13 January 2017
 
 
 
www.athletics.org.nz  
 
 
 
 


 

 





The first issue of Athletics in Action for 2017 lands right in a very busy part of the summer season.

The Colgate Games are half way through with the very successful North Island meeting last weekend in Hastings and the South Island version starting in Invercargill today.

The Lovelock Classic saw some excellent competition in Timaru last weekend and we’ve got three more Classic meetings coming up over the next week which include some New Zealand championship events. First up is the Potts Classic in Hastings tomorrow. February sees the new Nitro Series in Melbourne and the International Athletics Series in New Zealand.

In this issue we talk to a talented pair of siblings who came away from the NZ Secondary Schools Championships with an amazing seven titles between them, we chat with a rising New Zealand javelin thrower and we look at a distance running development initiative based in Wellington and the Hutt Valley. Our “Five Minutes with” segment focuses on Olympic race walker Quentin Rew.
There’s much more news in this first issue of the year issue, so keep reading.

* Athletics in Action is a fortnightly e-newsletter, usually sent out on Thursdays full of great articles, profiles, interviews with the stars, latest updates and upcoming events in the world of athletics. If you'd no longer like to receive this newsletter you can unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of this email on the far left.

 

 

Distance Hub gaining traction

Athletics NZ endurance coach Steve Willis has organised a six-week long training hub for distance runners based in Wellington and the Hutt Valley over December - January. Steve Landells chats to a quartet of people with an attachment to the camp to find out more.
Read more ...

 

Weekly Roundup

One of the benefits offered by Athletics NZ is a Weekly Roundup from around New Zealand and NZ athletes overseas. It’s compiled by Murray McKinnon from event results sent on to him by event organisers in NZ and by coaches and athletes from overseas events. It comes out each Monday. If you are not already receiving it, head to the Athletics NZ website (near the bottom of the home page) and you can subscribe there.

 

Member Benefits



There are many more benefits of being a member of an athletics club. Check out our Athletics NZ Member Benefits Programme to find out how you can save on accommodation, rental cars, sports gear, sports medical products and more, just by being a member of your local athletics club.

 

HP Topics

Recent updates and announcements from our HP department:
2017 Nitro Series Team announcement
2017 World Champs selection policy
2017 World University Champs selection policy
2017 Oceania Area & Combined Events Champs
Relay squads update
How to apply for a team as an athlete
Out of Stadia Teams information

Other recent HP news can be found HERE

 

Official Topics

A huge thanks to all the officials turning out for the Colgate Games at the moment. Meets like this need a high level of organisation and many officials, so if you come across any officials at meets, show them some love please!

National Track & Field Championships, Hamilton March 17 – 19. Applications for officiating at Nationals are still open due to a shortage of volunteers, so if you’d like to assist and get up close to the action at our premier track & field event, fill in the Online Application Form 

 

Coaching Corner

Free session for Distance Coaches and Athletes on Friday 20 January in Wellington ahead of the Capital Classic. 
Critical success factors in middle distance coaching. Gets under way 10.30am and finished by 3.30pm.

Two great opportunities for hurdlers and javelin throwers are coming up in Hamilton around the Porritt Classic.
Porritt Classic Hurdles Festival (11-12 Feb)
Porritt Classic Javelin Camp (10-12 Feb)

 

Rankings 

Now that we’ve rolled over for the new year, our annual ranking lists start from scratch again, so head to Athletics NZ Rankings  to see who the early leaders are in each event. There’s likely to be some big changes over the next few weeks so keep an eye on the rankings.

 

Former Champions

The first New Zealand Championships for 2017 (senior and junior 3000m) are coming up next week, so it’s a good chance to have a look at our booklet listing all our National Champions stretching back over our 128 year history. It’s a fascinating resource available in the Rankings and Records section of our website under  Publications.

 

Where to find what you need

We have so much information for members and fans, it can sometimes seem a little daunting, so here are some quick links:

 

What's next?

