A voice for all walkers!

Transcription

1 Number 14: June 2017 Supported by the AGN Racewalk Commission A voice for all walkers! Age Grading, how it works and why different tables give varying result I have had several requests to explain age grading since this has become important to many masters walkers in monitoring performance. I agree that it is an excellent monitor especially to track ones relative performance with others as well as with your younger self. Best of all it can show even more dramatically than your actual time whether you are on a plateau, you are improving, or you have work to do to get back to your best! It is most important right up front to realise that although it is a great performance monitor for yourself, in South Africa age grading has no meaning beyond that in racewalking. In other words, the various tables that represent medal standards, Provincial colour standards and National colour standards are NOT based in these tables in South Africa. Secondly there may be several differing ways in which the age grading tables are calculated. The fact that age grading tables exist means that there is a broad acceptance that we lose speed and strength as we age. The idea is that with these tables we can monitor our performance at any time and make comparisons to a younger self, or to another person of a different age, male or female. However a word of caution! Don t think that if you, at age 60, have a higher percentage than one of our Olympic athletes, you missed out perhaps you are just lucky in that you age far better than the norm! The tables that I produce are based on one year age groups (If I have your age wrong you are welcome to inform me sometimes I must guess), whereas the results shown for example in provincial and National results tend to use 5 year age groups. The reason for this is that we compete in 5 year age groups and records are kept in 5 year age groups. The problem with 5 year age groups is that if you keep walking at the same pace all the way through the age group the percentage will show no change then suddenly jump (for the same walking speed) when you move in the next age group, however the 1 year breakdown will give a far better indication of how you are performing at your current age. Male walker Per year table 5 year table Open Record 00:37:11 00:37:11 Time 00:59:30 00:59: % 76.7% % % % 77.4% % % % 81.5% The age grade relates to the world record, but which record? One could use the current record for that age (age category) or the world open record. Both methods can be used and do have some validity. I prefer the use of the open record; however this does lead to some incongruities especially in the advanced age categories where some tweaking of the tables is still required. The cause of this is essentially the fact that as time goes on people tend to age better so performances at age improve quite rapidly. There are currently several base tables available. The first age-graded tables were produced in 1989 by WAVA (now WMA) and contained Age Factors and Age-Standards. They were revised and updated in 1994 to include younger age groups, and again updated in 2003, 2006, 2010 and I do not know which tables are used by provincial and national systems, but I believe that the one that I use is the most recent which are the 2015 tables. It is possible that others may still be using the 2010 tables. Although similar the two tables differ in detail since the pattern of performance at age is rapidly changing. To calculate the tables great quantities of results were analysed and subjected to statistical analysis to determine a consistent curve between the best performances at all ages. The curves are used to determine the Age-Standards in one-year divisions, with 100% being an approximation of the world-best performance at that age. It is important to note that the Age-Standards apply to individual years and are therefore not the same as masters world records, as these are determined as the best performance in a 5-year age group. Hence someone who is in the later years of an age group may well record over 100% without breaking a world record. The best way to use the resultant data is to track your own performance, it is also a great way to set improvement goals for yourself that are reasonable since the data takes normal average aging into account. It is also very useful to estimate your time in a different distance to the one you have information for! Issue 14 1 June 2017

