Presentation Night

The Courtview Function Room of the Wollongong Tennis Club will be the venue for our 2025/26 Presentation Night.  Join us on Saturday May 2nd, from 6pm, for a fun farewell to the season of track and field.  Celebrate the achievements of your clubmates - and give your clubmates the opportunity to congratulate you on yours. 

There will be a short break with a few nibbles during the Presentation to keep energy levels high, so we are now asking you to RSVP for catering purposes.  Go to the event listing on the club website to submit your RSVP.  Note that one response per family is fine: there's no need for each individual family member to respond.  We ask for the number of any accompanying party (e.g. parents, siblings, and partners), and wish to ensure that they're all only counted once. 

The above event listing also shows eligibility for some of the awards.  For example, all athletes who attended a Wednesday meet will receive a certificate detailing their Season Bests in each event, but only members who met minimum attendance requirements have earned a club pointscore award.  Also noted are those who will be presented a broken record certificate, along with members celebrating a continuous block of 5 years' membership.

What isn't listed are winners of the best Age-graded performances in each event, nor those receiving clubperson awards.  Similarly remaining a surprise until the night will be those taking home the major awards (for outstanding achievements in Para, Junior, Masters, Track, and Field categories) - though we will be announcing the nominees for each of these in the lead-up to build the hype.  

And even if you're not due any of these awards, you can still go home a winner courtesy of a lucky door prize draw!   

Our Presentation is a great opportunity for all members to come together and celebrate Season 2025/26.  We strongly encourage you to come along for what will surely be a great night.

Run Havoc $100 Gift Vouchers

Run Havoc's sponsorship of Athletics Wollongong this season was a great success, with our members earning $100 gift vouchers at our pointscore meets.  Each month we gave away one voucher for participation and one for achievement.  

The participation voucher was awarded via lucky draw.  All members needed to do to gain entries in a draw was to participate in events on a Wednesday.  The more weeks attended - and the more events participated in - the better the chances of winning.  Following that formula closely were our February and March winners: Elsye Bongiorno and Katrina O'Brien, respectively.

The achievement voucher was awarded to the best performance in a nominated event each month.  The final voucher went to the winner of the 60m Skins Champion of Champions: see below for the winner of that.

Show your appreciation of Run Havoc's support this season by giving them a visit.  You'll find them in Wollongong's lower mall - where AW members can receive a 5% discount - or online HERE.  If you're looking for shoes, running gear or nutrition, then check out Run Havoc.  

But, wait!  There's more!  Run Havoc have kindly donated another two $100 Gift Vouchers for our Presentation Night.  There are two last chances to win!

End of Season Special Results

Our final night in our season of Wednesday meets was March 11th.  Along with a free BBQ and novelty events, some big handicapped races were held.

The 60m Skins are a series of knockout handicapped races with low recovery.  Making it through the elimination rounds to the Champion of Champions final were Aliyah Betz, Ezekiel Curtis and Doug Hughes.  It was our backmarker Zeke who ran his way past the remaining field to earn himself first place and the Run Havoc Voucher, while Aliyah and Doug won $50 and $30 respectively (with thanks to event co-sponsor Anthony Howlett).

The 800m Chocolate Run was taken out for the second year in a row by Hannah Curtis, who seems to grow an extra set of legs when there is choccie up for grabs!

The occasion was a fun and fitting conclusion to our season of track and field meets.  No matter if you were a diehard regular, or just an occasional visitor, we trust you found our club competition rewarding and enjoyable.  AW's meets will return again in late September for Season 2026/27.  Hope to see you there.  Tell your friends!

Winter Competition

While our local track and field competition has wound up, the 2026 Winter Season is not very far away at all.  Note that current memberships last until August 31st, so registered athletes will have the opportunity to contest many events over the coming months.

All competitive members are encouraged to participate in AW's Winter Distance Pointscore.  The competition is based around parkrun: community 5km runs, held worldwide, each Saturday morning.  There are local chapters at Helensburgh, Bulli, North Wollongong, Bowral, Lake Illawarra and Shellharbour - though some members have run further afield, even internationally.

