Western Province Athletics

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1 Western Province Athletics August 2011 Newsletter Editorial It is difficult for WPA to decide which was the most momentous occasion during the month of July our General Manager, Sue Forge, giving birth to her daughter, Ella, or Morne Moolman s massive throw at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Lille, France, which broke the SA and World Youth Championships records by exactly two metres. Since WPA is an athletics organisation, the choice must be the latter. Morne went into the championship having already bettered the old SA record at the CAA Southern Region Championships in Windhoek, Namibia, at the end of May. During the qualifying rounds in Lille he threw a disappointing first round throw of 65m. That was clearly just a warm up, because in the next round he surpassed the automatic qualifying mark of 70m comfortably. In fact, so comfortably that his throw went on and on, landing at 83.16m. It moves him up to second place for the all-time world rankings for the Youth Boys Javelin. Unfortunately, in the final he had to contend with an elbow injury, as well as his teammate, Reinhardt van Zyl. Van Zyl smashed his own PB by a stunning 11m, to win the gold medal. Morne, despite throwing over 80m, had to settle for the silver medal. A championship record and silver medal at a World Championship, especially as the only person who could beat him was another South African, is something to be proud of. Together with the African Junior Champion, Rocco van Rooyen, and SA Youth silver medallist, Jeandre Slabbert, WPA men s javelin throwing looks to be in good hands. Sue kept on working up to the day before she went into hospital, causing a bit of concern for everyone, she obviously knew what she was doing, because the next morning she gave birth to her daughter. While she is on maternity leave she has put contingency plans in place and will no doubt be back online as soon as she can to keep up the great work she has done in the past two years. The WPA half marathon team also took part at the SA Half Marathon Championships in Port Elizabeth at the beginning of the month. Their performance and those of the track & field athletes at the World Youth Championships in France and the CAA Southern Region Championships in Maputo, Mozambique show that WP athletes, with the right support, are amongst the best around. With a view to ensuring that this continues, the WPA Development Programme is in full swing. During the summer months coaches course will again be held; and Technical Officials courses are currently being held. It is a bit disappointing, however, that the TO courses are not being well supported. The question must be asked whether clubs are passing information about them down to their members. Clubs will benefit by having more technical officials in their clubs, as they don t need to be sourced from WPA or other clubs for their own events. August sees the WPA Cross Country Championships at the CPUT Bellville South Campus, as well as several road races. Entries for the Cape Town Marathon are open, and clubs are encouraged to support this event. This is an event which is organised for the primary benefit of WPA and it is given great support by the City of Cape Town. There has been a change to the finish area, which will be announced shortly. Finally, the World Championships in Athletics take place at the end of the month. WPA will have at least one representative there. The championships will be live on Super Sport. This is athletics at the highest level and are definitely recommended viewing if you can get access to a decoder.

2 Commission News RACE WALKING The WPA Race Walking Commission welcomes Hannes Swanepoel back from his participation in the World Masters Championships in Sacramento. Hannes took 5th place (M45-49) in the 5000m (24:47:21), the 10000m (51:26:80) and again in the 20km (1:46:46). Congratulations on your excellent performances Hannes. We are looking forward to the next Race Walking Grand Prix on the 6th August which is being fine-tuned in preparation for the ASA 50km Championship to be held in October. This Grand Prix will include a 30km distance for anyone looking for an opportunity to get some distance in before the 50km Championship, as well as the 20km, 10km, and 5km development races. Bring your family, friends and braai skottel while you cheer our athletes on... This month we asked Peggy Reid to tell us a little more about herself. Peggy, who won the WPA Female Race-walker of the Year award, was also the overall winner of our League races for Well done Peggy, you are truly an inspiration: 1. Where and what type of work do/did you do? My first job was as a telegraphist in the Central Telegraph Office at the G.P.O. in Cape Town, where I met my late husband, Clive. After I had my second child, I became a full time mom or home executive as you would call it nowadays. 2. Where and with whom do you live? I live in Meadowridge, my daughter, Celeste, and my young granddaughter, Cheyenne, live with me. 3. How long have you been race-walking? I have been race-walking since 2004 when I joined Spartan Harriers and participated in my first race in 2005 at the age of How did you start? A friend told me about this athletics club down the road where one could join as a walker or a runner and I thought it was a great way to keep fit. Little did I know at the time, what a huge part of my life it would become and that I would be blessed with an extended family with all the amazing members of Spartan Harriers (walkers and runners alike). 5. What has been your greatest race-walking achievement so far? My greatest race-walking achievement so far is being awarded my National Masters Athletics Colours in What is your next goal? I sincerely hope and pray that I still get a chance to compete in a World Masters Championship. 7. What is your favourite race, and why? My favourite races are the league races, which I absolutely love, as I feel I get stronger as the race progresses. 8. What is your favourite type of training session? A nice early Saturday morning walk of 12k or more. 9. Describe an average day in your life? An average day in my life is difficult to detail as everyday is different. Between family, church, Spartan Harriers, friends and other commitments, life is satisfying. 10. How would you describe your dietary habits? I don't follow a strict diet. I have always just eaten healthily, made easy by the fact that I love fruit.