2 Let us say that you walked a 20 km in 2:06:38 (my time last year in October) then the predictions given by this method are: Example 2 Male walker Time m 00:30: km 01:01: km 02:06: km 03:15: km 05:35:22 64 Comrades up (87 km)* 12:33:34 Clearly although good indications they are far from correct in detail! Both before and after that day I have walked several sub 60 minute 10kms (best 57:57) as well as several sub 30 minute 5kms (best 28:57.1). I would also feel quite insecure at accepting the predictions for longer distances. To get an estimate for the comrades up I had to use a few tricks since there is no actual walking record for the Comrades, but this is enough to tell me that I will NOT be able to walk it under the cutoff! Some countries use age grading directly to decide on the level of the athlete so this is something that you can do as well for yourself Class of athlete as determined by age grade 100% = Approximate World-Record Level 90+% = World Class 80+% = National Class 70+% = Regional Class 60+% = Local Class For general reference here is the age graded 70% table. In countries using this system, this is the level you would need to achieve for provincial selection. You will notice the requirements set by the AGN walking commission (see Appendix) for selection for the interprovincial this year are a lot tougher than this! There is much criticism of the age grading system but it works pretty well if you compare like with like. It should not really be used with total confidence across sports types. There has been a lot of criticism regarding the seeming leniency for older athletes and this is probably where the 2015 tables had the most impact. I would imagine that there will be another iteration around 2020 to iron out any real issues that have been found. Source: Chrisc, References: Peter Sandery. Issue 14 2 June 2017

3 Walker of the month Natalie Le Roux (nee Fourie) Natalie is a Cape Town girl, She and her sister Melanie are twin daughters of wonderful parents Peter and Mary Fourie. Natalie attended the Fanie Theron Primary School and then Stellenberg High in Eversdal Cape Town. Natalie was always very sporty at school, playing all the sports on offer In her matric year (2000) Natalie joined a local running club to get her license number to take part in various running races (just casual jogging). The evening she collected her number she saw some people race walking - and so they say the rest is history! Natalie met her first coach (Chris Carstens), and was blessed to make various Western Province teams and the National team in In 2012 a good friend of hers - also a well-known race walker Rusanne Harris was teaching at a local school in Worcester, and it was there that the walking bug started to bite again. Rusanne had started coaching walking at a local primary school. However, after she relocated with her family to Swellendam, she asked Natalie to help take over the athletes. It was the children that helped Natalie get back the passion for race walking. So it was, that in , she coached a wonderful group of children that are today successful in their own right. Natalie at the Interprovincial in Oudtshoorn Natalie went to Stellenbosch University where she studied Consumer Food science completing her honours degree in Natalie met Koen Le Roux in 2003 and they were married in Natalie feels very privileged to have a son born on the 2/2/2012 (J De wet le Roux). They are a very sporty family and love spending time outdoors. The WPA team to the SA Championships in 2007 The family relocated to Durban in September of 2014 and still live there. Natalie still works for the same company although it is now known as RCL foods. In 2015 Natalie wanted to start walking seriously again. All it took was one message to Marc Mundell and some back and forth SMS s with new Coach Oliver Mundell. She was at her first training the next night in May Natalie loves the sport and really enjoyed being back into walking. She is very grateful for her supportive husband and family for allowing her to be able to walk again, without their support getting back would not have been possible. Natalie walking for her new club in Durban Natalie started working at Rainbow in Worcester 2005 and stayed in the wonderful town just outside of Cape Town for just on 10 years. However working and hard training do not go well together and so training became more difficult. She slowly stopped competing; she just did the occasional road race, but that was all. Issue 14 3 June 2017

4 Natalie s parents retired last year and moved from Cape Town to Durban. They now stay with Natalie and Koen and are so exceptionally supportive. Without their help, Natalie feels that her training would not have been possible. Natalie and Koen enjoy a full, sport filled life, but each concentrating only on their forte he runs and she walks. Koen has just completed his 3rd comrades and her 5 year old son is already into sport being especially keen on golf and cricket! Natalie striding out at the 2016 Interprovincial Champs Racewalking and your body Management of ankle sprains Desiree de Wet Specific movements must occur during the gait cycle in racewalking to ensure correct technique. The supporting leg must be straightened when the heel touches down. The foot contacts the ground and rolls inwards (pronates). The body moves over the stationary foot which then rolls outwards slightly (supinates) to allow a push off between the first and second toes. Excessive pronation and lack of muscle strength of the quadriceps, can lead to knee flexion on contact (bending). The result is poor walking technique and possible injury. Recent studies have shown that over 50% of injuries involve the knees, shin or foot. Of these the main injuries are muscle strains, ligament sprains or shin splints. Ligament sprains occur when the tough fibrous tissue that connects the bones together to form a joint are damaged, either overstretched or partially or fully torn. This usually occurs when the joint is moved more