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Club News |
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Phone: 9890 3631 http://www.boxhillathleticclub.org |
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY |
CONTENTS
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Sat 20 July ’02
Road Relay Champs - Flemington |
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The Box Hill Athletic Club 70 Year Anniversary Dinner on 27 July 2002 is fast approaching. Numbers must be finalised by Friday 19 July 2002, so please return the attached reply slip to the Club by this date - DOWNLOAD REPLY SLIP. There has been a great response to the dinner from Club members from the 1950's right through to today. There are past members travelling from all around Australia to attend the dinner. It promises to be a wonderful opportunity to meet with people from all eras that have been involved with the Club.
Details are:
Date:
27 July 2002
Time: 7:00 pm for 7:30 pm
Venue: Eastern Golf Club, Doncaster Road,
Doncaster
Dress:
Neat casual
RSVP: Friday 19 July 2002
Cost: $50, includes nibbles, 3 course meal, tea
& coffee
The organising committee have prepared video and photo presentations of some of he highlights of the Club's history which will be displayed during the evening. A men's and women's Team of the Century has also been selected and will be announced on the night. Stewart Livingston is also coordinating a collection of photos and other memorabilia which will be on display. If you have any items of general interest which you would like displayed, please contact Stewart on 9836 2383. Make sure that you return your reply slip NOW so that you do not miss out on this special event.
Plans for the completion of the upstairs section of the Club room redevelopment have been slowed considerably by a number of developments over the last two months. The City of Whitehorse has indicated that they will not be providing any additional funds to assist with completion of the Club room upgrade due to a cut-back in the Council’s capital works budget. In addition, the tender prices received 15 months ago for the second stage works have increased by about 20% over this period which means that we can not afford to engage any of the original tenderers to perform the works under the management of the Council.
As a result, the Committee has decided to proceed with the development in a number of smaller steps, completing the work in stages as funds are raised. The initial goal is to have the steel frame, roof sheeting and insulation installed prior to the start of the track season so that there will be shade and shelter provided over the grandstand. We are also hopeful of having the external wall cladding and windows installed in this time period, however this will depend on availability of funds.
Progress towards installation of the roof is well advanced with nearly all of the materials now delivered to site and negotiations under way to appoint a builder to erect the steelwork and roof sheeting. The timing of this work is uncertain as work cannot start until a builder is appointed and a building permit has been obtained from the Council.
With a lot more responsibility now resting on the committee to manage the works and raise funds, the full support from all club members is required to support our upcoming fundraising events. The committee would also be happy to follow up any contacts which club members may have to enable building materials to be obtained at discount prices or to assist with the building works.
The
2003 Box Hill Athletic Club 10 Mile Championship for the Frank Tutchener Shield
will be held on Sunday 18 August 2002, commencing at 9:00 am sharp. The race
will be held along the bike paths along the Eastern Freeway along the same
course used for the last two years. Runners will leave the club rooms at 8:30 am
to jog or drive to the start. For more information, please contact Graeme Olden
(ph 9885 0890 or email golden@sprint.com.au).
To help raise funds for the Club room upgrade, the Club is once again holding a Trivia Night this year. The fundraising committee has already collected a number of great prizes to be won and auctioned on the night including Collingwood and Richmond football jumpers. The details for the night are:
Date:
Saturday 7 September 2002
Time: 7:00pm for 7:30 pm start
Venue: to be advised
Cost: $10 per head.
Start organising your table of 10 now. The challenge has been set by Mark Stewart and friends at last year's event. We also need lots more prizes and items for auction on the night so please make use of all your contacts and ask your local businesses for donations so that we can match or better last year's event. Please contact Bert Tilley (ph 9807 2487) if you have anything suitable for donation.
