Lake City youngsters ready to race at Colgate Games

DETERMINED: From left Gisele Howard, 12, Trelise Howard, 9, Nikita Harding, 8 and Lillian Muir, 11. Hannah Gapes, 13, and Cooper Simes, 9, were unavailable for the photo. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

They may be a small team but six young athletes from the Lake City Athletic Club are looking to make a big impact at the 2017 Colgate Games this weekend.

More than 1000 athletes, aged from 7 to 14, from around the North Island, will be heading to the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park in Hastings for the annual event, which starts tomorrow.

Lake City Athletic Club co-manager Rebecca Howard said the Colgate Games were well-organised and professional.

"It's like the kids' Olympics. There's an opening ceremony at the start where they will fly the Lake City Athletic Club banner.

"The officials are all trained so it's neat for the kids to see an event that is professionally organised. It's timed professionally, it's really well done."

Howard said the Colgate Games were a true indication for the children of what the competition was like throughout the North Island.

Her daughter, Gisele Howard, 12, said she was looking forward to competing in the long jump, discus, 800m and 1500m and catching up with friends she had made over the years.

The 7 to 9-year-old group runs in divisions, with each division earning pennants for first, second and third.

Medals are given out to the top three placings in the 10-14 age bracket finals, following heats and semifinals.

Age is calculated from December 31 the previous year.

Lillian Muir, 11, will be taking part in long jump, high jump, 100m and 200m.

"I'm most looking forward to long jump and high jump - because I like to jump."

Last year, at the Colgate Games in Palmerston North, Lillian took out fourth place in the grade 10 long jump.

It will be 8-year-old Nikita Harding's second Colgate Games.

She'll be taking part in shot put, 60m, 100m, and her favourite, long jump.

Nikita's mum, Jennifer Harding, said this was Nikita's second season with Lake City Athletic Club and the whole family would be going along this year to support her.

"It's good fun."

Trelise Howard, 9, will compete in long jump, 60m, 100m, 200m and discus.

Lake City Athletic Club will be one of the smallest teams at the event, with teams such as Hastings Athletic Club, Napier Athletic Club Inc and North Harbour Bays Athletics with 50 or more athletes attending.

"It doesn't matter what their placing is, it's all just great experience. The kids are still really happy to compete against the huge number of competitive children within the North Island," said Howard.

Howard said, unfortunately, Rotorua would not be able to host the Colgate Games in the future, as it lacked such facilities as a hard surface running track.

Colgate general manager John Garside said the event was New Zealand's longest running children's athletics competition with a proud history of putting future Olympians on their course.

"This year the children competing have had a huge amount of encouragement from senior athletes like Eliza McCartney, Tom Walsh and Nick Willis. The children have been training hard all summer, likely hoping to have a chance at winning one of the four Nick Willis Scholarships up for grabs this weekend."