than its normal range of motion. Source: Brakkies Natalie sees everything in life as a part of the journey; she believes that failures make us stronger to achieve the successes! She made the All Africa Champs SA team back in 2003 but for her one of the greatest achievements is to actually be able to walk competitively again after so many years. Her personal best on the 20km is 1:42:20 (in 2003) a special moment for her was getting close to this time this year at the SAMA championships in Cape Town, where she walked a stunning 1:43:51! The following principles are recommended in managing an acute ankle sprain: 1. Rule out any serious injury 2. Respect the healing process 3. Manage pain and swelling with POLICE (Protection, optimal loading, Ice, Compression, Elevation), anti-inflammatories and physiotherapy modalities such as ultrasound and, deep oscillation. It is best to wait at least 48 hours before taking anti-inflammatories. This will allow the normal inflammatory process to start and begin the healing process. 4. Restore range of movement, control and strength. Prolonged periods of rest are no longer recommended, the emphasis is now placed on functional rehabilitation, in other words getting athletes to start moving as soon as possible, doing walking exercises and enhancing joint mobility. This treatment involves progressive resistance exercises, proprioception challenges, plyometric exercises and sport-specific agility drills as well as maintaining cardiovascular fitness over subsequent weeks. Winston Park in Durban is now Natalie s favourite training ground. She feels very blessed to have a coach who cycles with the group when they train. Most of the training is done on a 1km loop. Training sessions in the week are made up of speed sessions as well as steady sessions. Natalie particularly enjoys the longer training walks she also tries to join up with local club runs on weekends to get in the distance training. Up until 1 month ago, Natalie was fortunate to also have a dedicated training partner Zelda Schultz, who has now moved to Johannesburg. Not only was Zelda a great training partner but Natalie feels that she has made a friend for life. Natalie hopes to continue to enjoy her walking and is planning to take on the major challenge of the 50km in October 2017! A little advice to all of us Natalie is insistent that it is never too late, the coach always says walking is part of one s life and not everything, good balance and enjoyment of the sport is what is important. The walkers and coaches that Natalie has met over the years have had a profound impact in the person she is today, she extends heartfelt thanks to each and every one that has played a part in her walking career and helped to build her into the person she is today. Natalie is so very grateful that she has been able to follow her racewalking passion, she says: One often does not say thank you enough to those around you, nothing of the above would be possible without support of family and friends. I have a unbelievable support network and eternally grateful for all these opportunities Final Thoughts: It is important to prevent the recurrence of injuries, by identifying movement faults either proximal or distal to the area. This can be done by means of a screening system which is aimed at identifying the cause of the injury. Source: Natalie Le Roux edited by ChrisC Issue 14 4 June 2017

5 COMRADES 2017 Never say never, and that s one of the biggest mistakes Comrades participants make they say NEVER again! When Dave Ingram asked me in September 2016 if he should enter me again for the 2017 event, I said yes, I ll try to do it again or I ll substitute it with someone. In my heart I didn t feel like another one and did my normal races and training till November. I then took off and didn t train for 8 weeks over the November, December and January period. I started in all earnest at the end of January and took another 2 weeks break in March 2017 when I took leave to go on a motorbike rally. This year I decided to cover the W on my vest and to run/walk the Comrades with Dave. He is much stronger and faster than me on the uphill s and the idea was to walk the uphill and fall behind, to get to the top, get my breath back, run or shuffle down to catch him and then continue further till the next hill. Dave also wanted to see if it s possible to walk Comrades in sub-11 hours. That meant walking 7min 30sec the entire 88 km s. I then started in all earnest to do races with my W covered (except league races) and we also tried to do the same races either in AGN or CGA together. This worked out well as we got to know one another even better and we could pace each other perfectly. Over the Easter weekend we did 114 km s from the Friday till the Monday and everything worked out perfectly. We started back-to-back races on weekends and we piled up the km s. Dave started Comrades with over 1400 km s and I could manage 1044 km s, despite taking a lot of time off. foods, drank our favourite supplements and used our different lubrication abundantly, and of we went to Durban. The drop-off was great, with an I love you dad to send me off. The vibe around the starting area was very pleasant and full of laughing and cheerful