Nearly here

The Summer of Athletics is nearly here…

In just a few short weeks Yarra Ranges Athletics will be back up and running! We are so excited to get everyone back at the track, and look forward to getting to run, jump and throw at Morrison Reserve.

In line with Aths Vic and Little Athletics sanctions, we may only begin training once we have confirmation of the Restricted Activities Directions (RADs) that come out on Friday morning. Once these have been ratified by LAV and AV, and we can be certain that we can comply fully with these we can begin athletics training.

Make sure to register for LAV or AV so that you are ready to go as soon as the season begins!

Covid safety restrictions

The following is quoted directly from Little Athletics Victoria.

“The vaccination status of our volunteers – parents/guardians, officials, coaches, committee members, associate members, honorary members and others necessary to conduct our sport is not required to be checked or recorded if they are attending for Little Athletics activities.

Parents/guardians and all volunteers – vaccinated and unvaccinated – can attend Little Athletics activities without having to confirm their vaccination status.”

AVSL starts November 13

AVSL season launch

The Victorian Government recently announced its roadmap to deliver the National COVID Plan, setting out the path to opening.

Based on this Roadmap, Athletics Victoria is excited to announce an anticipated return to the summer competition on Saturday, 13 November 2021. This information is based on Victorian Government projections that Victoria will reach 80% fully vaccinated by 5 November. However, this date is subject to change based on vaccination rates and government targets.

The information to be provided by the government will dictate the format and capacity limits of the summer season. In the coming weeks, this information will be released to Athletics Victoria in the Restricted Activity Directions for Sport. Please note that until this time, entry to AVSL rounds is not yet open.

In the coming weeks, we expect government advice on guidelines regarding vaccinated access to venues for competition and community sport. If you have yet to be vaccinated, click here to book your vaccine appointment. It is still essential that we all monitor for symptoms, get tested if feeling unwell, and get vaccinated when eligible.

For more information on COVID-19 resources from the Victorian Government, click here .

For all the return to sport information, including revised requirements for coaches, please click on the button below.

We look forward to sharing more information very soon and seeing you back at events in November.

Regards,

Ross Cunningham

General Manager Sport Delivery and Government

Evolve rehab journals

Rehab Journals are an excellent way to track your progress through an injury, and our physio partner Lauren has created her own!

Designed and created by Lauren to help with personal tracking, goal setting, accountability and motivation as well as to provide your treating healthcare professionals with all the information they require about your progress.

These include 12 weeks of daily journalling plus a week beginning and week review section.

• $30 (plus postage)
• $25 for current clients (plus postage)

Any content that members or sponsors would like featured in our weekly newsletter, please send to news@yarrarangesathletics.org.au by midnight Mondays.

Training is back

In case you missed it last week, personal training in a reduced format is now back! There are a few important things to note if you are interested in going for a run with a friend at the track

• Squads are limited to a maximum of 5 people (plus a coach) for fully vaccinated people
• A maximum of 2 people permitted (plus a coach) for unvaccinated or single dosed people
• People under the age of 12 are treated as fully vaccinated
• Coaches must sight evidence of vaccination
• The pavilion will remain closed
• There is NO access to equipment
• All participants must reside within 15km of the track

Registrations are open

Registrations with Little Athletics Victoria will be open from 10am on Thursday the 8th of September. All returning athletes will receive an email from LAVic with instructions regarding signing up for the coming season. The cost of the 12 months will remain at $170 this season. Those families with more than 1 child can receive a $5 discount per child.

If you need help to register please contact Katie on 0403 819391 or LAVic office on 9960 8600.

Those returning for the season must have paid for their membership prior to the first round of competition. Every effort will be made to keep members up to date on when training and competition can resume. As we did last Summer, the committee will remain flexible with regard to how competition is run to maximise the opportunity for athletics competition to go ahead.

New athletes are welcome to try athletics. We offer 2 weeks of a free trial to those who have not been members of Little Athletics before. To take up this offer please go to the lavic.com.au website to register your details.

