December 11th, with the 2023 edition to remain on the regular early March date. Thank you to those who had put their name forward to help; we'll be calling upon you again in a few months' time!
Beaton Park has invested in a new set of pole vault mats! The existing ones, while safe to use, are certainly beginning to show their age. They originally made their way to Beaton Park from Homebush, during construction of the Sydney 2000 Olympics athletics facilities - and they had a full and hearty life prior to that! The new mats have been plonked out the back of the grandstand the last couple of weeks as Council needs to perform a little bit of work prior to them being moved into position. If the season weren't about to end, it would be the perfect time to start vaulting! We usually have a couple of months off after Nationals, before resuming training sessions in plenty of time for All Schools. If you'd like to be part of Athletics Wollongong's super successful pole vault squad once we resume, send an message to head Gong Vaulter coach, Barry McClelland.
Last newsletter we passed on a message from Beaton Park regarding the correct spikes to use at the Kerryn McCann Athletics Centre. As a reminder:
- '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
If you're unsure that you have the correct spikes in your shoes, you can now purchase them from the Leisure Centre front counter to be certain. This is part of an effort to prolong the life of the track. Resurfacing a track is ridiculously expensive and must be budgeted for years in advance. Treating the track well now means that it will remain safe for all users up until the planned-for resurfacing date. If you see someone using improper footwear, you're encouraged to tell Centre staff so that they may supply them with less destructive spikes.
Coming Dates
- 11th - 13th March - NSW Masters Championships, SOPAC Warmup
- 12th March - Sydney Track Classic, SOPAC
- 12th March - The Great Illawarra Walk
- 16th March - Athletics Wollongong End of Season Special, Beaton Park
- 17th March - Bankstown Milers V, Bankstown
- 19th - 20th March - LANSW State Championships, SOPAC
- 26th March - NSW Masters Throws Pentathlon Championships, Beaton Park
- 26th March - 3rd April, Australian Track & Field Championships, SOPAC
- 1st - 4th April - Australian Masters Championships, Brisbane
- 2nd April, Gong 5000, Beaton Park
- 23rd - 30th April, Australian Masters Games, Perth
- 29th - 30th April - Australian Masters Multi Event Championships, Townsville
- 30th April - NSW Masters Heavy Weight Pentathlon State Championships, Penrith
- 30th April - Athletics Wollongong Presentation Night, Wollongong Tennis Club
- 1st May - Run Shellharbour
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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