people. The announcer gave statistics and information in three languages and in the warm Durban morning it was a sea of colour. Race Day before the start The pressure from friends and family and fellow walkers was huge. Tinkie Nortmann even arranged a Comrades Farewell Braai for us where she invited some of our walker friends to wish us well. This was highly motivational but added enough pressure on us to perform well. Send off Braai I cannot remember the start from 2016, all I can remember from last year was clinging to Dave s shirt not to lose him till well after the starting line. This year was a completely different story. I really got emotional when we sang Nkosi Sikelel iafrika and the tears were streaming down my cheeks when they played Chariots of Fire. Fortunately Dave and Liz didn t look at my outburst of emotions, but then I also realised that I was more than prepared for the task at hand, this year was different! Starting from batch C was definitely better than starting at the back. There was far less congestion and we could reach our 7min 30sec per km within the first 3 km s. It definitely makes a difference. Dave and myself immediately organised ourselves in Navy and Air Force terms line abreast (next to each other) from the second km. Make no mistake, the uphill race starts to be an uphill race from the 3rd km, and that s only the beginning. Still Fresh! In the meantime we opted to support a recognised and approved Comrades Charity. If we could donate R5000 to our selected Charity, we would be promoted to seeding batch C to start the race, and not in batch H, the block we qualified in. This would mean at least 8 to 12 minutes quicker over the starting line, as this race is timed by a chip, but its gun to mat timing. We were both so grateful that we achieved our goal to start in C batch and would also like to thank each and every person who contributed towards our upgraded seeding and Charity. We all shared a flat in Umdloti and Dave explained and showed my son-in-law Bertus exactly where to be on race day, how to get there and at what times to expect us. We had a wonderful thick steak late Saturday afternoon and we kept ourselves busy preparing for the following morning Race day started officially after a night of tossing around in bed at 03:10. We all got ready in our own special way, ate our special Issue 14 5 June 2017

6 The two of us managed a very good sub 7min 30sec average through the Berea area, up Cowies Hill, through Pinetown and also up Fields Hill. Just after Winston Park (32km s) we got refreshments from my daughter Jakolien and Bertus, my son-inlaw. Last year they did not second us and it was really nice to see those two faces, and again the goodbye with a love you dad! And off we went Made it! Botha s Hill was tough, but we were tougher and we conquered that little hill with confidence, sticking to our target of sub-7:30/ km. After Botha s Hill we relished on the nice downward trend of the route to Drummond. All chirpy we went through another cut off point and we were at 7:26/km. This is easy, I m sweating, it s extremely hot, but why was I so scared of this up race? I asked myself. After Drummond we started to climb, and climb, and climb. As planned Dave started disappearing in the distance and I tried to stay as close as possible to him that I could, knowing that I will shuffle him in on the next downhill. Next downhill, did I just say that? What downhill? We were on the infamous INCHANGA!!! Inchanga is a monster, Inchanga weakens you and Inchanga drains you! This hill is at about 45 km s, it is 6 km long and climbs 150 meters from bottom to top. It s also daunting because it s one of the few climbs where you can see it snaking up into the distance. Reaching the summit was a relief. It s one of the worst hills I ve ever encountered and I immediately looked at watch and saw that we dropped on one hill to 7min 36sec per km. I was hot, I was tired, I was short of breath and we had to make up time, 6sec per km, to be back on track for an 11 hour Comrades. Not to waste time, I got my breath back and immediately gave chase to Dave on the downhill. I caught him after approximately 2 or 3 km s, and after telling him in no uncertain soldier language what I thought of INCHANGA, we carried on towards Harrison Flats. For any walker that would like to WALK the Comrades, I strongly recommend talking to Dave Ingram. His got the experience and know-how to get you through those gruelling 88 km s, the biggest Challenge is surely NOT the Comrades itself, it s the qualifying that s extremely difficult and the km s of preparation for the race itself. The Day after the Race After a km or two Dave turned to me and said we re not going to make 11 hours, let s be realistic, relax and let us enjoy the race. From that moment my whole race changed. I was so caught up in trying to get some extra speed and energy to average 7min 30sec for the race that I forgot to enjoy the race, the atmosphere and beautiful scenery. We carried on through Harrison flat and Cato Ridge, still trying to keep the speed up, but the pressure was less. We could enjoy the Ultimate Human Race fully. It was not a matter of survival and life or death to stick to a certain speed, it was about