Pointscore competition begins!

Our Pointscore competition is commencing this Wednesday, on October 16th.  There are 20 rounds of pointscore, with these repeating so that you can track your improvement, while also featuring some special events to keep things fresh. You can see the Season Calendar and the events scheduled for each round on the Competition page of the club website.

There may have to be some adjustments made throughout the season (due to ground closures/maintenance, weather, attendance levels, etc.) so, to ensure we have the best chance of a fun and smooth-running meet, we post the order of events and age group splits to our Facebook group on the preceding Sunday.  Not on Facebook or not that fussed?  The same info will be on a noticeboard on the night, outside the track office at the tennis court-end of the grandstand.

For our first week we've had to alter the program on account of closures of two throwing areas: the discus/hammer cage at the tennis court-end of the track remains out of action while it requires repair, and the grass sector of the railway-end shot put is currently being rehabilitated.  We've also had a bit of a punt regarding our likely attendance numbers, so the 16's & 17's have been combined with the 14's & 15's, for now.

How pointscore works: to encourage frequent weekly attendance - and participation in the whole range of track and field disciplines - athletes attain points in each event: 4 points for coming first in their age division, 3 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd and 1 for all those who give it a go (even if it's a foul/DNF).  Points are accumulated throughout the season, with our Age Pointscore Champions crowned at our 2024/25 Season Presentation Night.  While this style of competition favours those who attend frequently and participate in the majority of events, there are also awards given for improvement and one-off performances: everyone who comes along has a chance to be recognised.  See the awards we present by checking out this list of last year's winners.

As a reminder: the point of our pointscore isn't to determine the best athletes, it's to encourage everyone to attend when they can and give every event a go - you may just discover a new favourite.  Some of our members attend sparingly - or not at all - and that's just fine, too!  Our goal is to provide the opportunity for our members to have the best possible experience in our sport: that's not always going to be the same for everyone.

Join us!

To get the the most out of Season 2024/25, you'll need to become a paid member of Athletics Wollongong:

• Registrations are now open via the club's registration portal.  There are different membership options based upon your age and which competitions you wish to be eligible for.
• If you're just interested in participating in Athletics Wollongong's own meets, a Community-level membership will suffice.  Note that you can alway take up this 'base level' membership and upgrade to a higher level at a later date.
• Discounts are available (further info is available on each type, via the Registration page on the club website):
  • Family Discount - 3 or more registrations in the same transaction will see you save $10 on each.
  • Uni Student Discount - new to the area and Athletics Wollongong?  Contact us for a discount code that can take $40 off your registration cost.
  • Active and Creative Kids voucher - those of an eligible age and attending school can apply a $50 voucher from the NSW Government during their registration.
• Note that last season's membership will last 365 days.  For most people, their 2023/24 registration will have just expired or will be doing so shortly; but there are some who won't need to re-register until the New Year.  If you're unsure when your membership ends, search your inbox for last year's welcome message; else send your query to us.
• Finally: a new system is in place for athletes who wish to join multiple clubs (e.g. Athletics Wollongong and a Little A's Centre).  There's quite a bit of detail regarding this, so please read this past news article if you wish to take advantage of this scheme.

Age groups

Recall that the partnership between Athletics NSW and Little Athletics NSW has seen some changes to how ages are determined.  New for our junior participants: athletes will remain the same competition age for the duration of the season.  This is great news as none of these competitors will have to change implement weight or hurdle height in the New Year.  It also makes AW's pointscore competition fairer, with points earned from among the same cohort of athletes for the entire season.

Our Masters athletes (i.e. those of 30 years of age or older) will continue to have their age determined via their birthdate - or their age on the first day of a multi-day competition.  Everyone else will have their age determined as that on December 31st, 2025.  That is, the age they turn in the year that's the latter half of a season - when the Championship events are held. 

The naming convention has changed slightly also, with most of the groups now referred to by age.  That is, someone who turns 13 in 2025, will be in the 13's.  This goes all the way up to 17's, then it's Under 20, Open and into the Masters age divisions.

