www.wpa.org.za
March 2014 Newsletter Editorial
January and February literally raced past us as WP athletes participated in events for top honors. Our commissions are active and participating at all events in the forthcoming action-packed March calendar. Preparations for the provincial and national championships are well in their final stages. The National 10 km Championships took place in Bloemfontein over the weekend of 22nd February with our athletes performing admirably with our master athletes bringing back medals.
The WPA Junior and Senior Track & Field championships takes place from the 6 - 8th March and after an extremely good 2013 season we trust the athletes will follow the trend and achieve their best times, heights and distances which will place them in good stead for the many competitions to follow. The honor as a provincial or national champion should be the goal of every athlete participating. My best wishes to all administrators, coaches and athletes participating in these competitions.
Our road running events are showing increased participatory levels at the moment as many runners are now preparing for the two prestigious events on the WPA calendar. These 2 events will collectively host more than 50 000 participants in April. The Old Mutual Two Oceans Ultra marathon and its ancillary events top the table with more than 30 000 participants. Followed closely will be the SPAR 10 & 5 km event with more than 20 000 female participants.
The ever popular Kids Athletics Development Programme got under way in February. Clubs participating in this program benefit massively by influencing the lives of youngsters. A Teen Athletics and talent identification programmes will be launched soon. These development programmes are hugely successful with promising athletes being selected last season to represent WPA at the national Cross Country championships.
The Cross Country season is almost upon us and the Commission is busy with the preparations with some exciting new venues and courses being launched.
After months of uncertainty within ASA the IAAF finally intervened and successfully negotiated a settlement to the conflict. The ASA Board and the Interim Board were both dissolved and an adhoc committee put in place to prepare for fresh elections to take place at the end of May 2014. The IAAF delegate Mr. Cheikh Thiare reminded all that all administrators must never loose sight of the following and I quote “The athletes must never suffer” and “The main goal is to reunite the SA athletics family and bring back peace and order in the house” As part of the agreement reached all court cases and related disputes were to be dropped immediately – "Athletics does not belong in the courts of a country" These powerful words and phrases were used by the IAAF and agreed as preconditions for a lasting solution. Let every administrator, coach, assistant and official remember the golden rule - without any athletes there will be NO ATHLETICS.
Running Regards Jakes Jacobs Commission News
CROSS COUNTRY
Cliffie Jacobs resigned from the Cross Country Commission due to work commitments in Northern Gauteng. We wish him everything of the best with his new appointment in the Defence Force.
A meeting with clubs hosting Cross Country events was held on 11 February 2014. MP Titans indicated that they are not hosting the 7th league on 26 July 2014, due to lack of manpower. The event will remain at Rocklands. Any club who wants to do the 7th league, please get in touch with the chairperson, Russell Mehl on 084 5455 851 or Ben Oliver 082 2927 215.
Rowhaldo Ratz was selected to represent South Africa at the 2014 Southern Region Cross Country Championships in Potchefstroom on Saturday, 15 February 2014. Unfortunately this meeting did not take place.
The season will start with the Relay organized by Pinelands Athletic club at Pinehurst Primary School on 12 April 2014. Flyers will be ready for distribution on 12 March 2014. Last year we had 137 teams competing so for 2014 we are catering for 150 teams. Come along and make it a family day. Club News
TOPFORM ATHLETIC CLUB
TOPFORM 10KM EVENT AND WPA 10KM CHAMPIONSHIPS
“The idea that the harder you work, the better you're going to be is just garbage. The greatest improvement is made by the man or woman who works most intelligently.” ― Bill Bowerman
The TOPFORM AC based in the Athlone area, is a vibrant and enthusiastic club that advances the sport of athletics through additional sporting and social events. In 2013 the club celebrated its 20th anniversary and currently is experiencing a “golden age” in terms of membership, social activities and solid leadership.
The members of the TOPFORM family wear the turquoise and white with pride and are clearly visible at most of the WPA races as well as bigger events such as the Comrades Marathon.