Dave walking his 7th Comrades and about me obtaining my back-to-back medal. At 60 km we again saw my daughter and son-in-law and we also informed them of our decision not to push for 11 hours anymore. The rest of the Comrades was incident free as we passed Camperdown and reached the highest point of Comrades, Umlaas Road. Both of us were so well prepared that Little Polly s and Polly Shorts was not as expected. Everybody was chirpy and a lot of the athletes were worried if they would make the cut off at the end. The atmosphere intensified and everyone wanted to cross the finish line successfully. Just after Polly Shorts (the route changed) there was a steep downhill and directly after that another unexpected significant uphill. This caused some serious complaints and chirps from the athletes, and us two walkers was quite bemused by their reactions. Then Dave decided to pick up the pace. We walked the last 5 km s at around 7 min per km, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Entering the finish area was a blast. The crowd was cheering and we knew we had the race in the pocket. We knew we were in time and we just relished and savoured the atmosphere that awaited us. We crossed the line in 11 hours and 48 minutes; we completed our Comrades 2017 successfully. I must admit. I felt and looked much better this year than last year. Besides a severe blister on the right foot I was fine the next day. My muscles in my legs were tender, but not sore at all. Till next year, maybe there will be more crazy walkers on the Comrades. Source: Jacques Niemand (edited) (Ed: Thank you for this Jacques it was well worth waiting for!) AGN News ASA Level Coaches Course Fast Feet Development, in collaboration with AGN presents an ASA Level Coaches Course at the High School Centurion (opposite Unitas Hospital) from July 2017 July The course will run from 14:00 18:30 every day. The course will cover the following general topics: Coaching Philosophy; Physiology and Anatomy; Growth and Development; Nutrition; Biomechanics; Sports Injuries; Coaching Theory; Programming and Sport Psychology. (8 hours) Besides the above a selection must be made of one of the following event groups: Sprints and Hurdles, Middle and long distances; Issue 14 6 June 2017

7 Throws (Shot, discus, javelin; hammer) and Jumps (High Jump; Long Jump; Triple jump; Pole Vault) (12 hours) On completion of the course an exam is done on passing (70%) of which an ASA Level 1 or 2 certificate is issued. For level 2 the coach must have coached for at least 2 years after level 1 and produced at least 2 athletes who attained 800 points on the IAAF tables or represented SA. Enquiries can be made at hugo.badenhorst@lantic.net or Cost R650 per person. Closing date for entries 21 July 2017 at 18:00. (Comment: Racewalking is included in the middle to long distance course. I also see that one will never be able to achieve level 2 by coaching masters (unless they count masters international participation which I doubt). So If I do scratch up the hefty fee to attend (and assuming I pass), I will need to start coaching youngsters and take them all the way through to the world stage! Ed.) Grand Prix II The AGN walking commission is planning a second Grand Prix this year. Currently the chosen date is August 26. The venue will once again be at the Tuks Sports Grounds Current thinking is that it will begin only at 9am and to fit in with the end of season for our top athletes will host on open 10km rather than 20km race. Keep this date in mind when planning your training programme! a. J = Junior (as defined in rule 20.1) b. 40 = in 10 year groupings up to 100. From 100 it will only read 100+ c. 35 = in 5 year groupings up to 100. From 100 it will read 100+ d. No tags apply to the Senior category The lettering on the age category tags shall be red on a white background and must be a minimum of 6cm high. AGN Racewalker training Join other AGN Racewalkers on the Tuks track on the third Thursday of the month. This month Chris Brits will conduct a technique enhancement session stating at 17h30 on Thursday 22 nd. Just what you need if you: 1. Are new to racewalking, 2. Have recently suffered too many red cards, or 3. Want to increase speed without losing legality. So, something for everyone! Don t forget the cost is R20 to take part. AGN 21.1km Racewalk Championship The AGN 21.1km championship will be held in conjunction with the Andrew Greyling road race on the 16 th September The requirements for being chosen for the AGN team to the Interprovincial competition in October are given in an addendum to the newsletter. The W There have been some requests for the rules around the W and age category tags. Jaap Willemse was so kind as to send the following: 2017 ASA rules, page 26: SECTION VII: RACE WALKING EVENTS [Refer IAAF Chapter 5, SECTION VII] 29 Rule 29 : Race Walking [Refer to IAAF Rule 230] 29.1 General During Road Races, which accept walkers, and where walkers and runners compete simultaneously, all Walkers must wear an official W identification tag to indicate that they are Walkers to be eligible for awards The size of the lettering on the tags must be a minimum of 6cm and a maximum of 8cm in height and must be worn visibly above the Licence/Race