At Athletics Wollongong's pointscore competition, we have decided to maintain the junior-age two-year divisions that we have long held.  Instead of U10s, U12s, U14s, etc. we'll have 9's & under, 10's & 11's, 12's & 13's, etc.  These are the same groups, only named slightly differently.  We may review this for next season, once we see how it all goes.

If you're still confused, note that a list of athletes and their age groups will be posted to the club noticeboard each Wednesday. 

Specifications

Another change on account of the Partnership are changes to some event specifications for juniors.  This is to bring the "big" athletics and Little Athletics organisations into alignment.  Broadly speaking, 12's and under will follow the previous Little A's specifications, 13's and up will follow the previous ANSW/AA specifications.  There is some fudging at the 'margins' though, so that there aren't significant jumps that could potentially impact an athlete's development or enjoyment of the sport.

At AW's pointscore, some of our groupings have differing specifications for each of the ages.  For example, in the 12's & 13's group, the 12's Shot Put is 2kg, while the 13's Shot Put is 3kg.  In cases like these, there will be first places (and so on) awarded in both categories.  So points will be slightly easier to come by in a handful of the events contested: hopefully it further encourages everyone to give them all a go!

A great source to learn the specifications for junior ages is on the NSW Athletics website.  Otherwise, the info for everyone can be found in The Red Book - our 2024/25 Season Membership Guide.  You'll also find them in the front of the recording folders, which will be at each throwing event - along with instructions on how to run each event.

Helping at Club Meets

Note that we require the assistance of parents - along with help from the participants themselves - to assist in delivering our Wednesday meets.

While track race starting and timing is largely provided by club officials, we still need a hand with recording names, as well as - for longer races - operating the race clock, handing out finish tokens, and lap counting.  These are unskilled positions, but vitally important.

For field events, those in the older ages are generally expected to run their events themselves.  Those who are younger, though, will require their parents to pitch in.  Note that if there aren't at least two adults available at a field event, then it will not be able to be held.  Keep in mind that these tasks are largely things like writing down names, returning implements, picking up a crossbar, raking a pit, or reading a tape measure: you don't need to be an accredited official.  Many hands make light work and recall that the best view isn't from the grandstand: it's at the event.  Don't be shy in lending a helping hand! 

If you'd like to know a little more about the rules, then you'll find a guide in the front of each field event recording folder.  You can also read the same information away from the track, HERE.

Those parents who are themselves participants are also expected to help at their kid's events on occasion.  You can either do your event at the same time - if the program works out that way, or you could get a performance of your own on the board, before heading over to help at the event.

Finally, we recommend that all helpers take up a free Volunteer membership with the club, so that they're covered by insurance. 

State Relay Championships

The first BIG event on this season's calendar is the NSW Relay Championships.  Some of our members (those in 6's - 12's) will contest Week #1 on November 10th, but can only do so via their Little Athletics Club.  Week #2, November 15th - 17th, will host events for those in 13's through to Masters divisions and will feature AW teams.

We have now opened up Expressions of Interest to those who would like to join an Athletics Wollongong team.

The relays are open to those holding the following ANSW membership types: Open, Concession, Juniors and Multi-Club.  If you need to upgrade your membership to participate, you can do so by logging in to the club website.

Note that you are more likely to form a team if you advocate and advertise to those whom you would like to be in a team with!  If an athlete does not submit an Expression Of Interest, the club presumes that they are unavailable; not that they are waiting to be asked.  We love teams that come fully-formed!

Athletics Wollongong will pay team entries ($45).

To submit your EOI, first read the information on the club website - then click the link there to submit your details.

Expressions Of Interest will remain open until midnight, Thursday, October 31st.

Zone Championships

Our 13's to 15's (those members born 2010 to 2012) are eligible to contest the Zone Championships, previously only open to Little Athletics members.  (Note that those in the 16's or 17's (i.e. born in 2008 or 2009) will also be eligible to contest Zone, but only for 'competition practice' purposes).

While some of their events - like hammer, pole vault and steeplechase - will have direct entry to State Championships, for most events this cohort will have to qualify through Zone and then Region Championships to make it to State.  Those who don't qualify for State via Region placings, can still make it by having one of the next best performances on record from nominees.  These performances can be logged at Region or any of the Treloar Shield meets or Country Championships.  See State Championships Entry Requirements and Progressions 2024/25 for more details.

