Action transfers to meeting rooms

SEASON'S END: The athletics season may be over but the organisational work never stops. Pictured is Wanganui Collegiate's Myah Jex-Blake and Alice Cooke at last year's NZSS Athletics. PHOTO/ROB VAN DORT 13052015WCSUPMYAH

ANUMBER of people have asked what I do with all my free time now the athletics season is over. I do remind them that, although the cross country season is not so intensive, there is plenty to occupy my time because I am preparing over 30 athletes to compete at the New Zealand Secondary Schools champs to be held on June 20 in Dunedin.

Most run as a second sport and there is considerable work required in coordinating training. This is also meeting season where associations and clubs prepare for and review their various activities.

I have never liked meetings: they can often be long and tedious and seem to achieve little. However, good meetings can provide sound strategic planning, good financial planning and sound reviews and feedback from activities that have been conducted. Over the past fortnight I have attended a number of such meetings and over the next week I will be attending two more.

At the Special General Meeting of the Manawatu-Wanganui Centre, new fees were adopted to fit in with Athletics New Zealand registration. It is good to report athletes will pay less than at present because the registration will be directly through Athletics New Zealand.

Last weekend I was in Auckland at the New Zealand Schools Full Executive Meeting, which reviewed our past year and looked to the exciting 15 months ahead.

In review, Wanganui was applauded for the successful hosting of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships in December. Wanganui was congratulated on the excellent financial result, the high gate takings and entries were favourably reviewed. Special mention was made of the excellent hospitality and support of officials drawn from throughout the country, the Games Village at Wanganui Collegiate School, the outstanding Call Room at Sport Wanganui, the road race and its venue at Kowhai Park and the successful experiment of a preliminary long jump in junior girls to cope with the 40 entries in the event (this is likely to be repeated and extended to other events in future).

At the same NZSAA meeting we confirmed New Zealand Schools will send teams to the ISF Cross Country to be held in Hungary next year. Wanganui Collegiate was selected in 2008 (boys) and 2010 (girls) and a strong group of girls from Collegiate will be striving to bid for selection at the NZSS Cross Country in Dunedin next month.

Also announced was the addition of a regional relay competition to be held on the Sunday morning following next year's NZ Schools Cross Country held on the Saturday at Rotorua. This initiative allows a chance for students to represent their region in cross country and could encourage leading athletes whose school does not attend the cross Country to compete both as an individual and as part of a team. This format over the one weekend has been successful for many years in Australia.

At our own Athletics Wanganui Meeting we were delighted with the financial result of the aforementioned NZSS Championships. We are coordinating needs to upgrade our IT and photo finish and other equipment to ensure we can continue to bring major events to Wanganui and we are finalising quotes on these items to fully utilise the generous grant from the Powerco Wanganui Community Trust. We also await final dates from Athletics New Zealand surrounding the 2015 Cooks Classic and other events to be held in our region.

Next Thursday sees the annual Wanganui Secondary Schools to be held at Waiouru. This is an invaluable competition opportunity for runners heading for Dunedin next month.

In the case of my own Wanganui Collegiate runners it is one of two trials for the team to compete at NZ Schools.