RUN FOR FUN

July/August 2012

A Word from the 2 31 former NSW President Editorial 3 Little Athletes to McDonalds 4 Encourages Little Athletes to go for take on the world! Gold! Over the course of the next two months, a total of 31 former NSW Little Athletes will The ROC 5 be taking on the world at the , Paralympic Games and World Junior Championship 6 Championships. News

The World Junior Championships take place in , Spain, from 10-15 July. Of the 56 Asics Australian 8 strong Australian Spark Team, 15 athletes or 26% of the team, began athletics with Little Little Athletics Athletics NSW. Championships Coaches Corner The former LANSW members competing in Barcelona are: Jenny Blundell (1500m); Sarah 9 Carli and Emily Coppins (4x400m relay); Melissa-Maree Farrington (heptathlon); Nicholas Development 10 Hough (110m hurdles and 4x100m relay); Michelle Jenneke and Abbie Taddeo (100m Diary hurdles); Ben Jowarski (100m, 200m and 4x100m relay); Sara Klein (400m hurdles); Rob Lister (800m); Ella Nelson (4x100m relay); Josie Nichol (triple jump); Taylah Sengul (discus); JETS 11 () and Jake Stein ( and discus).

International competition is not new for many of these young athletes, with all but 5 having previously represented at the World Junior Championships, World Youth Special Points of Interest... Championships, Youth Olympics or Commonwealth Youth Games. • A Team Members view of the Asics Australian Little Following the World Junior Championships, all eyes will turn to for the Olympic Athletics Championships. Games! Little Athletics NSW is proud of the fact that 13 athletes or 25% of the 52 member Australian Flame Team, also began their athletics careers with Little Athletics NSW. We are • McDonald’s will be giving likewise proud to see to one of our former members as the only Samoan away Olympic themed athlete! shoelaces.

The former LANSW members representing at the Olympics are: & Beki Lee • State Cross Country & (20km walk); (marathon); Emanuele Fuamatu () – Samoa; Ryan Road Walks round up. Gregson (1500m); & Dani Samuels (discus); , & (4x100m relay); (4x400m relay); (50km walk) and Ben St • Progression chart for Lawrence & (10,000m). athletes in the various zones/regions for the A further two former LANSW members are also heading to London for the Paralympic forthcoming season. Games beginning on 29 August. They are: Georgia Beikoff and Kristy Pond. Georgia will compete in the F37 javelin & and the T37 4x100m relay and Kristy in the T34 100m & 200m.

On behalf of everyone involved in Little Athletics across NSW, we offer our best wishes for success and hope that the dreams are realised for each and every athlete. We know that they will all live up to the Little Athletics slogan of “Be Your Best”. A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT... DERECK FINEBERG

As we head into July, we note there are a few We all hope that the exposure given to these upcoming events that will provide a lot of major events will attract many new athletes and interest. Firstly, we had our State Cross Country families to experience our sport in the upcoming & Road Walks at West Dapto. Congratulations to season. all who competed and thank you to the many LANSW officials and others who assisted on the While I hope all of our hard working volunteers day. have enjoyed a well earned break, I know that many will be starting to prepare for the start of Secondly, we have our annual conference which next season. Good luck with your planning. I hope is to be held in Milton Ulladulla. I hope as many next season is bigger, better and a whole lot drier centres as possible send delegates. It is a great than the previous one. opportunity to hear about and vote on many important matters pertaining to Little Athletics in NSW. I and my LANSW board colleagues look forward to meeting with all who attend and Cheers having productive discussion on a range of items. Dereck Fineberg (OAM) The World Junior Championships being held in PRESIDENT Barcelona, Spain in July will of course be followed by the London Olympics a little later. Both exciting events and it will be awesome to note the performances of the many former Little Athletes who are members of both Australian teams.

2 editorial

With the Little Athletics NSW AGM and Annual With planning well underway way for next Conference coming up shortly, is your centre going? season, how ready is your centre? How do you Do you know about the items for discussion? What communicate with your members? Take advantage do you think of the new constitution to be voted of the many electronic ways of contact. Centre on? Lots of questions I know, but it is important websites, emails, text messages, facebook and other that centres stay aware of what is happening and social media options are easy avenues to contact have made adequate plans for the upcoming our young members about the upcoming season. season. Leaving it to the last minute can impact on Relying solely on advertising flyers, newsletters your centres ability to be efficient and organised. and word of mouth is restricting the ways in which we can communicate to existing and potential LANSW decision making is driven by the votes of athletes, and can limit our growth and retention. our centres. Some centres take a keen interest Does your centre accept online registrations and in the AGM and Conference whilst others show promote this fact. Online registrations speed up little. Regardless of where your centre might be on the registration process and allow smoother, less that scale, the board makes its decisions based on stressful registration days. Need a hand? Don’t be the voice of our centres. By not taking an interest reluctant to ask for assistance. Please contact the in matters up for discussion can mean that your LANSW office, or look for the answer on the website. centre’s opinion might not be heard. Democracy is based on what the majority of centres wish. Make Michael Gray sure your centre has its say. If a representative from BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR your centre can’t attend the AGM and conference, then it is still not too late for your centre to send in a postal vote or give a proxy vote to another person attending. Make sure your centre is informed and has a say in the decision making of LANSW.

