ACT’s top pointscorer
Many of the trophy winners for North Canberra are being kept under wraps until the presentation night, but there is one that will come as no surprise. Jeffrey Boreham is the top pointscorer, not just for NC, but across all athletes in the ACT. And Jeff’s large tally has helped his Under 16 team mates - James Schofield, Jeremy Reading, Michael Daly, Henry Hutchison and Michael Montgomery - to take out the trophy for the top pointscoring club in their agegroup.
Under 14 North Canberra athletes also won the ACT agegroup trophy. Congratulations to Brandan Galic, Brendon Reading, Harrison Schofield, Thomas Hathaway, Keegan Ontong and Patrick Cape.
The committee is keen to see a table of North Canberra juniors at the ACT presentation night, ready to receive their trophies.
Grant submissions
In the last two months, the NC committee has worked hard on the submission of two documents – one seeking a grant from the Active Australia Provider Grants Program for a development project targeting northside high schools and colleges.
The second document was an entry in Athletics Australia’s Club Awards 2000. Our entry was in the information category – we hope that the creation of the NC web site and the recent redesign of the newsletter will catch the judges eyes.
As this edition of the newsletter went to press, no word has been received on the success of either of the two submissions, but you can be assured that if either is successful an announcement will be promptly put up on the NC web site.
Important dates
Thursday 13 April - Ainslie Football Club, 7.30pm
Friday 14 April - venue tba
Tuesday 18 April - Sports House, Hackett, 7.30pm
Let’s have a good turn-out by North Canberra members at these events, particularly the two presentation nights. It is unfortunate that the two functions are on consecutive nights, but this was unavoidable due to a very late Easter break and the desirability of holding these award nights as close to the end of the season as possible.
Ainslie Football and Social Club put on a very tasty light supper for those who attended last year, the first time our presentation night was held there. No doubt it will be just as good this year.
As mentioned before, it would be great to see a table of our under 14 and under 16 boys at the ACT presentation night so that those who won the trophies for the club can collect them personally.
Club correspondence
The club’s secretary maintains a log of correspondence and other material sent to NC. Wherever possible we draw member’s attention to items of interest in the newsletter, and at the end of the summer season we trialed the use of a noticeboard in the NC section of the grandstand (i.e. the end nearest the start of the 100m). We plan to continue this initiative next year.
The club regularly receives the Athletics Australia publication Clubs on Track, which can also be viewed at the newly re-designed AA web site:
http://www.athletics.org.au
Welcome
A warm welcome to new members of North Canberra. We hope your athletics is proving rewarding. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact one of the committee.
Keegan Ontong U14
Matthew Bell U18
Goodbye
Ian Mackenzie
I would like to say goodbye -- at least for two years -- to my many North Canberra friends. I have recently accepted an offer to return to Papua New Guinea, to work on an Australian-funded aid project which aims to improve maternal and child health.
I have received great enjoyment from my involvement with Athletics -- both summer and winter seasons -- in the ACT over the past 12 years. I have appreciated the companionship of the many athletes and officials, both North Canberra members and others.
When I was previously in Port Moresby there were active road-running and track & field competitions and, if circumstances permit, I hope to become involved in these again. If I do, I will try to send a paragraph or two for publication in North News about the athletics scene in PNG.
I am sorry to desert the hard working Club Committee, and I urge all members to consider what they might be able to do to help spread the load of running the Club.
I thank you all for your friendship over the past decade or so, and look forward to renewing acquaintances when I return to the ACT.
2000-01 fees
The fees payable to the ACT Athletics Association for the coming 2000-01 season have now been set, enabling NC to draw up a suggested schedule of fees for the club. The proposed fees will be put to the AGM on 13 April for approval. The bulk of registration fees are passed on to the ACTAA, with NC retaining only a small proportion — $10 from junior athletes (U14-U18), $15 from senior athletes (U20, Open, Vets), and $20 from family memberships.
Where fee increases have occurred for the coming season, it has been entirely due to increased ACTAA dues resulting, for the most part, from the introduction of the GST.
Junior Senior Family
Full year $55 $75 $140
Winter $30 $45 $85
Summer $45 $55 $105
Officials $10
Don’t forget - for those taking out full year or winter registration, the season commences on 1 April.
Close competition for awards
Many of the award winners who will receive their awards at our presentation night on 14th April select themselves. It will come as no surprise when Jeff Boreham is announced as the top pointscorer for the club! But a number of other awards posed real problems for the selectors.
I’ve listed below some of the contenders in the closely fought categories - the lists are alphabetic, so you can’t read anything into the order! You’ll have to come to the presentation night to see who the winners are.
