The C programme has the popular two-kilometre road race and 60m, 150m, 600m events, with javelin and triple jump the field events. The events in this C programme provide excellent training and preparation.
Relays (including mixed and novelty) will regularly appear weekly, as will handicap events.
Although the season’s A, B and C programmes are pre-set, requests can be made for additional events providing they are made a week in advance, allowing for timely publication on the club website.
The full programme through to Christmas will be published this week. The website will also include full results from Tuesday evenings, and ranking tables will commence after the opening three-week cycle of the three main programmes.
Track and field, like so many sports, depends on the ongoing valued work of volunteers. Track and field, with its many event disciplines, demands so many helpers.
The club is determined to fully recognise and upskill our volunteers.
We need to regularly thank, acknowledge and reward our officials and volunteers. We are designing an incentive scheme for both adults and young helpers through the season ahead.
We are eagerly and actively searching for volunteers to help continue and enhance the programme for children on a Monday afternoon.
This important part of our activities was conducted by leading senior secondary school athletes.
Two outstanding Whanganui High School athletes, Maggie Jones (now on a USA Track Scholarship) and Nathaniel Kirk (now in the South Island), with the help of young Whanganui High and Whanganui Collegiate School athletes, ran excellently in athletic activities on Monday afternoon, through the 2021-22 season and through to December last year.
They were succeeded by Yasmin Christenhusz, home on university vacation, and in February through to March this year, the programme was run by former Whanganui Collegiate Athletics captain Josephine Perkins prior to her stint as a leader at Camp America.
We need a person or persons to take on this vital role on Mondays with a proposed 5.15pm start, hopefully by the end of October. We will provide training and assistance in providing to make sure that this vital section of our sport can continue.
The regional competition starts in Inglewood on the last Saturday of October, and continues with a home meeting at Cooks Gardens on November 11. The series ends in Masterton a fortnight later (November 25).
These meetings provide good early season events for post-school athletes and invaluable preparation for athletes competing at the New Zealand Secondary Schools competition in December in Christchurch.
The main part of the season is from January through to March. The Classic series commences in Hastings (Potts Classic) on January 20, with the home Pak‘nSave Cooks Classic a week later (January 27). The Capital Classic is in Wellington on Friday, February 4.
In an Olympic year, these events are especially important for our athletes.
Although no medals were won in Budapest, the fact that we had six athletes in the top 10 is hugely encouraging, and this was supported by an outstanding finale at the Diamond League final in Eugene.
Tom Walsh finished third with a season-best 22.69 in the shot put, George Beamish backed up his fifth in Budapest with a third and Tori Peeters, who narrowly missed the javelin final in Budapest, finished second.
Hamish Kerr put Budapest behind him with a fourth and Zoe Hobbs backed up her 10th in Budapest with a ninth placing. Jacko Gil was sixth in Budapest, and Maddison-Lee Wesche (seventh in Budapest) did not compete in Eugene. With a hopefully fit Eliza McCartney (pole vault) in the mix, we have much to look forward to.