During the competition window of May through August, your age-grade percentage is tracked and your six best performances averaged to find your score.  Only six runs out of a possible eighteen are needed to be eligible for the end of season awards - though more than six efforts will surely see your score go higher as your slower runs get dropped from your average.  There are more details regarding the competition HERE.

At this stage, all you need do is sign up with parkrun - for free - and ensure that your profile reflects your association with Athletics Wollongong (otherwise you'll have to manually inform our Winter Season Cooridinator of your participation each week).

The first Saturday within the comp window is May 2nd - best of luck!

NSW Athletics Winter Season

In addition to Athletics Wollongong's events, NSW Athletics also hold cross country events and Championships.  Just like those held within the track and field season, to participate in these you need the appropriate level of membership: a Community registration will not suffice.  

The NSW Athletics Winter program begins in May, with the first event being the NSW Short Walks Championships.  In addition to individual events, there is also team-based competition.  Of this latter type, the NSW Cross Country Relays Championship has particularly sparked quite a deal of interest: maybe because the club will pay the team entry fees!

The place to find out info regarding upcoming events is the NSW Athletics Events Calendar.  Note that individual events are entered directly by the athlete, while team entries are coordinated by the club.  If you would like to be a part of a relay team, the surest way to get a run is to first try and arrange a team yourself! 

As much as club admin can promote an event, without athletes commenting online or talking with their friends about it, then people tend to presume there is a lack of interest and don't submit their own details.  So get talking!  Once entry info becomes available, the club will accept expressions of interest soon afterwards.

Track Classics

The highest-standard annual athletics events in the country are the series of Track Classics.  They showcase the best athletes, who participate by invitation only, as part of a glitzy show for the general public. 

Following Athletics Wollongong's highest ever representative numbers in Perth - 4 members! - we nearly matched that again in Adelaide.  Joining the returning Chelsy Wayne (discus), were Delta Amidzovski (Long Jump) and Chase Grant (400m).  Delta also participated in the Hobart meet, taking out the long jump in a new personal best.

The final event in the series - and the highest ranking one, per World Athletics - is this weekend's Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne.  Delta Amidzovski will take to the track this time, coming up against a crack field in the 100m Hurdles.  

The best place to watch all the action is on 7Plus.  The broadcast starts from 7:30pm with Delta's race at 8:43pm.

National Rankings

While the upcoming National Championships will decide the matter, Australian Athletics release rankings that give a strong indication of who to look out for at the pointy end of the season.  The latest edition shows that some of our AW clubmates are on fire in the U16, U18, U20 and Open divisions.  The members who feature in the lists are noted below, along with their ranking when they're among the Top 10.

• Benjamin Kelly (Open - #7 100m, 200m)
• Chase Grant (Open - 100m, 200m, 400m; U20 - #3 100m, #3 200m, #1 400m)
• Chelsy Wayne (Open - Shot Put, #7 Discus; U20 - #1 Discus, #5 Shot)
• Delta Amidzovski (Open - #5 100m Hurdles, #1 Long Jump)
• Harlow Pate (Open - 200m, 400m; U20 - 200m, #9 400m; U18 - 200m, #5 400m)
• Mackay Jones (Open - High Jump; U20 - #2 High Jump)
• Maiya Hewitt (Open - #8 400mH; U20 - #1 400mH, U18 - #1 400mH)
• Mitchell O'Neill (Open - 100m, 200m)
• Naomi Gibson (Open - Pole Vault)
• Olivia Sivills (Open - #10 3000m Steeplechase)
• Ryder Haines (Open - 400m; U20 - 400m; U18 #3 400m)
• Sidney Bartle (U18 - #4 Hammer Throw)
• William Willis (Open - Discus)

Australian Masters Championships Results

The Australian Masters Championships are run and done with an incredible 16 Athletics Wollongong members in action.  From this number came 10 National Champs:

• Andrew MacPherson (M55-59 3000m Steeplechase)
• Christine Shaw (W65-69 High, Long, Triple)
• Cristine Suffolk (W55-59 10000m, 8km Cross Country)
• Emma O'Sullivan (W50-54 5000m, 10000m)
• Kristin Mercer (W40-44 Para Shot Put)
• Liz Lobb (W40-44 60m, Long, Triple)
• Marie Kay (W65-69 Javelin, Shot, Throws Pentathlon)
• Rachel Shaw (W30-34 Javelin)
• Rebekah Power (W45-49 200m)
• Rodney Tebbutt (M55-59 Javelin, Pentathlon)

Collectively, the team won 19 gold medals, 11 silver and 4 bronze.  A great performance from all, with full results of our members available HERE.