If you read the FAQ on the NSW Athletics website, it says to contact your club for information on entry.  We've been trying to find this information out! 

At this stage we know that we're in the South Coast Highlands Zone, with the Championships scheduled to be held at Kerryn McCann Athletic Centre on November 30th and December 1st.  Entries are taken via the club but we're unsure on the process, the information required, the timetable, our helper obligations, or even the events on offer at this stage.  Reportedly, last season's Zone Coordinator has stepped down - after decades in the position - with an LANSW Development Officer jumping in to lend a had.  We're yet to hear from them as yet though.

We hope to have more surety regarding this soon.  Keep an eye out on the News posted to the club website and the Facebook group, where we'll provide updates as they come to hand.

Other competitions

The program of Season 2024/25 events held by NSW Athletics and affiliated clubs is underway.  You can see these listed on the calendar on their website. 

Among the more prestigious ones in the first half of the season are the Treloar Shield series of meets.  These are interclub competitions held on Saturdays, predominantly in Sydney, with hundreds of athletes in attendance.  To add some spice to the pot, there's a pointscore system in place where club teams can qualify for a final to be held late this year.

If you'd like to follow the efforts of your clubmates, we usually have a post in our Facebook group indicating who'll be participating each week.  That way you can cheer them on if you're in attendance, or monitor their performance remotely via the fantastic live results system.  Using AthleticLive, you can watch the races back - and at major events you can even see individual field event attempts.  We will also collate our members' results and post them to the club website.

These events are great practice ahead of the Championships, often held at the same venues and run by the same officials.  Despite the high quality at which they're held, they are welcoming to athletes of all abilities.  Those with the appropriate membership type (i.e. anything higher than 'Community') are encouraged to give it a go.

Note that unlike at our Wednesday meets, you will be required to wear an Athletics Wollongong uniform.  These are available for purchase online, or via pick-up on club nights.

Trackworks

In addition to the throwing area closures noted above, there is some more work going on in and around the track.

Most noticeable are the continuing improvements to the tennis court facilities.  These courts are now nearing completion.  Once they are ready for use, the courts nearest to the track will be turned into a car parking area.  This is to replace the overflow area that was previously adjacent to Foleys Road.  The access driveway to this new area is presently under construction, at times further restricting the available parking bays close to the Leisure Centre.  Note, however, that there is ample parking across the causeway - also accessible via Beaton Park's Gipps Road entrance. 

There are also upgrades happening to the mobile telecommunications equipment atop the light tower nearest the pool.  This will have no impact during our track meets, but some of the grassed area nearby will remain fenced off.

Beaton Park recently received approval to upgrade their lighting.  Those who attended our Come & Try Meets noted that there were a few dim places, particularly in front of the grandstand, but we expect this to be resolved in the coming weeks.

Finally, as an early heads-up, we anticipate the track to be closed at some point in the coming months for cleaning.  This is performed using specialist equipment to prolong the track's condition.  At this time we are unable to supply the dates this may occur.

Sponsorship

If you have an interest in providing the club with some financial support, please see details of the sponsorship packages that are available on our website.  Feel free to pass the link on to anyone you think may be in a position to lend their assistance.

Tennis Club Membership

Our neighbours in the Beaton Park sporting precinct, Wollongong Tennis Club, are also a sponsor of Athletics Wollongong.  One leg of our deal is that we are reimbursed a percentage of purchases made across the bar and bistro by Tennis Club members who have noted an affiliation with AW.

We strongly encourage our members to also join - and patronise - the Tennis Club.  WIth a one year membership there costing only $10 ($5 for student or pensioners), you'll be saving in no time.

Membership forms are HERE and can be submitted anytime at the Tennis Club bar, or their reception during office hours.  Remember to note 'Athletics Wollongong' in the Sponsorship Group section.

Athletics Wollongong has made a group booking for dinner at the Tennis Club, from 7:30pm, following our meet on October 23rd.  Wednesday night is Schnitzel Night!  Come along for a great meal and some good company.

Coming Dates