Valleys United Athletic Club

Juniors Newsletter
April 2003

Welcome to the 2003 Season. Following is a brief outline of the key events and some details around the various events this year.

As a club we encourage juniors to participate in both club and interclub events. There is a mix of both individual events and team events throughout the season.

The season kicks off with the Shaw Baton Relay that is held at Battle Hill, Pauatahanui. This gives new members an insight to interclub via a relay event. The event is on 21 April and consists of a 4-person team where each person runs a two-kilometre circuit.

The club targets the North Island Cross Country Championships as a key event for juniors of all ages to attend. This is a weekend that focuses on team spirit, racing and having fun through various activities such as trips to the movies or a swim at the local pools. So as to get as many juniors to participate as possible the trip is heavily subsidised at $60.00 per junior athlete. A major fundraiser for the event is the Upper Hutt 1/2 and 1/3 Marathon that is run in the first week of April.

Some events such as National Cross Country or Road Championships have limited age grades set by Athletics New Zealand. We generally take junior athletes based on their ability to compete at this level.

National Road Relays has a minimum age requirement of 14 years and over. This race is held later in the season and involves a weekend away, usually travelling on a Friday, as racing normally gets under way early on Saturday morning. There is often a social event on the Saturday evening that we attend as a group. Any junior team going to the event will have a Team Manager who is responsible for the group for the entire weekend.

Following is a list of events as shown on the 2003 Syllabus, to give you a guide.

Event	Date	Location	Age	Team Event	Involves Overnight Travel
Shaw Baton	21/04/03	Battle Hill	Open to all	Yes	No
University Relays	03/05/03	McKay's Crossing	Open to all	Yes	No
Battle Hill	17/05/03	Battle Hill	Open to all	No	No
Vosseller Shield	24/05/03	Mt Victoria	Open to all	No	No
Dorne Cup	07/06/03	Trentham	Open to all	Yes	No
North Island Cross Country	05/07/03	Taupo	Open to all	Yes	Yes
Wellington Cross Country	20/07/03	Waikanae	Open to all	Yes	No
NZ Secondary Schools Cross Country	21/07/03	Silverstream	Entry via Secondary School	Yes	No
NZ Cross Country Champs	09/08/03	Tauranga	U17, U20	No	Yes
Bays Relay	16/08/03	Wellington	Age based on ability to complete a 4km lap	Yes	No
Wellington Road Champs	23/08/03	Trentham	Open to all	Yes	No
NZ Road Champs	06/09/03	Wellington	U17, U20	No	No
Wellington Road Relays	21/09/03	TBA	Age based on ability to complete distance	Yes	No
NZ Road Relays	04/10/03	TBA	14 years & over	Yes	Yes

(Age groups may be subject to change, due to a review of age groups currently being undertaken by Athletics NZ)

Although the majority of events are run by the athlete as an individual, there is still a team element as the individual's placing's contribute to team totals. This is of particular significance at North Island Cross Country where we strive to take out the coveted 'Top Club' award.

Along with participation in the various events, we offer coaching for juniors. Steve Malanchak carries out the role of Junior Selector for Valleys United and also offers weekday coaching for juniors in the 11 to 15 year age group. Consideration is also given to those juniors who are outside this age group but on ability can cope with speed work sessions and group runs of around 30 minutes. For those over 15 who want to take their running to the next level with further coaching, should discuss options with Steve. Clubs also cater to those juniors 10 and under with various activities on club days.