Cross Country concludes

Cross Country 2021 for our community at Yarra Ranges Athletics had come to a rather sudden stop at the announcement of Lockdown 6. While we hoped and waited for restrictions to lift, the door has been closed on us finishing the Cross country season with any further races for our athletes. The committee of YRA would like to thank our members for their patience during this frustrating time. We were lucky to hold 9 of our regular Saturday morning Cross Country meets at 4 of our beautiful locations over the last 6 months. Knox Open Day was our only inter-centre round for those of us lucky to compete. We did miss the Region & State Cross Country Championships and the State Cross Country Relays.

We will not be able to hold our Presentation this weekend like we had planned, we would still like to celebrate the achievements of our athletes for the 2021 season. For those who have participated in 4 or more of our regular programs we will award trophies. This year will not be possible to award, Gold, Silver and Bronze with limited rounds. There will not be a presentation event, but we will have trophies ready to pick up when restrictions allow.

During a normal season there would be opportunities for awards and medals at Championship Day and Handicap Day, unfortunately they were not held this year. Each age group will have medals awarded to the top 3 athletes based on results during the rounds we did complete. You must have participated in 4 or more rounds to be eligible for a medal. It will be less than perfect, but the committee will work hard to recognise the best performing athletes for these awards.

Please look out for the announcement in the coming week for our Cross Country Athletes.

Thank you to everyone who made it down to YRA Cross Country, even for one round, and an even bigger thank you to all of the volunteers who made it possible. YRA thanks everyone who made our brief cross season the success that it was, and we look forward to seeing everybody back on the hills next season!

A paralympic games to remember

By Sascha Ryner of Athletics Australia. To read the full article, click the link below

Australian athletics is celebrating a Paralympic Games to remember, with a medal haul that includes 4 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals.

The 36-strong team made their mark on Tokyo with several inspiring performances at Japan National Stadium, but it was the Australian spirit displayed that captured the hearts of new and old fans alike.

Australia placed 11th out of 56 nations on the Paralympic Athletics Placing Table, with the team delivering 2 world records, 12 area records, 5 Paralympic Games records, plus 9 personal best performances and 35 season bests across the 10 days of competition.

While each day provided highlights to those watching on from home, there were moments that will go down in the record books as truly unforgettable.

Madison de Rozario (Louise Sauvage) won gold in a nail-biting finish in the marathon T54, James Turner (Iryna Dvoskina) claimed a gold and silver to maintain his title as king of the sprints, and two-time Paralympians Jaryd Clifford (Philo Saunders) and Isis Holt (Paul Pearce) won medals in each of their respective events. Vanessa Low (Iryna Dvoskina) won her first Paralympic gold medal as an Australian citizen with a world record jump of 5.28m, and Michal Burian (Nick Baltas) thanked his adopted country as he sailed his javelin to a world record in the F44 class to claim his country silver.

Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley said the efforts of the 36 Paralympic track and field athletes must be applauded, with the team defying the odds in an extremely difficult Games cycle.

“The Australian Para-athletics Team for Tokyo faced challenges unparalleled by any other Australian team that came before them, yet rose to the occasion and made this one of the most memorable Games. For that, I am incredibly proud,” Bromley said.

“Not only did this team face the hurdles that many of us did during the pandemic, there was a distinct lack of elite competition for our Para-athletes to enjoy, making results difficult to determine in the lead up to these Games.

“Despite this, the team won four gold medals, up from three at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, and added seven silver medals and eight bronze to the tally, for Australia to place 11th on the Athletics medal tally.

“Remarkably 86 per cent of our athletes placed in the top 8 and 14 of those 36 athletes won a medal. We must applaud these athletes, and celebrate each of the top-eight performances, Area records, personal bests and season bests, because for a lot of these athletes – their best is still yet to come.

“While our team enters quarantine today, there is no stopping our Australian Para-athletics Team. Next year you will see many of these athletes star at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, and their goal will be to continue their momentum in the lead up to Paris 2024.

“If you haven’t already got behind this team, I strongly encourage you to get to know each and every one of our athletes. This team has had a big impact on our sport and will no doubt continue this trend and inspire more Australians with and without disabilities to get involved in our great sport.”

