SATURDAY COMPETITION

Competition is held every Saturday morning, including most school holidays, at Bannockburn Oval, Bannockburn Road, Pymble. Javelin and some of the longer distance events are held between 8:15am and 8:45am. A warm-up for all athletes is held at 8:30am so that we can start our first events at 8:45am. Events finish by 12 noon as we must be off the oval by 12:30pm. Any missed events are taken into account when determining attendance awards and championships selection.

Facilities

Bannockburn Oval caters for all our events. The Amenities Block includes equipment storage, toilets and our Canteen. The Canteen sells drinks, ice blocks, confectionery, light snacks and runs a BBQ. All proceeds go to our Centre. Water bubblers are available and shade is limited.

Wet Weather Arrangements

Saturday morning competition is only cancelled if there is, or will be, substantial rainfall at the starting time at Bannockburn Oval. Any decision to cancel competition will be made prior to 8am. If competition is cancelled, a message will be posted on this web site between 7:45am and 8am. A notice will also be displayed at the Oval shortly after the decision is made. Decisions to cancel are delayed until the last possible minute in order to avoid unnecessary cancellations during the changeable spring/summer weather.

Age Groups

Children are divided into age groups for competition. The grouping depends on their age as at 30 September 2009. Children who are five years old are called Under 6's. This is the youngest age group. The oldest age group is the Under 17's for athletes who are 15 or 16 years old at that date.

Clubs

To compete at the Ku-ring-gai Little Athletics Centre, children join one of the six affiliated Clubs: Gordon, Pymble, St Ives, Turramurra, Wahroonga and West Pymble. For further information email info@klac.org.au.

Uniform

The Saturday morning Club uniform comprises a T-shirt and black shorts or sports briefs. These are not sold at the Centre, but can be purchased at any store. The uniform T-shirts are: Pymble - Gold T-shirt Turramurra - White T-shirt West Pymble - Light Blue T-shirt Wahroonga - Red T-shirt Gordon - Dark Blue T-shirt St Ives - Bottle Green T-shirt Each athlete is issued with a registration number, age group number (age patch) and sponsor's patch. Athletes must always wear their uniform, this year's registration number, age group number and sponsor's patch, or their performances will not be recognised. The only exceptions to this rule are: on the first two days of the season with special permission from the Track and Field Officer if the Centre cannot supply the numbers for any reason. The registration number, age group number and sponsor's patch are sewn on the T-Shirt as shown below. Sponsor's details must be visible.

Key Assistants

All events are supervised by Key Assistants. They support parent helpers to ensure the smooth running of events and the accuracy of recorded results. They will explain the various tasks to be undertaken by parents prior to the start of each Saturday morning competition.

Parent Help

Parent help is compulsory because it is a critical factor in the success of the Ku-ring-gai Little Athletics Centre. It assists in the smooth running of our Saturday morning competitions as well as behind-the-scenes administrative support and Centre management. Parents are rostered to help at least one week in three during the competition season.  Some parents are able to assist more frequently, and we welcome their contribution.  Parents are encouraged to become accredited officials in one or more events. Parent help is compulsory for parents of U6 to U15 athletes.  U17 athletes are encouraged to assist appropriately, as competition allows.

Newsletter

A weekly newsletter is available by email, on this web site or from your Club Table every Saturday. Please read it each week as it contains important, up to date information. Newsletters can be found on this web site via the Newsletters link.

Parent Attendance

Parents must be in attendance at the oval when their child is competing. Failure to do so may result in the child being withdrawn from events.

Grounds

Kur-ring-gai Council marks the track and maintains the facilities at Bannockburn Oval. It is our responsibility to keep the grounds clean and tidy.

Parking

Parking is not allowed in Reservoir Lane on Saturdays. Please do not block driveways or obstruct the road unnecessarily. Please do not double park at any time.

Out of Bounds

Climbing on the Amenities Block is forbidden. The steep embankment near Birubi Avenue and the bush areas are out of bounds. This is for safety reasons.

Footwear

Shoes are compulsory for all events as sharp objects (eg glass, sticks) may be found on the oval. Under 13 to 15 athletes may wear spikes in laned events and jumps, but not in pack start events. Spikes must be removed on the finish line or as soon as the jump is completed and must be carried in a suitable bag. Irresponsible spike use will incur a spike use ban. Under 9 to 12 athletes may wear spike shoes with the spikes removed or with blanks inserted. Random shoe inspections will be carried out to ensure the safety of all athletes.

Recording of Performances

The Centre records every performance by every athlete each Saturday morning and gives each athlete a ticket showing this performance. Triallists, athletes not in uniform and athletes who have registered that morning may not have their performances recorded. All recorded performances are entered onto our data base and are available on our website later in the week. They are also used to select athletes for Championships. Any performance queries should be directed to your Club Table.

