Australian Masters Track & Field Championships

Best of luck to our Masters members who will be contesting their Aussie Champs this weekend.  Keep abreast with everything that's happening via the club Facebook group.  We'll have daily posts noting who's competing and how they finished.  Join us online and pass on your encouragement and congratulations to your clubmates.

Sydney Track Classic

On March 11th, the highly anticipated Sydney Track Classic will feature the country's top athletes in an exciting event at Olympic Park.  Athletics Wollongong members can take advantage of a special offer using the discount code WOLLONGONG20 to receive a 20% discount on ticket prices. Visit https://www.nswathletics.org.au/events/167231/ to purchase tickets and learn more.

For a unique experience, special tickets are available to sit on the high jump apron or alongside the javelin runway, to get super-close to all the action!  The event boasts a very impressive lineup including the fastest man in the world, Fred Kerley, alongside other international guests and Australia's top athletic talent.

End of Pointscore Special

Our End of Pointscore Special will be held on Wednesday, 15th March.  Note that it is not our final night of Wednesday competition, with the club hosting our leg of the South Coast Region Championships (see below) the following week.

Along with a free BBQ for our members and their supporters, we will be holding some fun - and potentially financially rewarding - events.  Old favourites such as the One-vs-Many Relay and Chocolate Run (a handicapped 800m race with chocolate for prizes) will return.  Club Captain Peter Kidd will also host our 'Picnic Games', which we missed out on earlier this season at our Anniversary Special.

Likely drawing the most attention though, will be the 60m Skins Champion of Champions.  For each group, this begins with an elimination event: a series of low-recovery, handicapped 60m races will be run, with the last across the line in each, hooked from the continuing field.  The last-ones-standing will run in the Champion of Champions race later in the evening: where a huge prizepool of $300 is up for grabs! 

First prize will be $150, second $100 and third $50.  Each race will be handicapped (i.e. slower runners get a headstart), so that everyone has a chance to win.  It's a test of fitness and determination - and we want to see you there!

Anthony Howlett has sponsored this event out of his own pocket the last few seasons, this year he has brought on FitTech Studios as a joint sponsor; our thanks to them both.

FitTech Offer

As above, FitTech is co-sponsoring the 60m Skins Champion of Champions race at the Pointscore Finale.

• 1x Initial Comprehensive Assessment - including treatment plan for ongoing care and home exercise program
• 1x Free Drink Bottle
• 1x Free Body Composition Scan

Last held in the late 90s, the South Coast Region Championships are returning to mark the end of the local 2022/23 track and field season.  For social athletes, it will be one last opportunity to post a personal best in each event.  For those contesting upcoming National Championships, it will be an opportunity for a final tune-up before State representation.

Rather than the Championships taking up a whole weekend, the event will instead be hosted across a week of short meets, co-hosted by each of the resident ANSW clubs at Kerryn McCann Athletic Centre:

• Thursday, 16th March - Kembla Joggers (from 5:30pm)
• Sunday, 19th March – Illawarra Blue Stars (from 1:00pm)
• Wednesday, 22nd March – Athletics Wollongong (from 5:30pm)

Come along to all three meets, or as many as you like!

The program for each leg is available HERE.  Many of the events being held are named after local athletes who gained Australian representation in them: if they can do it, then so can you!

Since it's the first time holding this event for a couple of decades, we'll be trialling some things to see how they work.  Kembla Joggers are trialling collecting names of those intending to compete at their meet, to aid with recording.  You don't need to specify which events you'll contest, just your name and age: https://forms.gle/CJmBAe7SaenP7Tc38.

Club Presentation

Athletics Wollongong's Presentation Night will be held at Wollongong Tennis Club on May 6th, from 6pm.  We will be seeking RSVPs in the future for catering purposes but, for now, we ask that you just save the date in your diary. 

It's a fun and light-hearted occasion where you'll have the chance to show your appreciation of your clubmates' achievements this season.  Awards will be given to pointscore winners, record breakers, and more.  Recognition is made of those who contested National Championships or have hit a membership milestone.  We'll even have lucky door prizes, so that absolutely everyone in the room has a chance to take something home!

Note that if you were a winner of a perpetual trophy last season, please return it to the track office on one of the next few Wednesdays.

Winter Membership and Calendar

Athletics Wollongong are currently offering Winter Memberships which enable participation in ANSW events from April to the end of September.  These will predominantly be Cross Country races, though also feature a few race walking events.

It's important to note that those who already hold a 2022/23 registration do not need to sign up again, as their membership goes for the entire season.  Those who aren't already members though - and wish to join up for Winter - can do so via the club website: https://www.athleticswollongong.org.au/registration/.

ANSW have released their Winter calendar, which includes two local events:

• NSW Cross Country Championships, Willandra, 17th June
• NSW Short Course Cross Country Championships, West Dapto, 8th July

The full calendar can be viewed here: https://www.nswathletics.org.au/events-page/winter-season-2023/.

In addition, Athletics Wollongong will again be holdiing a parkrun-based pointscore competition over the Winter months.  Information will be released soon but it won't vary greatly from previous years.