To find out more information about the conference check out the LANSW website or contact the office on 9633 4511.

3 McDonald’s Encourages Little Athletes to Go For Gold!

The Olympics are just around the corner and to help get kids into the spirit, McDonald’s will be giving away Olympic themed shoelaces on Saturday 14 July and Sunday 15 July, so they can proudly show their support for Australia’s Olympic heroes as they reach for success in London next month.

The shoelaces are labelled with a special message to remind young athletes to follow their dreams and will be available in all McDonald’s restaurants in NSW while stocks last.

As well as being a global sponsor of the 2012 London Olympic Games, McDonald’s supports various local sporting organisations across NSW, and has partnered with Little Athletics NSW for nine years to encourage children to lead active lifestyles.

McDonald’s Licensee Leon Brown says he is thrilled to be helping Little Athletes get into the Olympic spirit.

“We are delighted to be giving kids of all ages this small gift to remind them to go for gold and achieve their dreams,” Leon said.

“We’re calling on all families to come down to their local McDonald’s restaurant to get their free shoelaces and be watching our Aussie athletes when they showcase their talents at the 2012 London Olympic Games,” said Leon.

Shoelaces will be available in all McDonald’s restaurants in NSW and ACT from 14 July until stocks run out, so don’t forget to ask for your free shoelaces at your local McDonald’s restaurant!

4 The ROC (The Rules of Competition)

Did you know.....

COMPETITION RULES The competition rules used by LANSW are based on the rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and have been modified to be age appropriate for children and young people.

The modified rules are included in the LANSW Rules of Competition (ROC), (which also includes some guidelines for roles of officials).

STANDARD RULES Each of the state associations has made modifications to the IAAF rules over the years that have not always been consistent. Earlier this year the state associations agreed on a range of rules which will be standardised over all states. Note this doesn’t cover all rules and there are still a number of rule differences between states.

The LANSW ROC is being reviewed to incorporate any changes to comply with the Standard Rules. The revised ROC will include any changes to non standard rules passed at Conference and will be issued prior to the start of the 2012/13 season.

CLARIFICATIONS ON RULES OF COMPETITION If you have questions about the interpretation / application of a competition rule, it can be submitted through the “Contact Us” button on the LANSW website.

What is the ROC? The ROC is the LANSW Inc Rules of Competition. It contains the requirements for competition for LANSW Carnivals. Whilst the basic rules for athletic competition are contained in the IAAF Competition Rules we have modified those rules to suit children. These modified rules are contained in the ROC

Where can I find the ROC? All Centres should have a copy of the ROC. The ROC can also be found in the Competitions section of the LANSW website.

5 Championship News

State Cross Country & Road Walks The 2012 LANSW State Cross Country & Road Walks were held at Kembla Joggers Cross Country Park, West Dapto on Sunday, 1 July. The venue and course were fantastic. Thank to both Wollongong City Little Athletics and Kembla Joggers, for their assistance with the organisation prior to and on the day.

Of the 605 athletes who had entered for this event, 510 actually took part. Athletes from 84 Little Athletics centres took part in the day. There were 450 athletes in the run and 101 ath- letes in the walk events.

Winners in the Cross Country events were: - BOYS GIRLS U7 Myles Ford Emu Plains Alannah Martin Doonside U8 Theo Christian Illawong Montana Monk Macquarie Hunter U9 James Constable Ku-Ring-Gai Sidney Burrell Hills District U10 James Smith Hills District Abbey Rockliff Ku-Ring-Gai U11 Benjamin Bishop Cherrybrook Shenay Edwards Albion Park U12 Elliot Metcalf Manly Warringah Rose Davies Adamstown/New Lambton U13 Jack Brown Cherrybrook Matilda Offord Camden U14 Liam Henderson Wollongong City Rosie May Davidson Kiama U15 Carl Williams Medowie Jessica Hull Albion Park U17 Joshua Kentwell Wollongong City Bethany Halmy Northern Districts

Winners in the Road Walk events were: - BOYS GIRLS U9 Bayden Little Cherrybrook Haley Mills Parramatta U10 Benjamin Johnson Port Hacking Niamh Sanday Kings Langley U11 Harrison Mavin Ku-Ring-Gai Eliza DeLaine Northern Suburbs U12 Kyle Bedford Nepean Leah McDonald Parramatta U13 Aiden Kerr Ku-Ring-Gai Jasmyn McDonald Parramatta U14 Tyler Jones Wyong Madyson Romer Emu Plains U15 Tom Doyle Randwick/Botany Jasmine Dighton Glenbrook U17 Jay Felton Gosford Hannah Denney South Eastern