January 2017
13-15 South Island Colgate Games  Invercargill
14     Potts Classic                           Hastings
17     Cooks Classic (NZ Jnr 3000) Whanganui
20     Capital Classic (NZ Snr 3000) Wellington
21     South Island Interprov            Dunedin
28     NZ 10,000m Champs             Inglewood
28     North Island Interprov            Inglewood

February 2017
4-11  Nitro Athletics Series             Melbourne
11     Porritt Classic                         Hamilton
18-19  NZ Combined Ev Champs   Dunedin
19     Big Shot & Fast K                 Christchurch
22     Vertical Pursuit                      Auckland
26     Auckland Track Challenge   North Shore

 
 

 

  
 

 

  

  
 

 

Seven good wins for talented siblings

The Goodwin siblings – Christopher and Kayla - snagged an impressive haul of seven medals between them at last month’s New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Championships in Auckland. Steve Landells chats to the gifted pair about their athletics journey.
Read more ...

 

Ben Langton-Burnell: Out of the shadows


Recently retired Stuart Farquhar has dominated the New Zealand javelin throwing scene for over a decade. However, New Zealand has a worthy successor to take over the reigns as Stuart settles in to his retirement. Communications intern Eva Linnenbaum talks to Ben Langton-Burnell.
Read more ...

 

Five minutes with  Quentin Rew


Olympic and World Championship race walker Quentin Rew is an established international performer. Here the 32-year-old Kiwi offers an insight into his life by answering our Five Minutes With questions.
Read more ...

 

Colgate Games

The iconic Colgate Games for 2017 kicked off last weekend for three days of action in Hastings at the North Island Games. This weekend sees another three days of athletics at South Island Games in Invercargill. If you are heading to Invercargill, whether you are a competitor, an official, a coach, a parent, a family member, all the best for the weekend. We hope you all have a fantastic time and enjoy your athletics. For results and news, head to NZ Children’s Athletics

 

International Athletics Series 

The three innovative meetings that will make up the International Athletics Series kick off on 19 February in Christchurch and finishes on 26 February on the North Shore of Auckland. The series is designed to showcase athletics and showcase some of our Olympic stars up close with two of the three events to be held in public spaces, rather than at athletics tracks. 
Tickets available Auckland Track Challenge
Read more ...

 

Nitro Athletics Series

Before Christmas we confirmed that there will be a New Zealand team competing in the brand new, exciting Nitro Series Athletics in Melbourne 4-11 February.
We’ve now selected the New Zealand team for the competition, so Check out Our Team that will be taking on teams from Australia, England, China, Japan, and of course the Bolt Allstars.
For more info about this innovative series featuring  head to Nitro Series at Athletics Australia.

 

Classic Meets 

Timaru hosted the first of  five meetings in the 2017 Classic Series and the series now moves to the North Island with three meetings over the next seven days. Check out one of the meetings in your region.
7 Jan    Lovelock Classic    Timaru
14 Jan  Potts Classic    Hastings
17 Jan  Cooks Classic    Whanganui
20 Jan  Capital Classic    Wellington
11 Feb  Porritt Classic    Hamilton
Get down to one of the meetings over summer and check out some high quality athletics.

 

Upcoming NZ Championship Events

Entries are now open for some of our upcoming New Zealand Championship events. The NZ 3000m Champs for juniors has closed but 3000m Champs for seniors are still open. Entries are also open for the  NZ 10,000m championships taking place in Inglewood. Entries have now opened for the NZ Combined Event championships in Dunedin.

 

Previous issues of AiA

If you are new to Athletics in Action and would like to check out some previous issues, head to Athletics in Action

 

Are you up to date?

We want to keep all our members and fans right up to date with all the important news and happenings in the sport. Check out the latest offerings:

   Weekly Round-up (new)
   Club Chat Newsletter
   Official Focus Newsletter 
   Athletics NZ website (updated)
   Athletics NZ High Performance (updated)
   Athletics NZ Rankings & Records
 

 
 
  
 
 

 

  

ATHLETICS NEW ZEALAND
P.O. Box 305 504, Triton Plaza, Auckland 0757
The Pavilion, MISH, 17 Antares Pl, Rosedale, Auckland 0632
P 09 477 0210

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