Don Cruse

Medal Hunt Continues in Tokyo

Words from Sascha Ryner of Athletics Australia

Medals eluded the Australian track and field team tonight at the Paralympic Games, but a series of mixed performances have athletes determined to build on results with just four more days left of their Tokyo campaign.

The 100m T54 brought both elation and devastation to Australian team members, as Sam Carter (Fred Periac) finished fifth in the final, while debutant Luke Bailey (Andrew Dawes) was unable to progress amongst worldwide heavyweights, placing fifth in his heat (14.55). Two-time Paralympian Carter was made to wait until after the heats had finished to be informed of his finals berth. Despite going into the race as the slowest qualifier, his fifth place finish in 14.08 – less than half a second behind first place – shows there is much potential from the 30-year-old.

“That was a very enjoyable final. It’s always a buzz to be out for a Paralympic final and the 100m is my favourite. I’ve had a lot of fun tonight and I had a better race than in the heat so that’s good. To be on the podium is a dream but I wasn’t unhappy with any part of my race,” he said.

“Being at the Paralympics again, every time I’m in the village, I give a mental high five to 10-year-old Sam, who always wished we could get here. We did it and it’s amazing. I’d encourage kids with disabilities, if it’s something you want to do, get out there and do it. If you work hard, you can do it. It’s totally within reach for sure.”

Now a three-time Paralympian, Rosemary Little (Karyne Di Marco and Breanne Clement) used her experience to make a mark on a new event – the shot put F32. Formerly a wheelchair racer who won bronze in London, Little made the switch from track to field after spinal surgery caused further damage in 2017, and placed sixth with a new personal best of 6.26m.

Little previous lifetime best was 6.12m set at the Australian Track and Field Championships in April, making this a significant improvement in the early years of her throwing career.

“I didn’t think I’d be here in Tokyo. My track coach suggested I make the switch – that was after my year in hospital rehab 2017-2018 with the spinal tumour – and I really wasn’t that keen,” Little said.

“Perseverance always wins out in the end though. And I don’t necessarily listen to advice from doctors. My neurologist always says if I wasn’t so stubborn I wouldn’t be here.”

Australian Cross Country Championships Cancelled

Athletics Australia and Coles Little Athletics Australia have today reached the decision to cancel the 2021 Australian Cross Country Championships.

Originally scheduled to take place in Adelaide in August, the Championships were postponed in July due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, but with many States unable to hold their own selection events and no end in sight for travel restrictions to ease, a decision has been made to cancel the 2021 edition of the Championships.

Athletics Australia CEO Peter Bromley said: “The 2021 Australian Cross Country Championships was an event that we were particularly looking forward to as it would have been the first of many held by AA and LAA, however COVID numbers are still rising across the country with restrictions firmly in place, meaning a national championships is no longer viable.”

“We acknowledge that athletes, coaches and officials of all ages were looking forward to this event, but until the Australian public gets COVID-19 numbers under control and there is a significant increase in vaccination rates, it won’t be possible for this event to take place.”

Coles Little Athletics Australia General Manager Operations Andrew Johnston said: “The decision to cancel this event did not come lightly, and together with AA, we looked at every possible option to still hold the Championships.”

“Instead we will focus our efforts on the Summer season ahead, with a view of holding the joint Australian Cross Country Championships next year in 2022.

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience, and AA and LAA will now work with each of our Member Associations to ensure competition opportunities are readily available at a safer time.”

Details around the 2021/2022 Australian Summer of Athletics will be announced next month.

Cross Country Presentation Day

The YRA Cross Country team are working hard to bring our community a Presentation Day to celebrate the achievements of all of our athletes over the Cross Country season. Watch this space!

Athletics Victoria Message

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your continued support around the challenging periods of lockdown, which has significantly impacted what the AV team has been trying to deliver this winter. Like you, we are waiting for the next round of advice from the Victorian Government on what will occur after the current lockdown.