6 Championship News

Progression from Zone to Region to State – 2012/2013 season The following table shows the progression for athletes in the various zones/regions for the forthcoming season:- What number of Relays progress from Region to State What number of Relays progress tofrom Zone Region 8 8 First 2 Places 8 First 2 Places First Place 8 First Place First 2 Places 8 First Place First 2 Places 8 First Place First 3 Places 8 First 2 Places First Place 8 First Place First 2 Places First Place First 3 Places First Place What is maximum number of Best Next that Qualifiers to will progress State from across all results.Region

First 2 Places First 2 Places First 2 Places First 2 Places First 2 Places First 2 Places First 2 Places First 2 Places places not filled by places automatic progression be filled will not by additional next best performances What places automatically progress to State from Region. Please note that any 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 What is What maximum number of Best Next that Qualifiers to will progress Region from all across Zone in the results Region

First 4 Places First 3 Places First 4 Places First 3 Places First 6 Places First 4 Places First 3 Places First 6 Places places not filled by places automatic progression be filled will not by additional next best performances What places automatically progress to Region from Zone. note Please that any Region? Rivers and Mid North Coast Macquarie, Hunter, and Port Hunter Tablelands and Western Ranges Riverina, Mid South Coast Highlandsand South Coast North East Metropolitan West Metropolitan and West North Metropolitan West Metropolitan South and Mid West Metropolitan Metropolitan

Region What Zones are in this 1 2 New England, Northern 3 Central Coast, Lake 4 Western Plains, Central 5 Eastern Riverina, Western 6 Northern Metropolitan and 7 Outer Metropolitan, West 8 West Metropolitan, Central City and Southern Inner 7 ASICS Australian Little Athletics Championships

A Team Member’s View By Samantha Peace 2012 NSW State Team Under 13 Girls Captain

This year I had the honour of being selected in the Little Athletics NSW State Team. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

The two camps held at the Academy of Sport were fantastic. We showed up as 26 individuals on the first camp, and by the time we put our uniform on for the first time we felt like a team. The friendships and memories made on and off the field will last a lifetime. The NSW team atmosphere is unbelievable; everyone just got along like we have been best friends for years, even after a few short days together on camp.

The team managers were so helpful across the whole experience, not only on training days but with everything. The team’s achievements were impressive on the day, and the support given from the rest of the team on the sidelines was truly amazing. I learnt so many things while being part of the team and made great friends.

The experience of being part of that team has changed my life. I am so thankful that I was picked in such an amazing team and I wish the best of luck to the future teams and hope they have as much fun as I did.

8 Coaches Corner

Each week we will be giving you some fun and simple training ideas.

Partner Unbalance JUMP START: Great ideas for group games Below is a fun game called Partner Unbalance. The aim is to unbalance your partner and make both of their feet touch the ground. This is a great activity which helps develop core strength, balance, stability, coordination, ankle strengthPartner and strategy. Unbalance Warm up, strength, balance.

Nil.

In pairs, players face each other, balancing on one leg, the palm of their hand placed against their partner's palm. LAANSW ASAP Level 3

On command, players attempt to unbalance each other by using gentle pushing movements. Players may hop side to side or forwards and backwards while doing this.

Extension Activities: • Set time limit e.g. “you have 30/25/20 seconds to unbalance your partner” • One foot, one / two hands • Changing hand combinations: 1st person = Left hand & left foot, partner = right hand & left foot • Work within a specific area, e.g. inside a marked circle • Holding a half static squat

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• Emphasise safety and playing sensibly.

33 DEVELOPMENT DIARY

On the Road Again It is now winter and we are half way through our off season. Many athletes are now playing their winter sports, school athletics is in full swing and the last thing on their mind is their weekly Little Athletics competition. Whilst it is the off season for our members, it is the busy period for the Development Team…the next few months will be HUGE!

The July school holidays kicks off the busy period with seven coaching clinics scheduled. There were two clinics over the Blue Mountains (Lithgow and Wellington), two clinics north of the Hawkesbury River (Glendale and Tumbi Umbi) as part of the Festival of Sport and three metropolitan coaching clinics (Campbelltown, Winston Hills and GWS at Doonside). This ensured that there were opportunities for kids to “give it a go”.

Following the coaching clinics, we will be taking a leisurely drive to Ulladulla for a busy weekend for Little Athletics NSW. A special all day coaching clinic will be conducted at a local school. This will give approximately 300 local children a taste of what Little Athletics has to offer. The coaching sessions conducted will be fast-moving and very active. There will be lots of running, lots of skills and lots of smiles. A “Speed for Sport” clinic will also be held once school is finished at the Milton Ulladulla LAC grounds.