Besides participating in events, TOPFORM has excelled in organizing various other events such as the Bay to Bay and has assisted with SPAR Ladies and the Jive Big Walk and also presents a popular Cross Country event in Elfindale.
The technical organizing team is extremely efficient and focuses on presenting high quality events and has set its sights on being the first club in WPA to score 100% on the race referees score card. It is the following words from our dearly departed president Mr Nelson Mandela who said, “There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living”.
The referee’s criteria for assessing an event include the following:
Score Description 10 Exceptional. Best ever. 9 Superb. Outstanding effort 8 Excellent. Special effort shown 7 Great. Everything done to a high standard 6 Good effort made in many areas 5 Reasonable. All important elements in place 4 Poor. Basic requirements there but poor implementation 3 Unsatisfactory. Several basic requirements missing. 2 Hopeless. 1 Why bother? 0 Non-existent
According to the above criteria the club scored 78, 5%- which rates the race as good, so it’s back to the drawing board.
We will strive relentlessly to achieve this goal and will not settle for less.
It is against this backdrop that the clubs annual event took place on Saturday 08 February at Turfhall Park Softball Stadium with the main event starting at 06:30, attracting just over 1500 participants. The 10km League Walk had 100 finishers and the Fun Run had 200 participants.
The TOPFORM AC would like to thank the following sponsors for their support: • City of Cape Town • Bellandia • Easipack • Vito • Melomed 24
Race entries were taken on Friday 07/02/2014 with 500 entries being taken. A special commemorative mug for the 2014 WPA 10km Race Championships was designed and handed to all finishers of the 10km event. In addition to the category prize money, an added bonus was paid by WPA to all category winners (R1000 for 1st, R750 for 2nd and R500 for 3rd place) The medal table for the race is indicated below
OPEN NAME TIME CLUB OPEN NAME TIME CLUB NBank 1 Nkosinathi Maoyo 30:28 56 Pamela Moyikwa 37:25 VOB WP Nkosinathi 2 30:57 Itheko 58 Danette Smith 37:43 N Bal Sotyantya NBank 3 Mthandazo Quina 31:01 59 Busisiwe Gwala 37:47 VOB WP (40 - 49) (40 - 49) 9 Graham Katzen 21:26 Itheko 86 Sandra van Graan 40:38 E/Mead NBank 26 Tholang Moloi 33:28 SANDF 117 Chantal Simpson 42:47 WP 27 Roger Dickson 33:36 VOB 121 Patricia Adams 43:02 Itheko (50 - 59) (50 - 59) 35 Chris Mitchell 36:01 Celtic 93 Viv Williams 41:17 ATC 54 Ludwig Lillie 37:18 Durbac 131 Olga Howard 44:08 Celtic H Goodman 73 39:28 Gugs 141 Bev Charters 44:31 VOB Mpukane (60-69) (60-69) 70 Barry Bester 39:17 N Bal 232 Helen Du Plessis 48:16 Tygerb 74 Awie Veldsman 39:29 HH 280 Nancy Will 49:47 P/Lands Ommiedr 82 Mohammad Kriel 40:28 291 Pixie Sparg 50:14 Celtic H aai (70+) (70+) 311 Chet Sainsbury 50:51 Celtic H 712 Marlene James 1:01:32 P/Lands
353 Carl Hendricks 52:03 Elsies R 789 Carol Gawiler 1:03:48 VOB Ommiedr 480 Yusuf Gamieldien 55:57 Itheko 1453 Mariam Khan 1:33:20 aai (Juniors) (Juniors) 18 Granwin Katzen 33:28 Itheko 56 Pamela Moyikwa 37:25 VOB
21 Lungile Mdaka 33:36 VOB 59 Busisiwe Gwala 37:47 VOB
29 Buhle Yolwana 35:25 VOB 59 Ashleigh Simons 39:47 Tygerb
Figure 1 Marshals at final briefing Figure 2 Lead runner behind lead bike
The weather conditions were cool with a thick mist at the start which cleared after twenty minutes into the race. Overall the race was well organized; however there was a lack of water at the first water table, but the matter was rectified as soon as possible. The traffic officers performed their duties well and assisted the marshals at the major intersections. Due to pre-race campaigning in the area many spectators came out to watch and supported the runners with hosepipes and even koeksusters were supplied at the halfway mark.