Over the past 18 months, we have managed to find avenues to provide competition and opportunities within the government restrictions and passed on reductions in membership fees to acknowledge the financial pressure points that come with community lockdowns. When this season commenced in April 2021, we were hopeful that we could complete the winter competition. While there were roadblocks, significant pre-event preparation continued, financially supported by government grants and subsidies in the previous year. However, in 2021, this level of prior support is not available.

As we are unsure what is to come in the following weeks, we have decided to cancel the remainder of the Winter Season. AV Members who have purchased packages (XCR and MAX) have been emailed earlier today with three options:

1. For XCR Packages – a free upgrade to a Max Package
2. For Max and XCR Packages – a partial refund or
3. No upgrade or refund.

For XCR21 Bundoora, all individual event entries will be refunded. All individual entries in the 2021 All Schools Cross Country Championships will also be refunded. If you are in these groups, you will have received an email with further information.

If circumstances change post 2nd September and there is the capacity to schedule a cross-country event (as prescribed within the government directions), further information will be provided, including how to enter and individual entry fees.

This season has already been ‘challenging’ with the cancellation of the winter season, which will put pressure on the financial outcome. However, we will continue to work hard to provide opportunities when restrictions ease.

I want to thank each and every one of you who has committed to Athletics Victoria, all our AV clubs, coaches, officials, Club Administrators, and volunteers for the past 18 months. Your understanding and hard work have been a bright spark during this time.

Best Regards,

Glenn Turnor
Chief Executive Officer
Athletics Victoria

Paralympics Start

With the beginning of the Tokyo Paralympics, we are extremely excited to get to see five brilliant Victorian athletes in action, and we are sending our best wishes to every one of them.

• Jaryd Clifford (Diamond Valley) – 1500m & 5000m T12
• Maria Strong (Athletics Essendon) – Shot put F33
• Nicholas Hum (Glenhuntly) – Long jump T20
• Sam McIntosh (Bellarine Athletics) – 100m T52
• Michal Burian (Sandringham) – Javelin throw F44

Broadcast live across the Seven Network, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will feel like a home Games for Australian viewers with time zones only differing by one hour (AEST).

ATHLETE PROFILE: JARYD CLIFFORD

(words from Athletics Australia)

When it comes to middle-distance superstars, not many come bigger than Jaryd Clifford (Philo Saunders) and Madison de Rozario (Louise Sauvage).

Clifford is set to complete the 1500m/5000m double in Tokyo, entering as the reigning T12 world champion in both events after an emphatic 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. On that occasion, the vision impaired Aussie utilised guide runners to assist his ability to navigate the field – a luxury he will save for the marathon at this year’s Paralympic Games.

Clifford enters as the world record holder in his pet event of the 1500m at 3:41.34, making him one of Australia’s brightest gold medal prospects. With experience from Rio under his belt, the 22-year-old is not deterred by the task of completing three grueling events – saying his goal is simply to win them all.

By Lachlan Moorhouse, Athletics Australia, check out the full breakdown of Australia’s best Paralympians at the link here

You can view the Paralympic competition schedule by clicking on the button below.

Teaching Athletics Skill ITLAS

The Committee is very keen to offer opportunities to our Age Group Leaders and interested parents to learn more about teaching fundamental athletic skills. Little Athletics Victoria is offering a coaching course in the coming months called Introduction to Teaching Little Athletics Skills (ITLAS). It is a practical introduction to the basics of athletics. Click on the button below to learn more.

The club is willing to pay for your attendance. The closest courses are: Collingwood (4 Sept), Box Hill (12 Sept) or Whittlesea (3 Oct) but other dates/locations are options.

This is an awesome way to learn about teaching critical athletics skills, and is great for parents, volunteers, previous Little Athletes and school teachers, who want to know a little more about the skills of the sport in order to help at Little Aths, or prepare students for a school athletics carnival.

With a big summer season coming, we encourage everyone to consider giving the ITLAS a go!

Please contact Kate Downward on 0400 430 584 ASAP with an expression of interest to attend.

Calendar Changes

The YRA Cross Country calendar will be changing, subject to COVID restrictions.

