Over 1400 secondary students converged on Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre for 4 days, from 9th-12th October for the NSW All Schools Track & Field Championships. The event incorporated athletes from all sectors of the school system, including Government, Catholic and Independent, held as the state championships for all secondary students. “All Schools” has a long and rich history in NSW with a reputation as a breeding ground for many of NSW’s best athletes such as Matt Shirvington, Melinda Gainsford-Taylor, Dani Samuels and Ryan Gregson and this year Nowra Athletics Club certainly revealed some stars of their own! For a country club Nowra Athletics Club’s results by its junior athletes were really impressive. We had so many athletes medal, make finals, earn National Juniors qualifiers, achieve PB’s and most of all HAD FUN as they competed with spirit and determination!!
Starting with our youngest competitors Alistair Clark competed in the 13 years 100m, 200m and 90m hurdles. He may not have made the finals, but he achieved two personal bests whilst competing against much taller and bigger boys; and he stayed around in the stadium to cheer on fellow athletes after his events had been all wrapped up.
Jenna Bentley ran in the 13 years 100m and 200m. Jenna made her first All Schools 200m final and she also chalked up 2 personal best times throughout the competition. Victoria Kennedy ran a 24 second PB in the 13 year girls 1500m – just amazing!
Jade Mustapic ran her second fastest 400m time to win Bronze in the 13 years. Jade is a consistent runner who trains hard and her dedication is certainly paying dividends on the track!
Annie Peace threw the discus 32.33metres for a bronze medal in the 13 years event.
Quiet achiever, Breanna O’Donnell competed in the 14 years 200m against a large field and finished 7th in her heat with a time of 29.06.
Shenay Edwards competed in the 14 years 400m and 800m and made both finals. Shenay hasn’t previously made All Schools finals so this achievement was well deserved and a result of consistent effort. Shenay finished a commendable 5th in both finals.
Hugh Dobson is a great racer . With 80m to go he chased down 3rdplace in his first 2km Steeple Chase event to earn him the bronze medal and he also ran under the National Junior Qualifying time. He then backed up in his 14 years 3000m race to place 6th.
Ebony Johnson, an all-rounder, competed over 3 days in 4 different events. She just missed a PB in Javelin and she competed in the 14 years discus as her “fun” event. She smiled through a hip and back injury as she sprinted in the 100m and 200m and showed her true “aussie toughness”.
Clare Dobson ran in the 15 years 3000m finishing 16th in a time of 11.50.73. Clare is another quiet achiever who always gives her best.
Emerson Brian ran the best 100m he has ever run in the 15 years sprint, earning a PB time for the Sydney track. His commitment and hard work to his training is certainly paying off, and he is eyeing off that national qualifier time. He also had fun in the 15 years long jump. Samantha Peace threw her way to two podium spots. She won gold in the 16 years discus and bronze in the “I’m just doing it for fun” shot put. Sam is always so supportive of all the other athletes and is a great athlete as well as showing great sportsmanship. Sam is working hard now to get world youth qualifiers for next year and we wish the very best of luck for this girl who is bound to be a future Olympian.
Jye Edwards was a stand-out – Dual Gold State Champion in the 800m and 1500m combo! Jye is yet another quiet achiever and his training program is definitely paying off. Jye has been patiently preparing and working away over the years so it’s fantastic to see him doing so well.
Cameron Musgrove competed in his first All Schools and made the finals in both his 400m and 800m events. Cam had the Nowra crowd off their seats cheering him on in the final straight of his 800m when he moved up to 3rd only to be edged back near the line – a great effort and still plenty more there to come.
Zac Havadjia achieved a national qualifier time in the 16 years 400m final with his time of 51.13. Fantastic news! He can now compete at National Juniors in his preferred event.
Harry McGill continued to improve after his recent performance against older competitors at CHS State and was so deserving of another big 3000m PB and his first state medal. Harry finished with a bronze medal in a time of 9.02.07.
Kristin Kalemusic ran a gutsy 400m to just get pipped on the line for second. Kristin finished in a time of 59.02 for bronze and silver was just 59.01!
Jake Myors backed up in his 1500m after racing the 5000m the day prior and didn’t let his feet full of blisters from the 35 degree heat stop him from winning Bronze in the 19 Years 1500m.
The talent at “All Schools” is enormous and Nowra athletes did themselves and the Club proud. Many were competing for the very first time at this level and results achieved were outstanding. Congratulations to all.
Possibly the cancellation of our Wednesday night competition 15th. October due to torrential rain was a chance for these athletes to rest up after their busy four days of competition.
Weather pending for Wednesday 22nd October, Round 5 series 2 will resume with its variety of track and field events . All interested people are invited to come along to Ron Brown Sporting Oval. Events start at 6pm with administration from 5.30pm.
Athletes interested in distance events are especially encouraged to get some practice running laps on the track, prior to the upcoming 10km event which will be held on Wednesday 5th November. All interested runners are welcome to give it a crack, however athletes MUST be current registered members of Nowra Athletics Club. So if you want to run, but haven’t yet registered as a club member you will need to do so ASAP. In addition, interested runners MUST also advise secretary Jan Gibb of their intention to run the challenging 25 lap event so that lap scoring sheets can be pre-organised. Up for grabs, along with the honours of winning the race, is a $200 voucher which will enable the winner to buy a new pair of running shoes – just what every good runner needs! We are hoping to attract a quality field for this once-a-season event so don’t miss your chance to participate!