The overall feedback from runners and officials were good and the organising team will be debriefing soon in an attempt to address the shortcomings that were experienced. We would also like to thank all the clubs and individuals who participated during this year’s event and hope to see you back again.
Figure 3 Runners being marshalled into Jan Smuts Drive March Events
TRACK & FIELD
WP Juniors/Sub Youth and Schools 6 - 8 March Bellville Stadium
WP Senior & Masters Championships 14 - 15 March Bellville Stadium
WPA League 3 22 March Bellville Stadium
WPA Top 10 Interclub 27 March Bellville Stadium SPAR WOMENS CHALLENGE
The SPAR Women’s Challenge takes place on Sunday 6 April. This is a great team building opportunity for your club, come along and join in the fun and excitement of a truly unforgettable and enjoyable day.
Participants can choose from the following events: o10km o5km
Entry Fee: R75 • Medals to the first 21 000 finishers. • Goodie Bag and t-shirt to the first 21 000 to collect their race number.
Should your club wish to enter a group of 10 or more runners/walkers, please email [email protected] to receive a bulk entry form.
Bulk entries close on 17 March 2014.
Should you wish to do online entries please follow the link: https://online.entries.co.za/entries/enterme.aspx?eid=1966
OLD MUTUAL TWO OCEANS MARATHON
OLD MUTUAL TWO OCEANS MARATHON FUN RUNS
Runners and walkers of all ages are encouraged to participate in the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Fun Runs and get into the spirit of the great event.
Date: Friday 18 April 2014
Venue: University of Cape Town (UCT) rugby fields, Upper Campus, Rondebosch
o12:30 56m Nappy Dash for children 1 to 3 years (limited to first 300 entries received) o13:00 300m Toddlers’ Trot for children 4 to 6 years ( limited to first 350 entries received) o13:30 2.1km (limited to the first 1500 entries received) o14:00 5.6km (limited to the first 3000 entries received) o15:00 8km (limited to the first 1500 entries received)
For more information about the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon Fun Runs or to enter online please visit www.twooceansmarathon.org.za WPA Development WP KIDS ATHLETICS
WP Kids Athletics Programme has welcomed 2 new clubs (Afrika Tikkun AC which is based in Mfuleni and Velocity AC base in Atlantis) to join the programme for 2014. The new clubs have showed much positive attitude, so full of enthusiasm and they are getting full 100% support from our existing clubs.
Our first event was held on the 15 February at the Vygieskraal Central Hockey club and everything went well and I must say that the new clubs did very well for their first event. We were just concerned about the hot conditions on that day; we prepared a lot of ice cold refreshments sufficient for all the kids and team leaders. WPA, clubs, team leader and parents coma to support us and brought along their gazebos and umbrella and that helped with shade.
2014 Active clubs:
Velocity receiving their • ATC Running Club equipment and clothing • Afrika Tikkun • Century City A.C • Eaterns Kraaifontein A.C • Eersterivier A.C x2 • Lion of Africa Itheko S.A.C • Mitchell’s Plain Titans x2 • Nedbank A.C • Ravensmead A.C x2 • RCS Gugs Afrika Tikkun receiving • Stragglers x2 their equipment and • Velocity AC clothing
Upcoming events before we start with the Cross Country leagues:
March 2014 Saturday 01 Mar Kids Athletics Vygieskraal Central Hockey Saturday 15 Mar Kids Athletics Vygieskraal Central Hockey Saturday 29 Mar Kids Athletics Vygieskraal Central Hockey
We have such an amazing support from our sponsors and they contribute so much on this programme! We have such a smooth relationship and they are always there for WP Kids Athletics, which makes this so easy and give the coaches, juniors and organising committee enough time to focus on grooming, mentoring and improving our junior’s mental physical fitness level.