REGISTRATIONS ARE NOW DUE
Your registration with Athletics Victoria and also membership of the Box Hill Athletic Club fell due on 15 April2002. To be eligible to compete in winter races and continue to use the Club facilities for training, you will need to organise to get yourself re-registered for the 2002-2003 season. Despite increased registration costs with Athletics Victoria, increased costs associated with the new pavilion and the large financial commitment required from the Club to fund the Stage II Pavilion Upgrade works, the committee has only increased the membership fees by $5. All members are urged to re-register as soon as possible to help maximise the funds available to the Club to meet these upcoming works. Registration forms can be obtained from the club rooms or downloaded from the Club web page and should be returned to The Registrar, PO Box 247, Box Hill VIC 3128.
The Box Hill athletes who have been selected to represent Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester (Bridgid Isworth, Andrew Letherby and Tim Williams) have been competing in meets in Europe in the lead up to the games.
Expectations are high with Brigid the 5th ranked female pole vaulter in the Commonwealth and Tim assured of a relay spot due to the untimely injury to Matt Shirvington.
Box Hill Athletic Club operates the Barlow Foundation as a registered project with the Australian Sports Foundation for the purpose of supporting elite athletes and coaches in state league interclub competition. The project makes grants to athletes and coaches from tax-deductible donations made to the foundation. These grants have played a significant part in the success of the State League teams over the past few seasons and the Club is committed to continuing to provide these opportunities for our State League athletes.
The distribution of Barlow Foundation grants made at the recent presentation night for the 2001/02 season is:
· $200 Reimbursement of expenses to the leading Female State League points scorer
· $200 Reimbursement of expenses to the leading Male State League points scorer
· $200 Reimbursement of expenses to the coach whose athletes (including both male and female) score the greatest combined total of State League points.
To help ensure the continued success of our State League teams, we are requesting donations to help fund these grants. All donations are tax deductible. If you would like to obtain a donation form to send in a donation, or have any questions about the Barlow Foundation, please contact Colin Organ on 9813 3597 or via email (colo@bigpond.com). Alternatively you may wish to download a form directly from the Club’s web site at http://www.boxhillathleticclub.org.
The Club’s tax deductible Barlow Fund also includes a separate building fund. With additional funds needed to be able to fund the Stage II Pavilion Upgrade (upstairs extension), donations to this fund are urgently required. Any donations made to this building fund will be directed solely towards the club room upgrade. Now is an excellent time to help the Club to fund your new club rooms and reduce your tax bill. Any donation of $100 or more will be recognised with a plaque recording your donation prominently displayed on a brick in the new clubrooms. Donation forms can be downloaded from the Club’s web site - www.boxhillathleticclub.org - or obtained from Colin Organ – phone 9813 3597 or email at colo@bigpond.com.
ALL TIME RANKINGS
A draft version of all time Club rankings for men’s track events have been posted on the Club web site at http://www.boxhillathleticclub.org. There are certain to be some errors and omissions in the lists, however they provide a good basis for fine tuning to produce an accurate list. If you find any mistakes or can add to the lists in any way, please contact either Dale Bickham (bickham@deakin.edu.au) or Graeme Olden (golden@sprint.net.au). The men’s field events lists will be added over the coming months. It is hoped that the ranksings lists for the women will be posted in the next few weeks.
RUGBY FLAG CARRIERS
If any members happened to watch the ruby union Test in Melbourne between Australia and France they may have noticed the familiar figures of Adam Pepper and Scott Jackson helping to carry the flags onto the ground before the game. As a result of Adam organising for a group of his friends to help carry the flag, the Club will receive a payment of about $500. Thanks to Adam and Scott for volunteering their time to help raise funds for the Club.
Athletics Australia’s selection policy has always been a mystery to me. Last year I was ranting about the selections of the World Championship team and this year some of the decisions regarding the Commonwealth Games team have been just as amusing.
I personally believe that a women’s 4x400m team was only selected so as to allow Cathy Freeman to join the team as the remaining members can not consistently break 53 seconds. Now with Freeman’s withdrawal from the team and Kat Dressler not making the predeparture time what are the selectors going to do? Some people believe that Susan Andrews will get a run in the relay but she was not even selected in the team in the first place.