3 11. Do you have any other sporting interests? I also participate in Cross Country and really enjoy the vibe. Hiking is something else which I discovered and I find it quite exhilarating on the mountains. I enjoy supporting our national and provincial rugby teams. 12. What other hobbies are you interested in? Although I wouldn¹t classify it as a hobby, but more as a passion, I do sing in the church choir and find it spiritually uplifting. 13. What do you do to relax? When there¹s time to relax, I love to sit down and get stuck into a challenging crossword puzzle or put my feet up and watch Animal Planet on DSTV. 14. Tell us something about yourself that we'd be surprised to know? About 8 years ago, I arrived home to find that my home had been burgled. I had noticed 2 shifty characters walking up the road with a suitcase and large sports bag. I put 2 and 2 together and managed to confront them. With the help of a passing motorist and a council worker, we were able to apprehend at least one of the culprits (who we later discovered was armed with a large knife) and got a few of the goods back. The joke in my family from then was, who needs neighbourhood watch when we have mom (granny). Club News ATC RUNNING ATC Running Kids at the Strandfontein Cross Country Event The Strandfontein Cross Country event was selected as the kick-off event for the WPA Kid s Athletics Development Program. ATC Running is participating in the program and will be coaching 20 kids from Parkdene, AME and Scottsville Primary Schools in Kraaifontein through the program. For the next couple of weeks the kids will be participating in the Cross Country League events and in summer the program will take them through informal and playful field athletics sessions. Four of the ATC Running coaches and facilitators have already attended the facilitators training course and their skills were put to the test on Saturday at the Cross Country event. There was no equipment involved but from the moment our full complement of 20 kids, aged 8 to 14, arrived at the event, Barry and Yolanda Goliath had their hands full getting the kids entered, fed and to the start line. Yolanda even managed to do the race herself as well! The wind was too strong for us to put up the ATC Gazebo so we had to demarcate an area for the kids using feather banners. The kids learnt the art of completing the little race cards and managed very well under those windy conditions. For ATC Running the emphasis of the program is on promoting participation amongst the kids rather than achieving top results. However, we will keep track of their progress on our website and are eagerly awaiting the results to see how well they listened to Barry s meticulous instructions regarding the club name!

4 The kids seemed to take the racing in their stride, literally, and this is indeed encouraging for the future of this program. The ATC Sunset Team Time Trial Event, to be held in Green Point Park on 12 October 2011, is well suited to kids racing and has been earmarked as one of the events that the kids will participate in. We are looking forward to seeing them in action there. The field events coming up are also going to be exciting to watch and will be fun for the kids as the field athletics equipment has been designed to be more like toys than formal field equipment. We would urge you to come and watch these events. To keep track of ATC Development and the Sunset Team Time Trial Event please visit ARD ATHLETIC CLUB A few road running friends practicing in Grassy Park saw the need for a running club in the area. Grassy Park is situated next to impoverished areas like Lavender Hill, Retreat, Vrygrond and Seawind where there are very few sporting activities. A local businessman from Grassy Park was approached for sponsorship and he agreed to play a part in starting the club. From this union ARD Athletic Club was born in ARD Concrete continues to enjoy a relationship with the club and the distinctive Red band on the white vest became a familiar sight at WPA events. (ARD is the initials of the original founder of the company; Arsene Roger Durler) The main aim of the club is to promote healthier lifestyles and provide sporting alternatives to combat crime in the area. Initially the club s members came from the Grassy Park and surrounding areas; this has now changed and we have members from Kenwyn, Ottery, Lansdowne, Surrey Estate, Woodstock and Maitland. ARD prides itself on promoting family values and is open to all creeds, cultures, ages and beliefs. ARD Events: Training: In summer: Tuesday and Thursday at Chukker Road, from 17h30 In Winter: Tuesday and Thursday from Vigilance Hall, Wynberg at 18h15. Sunday runs: If there are no WPA races we do a Long, Slow, Distance run of hours from various venues. The selected venue is announced beforehand via or sms and we have had runs in Constantia, Sea Point and Chukker Road. Groups: A walking group is being managed for all ages and new members, while our runners are split into various groups at the practices. Time trials: The last Thursday of each month we hold our time trials. The times are recorded by the Coach and Club Captain. A highlight is the spot prize draw and three participating runners win a gift.

