9 February 2017
 
 
 
 




 

 

 

 

With a surge in membership this summer, this issue of Athletics in Action will be going out to over 20,000 members and supporters of the sport. We've got  a lot going on for all those people to read about.
We’re coming up to a very busy time of the summer athletics season with Junior Clubs started up, Secondary Schools athletics getting under way, the NZL team at the Coles Nitro Athletics Series, the biggest Classic meeting of the summer this weekend to be followed by the NZ Combined Events Champs and the International Athletics Series in Christchurch and Auckland. Whew, and that’s all in February!
In this issue of Athletics in Action we talk to Tom Walsh about an amazing level of competition he’s looking forward to this month we catch up in Melbourne with our Nitro Athletics team captain and the star performer in Round One. We also find out more about middle distance athlete Eric Speakman in our Five minutes with….  series.  
There's much more news in this issue of Athletics in Action, 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.

 

 

Nitro Athletics - from the inside

New Zealand finished a creditable fifth in Round One of the innovative Coles Nitro Athletics Series in Melbourne after sitting in the top three for the bulk of the evening. Steve Landells speaks to team skipper Matthew Wyatt and sprinter, Joseph Millar, the star Kiwi performer on a pulsating first night of action, to gauge their thoughts on the exciting format.
Read more ...

 

More on Nitro Athletics

Coles Nitro Athletics Melbourne got off to an explosive start last Saturday in Melbourne. The new format certainly grabbed the attention of athletes, fans and the media and there is a lot of interest in Round Two tonight.
Have a look at:

How the NZL team went in the first round
Nitro Athletics – from the inside
Round Two is tonight and the series concludes with the third round on Saturday night. 
Sky TV is showing delayed highlights:
Round 2 12:00pm Friday 10 Feb SS3

Round 3
 12:30pm Sunday 12 Feb SS1

 

Halberg Awards 

Best of luck to the SIX (yes SIX!) athletics finalists at the Halberg Awards tonight.
Dame Valerie Adams (Sportswoman), Tom Walsh and  Nick Willis (Sportsman), Liam Malone and Anna Grimaldi (Disabled Sportsperson) and Jeremy McColl (Coach) have made it to the final four in their categories. Athletics also provides three of the the ten finalists in the New Zealand's Favorite Sporting Moments category (Eliza McCartney, Nikki Hamblin and Liam Malone). We're incredibly proud of you all! 

 

Children's Athletics


The Colgate Games are done and dusted for 2017, school’s back in and all the children’s clubs have started up again for the second half of the season, letting thousands of Kiwi kids experience the fun that is athletics. Some will be looking forward to their regional championships, so if your children want to be involved in those, check with your club. At Easter, the Grade 12 & 13 Interprovincial competition will take place in Masterton and Centres will be selecting their teams soon. 
Read more ...

 

Secondary Schools

It’s the Secondary Schools athletics season!  School champs will be held soon, then zone and regional events, followed by the North Island and South Island Secondary Schools Champs in Dunedin and Inglewood. If you’re at school and involved in athletics, you’re in for a busy couple of months – enjoy the journey! 
Read more ...  

 

Masters Matters

Masters athletes have a lot going on at this time of the year too.  The World Masters Athletics Champs were in Perth at the end of last year, the New Zealand Masters Games in Whanganui are currently in progress, New Zealand Masters T&F Champs are in just three weeks, and to cap off the season, the World Masters Games in Auckland will be in April.  Wow, you guys are an inspiration to the younger members of the sport.
Read more ...

 

Member Benefits



There are many 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.

 

Athletics gear discounts

To show their commitment to the sport, Sports Distributors are offering all Athletics New Zealand members 15% OFF selected athletics gear! Simply insert the promo code: ATHNZ15 when you are checking out. Get the good pricing here

 

High Performance Topics

Recent updates and announcements from our HP department:

NZ team for IAU World 24 hour champs named
NZ not sending team to 2017 World U18 Champs
2018 Commonwealth Games nomination criteria

2017 World Champs selection policy
2017 World University Champs selection policy
How to apply for a team as an athlete
Other HP news can be found HERE

 

Keeping the sport clean

Drug Free Sport NZ has introduced three state-of-the-art e-learning programmes to ensure that as many athletes, coaches and support personnel as possible get access to anti-doping education.
Check out the new  online module

 

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?