Most outstanding, open men - Paul Crake (mountain runner and stair climber extraordinaire), Shaun Creighton (striving for Olympic selection in the marathon), Rohan Walker (the club’s best all-round athlete, and 7th in his first open Australian decathlon championship)
Most improved - Patrick Mossop (200m and 400m, and keen relay runner), Richard Nicholson (in his second year of wheelchair athletics)
Most outstanding, U18 men - there is certainly strong competition for this award as Nicholas Barton (horizontal jumps), Scott Crowe (jumps and throws), John Jakeman (sprints), and Connell O’Neill (hammer) have all registered excellent performances throughout the season.
Two of the junior women’s agegroups also have a number of athletes vying for the most outstanding award.
In the Under 16 agegroup: Sian Macdonald (high jump), Holly Smith (distance) and Kate Shea (sprints) were the stand-outs.
In the Under 18 agegroup: Erin Cooper (sprints and horizontal jumps), Katrina Reading (track and high jump), and Marnie Ponton (400m hurdles and distance) have all had a great season.
Another year, another record
In February, Paul Crake won the Empire State Building Run Up in New York for the second year in a row. And once again it was a record. Paul slashed 18 seconds off the time he recorded in last year’s win.
However, last weekend Paul had one of his own records taken away. He finished second to Tamworth’s Daniel Green in the Australian Mountain Running Championships on Mt Coree. Daniel slashed a minute off Paul’s record for the 7kms ascent of the mountain. David Osmond, also of North Canberra, was the fourth Australian runner home.
Carol Harding was fourth in the open women’s championship in a personal best time, and in the junior women’s race North Canberra registered the quinella - Marnie Ponton was first, with Katira Davis second.
ACT Champs results
North Canberra athletes produced a number of great results at the ACT Championships which brought to a close the 1999-2000 season for most competitors.
Winners at the championships were: Kate Shea, U16 100m and 200m Katira Davis, U16 high jump Marnie Ponton, U18 400m hurdles Brandan Galic, U14 100m and 200m Jeff Boreham, U16 100m hurdles, long jump, shot put, discus Connell O’Neill, U18 hammer Second placegetters: Erin Cooper, U18 100m Michael Daly, U16 800m and 1500m Henry Hutchison, U16 long jump Jeremy Reading, U16 high jump Jeff Boreham, U16 javelin Scott Crowe, U18 high jump, long jump Damien Burroughs, Open discus Third placegetters: Brooke Brosnahan, U14 1500m walk Katrina Reading, U18 high jump Erin Cooper, U18 triple jump Marnie Ponton, U18 1500m Fiona Daly, U18 javelin Henry Hutchison, U16 800m Ben Davis, U18 high jump Scott Crowe, U18 shot put Erwin McRae, Open 1500m Damien Burroughs, Open shot put The ACT Championships also saw a swag of personal bests as athletes enjoyed the good competition and weather. Seasonal PBs for interclub competition (restricted to electronic times in the track events) were recorded by: Clinton Bebb - 200m 22.67 Jeff Boreham - 100mh 14.73, long jump 5.86m Brooke Brosnahan - 1500mw 9:13.68 Erin Cooper - triple jump 10.15m Scott Crowe - 400m 54.11, long jump 6.24m Michael Daly - 800m 4:31.92, 1500m 4:31.92 Hillory Davis - 800m 2:42.00 Katira Davis - 800m 2:48.82 Brandan Galic - 200m 25.04 Amy Hathaway - triple jump 8.30m Henry Hutchison - 800m 2:11.97 Erwin McRae - 1500m 3:48.16 Scott McTaggart - 1500m 3:57.26 Marnie Ponton - 400mh 1:10.88, 1500m 4:59.48 Katrina Reading - 400m 1:02.77 Kate Shea - 100m 13.36, 200m 27.36 Well done to all athletes who competed on the day.Schools cross-country season starts
With a late Easter this year, there will be a later than normal start to the Northside schools cross-country season, run so ably each year by John and Carol Harding. Races will commence on the first Saturday after Easter - April 29. Races start at McDermott Place, Lake Ginninderra, from 9am. Once again this year we will endeavour to have the results posted to the NC we bsite as soon as they become available.
Good luck
The season may have ended for most of us, but our junior athletes are still heavily involved in school athletics carnivals - these competitions have been brought forward as a result of changes to the school sports calendar due to the Olympic/Paralympic Games in September/October.
We wish all athletes the best of luck and hope your performances continue to improve. To those who are then finally finishing off their season at the Pacific School Games in Sydney in May - all the best for this competition. The PSG is a great experience, with athletes from many other countries competing. The opening ceremony in the Olympic stadium will be a treat in itself. Compete well and enjoy the experience!