The emphasis is for all children to “give it a go”, get involved, have fun and try their best. We like to relay the message that in Little Athletics you don’t have to be the best, you just have to do your best. This is a great opportunity for the local kids, especially with the 2012 London Olympics about to begin.

The main reason for going to Ulladulla is for the Little Athletics NSW Annual Conference and AGM. Many centre representatives will be coming together for a weekend of learning, discussions, decision making, the presentation of centre awards and, most importantly, a Saturday night dinner dance. The Development team will be presenting two workshops: ‘Getting Started in Little Athletics” and “Jumping into Throws” to assist with parent education and skill development.

But that’s not all…following the Conference weekend, Alvin will repack his bags and travel to Junee and Temora as part of the 2012 School Visit Program. This will be the official start of the program. This year there are 72 centres involved with the bulk of the requests coming from regional centres. The team will travel as far north as Ballina, Moulamein to the south west and Tumut to the south and all the way along the central coast in Newcastle and the Hunter region. The aim is to promote the sport and reignite the Little Athletics flame prior to the season…pardon the Olympics pun.

10 JETS PROGRAM UPDATE

JETS Coaching Clinics Review – Bankstown & “Loved all the coaches’ dedication and enthusiasm.” Illawong (Parent) A combined total of 79 athletes took part in the final “It was sensational.” (Parent) two JETS coaching clinics of the 2011-2012 season, “The clinic was run very well.” (Parent) hosted by the Bankstown Sports and Illawong Little Athletics Centres. Apart from JETS members, the “Learnt some great coaching tips and warm up Bankstown clinic included a number of athletes in routines”. (Parent) the Under 12-17 age groups who had competed at “Really enjoyed the day. The coaches were really the 2012 LANSW State Track & Field Championships; nice and I came away with some great tips.” (Parent) the Illawong clinic included a number of Under 11 “Very impressed.” (Parent) athletes present by special invitation due to their “Excellent afternoon – thank you.” (Parent) participation in the State Championships. Thank you to everyone who was involved in each During the clinics, the athletes took part in two 75 of the clinics. A very special thank you to the minute sessions conducted by the JETS coaches Bankstown Sports Little Athletics Centre and the in attendance. An “Ask the Coaches” workshop for Illawong Little Athletics Centre for their help in the athletes and parents was conducted during the making the clinics such a success. break. 2012 JETS Performance Coaching Camp Both clinics received some fantastic feedback from Registrations for the JETS Performance Camp the athletes and parents in attendance. It included: on 13-15 July at the Sydney Academy of Sport & Recreation continue to rise and at the time of “All coaches were friendly and helpful.” (Athlete) writing sit in the mid-thirties. Look out for a review “It was really great, I learnt a lot about how to of the camp in the next issue of the Run for Fun improve.” (Athlete) E-News! “There were good coaches and I learnt a lot.” (Athlete) 2012-2013 JETS Program “The coaching was fun and educational.” (Athlete) Applications for the 2012-2013 JETS program will be available during the July/August period. “They have excellent coaches and one-on-one Applications will be advertised on the Little feedback.” (Athlete) Athletics NSW website and Facebook page, and “They explained things very well when you didn’t also via email to the parents of all members in the know what to do.” (Athlete) applicable age groups. “Coaches very approachable and informative.” (Parent)

11 Find A Word London J D A K E S L U A P T S B T W O R H T A E H T A O Y L H Big Ben B U H Y D E P A R K W L A A Black Cab Bond (St) O B A L R I M L L I E R C M Bridge Buckingham N L T R A F A L G A R P K E Double Decker Downing St D E A N U M H A E O V A C S Guard Harrods E D L I G Z G B D E T R A H Heathrow Hyde Park W E S T M I N S T E R L B E Oxford (St) Palace O C D O W N I N G S T I S N Parliment Queen C K A R B E K N E A G M E O St Pauls Thames Throne M E P A L A C E Y B H E A R Trafalgar (Square) B R I D G E U R E R U N I H Tower (of London) Tube O X F O R D B N S Q M T B T

to U9 Little Athlete SKYE BROWNLOW from NORTH ROCKS CARLINGFORD LAC who won last Congratulations edition’s Find-a-Word!! To win a $50 gift voucher from Name: Centre: Age Group: send completed puzzle, along with your name & address to LANSW Locked Address: Bag 85, PARRAMATTA NSW 2124 by 27 August 2012. Postcode: &

ContactLocked Bag us... 85, PARRAMATTA NSW 2124 (90-92 Harris Street, HARRIS PARK 2150) Tel: (02) 9633 4511 or 1800 451 295 Fax: (02) 9633 2821 Email: [email protected] Website: littleathletics.com.au 12