On the hunt for athletics coach
The hunt is on to find a new coach to develop Matamata’s young up and coming athletes.
A new season is about to start and some of the town’s athletes are heading to train with the Te Aroha Athletics and Harrier Club because there’s no coach to take care of them in Matamata.
It mean’s they’ll have the option to register and compete under the Te Aroha club’s banner.
Recently the Matamata Athletics Club, catering for age groups from 2 to 14, moved from the Matamata Domain, to Matamata College, and club secretary Lynne Counsell is encouraging students beyond 14 years to become involved with the club and continue training.
‘‘A lot of college kids are really good athletes and don’t have anywhere they can go and train. We are trying to promote that ‘older kid’ relationship, so they can come along to club nights, help with the younger kids and also do their own training with people with experience so they don’t just get to 14 and then disappear.’’
Counsell says the Matamata club has a good reputation among other neighbouring clubs for its junior programme, aimed at twoto-six year olds. The club usually registers 100-120 two-to-four year olds each season.
‘‘We would love to have someone come and coach our kids. Te Aroha (athletics club) has older kids and we don’t.’’
Scott Hilliar is one of Matamata’s most successful former club athletes.
As a teenager he went on to represent New Zealand in athletics at the Pan Pacific Games. He left Matamata College at 15-years to attend St Paul’s in Hamilton, where he won the NZ secondary school 800 metres event and under 20s, 800 metres event.
Counsell says one of the issues is how the club can pay a qualified coach to travel to Matamata once or twice a week during the athletics season.
‘‘The Matamata athletics team that travels to Thames Valley is really good, but it’s a really short period in term one through school.
‘‘Imagine what they could do if they trained all through the summer.’’
The Matamata Athletics club held it’s registrations on October 11, but registrations can be taken all through the season, at club nights on Tuesdays.