Club News

Children’s athletics for primary and intermediate starts in term 4. Registration night will be on Monday 11th Oct from 5 to 7pm at the clubrooms (Alex Moore Park, Bannister Avenue, Johnsonville).

Club nights will be at Grenada North Park on Mondays from 5:50 to 7:00 starting on 1st November. The first interclub competition will be at Newtown park on Sunday 31 October.

More details soon, or contact our juniors coordinator Jo Murray jo@kellysports.co.nz (232 9409)

The Athletics Wellington selectors have added Michelle Van Looy (MW), Sean McCrudden (M19) and Martin McCrudden (M16) to the Wellington team to compete at the national road champs in Christchurch early next month.

They join Sophie Pepperell (W16), Lizzy and Kathryn Bunckenberg (W19), Mike Waterman (M35) and Mark Handley (M50) who were selected earlier.

Congratulations on your selection!

Club member Nick Hann is the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Senior Boys Orienteering Champion.

The NZ champs were held in Auckland last week. Nick, who was eligible to compete in the intermediate grade, won the senior boys grade – beating a New Zealand representative from the World Orienteering Champs recently.

Nick was also a member of the Onslow College relay team that placed second.

A big congratulations to Nick!

• Full results

Athletics Wellington has also selected an initial team for the national road champs in Christchurch in the beginning of September. Selected from Olympic Harriers are:

• Sophie Pepperell (W16)
• Lizzy Bunckenberg (W19)
• Kathryn Bunckenberg (W19)
• Mike Waterman (M35)
• Mark Handley (M50)

This is not the complete team – more may be added later.

Athletics Wellington has announced that it has selected the following club members to represent the Wellington province for the national champs in Waikanae in three weeks:

• Sophie Pepperell (W16)
• Lizzy Bunckenberg (W19)
• Kathryn Bunckenberg (W19)
• Elaine Brent (SW)
• Michelle Van Looy (W35)
• Martin McCrudden (M16)
• Mike Waterman (M35)
• Mark Handley (M50)

Congratulations to you all!

UPDATE: the full Wellington team is:

• W16 Sophie Pepperell (O), Ariana Harper (S).
• M16 Kieron McDonald (W), Charles Scannell (W), Shaun Smith (W), Cameron Murdoch (H), Matt Grenfell (T), Nick Lucie-Smith (W), Martin McCrudden (O), Tim Robertson (H).
• W19 Nicole Mitchell (S), Lizzy Bunckenberg (O), Florence Reynolds (S), Kathryn Bunckenberg (O), Laura Robertson (H).
• M19 Ryan McAlister (W), Ben Barry (S), Hassan Roble (W), Matt Pavitt (W), Tim Stewart (K), Julian Baker (W), Josh van Dalen (S), Yared Kebebe (W).
• SW Tina Harris (S), Sarah Gardner (H), Sarah Drought (W), Gabrielle O'Rourke (W), Rebecca Keat (W), Stephanie Mackenzie (S), Elaine Brent (O), Jacinta Swain (H).
• SM Stefan Smith (S), Hamish Carson (S), James Coubrough (S), Evan Cooper (W), Cary Chaffee (W), Ryan Woolley (S), Brendon Blacklaws (S), Terefe Ejigu (S), Stephen Day (S), Hayden Shearman (S).
• 35 Vickie Humphries (W), Gabrielle O'Rourke (W), Virny Meijer-Kortekaas (T), Mandy Simpson (S), Teresa Cox (T), Michelle Van Looy (O), Helen Willis (S).
• 35 Grant McLean (S), Peter Versey (H), Joseph Bulbulia (S), Greg Mitchell (S), Mike Waterman (O), Jim Jones (S), Peter Mackenzie (S), Todd Stevens (S).
• M50 Paul Forster (W), Vaughan New (H), Tony Price (M), Graeme Lear (S), Mark Handley (O), Paul Sharp (W), Steve Plowman (S). 

Athletics Wellington has selected four club members to represent Wellington at the North Island Cross Country champs in Taupo this Saturday. They are:

• W16 Susannah Lynch, Sophie Pepperell
• W19 Elizabeth Bunckenberg, Kathryn Bunckenberg

These athletes will run in the yellow Wellington uniform in their races.

Like last year, the organisers for the centre champs on the 17th of July are using electronic timing. However this year, to speed up the pre-race pick-up, they require competitors to be pre-registered.

The club will will pre-register all members. So most club members don't have to do anything except turnup on the day and pick up their transponders. (Note this is not the same as being entered – it does not oblige you to run!)

However if anyone has not paid their sub and hasn't run a race with us this year, but wishes to run, then you won't be on our books. Please let Malcolm our club registrar know (registrar@olympicharriers.org.nz) immediately!

The Dorne Cup Performance of the Day awards were made at the clubrooms recently:

• Boys/junior men: Matthew Walker (1st club member and 6th overall in the Boys Under 9 grade)
• Girls/junior women: Michaela Walker (1st overall in the Girls Under 11 grade)
• Men: Barry Prosser (for finishing well above his club ranking in the M50 grade – despite being overtaken by Mark Handley at the stream crossings, which is not typical of a Prosser)
• Women: Michelle Van Looy (1st club member in the masters women grade, despite a strong challenge from Tineke)

Brian Watson (President of Wellington Masters Athletics) has announced that the masters 8km road race (based at the Olympic clubrooms) has been changed from 25 July to 1 August.

This change is to avoid clashes with other events.

The Performance of the Day awards for the Vosseler Shield go to:

• Sean Allan (for running very strongly in one of the hardest races on the cross country calendar)
• Amelia Harris (5th in the Girls’ 13 and under running a very good race with a year still in this age group)
• Chris Martin (for finishing well above his club ranking)
• Elaine Brent (for finishing 3rd in the senior women’s race)

We also have some highly commended awards:

• Oscar Harris (for running a very good time in the Vosseler)
• Kushla Smith (for coming in 13th in the 11 and unders when she is only 8)
• Annie Van Herck