State Championships Results

The State Track & Field Championships are now complete for all ages:

• Masters - 22 AW representatives: 19 gold, 22 silver, 16 bronze.  Results.
• Opens - 12 AW members: 2 gold, 3 silver.  Results.
• Juniors (13s - U20): 37 AW members: 6 gold, 8 silver, 4 bronze.  Results.
• Littles (9s - 12s): 8 AW members: 7 gold, (incl 3 State Records), 3 silver, 1 bronze.  Results.

Congrats to all those who tested themselves against the best of NSW.

As Championship season is in full swing, it's little surprise to see further Athletics Wollongong 'Best on Record' performances being made.  Unlike our club records, which can only be claimed via efforts at our Wednesday meets, a Best on Record can happen at any event (of a suitable standard) with Open-age specifications.

• Delta Amidzovski flew 6.62m in the Long Jump
• Olivia Sivills ran 10'53.43s in the 3000m Steeplechase 
• Naomi Gibson cleared 3.75m in the Pole Vault

More updates to follow, no doubt, with the upcoming Junior and Open National Championships.

You can see the Best on Record performances HERE.

Annual General Meeting

Athletics Wollongong's AGM will be held on June 9th, in the boardroom of Wollongong City Tennis Club from 7pm.  

This season we have had several members of the Committee pulling double and triple duty - or more! - covering multiple positions to ensure that our members receive the best possible club experience.  It's not a sustainable way of doing things though - and there is a risk of burnout among those who have put their hand up.

I encourage everyone to give some thought as to whether they may be able to assist the club away from the track.  

A number of officebearer and support positions are required to be filled.  Some of these require frequent attendance at Committee Meetings (held the second Tuesday of each month), whereas some others do not.

If you'd like further information, have a chat with a current Committee Member regarding their experiences, pop along to a meeting to have a peek at what it's all about, or send an enquiry to athleticswollongong@gmail.com.   

Note that we don't need you to have amazing qualifications, we're just after people that want to work towards the best possible outcomes for the club and its members.

Official Meeting Notice will be sent to all members via email a month prior.

Athletics Wollongong Hoodie

Get in early for Winter and purchase an Athletics Wollongong hoodie.  We have sizes available from Junior 14 through to 3XL.  Buy a hoodie HERE, then see us at Presentation or a mutally agreed parkrun to collect.

Vale Will Tyler

Sad news with the passing of long-time member Will Tyler earlier this month.

Will was due to receive his 25-year continuous membership award at this season’s Presentation Night - a testament to his enduring commitment to the club.

Inspired by the Sydney Olympics, his daughter Maddy took up pole vault and soon challenged her dad to give it a try. From that moment on, Will developed a passion for the event that never waned. He was especially proud of his remarkable record at the Australian Masters Championships, where he amassed an incredible 17 pole vault titles.

Will was a shining example to all aspiring vaulters. Even when the runway took its toll, his enthusiasm for the sport never diminished. He was always generous with his time - offering encouragement, sharing his experience, and passing on the knowledge he had worked so hard to gain.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and his legacy within the club - both in his achievements and his support of others - will not be forgotten.

Coming Dates

• 28th Mar - Maurie Plant Meet, Melbourne
• 9th-12th Apr, Australian Open Championships, SOPAC
• 15th-20th Apr, Australian Junior Championships, Brisbane
• 22nd-24th Apr, Australian Universities Games, Gold Coast
• 2nd May - Athletics Wollongong Presentation Night
• 2nd May - AW's Winter Distance Pointscore competition window commences
• 3rd May - NSW Short Walks Championships, Sydney Olympic Park
• 9th May - NSW Dual Relays, Sydney Olympic Park
• 17th May - Sydney 10, Sydney Olympic Park
• 30th May - NSW XC Relay Championships, Sydney Olympic Park
• 31st May - NSW Team Walks Championships, Sydney Olympic Park
• 9th Jun - Athletics Wollongong AGM