The Australian All Schools has been the scene of discovering promising junior athletes for many years, and this year’s Titles were no different. Great to report that our three athletes at the Australian All Schools have established themselves among the best juniors in the country. A brilliant display of short hurdles saw U16 athlete Grace Adams take the gold medal, with personal best time of 12.7. Grace’s win was excitement all round and thoroughly deserved for the time and effort she puts into her training. Her experience in the 200m hurdles will be one that she would like to forget, but knows what she has to do to correct the clipping on the last hurdles. Running in second spot in the prelims, she did finish the race but failed to qualify for the final – the highs and lows of athletics.
This talented young hurdler will move onto the 400m hurdles, an event that she has already shown that she can also handle.
Nick Horton has continued on his way to become one of the best junior high jumpers in the land although he didn’t finish in the medals. The competition was tight and well fought out. He finished a good 7th with a height of 1.96m, showing his consistency over this mark. Newcomer to our club U14 athlete Maya Bos-Woods has competed in her first Australian All Schools and has been placed a very creditable 5th, and also the highest place NSW competitor. Once again the standard in her event was very high but she is proving in her first year in our club, that she is a talented young competitor. A resident of Hill Top, she comes from the same area as one of our former top jumpers, Sophia Begg, and is showing the same talent Sophia did at the same age. This young high jumper, under the guidance of Ron Thompson, travels down from the highlands for training sessions that are now showing dividends for her. She is looking to expand her events, with long jumping and sprinting, and possibly some more field events, but at the age of 13 she has many years in front of her.
Once again we must thanks our officials who travelled to South Australia to assist in one of the biggest junior events on the athletic calendar. Many have used this major event as a lead into the Commonwealth Games.
Well done everyone on another successful All Schools.
QUALIFYING TIMES
Always good to get a qualifying time/distance out of the way for National titles later in March. Great to see that Grace Adams has added the sprints to her hurdles and has now met the standards in both. Emma Mathews has also met the standard for the 100m and 200m and we could see this young lady make her debut at national level. Meanwhile our senior men have been progressing well and their performances in recent All Comers sets them up well for Country and State. Great to see Stephanie Power back on the track and she too has met the standard for the Open women’s 200m. A malfunction in the timing possibly cost her a qualifying time in the 100m also, but still she has many chances to achieve this goal.
ILLAWARRA TRACK CHALLENGE
The first Major event for 2018 will be the Illawarra Track Challenge, an event IBS has conducted for the past five years. Little A’s events have also been added with U8 boys and girls 60m, U10 boys and girls 60m and 100m and U12 boys and girls 60m and 100m. To be conducted at the Kerryn McCann Athletic Centre on Saturday 13 January 2018 in an afternoon/evening format. The Challenge is expected to draw athletes from all over the state. Good competition in anticipated in both State title events, the men’s and women’s 60m dash and the One Mile. Our thanks go to the sponsors of this meet, Bing Lee Warilla, Litani’s Cafe Restaurant and Kings Sports Store. All athletes can enter via Athletics NSW Web site, and with free gate entry, it is a great afternoon evening of non-stop athletic action. The supporting events are always popular and brings athletes from across the State. See Athletics NSW website. Masters athletes are also catered for with the Blue Stars 60m open to all registered masters athletes, and entry for this event is also through ANSW.
Our thanks are extended to all our club officials who have supported the club for the first half of the summer season. Our best wishes go to all members for a Happy Christmas and New Year, with Blue Stars to resume club competition on Sunday 7 January commencing 2.15 pm.