5 Cross country: Some members participate in this series where the focus is on fun and socialising. Accommodation: For races outside of the peninsula, accommodation is booked beforehand to keep members together at the same venue. We recently completed the Knysna Forest Half Marathon in Knysna - which ARD members organised beforehand and completed successfully. Races: After races our members have breakfast under the ARD gazebo - light snacks and beverages are on offer from members generosity. We compete in most WPA events and have achieved position 1 on the 2011 League log recently a first for us. This has generated a lot of interest in our club and we are hoping that our Inaugural race in September will be supported by all clubs in WPA. Fundraising: We have a Zumba exercising session event every month. This fulfills one of our other aims; to promote exercise and healthier lifestyles while raising funds as well. Follow us on Facebook: ARD Concrete Athletics Club - for our next event and to view our galleries. Club Colours: Look out for our members in their distinctive new white, blue and red gear. We usually assemble under the ARD blue gazebo after events. Do join us for breakfast and to have a chat. Website: Please visit our website to learn more about our club and it s activities. Forthcoming Events: Our 10 km 3 Vlei Road Race and 5km fun- run takes place on Sunday 18 September 2011 in Grassy Park. This is our inaugural race and will be the first race of its sort in Grassy Park. Members are hard at work to make this race a success and we look forward to support from all clubs to achieve this goal. The beneficiaries of this race will be; the League of the Friends of the Blind Organization (LOFOB) and the S.P.C.A. animal care society. In the fun- run we hope to attract many school children and youth and the not too fit participants of all ages, to enjoy a brisk exercise in Grassy Park. In the 10km road race we hope to obtain more than one thousand runners to enjoy the three wetlands in the area. We hope to recruit more youth and juniors after our event, as we wish to promote running development in our area. Awards Evening; This will take place in January 2012; to acknowledge our members who performed well during the year. CELTIC HARRIERS 52 nd Don Lock Memorial 8km Celtic Harriers is proud to present the 52 nd running of the Don Lock Memorial 8km on Sunday 21 st August. The race was started in 1960 to commemorate the death of our club member who was killed in an accident. The start this year has moved back to its more traditional spot in Lansdowne Road in front of Brookside. The 8km starts at 07h30 and the 5km Fun Run at 07h45. The route is the traditional fast and flat 5 miler past Rondebosch Common. The finish will be on the Villager B field. Although the 5km Fun Run this year is not part of the Move for Health programme, we would still like to encourage youngsters and mums and dads to come out for some healthy exercise while the big guns battle it out over the longer distance. The list of past winners of the Don Lock reads like a who s who in WP middle distance athletics. In the men: Willie Olivier who won the first nine races, Ferdie la Grange, Danie Malan, De Villiers Lamprecht, Julian Marsay, Greg Liefeldt, Peter Williams, Marius-Hugo Schlechter, John September, Makhosonke Fika and Lindikhaya Mthangayi to name but a few. The ladies list is no less impressive; Judy Ryan, Isavel Roche-Kelly, Janet Grieve, Elana van Zyl, Monica Drogemoller, Jenifer Bam, Juliet Prowse, Esme Solomons, Nolene Conrad and Thuliswa Nonkonyana amongst others. We encourage you to join us and run in the footsteps of these great athletes.