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

March 2017
3-5   NZ Masters T&F Champs      Nelson
17-19 NZ T&F Champs                  Hamilton

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

 

Olympic Champ vs Diamond League Champ: Battle of the Titans

Olympic bronze medallist and IAAF Diamond League champion Tom Walsh is relishing the prospect of featuring in a pair of world-class shot put competitions in New Zealand later this month. Here the seven times NZ shot put champion chats to Steve Landells about what to expect from the top-quality events.
Read more ...

 

Five minutes with Eric Speakman

Rising New Zealand middle-distance talent Eric Speakman last year ran 3:37 for the 1500m and also became the 39th Kiwi to run a sub-four-minute mile. Here the Hawkes Bay-based athlete offers a glimpse into his world by answering our Five Minutes with…  questions.
Read more ...

 

International Athletics Series 

Not long now until the three fantastic meetings that will make up the International Athletics Series. The excitement kicks off on Sunday 19 February in Christchurch with the Big Shot and Fast K, moves to central Auckland for the Vertical Pursuit and finishes on 26 February on the North Shore of Auckland with the Auckland Track Challenge. The series will 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.
Olympic shot put champion to take on Kiwi stars
McCartney headlines top vaulting action up close

Get Auckland Track Challenge tickets now

 

Auckland Track Challenge 


The final act of the 2017 International Athletics Series will be the  Auckland Track Challenge. on Sunday 26 February at AUT Millennium Stadium on Auckland's North Shore. 
Two of New Zealand's Rio Olympic medallists, Eliza McCartney and Tom Walsh will be in action along with Paralympics star Liam Malone.
The men's shot put will see the Olympic Champ, Ryan Crouser take on the Diamond League and World Indoor Champ Tom Walsh with three other world class shot putters.
Eliza McCartney will be up against two of North America's best in the women's pole vault and there will be some quality supporting events. A rare opporunity to see these athletes compete in New Zealand in 2017!

 

Classic Meets 

Four of the five Classic meetings for 2017 are now behind us with some excellent competition and top performances, The final meeting in the series, the Porritt Classic in Hamilton this Saturday is the biggest of the series and is bound to see some excellent performances and exciting contests. Get down to the Porritt Classic and check out some high quality athletics. Head to  Porritt Classic for more information.

 

Technology to improve your experience

We’re using a new App called Track Meet Mobile at the Porritt Classic on Saturday to make it easier for you to follow the action at major athletics meetings. To find out more about Track Meet Mobile for your Apple or Android portable device, head to our Live Results page. You'll find the start lists for Porritt Classic on Track Meet Mobile now.

 

Upcoming NZ Championship Events

Entries are open for the NZ Combined Event Championships in Dunedin on 18 - 19 February (closing 13 Feb), for the NZ Track & Field Champs (Hamilton 17-19 March) and for the NZ Mountain Running Champs  on 25 March in Queenstown.

 

Coaching Corner

Two fantastic opportunities for hurdlers  and javelin throwers are in Hamilton this weekend around the Porritt Classic. Find out more and register your interest.
Porritt Classic Hurdles Festival (11-12 Feb)
Porritt Classic Javelin Camp (10-12 Feb)


Coaches at a forum
in Wellington with the Capital Classic meeting looking at Critical success factors in middle distance coaching.

 

Official Topics 

At a recent meeting of the National Officials Committee (NOC), Heather O’Hagan stepped down as chair. She will also step off the Committee mid-year. Heather has been chair since 2013 and has done an amazing amount of work on the committee. Under Heathers leadeship, all examinations have been rewritten and training material updated along with other changes. Heather is one of New Zealand’s five International Technical Officials appointed by Oceania Athletics Association. Ruth Liong has taken over as chair. We thank Heather for her work and wish Ruth well for her term.

 

Rankings 

We now have over 73,000 ranked performances by almost 3,700 athletics in the Athletics NZ Rankings database. There have been over 1300 performances added so far in 2017, so the rankings for this year are starting to fill out. Don’t forget to check out the new head to head comparisons too.
Head to www.anzrankings.co.nz  to see who the leaders are in each event.

 

Weekly Roundup

Another of the benefits offered by Athletics NZ is our Weekly Roundup from around New Zealand and NZ athletes overseas. It’s compiled by Murray McKinnon who spends hour each week tracking down Kiwi performances around the world. 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.

 

 

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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