Summer Season starts soon

We are coming up rapidly on a brand new season of athletics! The YRA Committee is in the process of finalising all dates and it will be ready very soon!

In the meantime between now and the beginning of the season, we encourage our whole community to consider volunteering this season, whether you are a parent of a Little Athlete, or a Senior athlete. We are extremely privileged to have the wonderful base of volunteers that we do at YRA, and we welcome everyone’s contributions, big or small! Our club is built entirely on the hard work of our volunteers and we want to support them to grow their skills!

This season we are especially keen to teach the ways of the starters gun! If you think you would like to give it a go, please contact info@yarrarangesathletics.org.au.

We are also excited to offer our community a chance to complete the ITLAS course.

Teaching Athletics Skills – ITLAS

The Committee is very keen to offer opportunities to our Age Group Leaders and interested parents to learn more about teaching fundamental athletic skills. Little Athletics Victoria is offering a coaching course in the coming months called Introduction to Teaching Little Athletics Skills (ITLAS). It is a practical introduction to the basics of athletics. Click on the button below to learn more.

The club is willing to pay for your attendance. The closest courses are: Collingwood (4 Sept), Box Hill (12 Sept) or Whittlesea (3 Oct) but other dates/locations are options.

This is an awesome way to learn about teaching critical athletics skills, and is great for parents, volunteers, previous Little Athletes and school teachers, who want to know a little more about the skills of the sport in order to help at Little Aths, or prepare students for a school athletics carnival.

With a big summer season coming, we encourage everyone to consider giving the ITLAS a go!

Please contact Kate Downward on 0400 430 584 ASAP with an expression of interest to attend.

Calendar Changes

The YRA Cross Country calendar will be changing, subject to changes to COVID restrictions. Pay close attention to our Facebook page to ensure you don’t miss out on the action!

LAVIC Calendar 2021-22

Athletics Victoria Calendar 2021-22

Back Soon

We will be back again soon!

While this weekend of XC racing may be cancelled again, if we are lucky we will be able to return to our YRA XC handicap day on Saturday 21st.

More details to come in the next edition of the newsletter, subject to COVID19 restrictions.

Next Weekend

Round 20 on Saturday 21st August will be held at Lillydale Lake.

It will be our annual Handicap Day. This event uses your past results as a guide for when your race starts. You’ll get a start time and race the track in a bid to finish before the other runners.

XCR Lakeside 10 Cancelled

The XCR Lakeside has been cancelled.

LAVic 2021/2022 Summer Season Calendar

The LAVic summer season calendar has been released. Take a look to see the events being held state-wide.

Back from Lockdown

Yarra Ranges Athletics were back running again after lockdown, and we look forward to another exciting round of XC as the season begins to near it’s end. With one more month of racing to go make sure to make the most of the few rounds we have left!

Back in Lockdown

Unfortunately the latest snap lock-down means will no longer be able to meet this Saturday at Margaret Lewis Reserve in Coldstream.

The After School Olympics

This week we have been enjoying the After School Olympics with Coach Kate in the afternoons, and what an awesome community event it has been so far!

We have seen 64 Little Athletes over the last 2 days enjoy jumping, running and throwing just like the Olympians in Tokyo. Some very brave parents and kids today in the cold weather. Not the typical summer season for Track and Field.

Thank you to coach Kate for organising this weeks activities. Thank you also to the parents and committee members for the essential help to run the event.

Seniors

St Anne’s has been cancelled.

It’s unlikely the Lakeside:10 will be running next week as well.

Morrison Reserve Works update

You may have noticed some more works going on at Morrison Reserve this weekend, and we can confirm with great thanks to the Shire of the Yarra Ranges that our third shelter is commencing it’s construction ready for a busy summer of athletics.

Morrison Reserve will see some a few more significant projects in the coming months, and we will advise our members when and if there will be disruptions to track access.

Return to XC

And we are back, again!

With great excitement we can announce that we will be returning to cross country this weekend. Our YRA Cross Country will be running from 8:45am at Morrison Reserve this weekend.