number bib on the upper body clothing, back and front. The lettering shall be red on a white background. CGA News Source: Chris Britz Page 15: In open competitions, to qualify for individual or team prizes in all age categories other than Senior, athletes must display two age category tags, one on the front and one on the back of the upper outer garment, positioned above the licence/race bibs so that they are clearly visible. Age category tags must be clearly displayed for the duration of the event (not covered by rain jackets, hydration packs etc.). Athletes that fail to display both age category tags will be considered for Open and Senior prizes only Numerical age category tags shall follow the convention that the tag displays the youngest age of the age group concerned e.g. Please enter online at before midnight on Sunday 2 July See you there! Issue 14 7 June 2017

8 None 2017 Motto: Walkers are wonderful! GRAND PRIX Our next Grand Prix will be held on the 24 June We have adjusted the program slightly and made the 10km event open to seniors. The 10km event for women will start 5 mins after the men's 10km event. We will also be treated to a guest appearance by Anel Oosthuizen. Anel is our only female Olympic Race Walker and she will be taking part in the 10km event. The race promises to be fast and furious! RACE WALKING CLINIC As part of our commitment to encourage younger race walkers to participate at our events, we will be including a 30 mins race walking clinic. This clinic will be open to all race walkers of all age groups and will primarily focus on drills to help facilitate the correct race walking technique. CNW News Western Cape News League Racewalks 8 July Eerste River 30 July Pinelands 27 August Khayelitsha 22 October Ommiedraai 18 November Edgemead 2 December Beachcomber 17 December Velocity Jürgen s good advice All master walkers should do two things. Warm-up very well and do not make any wild surges during or at the end of a race. Many walkers are bending their knees to increase speed to pass someone, walking faster than their technique allows them to walk. Remember judges hate to throw someone out of a race and rather allow you to finish a race without issuing any red cards. However they cannot allow compromise with soft knee issues. Many runners, (I did not say all) and converts to racewalking, have knee issues. Their hip flexors are tight and quads overly developed for walking. This gives them a tendency to stride out in front too long and flatten out their lead foot well in front of the body, which contributes to soft knees, instead of a smooth, controlled, roll-off and powerful push-off. What to do? Work on hips flexibility and hip flexor mobility. Work on better hip extension and shoulder rotation. An important concept is that arm swing is directly related to the length of the stride one takes. Height and leg length are of no importance to racewalking. I have had some good advice from Ian Whatley, a US coach who also shares Workshops and camps with Dave Mc Govern whom we hosted here in Cape Town a few years ago for a two day racewalking workshop. Ian is a British sports science graduate (Bioengineering) and was some years ago a member of the USA 20km team and indoor 3000m. Some of Ian s key points, which I find of great interest, are as follows: - 1. To have an outstanding talent for Racewalking, is largely defined by your genetics. 2. Good, effective and disciplined training is the only route to better racing performances. 3. There is a volume of training beyond which damage rather than improvement occurs. This volume is termed overtraining, which limits the total training load tolerable. 4. Every step of every training session needs to be as effective as possible in improving racing ability. 5. Individuals differ. There is no one training regime that will affect all walkers in the same way. Know what works for you. 6. Learn as much as you can about training. Balance this with experiments to see how different stresses affect your body. 7. Focus on good technique. Every step you take must be efficient and legal, or you are learning bad habits and wasting your work-outs. 8. Learn more about speed. You cannot race at 6min/km pace, if you can t walk 2:20 laps on the track. 9. You can t walk a 2 hour 20 km unless you can walk a sub 60 min 10 km 10. Set goals and work towards them and long term objectives. You must always be able to answer the question: - what is the purpose of this training session? Lekker Stap KZNM News Source: Jürgen Spencer Not many people are speaking about Comrades right now, But I did get the following from Natalie Fourie who was supporting her husband on the day it was VERY HOT, the guys really struggled! Harrison Flats was very hot a lot of people actually dropped out before Poly shorts. It really does seem to be a shame to feel you need to drop out at Ploy Shorts so close! But I was not there and don t know just how bad it was. Masters News Coming meetings AFS Champs 11 November Bloemfontein The proposed dates for SAMA Champs 2018 in Bloemfontein is April Friday 27 is a public holiday. Monday 30 April is a school holiday and Tuesday 1 May is again a public holiday. Down Memory Lane I am sure our readers would love to hear your story please submit! Opinion If you have a strong opinion about racewalking issues this is the place to air it! Issue 14 8 June 2017

