CHAMPIONSHIPS
You will find information, qualifiers and results below for:
State Relays
Zone Championships
Region Championships
State Championships
Australian Championships
General Information: In NSW there are about 200 Little Athletics Centres. For Championship purposes, these are divided into 24 Zones. Ku-ring-gai is in the North East Metropolitan Zone (NEMZ), along with our neighbours, Manly Warringah, Mosman and Northern Districts. 
Athletes from these 4 Centres compete at our NEMZ Championships. Then athletes from our Zone compete in the Region 1 (North Metropolitan/Central Coast) Championships. Finally, athletes representing the 5 Regions compete at the NSW State Championships. The State Relays are separate state wide competition where all athletes compete in teams of four. To select and manage our competitors in all these championionships, Ku-ring-gai uses a Selection Panel (including members of the Executive Council and Life Members) and a team of Age Managers. Under 6 athletes do not compete in Championships.
Notification of Selection: Age Managers notify selected athletes by telephone, notice or email as soon as possible after the selection meetings. All selections will also be listed on this website.
Uniform: All selected athletes must wear Ku-ring-gai Centre uniform. This is NOT the Club uniform worn at normal Saturday morning competition at Bannockburn Oval. The uniform is: * Ku-ring-gai singlet top with plain black shorts or sports briefs, or * Ku-ring-gai crop top with plain black shorts or sports briefs. All shorts or sports briefs must be full length (not bikini style). All shorts must be plain black with NO logos, stripes or other brand identification visible. Board shorts and cargo pants are not acceptable. During actual competition, uniform tops must be tucked in. Centre uniform can only be purchased at the Centre. The Uniform Shop will be open for several weeks before each Championship.
Competition Numbers: All athletes must wear: * a Ku-ring-gai Centre number (84) on the back of their uniform top, and * their own registration number (white background) on the front of their top, and * their correct age patch on the front left hand side of their top or shorts. These are provided by your Age Manager.
Footwear: Shoes are compulsory at all Championships. Spikes must NOT be worn by: * any Under 7 or Under 8 athlete, or * any competitor in the 800m, 1500m or 3000m events, or * any competitor in the Walk events. Starting Blocks: These can be used by competitors in all events that are run entirely in lanes. Starting blocks are supplied at the SOPAC, Homebush - athletes must not use their own blocks at this venue. At all other venues, athletes should supply their own blocks if they wish to use them.
Wet Weather: State Relays and State Championships take place regardless of weather conditions. Zone and Region Championships go ahead even if raining, but can be delayed in exceptional circumstances, such as if the ground is flooded.
Ground Entry Fees: Adults are usually asked to pay a small fee at most grounds. Competitors and other children are admitted free of charge.
Parent Helper Roster: As soon as the athletes are selected, parents will be asked to choose a time slot for assisting. These slots are normally about 3 hours long. Vacant slots will be allocated by the Assistants Officer, and details published prior to the Championships.
Facilities: Programmes can be purchased at the grounds. These contain the rules of competition, the names of all competitors, and details of lane draws and the order of competition for field events. A Canteen always operates and lunches are usually available. The availability of seating and shade varies considerably from venue to venue.
Age Managers Age Managers organise and finalise the teams to compete at each Championship for their allotted age group. They are responsible for the management of athletes on competition days and are the first point of contact for athletes and their parents/carers for queries or problems with the conduct of events.
Age Managers do not select athletes to compete at Championships, although they may be asked to participate on the Selection Panel. They notify athletes of their selection and arrange substitutions if a selected athlete is unavailable. They are also able to assist athletes in choosing their events where an athletes has qualified for more events than the number in which they are allowed to compete. The Age Managers are listed under Contact KLAC.
Ranking and Selection of Athletes: Every Saturday morning all athletes' performances in each event are recorded. These records are sorted in order of performance for each age group and event. The results are used to determine the "ranked heats" for track events each week and to select athletes for championships. Prior to the State Relays and Zone Championships, the top 20 athletes this season in each event and age group are identified. These performances are listed in order, checked for correctness, and passed to the Championships Officer for the purpose of making team selections.
To be eligible for inclusion in this ranking process for any event, an athlete must have recorded during normal Saturday morning competition at least: * 2 performances to be considered for State Relays, and * 3 performances to be considered for Zone Championships.
For events held less than 4 times, one performance is sufficient for an athlete to be included. For events held 4 or 5 times, two performances are necessary. Athletes who do not meet the above criteria may be considered in exceptional cases, for example, where they have been injured, ill or absent (eq overseas or on vacation). In these instances, at least one performance must have been recorded since their return, and this performance must rank in the top twelve individual performances for the event. In these cases, justification must be submitted to the Championships Officer prior to the selection meeting.
Some athletes may have tickets for performances that have not been recorded - for example, when competing as a triallist or while not in full uniform. If you would like these performances to be considered for selection purposes, please contact the Records & Rankings Officer well before the date of the relevant selection meeting (see the Calendar for details). Further information on the process of selection for State Relays and Zone Championships is included in the relevant section.
State Relays
Click here for 2009 State Relay Results
This Championship will be held over two days this year - 28 & 29 November 2009, with a wider range of events. The concept is that the events for younger athletes (U8-U11) will be held on the Saturday, and those for older athletes (U12-U17) on the Sunday. Full details, including the program of events, will be published when available. We are not advised of the starting times for individual events but may be given some block timing. Parking may be at some distance from the track so parents should allow plenty of time to park and get to the stadium. Some basic public transport is usually available. We expect that the relays contested will be as listed below. If not stated, there are separate relays for girls and boys.