2014 is another year for the WP Kids Athletics programme succeeds! With so many positive clubs/ juniors and facilitators, nothing can stop us from reaching for STAR**** March Event Diary
DATE DAY EVENT DIST TIME VENUE CLUB CONTACT PERSON CONTACT NO EMAIL PRE-ENTRIES 1-Mar Sat Century City 10 km Express 10 07:00 Central Park, Century City Century City AC Alan Liebenberg 083 651 8165 [email protected] 1-Mar Sat Open meeting T/F 12:30 Parow Athletic Track, Parow North WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 2-Mar Sun BNP Paribas Cadiz Milkwood Run 21,1 06:30 Coca-Cola League TBC Harfield Harriers Richard Sutton 082 643 6186 [email protected] Sun BNP Paribas Cadiz Milkwood Run 10 07:00 Coca-Cola League Soetwater Recreation Area, Kommetjie Harfield Harriers Richard Sutton 082 643 6186 [email protected] Sun BNP Paribas Cadiz Milkwood Run 5 07:15 Soetwater Recreation Area, Kommetjie Harfield Harriers Richard Sutton 082 643 6186 [email protected] 2-Mar Sun Sunshine D Polar Ice 10km Big Walk Var 07:30 Greenpoint Track 5-Mar Wed Lighthouse 10km 10 18:30 Rocklands Beach , Sea Point Promenade Atlantic AC Tony Breslin 082 888 2307 [email protected] 6-Mar Thur WPA Junior Championships T/F 19:00 Bellville WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 7-Mar Fri WPA Junior Championships T/F 15:30 Bellville WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 8-Mar Sat WPA Junior Championships T/F 07:00 Bellville WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 8-Mar Sat Constantia Village K-WAY15km 15 06:15 Constantia Sports Ground Constantia Main Road Alphen K-WAY VOB Charlotte Kettlewell 021 761 8887 [email protected] Sat Constantia Village K-WAY Family Fun Run 5 06:45 Constantia Sports Ground Constantia Main Road Alphen K-WAY VOB Charlotte Kettlewell 021 761 8887 [email protected] 9-Mar Sun Argus Cycle Tour Var 06:00 Cape Town 13-Mar Thur WPA Senior & Masters (delete – 13 th) T/F WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 14-Mar Fri WPA Senior & Masters Championships T/F 18:00 Bellville WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 15-Mar Sat WPA Senior & Masters Championships T/F 07:00 Bellville WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 15-Mar Sat LANGEBAAN COUNTRY ESTATE Weskus Marathon 42,2 06:30 Langebaan Country Estate, Langebaan Langebaan Strandlopers Louis van der Walt 074 233 8865 [email protected] Sat LANGEBAAN COUNTRY ESTATE Weskus Half Marathon 21,1 07:00 Langebaan Country Estate, Langebaan Langebaan Strandlopers Louis van der Walt 074 233 8865 [email protected] Sat LANGEBAAN COUNTRY ESTATE Weskus Fun Run 5 07:30 Langebaan Country Estate, Langebaan Langebaan Strandlopers Louis van der Walt 074 233 8865 [email protected] 21-Mar Fri Tyger Run / Walk 21 km 21,1 06:30 Tyger Valley Shopping Centre Durbanville AC Top Events 021 511 7130 [email protected] Pre-Entries only Fri Tyger Run / Walk 10 km 10 06:45 Tyger Valley Shopping Centre Durbanville AC Top Events 021 511 7130 [email protected] Pre-Entries only Fri Tyger Run / Walk 5 km Fun Run 5 08:00 Tyger Valley Shopping Centre Durbanville AC Top Events 021 511 7130 [email protected] Pre-Entries only 22-Mar Sat WPA League 3 T/F 12:00 Bellville WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 27-Mar Thur WPA Top Ten Interclub T/F 18:00 Bellville WPA WPA Office 021 699 0615 [email protected] 30-Mar Sun Tygerberg 30 km 30 06:00 Parow Athletic Track, Parow North Tygerberg Northlink AC Leon Thelander 083 999 6450 [email protected]
Should you wish to share your club or event news please send the information to [email protected]
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