Athletics: Creative solution for Whanganui Collegiate School team challenge

Connor Rees leads Oliver Jones at the Whanganui Collegiate School team challenge. Photo / Rob van Dort

As an observer on Star Trek might have said on Saturday at the Whanganui Collegiate athletics team challenge, "It is athletics but not as we know it".

Last week I highlighted the creative ways organisers have found solutions to the regulations surrounding the pandemic to provide meaningful activity for our young. The concerns for youth activity during the pandemic is now under discussion by government and sports administrators, with possible national changes hinted at.

At Whanganui Collegiate School, an event at school utilising the small St George's 200m track and adjacent undulating golf course took place. The event borrowed much from indoor athletics and highland games.

The traditional long jump, high jump and shot were included with a variety of relays including a series of 8 x 200m and team races, ensuring high participation. The result was an exciting four and a half hours of action. Sadly, parents were excluded and had to rely on live-streaming.

Some schools have postponed their usual summer athletics while others are running it under testing protocols, including Whanganui High School, which is holding its event at Cooks Gardens as this column goes to press. It is adopting the sort of approach to event grouping and pods that is being used by Athletics New Zealand this weekend at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships, which has been extended from three days to four with separate days for the younger and senior grades.

Maggie Jones, who won the 100m and 300m hurdles at last year's championships in the under-18 grade, moves up a grade in Hastings. Jones finally got a tailwind in Christchurch on Saturday at the International Track Meet and should be encouraged not only by her wind-aided victory in a best 14.48 seconds performance, but by the manner of her win, heading off well-performed athletes. Jones ran in a couple of events on Wednesday at the Whanganui High School athletics before her departure for Hastings.

Paige Cromarty, who featured in last week's Athletics Insight, will join Jones in the longer hurdles, events that do not attract large entries mainly because not many relish the demands of this tough event. Cromarty was joined in training on Sunday by Jonathan Maples. Maples leads the senior men's rankings following his win at the Cooks Classic at the end of January. Flynn Johnston looks likely to again return with a hurdle medal at under-20 level. Both Johnston and Maples also run 200m in their respective grades.

Whanganui will have 12 athletes competing in Hastings. The Whanganui Collegiate contingent used the aforementioned team challenge as their final major workout.

Louise Brabyn, who is one of the favourites for the steeples at the weekend, was the leading girl in the steeplechase team event that incorporated the undulating golf course and the small 200m track. Brabyn also had an impressive win over the mile that combined a flat section away beside the track and the track. She was chased throughout by Amy McHardy who has joined Whanganui Collegiate from Wellington this year. McHardy had finished one place ahead of Brabyn in taking silver at last year's New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross-Country Championships in Hāwera.

In the male distance events, Hastings-bound James Hercus shared middle-distance honours with his cousin Daniel Sinclair. Hercus is capable of further improving in both 800m and 1500m when he runs in strong competitive middle-distance fields. Toby Caro still has a year left in the under-18 grade over 3000m and has a string of personal bests over the season, suggesting he will continue to build a base for the future.

Bella Willis looked smooth winning the 200m on the tight track, which, unlike the 200m indoor tracks, lacked the banked bends. Willis also had a useful workout on the less-than- flat 100m and featured in both the shuttle relay and the 8 x 200m. Willis has missed some training in the buildup but is coming back to form at the right time.

Jacky Dai had to make do with a grass run-up and the small pit in the triple jump. Dai is a big-time competitor and, although his 12.18m was well below his best, he has the ability to make the podium in Hastings.

Edie Franks and Morgan Wilson are two young sprinters who have a year left in their grade and will gain invaluable experience, while Teniva Guinea and Pascale Bowie have made big progress this year to reach a qualifying mark for entry. Travis Bayler starts in the senior 800m and joins Jonathan Maples in a solid 4 x 400 MWA Team.