9 International news CAA African Junior Championships Tiemcen, Algeria 29 June-2 July 2017 Masters Championships African Master Champs 2 Abijan, Ivory Coast August 2017 WMA outdoor Champs Malaga, Spain 8-20 Sept WMA Regional Championships: Where: Abidjan, Côte d'ivoire When: August 2017 (Register) 20th Asia Masters Athletics Championships (AMA Championships) Where: Jiangsu Rugao Olympic Centre, Rugao City, China When: 24th - 28th September 2017 Dateline for submission of Entry is 23 June, 2017: Register European Masters Athletics Championships Stadia Where: Aarhus, Denmark When: 27. July - 6. August 2017 (Register) 2017 North, Central and Caribbean World Masters Athletics Championship Where: Juarez, Mexico When: July th OMA Track & Field Championships Where: Dunedin, New Zealand When: 20 January 2018 to 27 January 2018 Serious trauma to an endurance athlete with many ultra s under his belt. [DENIAL] Did I quit? Hell no! I got DQ ed and kicked off the course. My fault? Surely not! Bloody judges! Pedantic grrr! I was trying damn hard to force the straight leg and I certainly wasn t airborne! Surely not?! [ANGER] Stuff this sport I am out of here going back to running no judging there. Who needs this? I have other sports. [BARGAINING] But I do so enjoy the race walking. Maybe I need to have a closer look at those rules? I did chat to some of the judges and actually, they seemed quite helpful and constructive to a surprising extent. I have only had two flags before this traumatic trio that got me DQ ed [DEPRESSION] I was so right on track to get the target SAMA time and there seemed to be no adjustment to my style that made the judges happy. I guess that is the end of my race-walking, may as well quit and head for the hills. It s a sign I should rather go trail running. [ACCEPTANCE] I guess I was aware that race-walking is the only JUDGED athletics activity besides gymnastics. This is an integral part of the sport and the judges are the most critical (no pun intended) aspect of ensuring the honesty of this excellent athletic discipline. In fact, I was moaning that there weren t enough judges at the last league race! Maybe if I can make the required adjustments I can go even faster? I will only know if I try I guess. See you at the next league race then. Watch this space! Racewalk Commissions AGN: Chris Britz (Chairman), Gabriel Makola (Vice Chairman) Marius Bosman: (Treasurer) Jaap Willemse: (Events) Lucia Willemse (Secretary) Mzwakhe Kobue: (Race Walking Development) Chris Callaghan (co-opted): News WPA: Stefano Aracena (Chairman), Eswee Walters (Vice-chairman), Roy Whyte, Fundiswa Sandi, Allan Young Charlotte Kettlewell. CGA: Brenda Wakfer (Chairman) Lesley van Buuren (Secretary) Sheldon George (Finance) Bernard Donnelly (Technical Officials) Thabiso Tsagane (Coach) Rose Shabalala (Ass Secretary) Letters to the editor Raymond Fuller shares and introspective look at his reaction to being DQ d Athletic Trauma - #$%^&* (with sincere apologies to any judges and no intention to detract from their importance to our sport) not the end of the world but perhaps a time for introspection and an attempt to share an experience. So, after 35 years of running, cycling and lately, racewalking for the first time ever, I never completed a race that I started. But why did he write this? you ask. It is really, really, not nice to be DQ ed but it is a likely part of the sport for anyone trying their hardest to improve and working on developing a correct technique. 1. Get your head around it, the judges are there for the benefit of the sport and 2. When your fellow athlete gets DQ ed don t judge (it s not your job) and allow him / her the space to go through their own five stages and get over it because, in time, we all do. Lekker stap (as someone once said). (I have not been DQ'd (yet) but I understand the trauma nevertheless. Whatever happens don t stop racewalking! I suppose I should tell my own story in the newsletter sometime - like you, I come from running, I struggled for medal standard, later for provincial colours and it took me 5 years of hard work to earn the coveted National colours. After five and a half years of walking I am now getting to my best times! You will see as your technique improves (and that is the most important thing to concentrate on) the times will come. Ed.) Fred Axsel shares some of his story Just received your Newsletter from Avril Coates one of my RWFL Fourways family. Yes! We are indeed a family. Kudos to you, thanks for a very insightful and comprehensive diatribe. It must have taken ages to compile. However, I can sense your passion for the sport and enthusiasm to keep it alive thriving. Our lead family member Beth Hamman is like a personal trainer to us. Us consists of 60+ members attending sessions three times a week. Our membership is skewed, with only a sixth of us being male. (This does help with a bit of tolerance from our sisters). Most of us are walkers and many only participate for the benefits emanating from this activity My wife convinced me to join five years ago, and I am sincerely satisfied for doing so. Having played Soccer until the age of 34 and Cricket till 44, this has been an eye opener! Issue 14 9 June 2017