6 The women s course record is held by Elana Meyer at 25 min 35 secs. The men s record of 22min 51sec is held by John September. The entry fee is R25 for adults and R15 for Juniors. Parking is available in Brookside but will close at 06h45 or when full. Parking is also available at Claremont Primary School. Prize money is offered in all the usual age categories and for open teams. Medals for the first 1000 finishers. See you there. EASTERNS KRAAIFONTEIN AC FAIRBRIDGE MALL, 15Km RUN & 10Km WALK Easterns Kraaifontein AC invites everyone to come and experience our brand new 15km run and 10km walk on 20 August 2011 at Fairbridge Mall, Old Paarl Road in Brackenfell starting at 07h15. The venue offers lots of safe parking. The 15km route offers a subtle combination of flats, gentle ups, a short but steep 500m incline known as Helling, and enjoyable downs as you meander towards the finish line. The 10km walk route is mostly flat. There will be some great spot prizes and stunning, glazed finishers medals for every participant. Directions: From N2: From N1: From Paarl: Enquiries: Take R300; take Old Paarl Rd turnoff; turn right into Old Paarl Rd; drive for about 1km, FB Mall will be on your right From Cape Town take Old Oak Rd turnoff; turn right into Old Oak Rd; turn left into Old Paarl Rd; drive for about 1.5km; FB Mall will be on your right. Take Brackenfell Boulevard turnoff; turn right into Brackenfell Boulevard; turn right into Old Paarl Rd; FB Mall will be on your left. William / willden@telkomsa.net ESKOM GIJIMAS ATHLETIC CLUB Cross Country League 5 The 5 th Cross Country League was hosted by Eskom Gijimas on Saturday 18 June 2011 at the Koeberg Nature Reserve. Our spectators on the route and on the field enjoyed it just as much, as the runners did. DEFENCE ATHLETIC CLUB Defence WP Achievements in the 2011 Washie 100 Miler At 5PM on Friday 15 July 2011 five Defence WP Athletes and an ex WP member from Pretoria were part of a field of 47 who started in the 2011 Washie 100 Miler in Port Alfred. Many hours, 160 km, no blisters and only one walking wounded later all 6 Athletes were amongst the 40 who successfully finished the race at the Buffalo Road Runners club house grounds in East London. The

7 race was won by Jeremiah Botha of Albany Road Runners in 17:12:16 with Gail Langley of the Host club (Buffalo Road Runners) finishing as the top woman and 3 rd overall in 18:33:24. The WP Defence Athletes achieved the following results: - Peter Kwa Kwa (5 races) 13 th in 20:06:03 (Permanent number 136). - Siyanda Khuzwayo (novice) 15 th in 20:30:23. - Katiso Monoane (3 races) 22 nd in 22:31:33. - David Ditsela (4 races) 23 rd in 23:07:04. - Derick Mbhele (novice) 24 th in 23:07:04 The ex WP member, Patrick Lucky Duze completed his first Washie in 24:15:19 for 32 nd place. Defence WP took the Team and Most members from a club trophies for the 6 th consecutive year. EDGEMEAD RUNNERS Although we are in the midst of winter it is always good to see the number of members at races and sharing in the enthusiasm. There were only a few races to choose from in July, yet some great times were run by our members. Well done to all of you, keep up the great running. Despite cold & rainy conditions 27 club members participated in the Spookhill 15km Race in Somerset West on Saturday, 2 July Thank you for your commitment guys! Saturday, 9 July 2011 saw the annual running of the Pick 'n Pay Knysna Marathon & Half Marathon. 9 Club Members participated in the marathon & 29 members participated in the half marathon. This was indeed a brilliant turnout for the club & most made a weekend out of it. The weather played along and apart from the bitterly cold conditions at the start on Saturday morning the rest of the weekend saw good summery conditions. The event definitely offers one of the most scenic & picturesque routes in South Africa, the views are spectacular! 1 Club member completed his 1 st marathon & 4 members completed their very 1 st half marathon. Well done to Marc Bester, Ilse Jansen, Natasha Whiteboyd, Mandy Fox & Wendy Hansby! There was also good club representation at the Dave Spence Memorial 10km race, the Saldanha 21.1km race & the Voet of the Wine Route 10km league race. Our weekly time trials and club runs are well attended and our beginner group is still growing on a weekly basis. Thanks to Gavin, Erwin, Pierre & Faffa for your commitment & guidance! Cross country is also going strong with the league 6 & 7 races taking place in July. Thanks to all the faithful members for your dedication in attending all these races. There is also a growing interest amongst club members in trail running and a number of members have participated in various events in the Western Cape. August is a big month for the club. Our annual Women s Day Challenge takes place on Tuesday, 9 August at our new venue, N1 City. We believe this will be a big success. More on the event in next month s WPA Newsletter. See you all there! MATES ATHLETIC CLUB New Trail Run on the calendar! There are a lot of events around our beloved Table Mountain these days, the Northern suburbs and even the wine lands are attracting their share of races, but what about our mates up the West Coast? Ahhah! We have the answer: the BCA MATES Trail Challenge is set for the 15th of October 2011 in the Blaauwberg Conservation Area. With stunning views of Table Mountain, you can run either the 15km or the 8km route. Check out the MATES website for all the details and registration form: The race is organised in conjunction with the Friends of BCA, which is a non-profit organisation made up of volunteers protecting the Blaauwberg Conservation Area (BCA). While our mission might be to run the whole race in this beautiful area (even those up hills!), their goal is to ensure it's utilised to the benefit of the general public now and for the future. (We won't quibble over whose mission is more honourable...)