Does Athletics Australia need to amend initial selection or the timing of the selection period and the predeparture trials? What happens to athletes who have booked flights and accommodation for themselves, family and friends to watch them in the Games and then are told three weeks beforehand that they are not going? And why was Michael Hazel left out of the team considering that with the current form of the 4x400m men that he would be the quickest runner over the flat 400m let alone his actual event of the 400 hurldes.
To
submit articles either see Cameron Baker or el Presidente Graeme Olden down at
the track or email Cameron on cbak2@student.monash.edu
CLUB MERCHANDISE
For a limited time there are some "State League" Long Sleeve Training Tops now available for only $20. Also a new order of Club Tracksuit tops has just arrived so get in early before they all go for $85. For either of the above or uniforms please contact Julie Milner 9818 1278 or email juliem@brd.net.au.
Following the AGM on
25th June the following people were elected for the forthcoming year
President: Graeme Olden
Vice President: Adam Pepper
Secretary: Julie Milner
Treasurer: Angela Robbie
Committee: Joan Hines, Colin Organ, Dale Bickham, Fiona Buchanan, Marcus
Tierney and David Featherston.
VICTORIAN CROSS COUNTRY TEAM SELECTIONS
Congratulations to Matthew Coloe, Chris Hamer, Andrian Vincent, Hayley Tomlinson, Alice Baquie and Prue Healy on their selection in the Victorian Team to compete in the School Sport Australia Cross Country in Sydney on 23 - 26 August 2002.
They will be selling raffle tickets to help with travel and accommodation costs so when you see them around please help them out.
Box Hill fielded two full men's teams in
the rather chilly conditions which faced the field of nearly 400 athletes who
toed the line on Saturday 18 May. Box Hill had 14 starters, with Patrick Kelly
starting off with a bold burst of speed to be in amongst the very large group of
accomplished runners for the first 500m of the race.
Dale Bickham started off fast early, to be running side by side with Graeme Olden in the first 30, followed by Paul Boxshall 50 metres to the rear, with Luke Yeatman and Sam Hassett being in the first 60 as well. Patrick Kelly had settled into his race pace in around 95th place. Further back we had four athletes reasonably close together, with Adam Pepper, John Vaitkunos (competing for the first time in several years after a break), Tony Bird and Chris O’Connor running within a minute of each other. Matt Slater was further back.
After the completion of the second lap, Graeme Olden continued his forward momentum, picking up several places in the concluding stages and finishing with his trademark 100% commitment right to the finishing line, with Paul Boxshall maintaining his forward progress to place solidly. Luke Yeatman also improved his relative position making up some ground on Paul to finish about half a minute behind, with Dale Bickham paying the price for his enthusiasm in the first lap just behind Luke. Sam Hassett maintained his position and was in the first 60 or so. Patrick Kelly held on to finish just outside the first 100, to make up our Section 1 team.
Andrew White was prominent in the Under 18 10 kilometre race for the first six kilometres. Unfortunately he was inconvenienced by an annoying niggle on the side of his knee and was compelled to pull out short of the finish.
With a number of regular women, such as Nikki Chapple, Megan Sloane and Georgie Connell missing, it was left to the relative newcomers of the club to “fly the flag” in the women’s open 10 k. In the cold, windy conditions, Fiona Turner was our first runner home in 46th place in the time of 42:35. She was followed by Audra Papworth in 51st place and Amanda Harper 56th.
The under 20 women again won the
teams race (as they did in the Brimbank relays). Emily Smith was close to the
leaders in the first lap and despite losing some ground in the second half of
the race finished 4th in 39:42. Jocelyn Keage is still returning to
full fitness after some setbacks last year and was suffering from a cold but
still managed to finish 8th ahead of Beth Bird in 11th
place.