10 I had a Heart Attack in 2001 and believed this was the end of any strenuous, physical activity for me. Sixteen years later all is fine. Except that this sport is very taxing and not to be taken for granted. I never had a hamstring injury before, then it happened and slowed me down for almost a year! Now Beth advises and manages us with all our niggles. Four years ago CGA started a racewalkers league; our Branch has won it for the first three years and won our first three meets this year. Race Walking is not seen as being sexy enough an alternate sport to so many other activities, especially for the younger generation. Our Beth has developed a wonderful atmosphere where she issues challenges annually from reasonably easy to achieve to Monster Challenges for the more competitive in our Family. This includes our Runners, who have really stepped up another level this year Lesley van Buuren, has unselfishly aided and encouraged us, by her example, and this has paid of exceptional dividends. We are a very contented bunch. (Edited) From the archives, June 2016 Vincent was our Racewalker of the month and that star is still rising! He is having a good season and remains a bright prospect! Historic Medal I thought it might be great to view some interesting historic medals Please send pictures with a short story attached. Editorial I have very little to share this month I have been struggling with a cold since coming back from Cape town, Then I sprained my (good) right ankle, and then got a serious dose of flu on an already struggling body. Well my mom always told me if it doesn t kill you it will make you stronger so here is to that age old wisdom watch me in the spring! I have not really shared anything of all the races that are currently going on overseas not sure to what extend all of my readers follow this? Let me know if you would like more significant overseas coverage. In a similar vein I really need some Correspondents of even Subeditors to assist with getting the newsletter out on time and especially to assist with some sections of news. It takes an inordinate time to search for snippets of information that may be of interest to our readers. Also it is really difficult at times to contact possible Walkers of the month so if you feel you know a really deserving walker please put us in touch (and you can always nominate yourself if you feel I am overlooking you. Some last minute news: There was some confusion regarding the ASA racewalking Commission since the commission s term had come to an end and a new commission was not appointed. It appears now that the previous commission has been asked to continue with their work whilst adjustments are made to National and Regional structures. So there is no change for the foreseeable future. It appears that the EPA association recently decided that they would NOT hold the South African 50km Championship and interprovincial competition this year. Currently it appears there are no takers, but there is much activity behind the scenes to find a host for this, our Premier Racewalking event. Remember that the website for back issues is and please contribute to the facebook page (South African racewalkers). Make this YOUR newsletter rather than mine be a part of the fabric of South African Racewalking. Contact me Chris Callaghan: Chrisc37@gmail.com Love Running: Sport for the Glory of God "To walk is to live, to walk fast is to live well." If you want to receive this newsletter in your inbox, you need to me and ask! Issue June 2017

11 Number 14: June 2017 Supported by the AGN Racewalk Commission A voice for all walkers! Addendum SA 50km race walking championships and inter provincial race walking competition The following team selection criteria are applicable: 1. An athlete qualifies automatically if he/she achieves any of the standards at least two times during the period between 1 January 2017 and 30 July 2017 at a meeting where the following rules apply: 2. The qualifying race has to be a separate walking item on the program and subjected to the race walking rules of ASA. 3. The race has to be hosted by a club or provincial athletics body. 4. The athlete's age on the day of the qualifying race determines the qualifying standard. 5. The athlete has to wear a valid temporary or permanent license number during the qualifying race. 6. The qualifying race may be hosted simultaneously with a road running event. 7. Qualifying times can be achieved during track or road races. 8. Athletes that qualify only in the 3 000m or 5 000m (5 km) will only be allowed to enter for the 10 km or a shorter distance at the national championships. 9. The results of the qualifying races must be published officially. 10. To qualify for the SA 50 km open championships athletes only have to achieve the 50 km standard once. These athletes will be selected on an individual basis. 11. Management may select additional team members that do not meet the qualifying standards if the athlete shows the potential to earn a medal at the national championships. 12. Inclusion in the provincial team is subject to final approval by the AGN board. Issue June 2017