Under 8 - 9: 4 X 100m, 4 x 200m (mixed - 2 boys, 2 girls), 4 x Long Jump, 2 x Shot, 2 x Discus
Under 10 - 15: 4 X 100m, 4 x 400m (mixed - 2 boys, 2 girls) 2 x Long Jump, 2 x High Jump, 2 x Shot, 2 x Discus
Under 17: 4 x 100m (mixed - 2 boys, 2 girls), 4 x 400m (mixed - 2 boys, 2 girls), 2 x Long Jump, 2 x High Jump, 2 x Shot, 2 x Discus
Junior (U8-Ull): 4 x Middle Distance
Senior (U12-U15): 4 x Middle Distance
Note: Athletes may compete in either track relays or field relays, but not both.
The Centre will try to ensure the maximum number of athletes are given the opportunity to compete at State level, but will also try to ensure that our athletes have the best chance of doing well in each event entered. Ku-ring-gai representatives are selected for the Relays on their Centre performances.
The Championships Officer determines, via the official scoring system and assisted by a software model, which is the optimal track and field relay team for each age group. If any of the members of the optimal team are unavailable, the Age Managers consult the Championships Officer to determine the next optimal team.
Baton changing practice is compulsory for all athletes selected in track relays. This is to teach baton changing technique and to decide running order. Athletes who do not attend these sessions will forfeit their selection. Gold, silver and bronze medals are presented to the first three placegetters, and all reserves who attend the meeting receive equivalant medals. All finalists receive certificates and all participants receive a tracksuit patch.
Zone Championships
The Zone Championships are the first stage towards competing at the State Championships. They are held over both days of one weekend. Athletes compete in a full range of individual events (see the Table of Events for each Age Group in the Technical Information section), and there are Junior and Senior 4 x 100m Relays for both girls and boys.
For the Under 7 to Under 12 age groups, 4 athletes and 2 reserves are selected for each event. For the Under 13 to Under 17 age groups, each athlete selects up to six events in which he or she wishes to compete. Age Managers can help with this decision.
The selection of athletes to compete at the Zone Championships is undertaken by a selection panel appointed by the Executive Council. Age Managers and Executive Committee members normally participate on this panel, but must not rank their own children. Performances at official Ku-ring-gai Little Athletics meetings conducted in the current season are assessed and athletes are given a ranking order according to the following criteria: quality and consistency of performance, and preference is given to the athlete with the most recent good performance.
Athletes are then selected by ranking order for 4 events only, excluding relays. Athletes selected in either relay are notified separately. Athletes in the Under 7 age group do not compete beyond Zone level. They receive medals if they are placed first, second or third on the day. All finalists receive certificates and all participants receive tracksuit patches. Children who accept selection for an event may not withdraw after the heats except if injured or ill. Children who withdraw from an event after the heats to save themselves for the final of their "pet" event may not be seriously considered for selection in another Ku-ring-gai team.
This season's Zone Championships will be held on 30 & 31 January 2010 at the NSW Academy of Sport, Wakehurst Parkway, Narrabeen.
2009/10 Zone Results:
Click here for results by athlete
Click here for full results
Click here for qualifiers from zone to Region Championships
Region Championships
The first 4 placegetters in every individual event at the Zone Championships qualify to compete in the Region Championships. These Championships are held about two weeks after the Zone, and represent a much higher level of competition.
This season's Region Championships will be held on 27-28 February 2010 at Narrabeen.
Click here for the list of events at region
Click here for Saturday program
Click here for Sunday program
Medals are awarded to the first 3 placegetters. All finalists receive certificates and all participants receive tracksuit patches. Athletes in the Under 8 age group do not compete beyond Region level. Usually the basic order of events at Region is the same as at Zone. Because the Under 7 age group does not compete beyond Zone level, these events are missing from the program. Also, most events will have both heats and finals. Both of these factors affect the overall timing of all events. Some events may be held on a different day, for example, the 3000m.
Please check with your Age Manager. However, the Carnival Manager has the right to change the order of events, and may do so at short notice. Athletes are advised to arrive early each day and be prepared to wait for their events.
State Championships
This season, the first 3 placegetters at the Region Championships qualify to compete in the NSW State Championships. (Because there are five Regions in the State, the number to qualify from each Region varies between 3 and 4, on a rotational basis.) The level of competition is usually extremely high; for most athletes, reaching the State Championships is a major achievement. This year some events will be held on the Friday evening prior to the full weekend of competition. This season's State Championships will be held on 19 - 21 March 2010 at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre (SOPAC), Homebush. Medals are awarded to the first 3 placegetters. All finalist receive certificates and all participants receive tracksuit patches. The basic order of events at State is similar to Zone and Region, except for the absence of the Under 7 and Under 8 age groups. Please check with your Age Manager.
Click here for qulafiers from 2008/09 Region to State Championships
Australian Little Athletics Championship
At the end of the last day of the State Championship, a team of 22 Under 13's is selected to compete at these national titles. Two Under 15 boys and two Under 15 girls are also selected to compete in a Multi Event competition held at the same time. This season's Australian Championships will be held on 26 April 2009 in Adelaide. Athletes from each State, the Northern Territory and the ACT compete in each event. These Championships are held in a different State each year, over one day, but with several weeks of training and social functions.
