Championship mentality a must in early season

READY STEADY: Grace Godfrey finished second over 400m in 27.42 seconds on Tuesday and will have learned the importance of the start and running a good bend. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Athletics training should be about preparing the body for competition.

Many athletes however, seem to be worried and try to avoid the actual competition especially if the word "Championship" appears on the programme.

My training notice for athletes today stated that early season competition should be viewed as part of training and should provide lessons that can make athletes better competitors in major events and that not too much should be read into early season results on a chilly breezy evening club night.

Harry Symes learned through the Athletics New Zealand website that he had dropped to second in the New Zealand Under 18 rankings over 400 metres with a faster performance in Auckland at the weekend. He responded well on Tuesday by running a slick 200 metres in 23.02 into a head wind. Although not his best this was a good early season workout. Symes also won the 110 metre hurdles further confirming his decathlon potential.

Genna Maples, 12, again demonstrated her enormous potential by winning the 200 metres against older opposition. In the conditions and the fact that we are only in October her 26.71 was outstanding. She is clearly the fastest female sprinter in the centre. Maples also jumped well for third in the high jump and ran hurdles, demonstrating her gymnastic background by rolling spectacularly after falling to continue the race to cross the line in second place.

In the same 200 metres, promising 400 metre runner Grace Godfrey finished second in 27.42 seconds and will have learned the importance of the start and running a good bend. Godfrey, who had finished 5th in the North Island 400 metres in April (her first of two years in the grade), also has great potential.

Tuesday's 200 metres is part of the learning process and highlights the importance of early season competition training.

Christian Conder was another to use club night as part of his training. He won the 800 metres and although the time was a modest 2:09.27 he did run negative splits (running the second lap faster than the first). He looked very comfortable and used his winning 3000 metre as a warm down from the 800 metre. The real challenges lie ahead.

Ruby Redmayne, who missed all of the first term of the year through injury, should be delighted with her 2:30 800 metre win. NZ Schools Cross Country representative Jane Lennox was second close behind. I did ask Lennox if she allowed her friend and training partner to win. The answer was no, that further indicates that Redmayne is back.

Sarah McDonald, another athlete who missed last season, made a welcome return to Cooks Gardens winning the high jump with a 1.48 metre jump. She only narrowly missed 1.51 metres. It was good to see her back in action.

The boys high jump was won by Oliver O'Leary with a personal best 1.65 metre leap. O'Leary also won the B 200 metres in impressive form suggesting he should have been in the championship race.

Unfortunately a timing problem prevented a time being recorded but O'Leary clearly has considerable promise over his specialist one lap event. O'Leary too used the 3000 metres as a warm down.

In spite of the chilly conditions it was good to see larger and more competitive fields and with the first regional meeting in 10 days time at Masterton it is hoped that this momentum continues to build.

It was pleasing to hear about the growing numbers and the vibrancy of the children's club night on Monday. With the Children's Colgate Games in Palmerston North in January this should also build momentum.

Children's nights are on Mondays at 4.15pm and the senior club on Tuesdays at 7pm.

Full details are on the Athletics Wanganui website www.athleticswanganui.co.nz