In the Under 18 race, Georgie McCallum and Amy Zagato got in some good over-distance work to finish 4th and 6th respectively in their 10k road race debuts.
Hayley Tomlinson ran another great race to win the under 16 3km event in a time of 10 minutes flat. Hayley not only beat all the under 16 girls, but also beat all but two of the under 16 boys. Sarah Evans also ran well to finish 15th in a time of 11:54
Box Hill entered two men's teams and one women's team in the Coliban Relay from Harcourt to Bendigo on Saturday 1 June 2002. Dale Bickham led off strongly for the Division 1 team to have them in third place by the end of the first leg. Unfortunately, Graeme Olden struggled on the climb over Mt Alexander and dropped two places, however John Meagher ran a solid third leg to pass Ballarat YCW and bring the team up into fourth place. Kynan Dawes managed arrived at what he thought was the start of his leg about half an hour before he was due to run only to discover he was actually at the end of the leg so he did a very quick warm-up to run back to the start of the leg, arriving just in time to turn around and run back to the finish again. He managed to hold us in fourth position, and although Sam Hassett, Paul Boxshall and Andrew White all ran solidly, the team was unable to make up much ground on APS and completed the race in fourth place.
The Division 3 team started well with Chris O'Connor handing over to Tony Bird in third place. Adam Pepper, Patrick Kelly and Cam McIver all ran strongly but were unable to catch the teams in front.
The Division 1 Women's team of Nikki Chapple, Jocelyn Keage, Emily Smith, Prue Healy and Eliza Eddy all ran great legs to take the team into third place and win a bronze medal.
Many thanks to Julie Milner and Matt Slater for driving to Bendigo to help with ferrying athletes along the course and provide encouragement to the runners along the way.
The Open Men’s 15km attracted 9 athletes representing Box Hill with Chris Bunney making it to the start just in time. Box Hill’s leading contenders were Dale Bickham, Graeme Olden and John Meagher (in that order in the early stages) who were within 40 seconds of each other, with Luke Yeatman running a prudent race half a minute behind Graeme Olden, in advance of Adam Pepper and Tony Bird. Chris Bunney arrived on the start line at the same time as the starter gave his instructions, but then was not to be seen in the second lap, leading observers to the conclusion that he had thought it was a 5000 m road Championship.
Dale looked set to run his best performance, provided he hadn’t expended too many petrol tickets in the initial stages. Graeme Olden and John Meagher were having a nervous time with Susie Power lurking at the top end of the field and clearly increasing her tempo the further the race progressed. Luke Yeatman appeared to slip a little bit in the second and third laps but recovered to hold his relative position in the concluding stages. Adam had established a sizeable gap over Tony Bird, and ran in a determined fashion to hold and extend it. After a pedestrian start, Paul Boxshall and Matt Slater started moving a little quicker, with Paul putting the foot on the accelerator late in the second lap and lifting his position somewhat. Dale Bickham maintained his form in the concluding lap, whilst John Meagher passed Graeme Olden in the latter stages of the race, and opened up a small gap which he held to the end of the race.
Susie Power’s effort in completing the course in 48 minutes 37 seconds was world class in the women’s race. She looks ready to stun a few of the Kenyan and Ethiopian women, not to mention Paula Radcliffe in the Commonwealth Games. A huge distance in front of the women’s field, she shocked a few highly competitive men with her run on the day.
In the team’s race, Glen Huntly clearly won Division 1. Box Hill’s performance was solid, but capable of improvement, and we finished in 5th place, behind Glen Huntly, APS, Doncaster and Collingwood.
We again enjoyed the support of a number of Box Hill people at the road side including life member Keith Routley, Julie Milner, Wes Windsor, Chris O’Connor, Ian & Megan Sloane and others, all offering strong encouragement to our athletes.