Due to current restrictions spectators are unfortunately not allowed for the time being at cross country events, all essential parents and volunteers however may be present. We look forward to seeing everyone back this weekend at Morrison Reserve!

XCR Ballarat 15km Cancelled

For our seniors, the Ballarat XCR has been cancelled. The next round will be next week, Sat 7th August, at St Annes. See the calendar for the updated schedule and the AV website for more information.

Regular Club Training

Regular club training will also be back as usual for winter, from 5:30pm at Victoria Road Primary School tomorrow, Thursday, and from 5:30pm at Morrison Reserve on Tuesdays.

For up to date information as it happens, make sure to check out our YRA Clubhouse Facebook page.

The After School Olympics Next Week

LAVic State Cross Country Relays Cancelled

Sadly the LAVic State Cross Country Relays that were planned to be run on the 5th of June and moved to  14th of August have now been canceller. More details are in this pdf on the LAVic website.

XCR Round 7 – Ballarat 15km

Entries Close Today: Wednesday 28th July 2021, 11:59am (Midday)

Location: Lake Wendouree, Ballarat, VIC 3350

The traditional stomping ground of XCR legend Steve Moneghetti, Lake Wendouree, provides the backdrop for this fast-paced event, with Open completing 15km courses and Juniors 6km. After the race, stay on and enjoy the best Ballarat and the surrounding Goldfields have to offer, including the Eureka Centre, Sovereign Hill, the Gold Museum and the Botanical Gardens.

Check out the full timetable of the event at the button below.

Lock Down Extended

While we may be locking down for another week, cross country will be returning as soon as possible! With the Olympics arriving in two days, we will have something inspiring to see on our screens.

If you are interested in which days our Australian athletes will be competing, check out this handy timetable put together by Andrew Pryn.

As always, make sure to stay tuned to the YRA Clubhouse Facebook page for regular updates as they happen, and have a safe lockdown.

We look forward to seeing everyone back down on the cross country tracks as soon as it can happen!

The After School Olympics

Come run, jump, throw and walk like an Olympian! Fun and friendly coaching and competition

Monday 2nd – Friday 6th August, 4-5pm

• Monday: 100m + long/triple jump
• Tuesday: 200m + shot put
• Wednesday: 400m + discus
• Thursday: Hurdles + walk
• Friday: 60m + high jump

Please RSVP to Coach Kate on 0400 430 584

Bring a friend and introduce them to athletics!

Get Ready for an Australian Olympics!

With the Olympics being hosted in Brisbane in 2032, there has never been a better time as an Australian to get into athletics!

2021 State Cross-Country & State Cross-Country Relay Championship UPDATE

• State Cross-Country Championships – Saturday 31st July at Lake Dewar, Myrniong, has been postponed.
• State Cross-Country Relay Championships – Saturday 14th August at Cruden Farm, Langwarrin, remains as scheduled.

The decision on rescheduling the State Cross-Country Championships will be made once the details on the restrictions are made available next week through the Restricted Activities Directions – RAD’s, along with venue availability and changes required to our Tier 2 permit under the Public Events Framework.

We hope to have a decision shortly after the lockdown finishes when we have all the available information.

Further details for the State Cross-Country Relays Championships will also be advised next week, based on the restrictions advised in the RAD’s.

In the meantime, we will be emailing Centres that have registered Teams for the Relays with the option to adjust their Teams. This email will be sent on Wednesday 21st July, with a closing date of Monday 2nd August.

We will be communicating with Team Managers and Cross-Country coordinators as well.

The athletes and families will also receive correspondence tomorrow, confirming the above.

Stay Safe,

The LAVic team.

LAVIC State Cross Country Relays

The LAVic State Cross Country Relays that were planned to be run on the 5th of June have now been moved to August the 14th. Those athletes in the U9-U13 that have indicated they would like a run have been entered into teams.

If you are unavailable to run because of the change of date can you please contact Katie on 0403819391 ASAP so we can find a replacement. Thank you!

To see all information relating to the event, including the draft timetable, and other important information, please click the link here to go to the event page.