Ranked Races

After the first two weeks, track events that are run in lanes are graded by times achieved. Within each age group, children in a given heat will be as evenly matched as possible. Gradings are reviewed throughout the season. This task is performed by our Records and Rankings team. Events run on the inner circular track (200m & 400m) will have ranked heats; the remainder of the athletes will run in heats if time permits, but if time is short, the balance of the age group will compete in a pack start format. This decision will be made at the discretion of the Track & Field Officer in order to complete our program in a timely manner.

Ku-ring-gai Kids

Promotional events for siblings under six years of age, are held when time permits. These are fun races, jumps and throws. Parents may allow their children to participate at their own risk

Lost Property

The Centre maintains a Lost Property Box. Unclaimed property is collected at the end of each morning and placed in this box. The box is kept in the Amenities block. Please check its contents regularly. At the end of the season, the remaining contents of the Lost Property box are donated to charity.

Insurance

Participants in athletics activities risk personal injury and/or loss. The Ku-ring-gai Little Athletics Centre Inc. does not accept responsibility or liability for such injury or loss. If you do not accept the risk of personal injury and/or loss, you should not participate in athletics activities with the Ku-ring-gai Little Athletics Centre Inc. The Australian Little Athletics insurance scheme provides insurance cover for the benefit of all registered members, participants trialling before becoming a member, coaches, voluntary workers and officials of the Centre and its Clubs. This covers a range of injuries and other misadventures whilst a registered athlete is competing at our regular meetings or LAANSW competitions or a Ku-ring-gai Little Athletics Centre coaching session. Further details are available from the Secretary (secretary@klac.org.au).

Personal Protection and Intervention Policy

The Kur-ring-gai Little Athletics Centre is a party to and endorses the Little Athletics NSW Personal Protection and Intervention Policy. We are firmly committed to a co-ordinated and comprehensive approach to promote the protection of children and adults. In accordance with the NSW Government principles for child protection and intervention, we aim to promote a safe environment for all children and adults and to recognise and notify suspected child abuse and neglect. A copy of our full policy is available from the Secretary (secretary@klac.org.au) on request. Child members have the right to: be safe be listened to be respected be protected from abuse by other children be referred to appropriate professional help if needed. Verbal notification of child abuse or neglect related to Little Athletics must be made to the President or Vice President (president@klac.org.au). The Chief Executive Officer of the Little Athletics Association of NSW (kokeefe@laansw.com.au) must also be notified (see also Executive Council in the Introduction for contact details). They will coordinate the response of the appropriate government agencies. Such matters will be treated with complete confidentiality. The Kur-ring-gai Little Athletics Centre has a policy to meet and exceed the NSW Government's Child Safe Scheme requirements, including but not limited to, obtaining relevant declarations from individuals having one-to-one supervision of children.

Privacy Statement To view our privacy statement Click here

Weekly Program

The Saturday morning events program operates on a six week cycle. The first Saturday morning is Week 1, the second Saturday is Week 2, and so on. Once Week 6 is completed, the program starts again at Week 1. If a meeting is cancelled, the cancelled program takes place the following week. These 6 weekly programs are listed under Six Week Program

Christmas Breakup Day and Last Day

On the last day before Christmas a modified program of events will be held. On the last day of the season, events will be timed or measured but no records will be established. During the morning, our Under 15 athletes will be farewelled, our State competitors will be acknowledged, and at the conclusion of events, each Club will hold its own Presentation function. Best performance certificates for the 2009/2010 season will be presented at the Ku-ring-gai Presentation Day and BBQ on 28 March 2010 at the North Turramurra Public School Hall from 12:30pm to 3pm.

Care of your Athlete

First Aid is available at the Amenities Block. Sunscreen is usually available from the Canteen. The following guidelines were provided by Dr David McGilvray from Hornsby Sports Medicine.

Heat Stress

Heat stress is a major threat to children in hot and humid conditions. It is essential that children drink plenty of fluids during the Saturday morning program. It is also essential to maximise the use of shade, hats and sunscreen to prevent sunburn and heat stress.

Injury Prevention

 Injury prevention is the aim in all sports. A thorough warmup with jogging and stretching is essential to achieve this. A warmup should be performed prior to starting to compete. Stretching should be continued between events, especially if there is a time gap.

Sports Medicine Guidelines on Injuries

The common injuries in Little Athletics are muscle strain injuries and strain injuries where tendons join bone. The first aid treatment of these injuries involves: Rest Ice Compression with a firm bandage Elevation R Rest is continued until the acute pain has settled. Ice is applied for 10 to 15 minutes each two to three hours until the swelling has settled. Compression is applied with a firm bandage until swelling has been controlled. Rehabilitation should aim to return the injured athlete to a condition where their risk of re-injury has been absolutely minimised. It is based on accurate diagnosis, early mobilisation, stretching and strengthening exercises. Technique correction is often required as well to prevent re-injury. Any athlete who experiences pain repeatedly in the same area requires careful assessment.

Program of Events

To view our six weekly programs Click here