A biting wind gusted across the course at Bundoora this year, similar to many previous years. A brief period of rain threatened to really upset the applecart, but, fortunately, conditions remained generally fine for the two senior races. This race is the selection trial for the Victorian team for the Australian Cross Country championships. This usually means that the field is a strong one, with aspirants for the Victorian team putting in their claim for a place.
The women’s race was held before the men’s race. Keryn McCann travelled from NSW for a final hit out before her next major competition in a few weeks time. Anna Thompson, now running for Glen Huntly, attempted unsuccessfully to match it with her, but dropped back after the first lap and the differential between these two remained relatively constant over the remainder of the 8km course. McCann and Thompson opened up an enormous gap over the other athletes competing, with McCann finishing in 27 m. 12 s. to Thompson’s 27 m. 20 s. Nicki Chapple ran a solid race to place 6th, in 29 m. 33 s., 24 seconds behind third place, one of her better recent efforts. Megan Sloane ran a strong race to finish placed 2nd in the 45 years’ age group. Amanda Harper completed the women’s team placing 38th (35 m. 55s.) and running her best race for the year, with a very steady second half performance.
The Open Men’s (12 k.) race saw 11 athletes representing Box Hill so we completed two teams. Even better for Box Hill was the return to competition of Marcus Tierney, following an extensive overseas tour where he helped to prop up the ailing European economy by spending vast amounts of cash.
Box Hill’s leading contenders were Dale Bickham who ran a very fast first lap, in 17th place, buoyed by his great run at Albert Park, John Meagher, Luke Yeatman, moving at his best for some time, and Graeme Olden. These athletes were all placed in the first 30. Paul Boxshall, Sam Hassett, and Marcus Tierney were our next competitors in the top fifth of the field. Tony Bird and Adam Pepper ran in close proximity to each other, with Tony unable to head Adam (or Chris O’Connor later in the race) on this occasion. David Ayers was further back in the field.
As the race progressed, competitors peeled off the leading bunch as they were exhausted by Moneghetti’s relentless pace. Of Box Hill’s leading contenders, John Meagher did best, moving past a number of his rivals to claim 21st position. A mere 13 seconds behind him was Luke Yeatman who performed well in the cold conditions to claim 24th position, with Graeme Olden 30 seconds adrift in 30th position. Paul Boxshall ran more conservatively in the early stages and filled 35th position, four places in advance of Marcus Tierney, 39th, who picked up a number of positions in the concluding stages, as the athletes who had expended too much effort slowed towards the end of the race. Dale Bickham found that his early fast pace took its toll, but hung on gamely to finish the race in 53rd position, completing our Section 1 team. We believe that the team finished 5th, but results had not been posted at the conclusion of the day, so we await official confirmation of the team’s position. Glen Huntly won from Doncaster and APS or Ballarat YCW.
Chris O’Connor moved through the field after a modest early pace and passed numerous athletes in the second half of the race. He couldn’t quite catch Adam Pepper who ran well to maintain his relative position throughout the race. Sam Hassett had trouble with one of his feet and removed one of his spikes mid race. Sam finished, nevertheless, slightly behind Chris, and ahead of Tony Bird. David Ayers completed the second team with a gritty performance, on his way to inspect the scones and refreshments at the end of the race, enabling us to secure a second scoring team. Dave gave his usual excellent best in ensuring that there was not much food placed in the boots of Box Hill cars leaving the course.
Lachlan Aspinall competed in the Under 20 race where he ran solidly at the front end of the field, finishing in 11th place running the time of 29:13. Sarah Evans finished 16th in 18:28 in the U16 6km. Alice Baquie was 5th in the U18 4km Cross Country race, backed up by Amy Zagato who finished 9th in 16:35. In the U20 6km Emily Smith was 3rd in 23:27 with Jocelyn Keage 4th in 24:10.
The next event is the Road Relays, not at Sandown this year, but at Flemington Race Course instead. It is probably the first time since 1984 that the relays won’t be held at Sandown. Men’s and women’s relays commence at 1.30 p.m. on July 20th.
