Team Manager: Valmai Loomes
Illawarra Blue Stars have always had a great reputation of not only supporting the NSW Relay titles but doing very well, and especially against the much bigger clubs such as UTS Norths and University.
This year’s relays were no different and the support of one another and the team sportsmanship really shone out among the members taking part.
U14 AND U16 MEN - Divisional Manager: Ian Smith and Sally Barnes
Our U14 men’s teams of Luke Arregui, Matthew Arregui , Joshua Smith and Zaidyn Phan gained 12th overall in the 4 x 200m and 11th in the 4 x 100m, but this was the first time together and shows great promise for these young athletes. They were joined by their club mates in the U16 men of Calem Brown, Zaidyn Phan (doubling up) Rhys Barnes and Alex Harris taking out 11th overall in the 4 x 100m and a great 6th in the 4 x 200m. Once again, this is the first time these boys have run together and are a very promising quartet for coming year.
Thank you to Ian, who had the U14 men firing and combining so well together, and sally who made sure the U16 men where there ready to go at all times, even if she had to use her own sprinting to chase down one of the guys.
U18 AND U20 MEN - Divisional Manager: Rose Faulkner
IBS members Jonty Faulkner, Zake Gander, Corey Williams teamed with Athletics Wollongong Gabb Bickle in the U20 4 x 100m to take out a very close 5th and then teamed up in the 4 x 400m to finish 5th again, with Nowra’s Lachlan Kaszonyi in place of Williams in what can only be described as some of the best U20 competition relays we have seen for some time. Our men, Jake Gander, Rhys Barnes, Jonty Faulkner and Andrew Lau took out a well deserved 4th placing in the U18 men’s 4 x discus.
This team showed that by combining with AW and one Nowra athlete, it gives our members a chance to compete and Gabb and Lachlan were very thankful.
OPEN MEN - Divisional Manager: Lachlan Parry
Our open men were superb and showed that team understanding, great baton changing and good, hard solid sprinting, will always put teams in the top positions. People were on their feet with the strong university team comprising two Aussie reps taking the title , but it was the 2nd placing of our men in the 4 x 100m that impressed. The university team payed tribute to our men, who they described as “a very hard team to defeat”. Comprising Lachlan Parry, Chris Devery, Cameron Chisolm and Kyle Grubnic, they fought hard and the silver medal was a great reward for their top effort. They also backed up in the 4 x 200m to take a very close 4th with Corey Williams replacing Kyle Grubnic who was unavailable for this event.
Lachlan had this team ready to go, they combined so well and are a credit to themselves, the club, and the standard they set for our up and coming juniors. Well done guys, you thoroughly deserve that little bit of silver.
MASTERS MEN 200 PLUS AND 240 PLUS - Divisional Manager: John Van Stappen
Our Masters’ men showed what it is like to combine, and strong wins in the 3 of their races in the 240 plus 4 x 100m, 4 x 200m and 4 x 400m were as impressive as any sides. John VaN Stappen, John Lamb, Colin CLarson and Andrew Rodda teamed in the winning 4 x 100m and 4 x 200m, with Mark Harris coming into the 4 x 400m in place of Rodda. They also combined with Harris to take 4th in the 200 men’s 4 x 100m, and Female sprinter Gianna Mogentale running with the men in the 4 x 200m to take out 4th placing once again. Our masters men’s 4 x 400m of Harris, Van Stappen, Lamb, and Clarson have just been granted the record for “best on record at State relays for the men’s 4 x 400m 240 years plus. What a great effort. Well done guys, a top effort all round. We cannot applaud you enough on the top display of sportsmanship and encouragement to our younger athletes.
What a group of men. Welcome back John Van Stappen (who by the way ran so well) and welcome to Masters Mark Harris, who had a ball, ran at the same meet as his son Alex and took a gold home in his first meet.
OPEN WOMEN - Divisional Manager: Kaitlyn Neto
Our women were just as impressive but it was the sportsmanship of our open women that shone out. Up against some of the leading female sprinters in the land, this was not going to deter Kaitlyn Neto, Jessica Hogg, Kaisha Edwards and Sarah De Vries in the 4 x 200m taking out 7th overall, and then teaming with Erin Smart from Nowra to form a medley team taking out 6th overall. Rebecca Dos Santos came into the 4 x 100m on Sunday, and the girls once again showed team work to finish in 11th spot overall.
What a great bunch of girls to take on the might of some of the best female athletes in the land. Our girls are a gem to work with, no hassles, no worries, just go out and do their best. They have also made newcomer Sarah De Vries one happy young athlete to be part of not only a team but a club who welcomes you Sarah.
MASTERS WOMEN 160 PLUS AND 200 PLUS - Divisional Manager: Gianna Mogentale
The masters ladies have a great tradition and this year they were excellent. Our South coast team of Gianna Mogentale, Sarah Guevara, Rina Flynn and Erin Smart (Nowra), took the gold in the 160 4 x 100m in an impressive display of running. In the same division Diane O’Toole came into the team with Flynn, Guevara and Smart to be placed 4th overall, in the 4 x 200m.
In the women’s 200 plus, the ladies of Mogentale, O’Toole, Flynn and Lynda Douglas ran an impressive relay to finish a strong third in the 4 x 100m behind the top UTS team but our ladies backed this up with a gold medal in the 4 x 200m with, Gianna Mogentale, Rina Flynn, Diane O’Toole and Erin Smart in the same age bracket.
We don’t have to worry about our masters’ women, they are all “seasoned athletes” and know what the sport is all about, and especially relays. The combining was excellent as always and the girls will be going into the record books for non-masters’ members for the 4 x 100m 240 years record. Well done to all our ladies who ran in the 4 x 100m 240 years as they are claiming this record as all were over the age of 55. To get the masters’ State record, all members needed to be registered prior to the event with NSW masters but only two were registered therefore can only claim the non-members record.
GREAT WEEKEND
Lets keep this tradition going. Thanks to everyone who took part and to our divisional managers who made life so much easier.
What a great weekend with relays showing that club members are bought together, some times for the first time, and show they are a force to be reckoned with against some of the more fancied sides. Well done Blue Stars and South Coast.