8 The proceeds of the race will go to the BCA, which is only 25km s from the centre of town and regarded as a global biodiversity hot spot. It s about ha in size and is a rich mosaic of natural, cultural and historical elements. Being so close to Cape Town also means the area has the potential to become an open-air classroom, easily accessible to millions of people in its proximity. The race is sure to be a wonderful way to explore this beautiful area. Come on out for a run in our own "front yard" - we'll see you there! WPA Development WPA KIDS ATHLETICS PROGRAMME Western Province Athletics launched the exciting Kids Athletics Development programme this month. The Kids Athletics Facilitators course took place on 13, 14 and 16 July and was attended by 24 club representatives and over 60 children between the ages of 8 and 14 years. It was a resounding success and I would like to congratulate the facilitators on their commitment and enthusiasm. We witnessed just under a 100 kids from our programme taking part in the Cross Country League 6 which took place at Strandfontein on Saturday 23 July. Watch this space for some exciting news.

9 August Event Diary DATE DAY EVENT DIST TIME VENUE CLUB Contact Person Contact No. 06-Aug-11 Sat Cross Country League 8 X/C 12:30 Pollsmoor Correctional Services AC (WP) Andy James andyjames@vodamail.co.za 06-Aug-11 Sat WPA Walking Grand Prix 3 30 W 07:30 Youngsfield WPA Race Walking Eswee Walters swalters@cybersmart.co.za Sat WPA Walking Grand Prix 3 20 W 07:30 Youngsfield WPA Race Walking Eswee Walters swalters@cybersmart.co.za Sat WPA Walking Grand Prix 3 10 W 09:00 Youngsfield WPA Race Walking Eswee Walters swalters@cybersmart.co.za Sat WPA Walking Grand Prix 3 Development Race 5 W 10:00 Youngsfield WPA Race Walking Eswee Walters swalters@cybersmart.co.za 07-Aug-11 Sun Leapfrog Gordon's Bay 21 07:30 Gordon's Bay Strand AC Kevin / Lester / Aug-11 Tues Womens Day Challenge 10 08:00 N1 City Mall Edgemead AC Marc Naumann wdc@edgemeadrunners.org.za Tues Womens Day Challenge :00 N1 City Mall Edgemead AC Marc Naumann wdc@edgemeadrunners.org.za 13-Aug-11 Sat WPA Cross Country Championship X/C 08:00 Bellville Stadium Bonteheuwel AC Andy James andyjames@vodamail.co.za 14-Aug-11 Sun Reutech Solutions John Korasie 30 07:00 Navy Sports Field Simonstown Defence AC Will Honeyman willhoneyman@webmail.co.za 20-Aug-11 Sat Easterns 15km 15 07:15 Fairbridge Mall, Brackenfell Easterns Kraaifontein AC William Swartbooi willden@telkomsa.net Sat Easterns 10 Walk 10 07:30 Fairbridge Mall, Brackenfell Easterns Kraaifontein AC William Swartbooi willden@telkomsa.net 21-Aug-11 Sun Don Lock Memorial 8 07:30 Claremont Primary School, Claremont Celtic Harriers AC Sharon Austen mwceltic@mweb.co.za Sun Don Lock Memorial Fun Run 5 07:45 Claremont Primary School, Claremont Celtic Harriers AC Sharon Austen mwceltic@mweb.co.za 26-Aug-11 Fri Hi - Tec Tuffer Puffer :00 V & A to Cape Point to V & A Fish Hoek AC Serena Haupt puffer@fishhoekac.com 27-Aug-11 Sat Hi - Tec Puffer 80 05:30 Cape Point to V & A Fish Hoek AC Serena Haupt puffer@fishhoekac.com 27-Aug-11 Sat Atlantis 15 08:00 Wesfleur Park, Atlantis Atlantis Harriers AC Desmond Arendse Desmond.Arendse@capetown.gov 28-Aug-11 Sun Blisters for bread 18 08:00 Green Point Cricket Club Top Events info@topevents.co.za Sun Blisters for bread 10 08:30 Green Point Cricket Club Top Events info@topevents.co.za Sun Blisters for bread 5 09:00 Green Point Cricket Club Top Events info@topevents.co.za Should you wish to share your club or event news please send the information to sue@wpathletics.co.za JJOIN US ON FACEBOOK