World Cross Country Championships Results

The World Cross Country Championships were held in Bathurst on a tough course that saw some tremendous racing. The Aussie Mixed 4x2km team weren't the only locals to make it onto the dais, with AW's Emma O'Sullivan also winning a bronze medal in the 45-49 Women's 6km race.

Clubmate Xavier Wilson contested the all-aged Para Ambulant Men's race, finishing in 6th position. Even better than the result though, was him toeing the line alongside his personal hero, Paralympic legend Jaryd Clifford.

NSW Open Championships Results

Gaining significant attention following her State Championships performance, was Athletics Wollongong's Chelsy Wayne.  In taking out the Open Women's discus, Chelsy became the youngest event winner in over 40 years!  While Queensland invitational throwers did win the battle of the tape on this occasion, they're ranked #1 and #2 in the country - and up to two decades older!  It's a great indication of just how long Chelsy's career may be, as well as how much more time she has to develop.  Watch this space!

In what must have been one of the club's most successful performances ever, two further bronze medals were won by members:

• Mitchell O'Neill in the 200m ran a new PB of 20.88s - that's flying!
• Naomi Gibson jumped a new PB of 3.40m in the pole vault

NSW Junior Championships Results

While AW members had some great results, perhaps the highest achievement by the club was the level of participation: an incredible 45 athletes contested the Championships!

While full results are available from the club website, it would be remiss not to mention our medallists.  Gold medals went to:

• Chelsy Wayne (U17 Discus)
• Delta Amidzovski (U18 200m, LJ, 100m Hurdles – State Record)
• Genevieve Bosker (U20 HJ)
• Harry Keats (U14 400m, 800m)
• Maiya Hewitt (U15 200m Hurdles, LJ, TJ)
• Michael Melfi (U13 100m, 200m)
• Naomi Gibson (U18 PV)
• Zaniah Hourigan Carrera (U17 PV)
• Zoe Daniels (U20 Discus)

Nearly half of our participants at the event found their way onto the dais, with silver or bronze medals also going to: Anthony Valenta, Charlize Colwell, Holly Ramsey, Joe Hinds, Kailee Moore, Keegan Whitten, Maddison McWilliams, Maiya Hewitt, Olivia Sivills, Paris Bamford, Ruby Kerr, Tayissa Buchanan, and William Willis.

With a top-3 finish granting eligiblity for the Australian Championships, let alone those others who have achieved the entry standards, it looks like Athletics Wollongong may have a huge presence at Nationals.

200m Zoom Results

At the 200m Zoom event, defending champions Mitchell O'Neill and Tierney Dunne once again secured the win and prizemoney.  With a brisk tailwind seeing some speedy races, members were pleased to be able to run a permit time in the comfort of their own home meet.  Full results are available on the club website.

Other winners on the night were Charlize Colwell and Michael Melfi, who were awarded prize packs, while Scott Bazley and Sienna York were the lucky lane draw winners.

Our gratitude goes to event sponsor Peter Gandy of Process Integrations, as well as to Wollongong City Little Athletics for operating their timing gates.  Dave Higgins of KJs lent his considerable experience and officiating credentials to the Track Referee role, while Ros Perry deserves particular thanks for driving back and forth from Homebush so that we could use ANSW's wind gauge.  A real team effort!

Tennis Club

Wollongong Tennis Club are sponsoring our club this season and AW will earn a percentage of the money spent at the bar and bistro by our affiliates! (Ensure to note us down on your membership form).

Tennis Club memberships start from as little as $10 for 1 year and $5 for age pensioners. To join up, lodge your membership form, either available at the venue or online here: https://bit.ly/3RMXaMK.  If you're an existing Tennis club member, ask them to affiliate your membership with us.

Officials Courses

rebel Sport

You can help the club whenever you make a purchase at rebel Sport.  Just drop our name at the checkout and the club could receive 2% of your purchase price to buy prizes or equipment for our members.  Note that we don't receive a record of what those purchases are, nor who has done the purchasing: no shaming of shopaholics!

Coming Dates

• 8th March - Athletics Wollongong, Round #19
• 9th March - Milers Series, Bankstown
• 10th - 13th March - Australian Masters Championships, SOPAC
• 11th March - Sydney Track Classic, SOPAC
• 11th March - Australian 3000m Championships, SOPAC
• 15th March - Athletics Wollongong - End of Pointscore Celebration (incl. 60m Skins Champion of Champions & 800m Chocolate Run), Round #20
• 16th March - South Coast Region Championships #1 (@ Kembla Joggers)
• 19th March - South Coast Region Championships #2 (@ Illawarra Blue Stars)
• 22nd March - South Coast Region Championships #3 (@Athletics Wollongong)
• 23rd March - Milers Series, Bankstown
• 25th March - Campbelltown High Velocity Series, Campbelltown
• 26th March - NSW Mountain Running Championships, Orange
• 30th March - 2nd April - Australian Open & U20 Championships, Brisbane
• 13th - 16th April - Australian Junior (U13-U18) 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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