Waiting for our new blue athletics track
Some exciting news for local athletes – we’ve received advice that the resurfacing of the Manawatu¯ Community Athletics Track has been completed ahead of schedule and the track was available for training from last Monday.
Unfortunately, the track will not be available for competition until the line markings have been completed.
And, the line marker’s expected arrival has been delayed, as he is required to complete the marking of the World Indoor Championship Track in Birmingham before arriving to mark our track. This delay could affect some of the early bookings for the track, so schools should be looking for a contingency plan
■ Congratulations to Ben Langtonburnell on his selection to compete in the javelin at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Also included in the team is Brad Mathas, a former Whanganui athlete now based in Australia. He will compete in the 800 metres.
■ The announcement of the finalists for the Manawatu¯ Sports Awards has met with a mixed reaction from the athletics community.
We are delighted to see Ariana Blackwood, Jack Lewer, Andrew Davenport and the Palmerston North 4x400 relay team named as finalists and we extend our congratulations to them.
I am of course biased, but with two of our athletes recording performances that saw them climb to third on the New Zealand all-time ranking lists, both winning New Zealand titles and representing New Zealand in international competition, it is surprising to see them not considered worthy of being named as finalists.
My dismay is further increased when I see that in the categories one of these athletes qualified for, the junior sportsman award, the judges chose to only name three finalists. Most other categories had more.
It’s certainly hard to understand and is not giving out the right message. Unfortunately, this is not first occasion that athletics has felt shortchanged.
■ Look out for ‘‘Jumps in Paradise’’, which is the brainchild of Jordan Peters and Anne Thomson and seen as a means of promoting the new resurfaced track in Palmerston North. The event on March 24 will see long jump, triple jump and high jump contested, with many of the country’s leading exponents already expressing an interest in attending.
■ This year, all three days of the Athletics Manawatu¯ Whanganui championships will be held at Cooks Gardens in Whanganui.
It starts on February 13 and will see titles decided in the 100m, 400m 1500m, long jump, hammer throw, shot put and the 4x100 relay. The second day is February 20, which will see the 200m, 800m, 3000/5000m run and walk, high jump and discus.
All meetings start at 6.45pm and there will be no entry fee.
■ A message from the Athletics Manawatu¯ Whanganui selectors for athletes wishing to compete at the Athletics NZ 2018 Championships in Hamilton, from March 9-11.
They should express their interest with the selectors.
The team will be named after the end of the three-week Centre Championships on Tuesday evenings throughout February. All athletes must be financial with a centre club in the 2018 season.
Performances in earlier events during the season will be taken into account, along with the Centre Championship events. Athletes should be capable of meeting the minimum entry standards advertised by Athletics NZ.
Athletes will need to be responsible for entering themselves in events. It is expected selected athletes will make themselves available for relays.
The centre selectors are Alec Mcnab, George Mcconachy and Richard Drabczynski.
■ This weekend will see the Feilding Club hosting their ribbon day and I encourage all our younger athletes to go over to Feilding and come home with heaps of ribbons. Last weekend, the Paraparaumu Club held their ribbon day and the club results were. Chloe Groube G7 2nd in 60m; 3rd long jump; 2nd discus; 2nd 100m; 1st 200m.
Lucy Cadzow G8 3rd 60m; 3rd 200m. Stella Cadzow G9 1st 60m; 1st 100m; 2nd 200m; 2nd long jump.
Hannah Cadzow G10 1st 800m; 2nd 200m; 2nd 100m; 1st long jump; 2nd high jump.
Former long-serving club official John Strawbridge was involved in the organisation of this ribbon day and was delighted to see the presence of Palmerston North athletes.