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Does anybody outthere even care

When rock star Lenny Kravitzwrote the lyrics to Where areWe Runnin, members of MAWAmight have asked the samequestion when VenuesWestpulled the plug on MAWA’s bidto hold the 2012 state athleticschampionships at WA AthleticsStadium.

Given that the governmentbuilt the new stadium as anathletic track, MAWA memberswould have been thinking ofthe title of Kravitz’s song DoesAnybody Out There Even Care.

Kravitz is scheduled to hold aconcert at the stadium onWednesday, March 28 and thestate championships are to beheld on the Saturday andSunday prior.

VenuesWest, whichoperates a number ofsporting complexes in Perth,would be keen to improvetheir bottom line following areported $15.6m operatingshortfall.

The VenuesWest annualreport states that they expectto hold future entertainment

events at the stadium, butsurely athletic events shouldnot be sacrificed.

In August of 2011, the MAWAcommittee contactedVenuesWest to book the trackand in October were advisedthat a rock concert may be heldin March 2012 and that MAWAwould have to give up theirbooking. One month later thecommittee was advised thatthe concert was fixed and thatsetting up the stage could notbe done quickly enough toallow MAWA to hold thechampionships.The titles will now be at Ern

Clark Athletic Centre (CokerPark).

Season 5 Issue 4 January 2012

Image: www.vectorportal.com

Lenny Kravitz concert stops bid to use new stadium

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Top of the class

December 1Bev Hamilton W65 Wt Thr 12.18m SR

December 2Rob Colling M40 100m 11.1 92.40%Rob Colling M40 60m 7.0 95.92%Brett Blanco M39 60m 7.2 92.53%

December 9Tom Gravestock M55 Discus 39.65m SRSarah Edmiston W35 Hammer35.35m SR

December 10Brian Waldhuter M70 HJ 1.27m SR

December 15Peggy Macliver W65 200m 32.9 92.01%

December 16Dave Wyatt M60 HJ 1.47m SR

December 20Peggy Macliver W65 200m 32.1 94.31%Peggy Macliver W65 100m 15.5 93.13%

Roll of HonourWhen the ECAC programmewas drawn up the postal relayshad a two-week gap for theperiod of the Oceania Games.A 4x1500 relay will take placeon Thursday, February 9.Several athletes will be awayin New Zealand, but it is theonly time it can be fitted into acrowded programme inJanuary/February.

Relay addition

1 Peggy Macliver 818.22 Gillian Young 711.83 Delia Baldock 643.34 Karyn Gower 633.25 Julie Wilson 629.46 Carol Bowman 626.17 Sarah Ladwig 588.88 Lynne Schickert 572.29 Christine Oldfield 550.710 Monique Thomas 398.0

1 David Carr 759.12 Andrew Brooker 730.13 Campbell Till 699.34 Kim Thomas 640.45 Brian Hewitt 636.16 Bob Schickert 623.27 John Oldfield 609.18 Maurice Creagh 597.89 Grant Schofield 596.210 Nick Miletic 583.711 John Dennehy 574.0

Official Patron’s Trophy results

This has been the bestseries for some years.The likely winners havebeen clear for a fewweeks, but that has notspoilt what has been agreat competition.Surely nobody candoubt that PeggyMacliver and DavidCarr are worthywinners. Peggy nowhas a record sixconsecutive wins.The club is fortunateto have two athleteswho have beenoutstandingthroughout theircareers and yethave retainedlongevity toadmire.

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Peggy Macliver was challengedfor some weeks by the pluckyGillian Young. However,careful analysis shows thatGillian’s better events, thelonger distances, all came in theearly part of the season. Oncethe focus moved on to themiddle distance and sprintsPeggy was on home ground andsurged out of sight.

If one looks at Peggy’s fieldevents it is also clear that theseare very strong. Delia Baldockand Karyn Gower have provensolid in third and fourth place.Delia’s shorter race speed, andKaryn’s longer race strengthmade for a good battle, withDelia’s all-round ability finallysealing third place.

The tussle for fifth and sixthbetween Carol Bowman andJulie Wilson has been very tightto the final event. Julie just hadenough to edge out Carol forfifth spot. Sarah Ladwigshowed some good abilitythroughout the trophy events totake seventh.

Lynne Schickert had to missthe final weeks with a familytrip to Florence and Naples(some have it tough), but she

had done enough, particularlyin her strong field events to sealeighth. Christine Oldfield andMonique Thomas set them-

selves the target of finishing theten events and each will bepleased with their overallperformance.

Patron’s Trophy

Famous five’s fight

David Carr was always in front in themen’s standings. But his final victoryremained unclear as dark horseAndrew Brooker was never out ofsight with events in hand. CampbellTill, winner three years ago, was alsoin the hunt, although missing the5000m through a virus was a tellingblow. In the end both Andrew andCampbell each fell short of a seriouschallenge to David’s dominance asthey came second and thirdrespectively.

Kim Thomas, Brian Hewitt and BobSchickert each had many momentsto remember in a solid competition.Kim improves year-on-year, and theadvent of many new youngermembers this year has been a

stimulus to good advance. Brian andBob each performed well throughoutthe ten weeks and will be wellsatisfied with fifth and sixth place.John Oldfield and Maurice Creaghwere each well aware that elevatedpositions, second and third for anumber of weeks, was only becauseof their stronger events all coming atthe beginning of the trophy.

Once the field events came intoplay, the downward slide wasinevitable. But each is pleased witha good points total. Similarly GrantSchofield, Nick Miletic and JohnDennehy, whose strong events arealso not enough to challenge the bestbut can be well pleased withcompletion of the competition.

Brooker and Till’s move falls short

Five of the top six place getters (from left) Gillian Young, Carol Bowman, Peggy Macliver,Delia Baldock and Julie Wilson competing at Coker Park.

Andrew Brookerand Campbell Till

fight it out.

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Decision blasted

As reported on both the website andelsewhere in this issue, the statechampionships have been switchedfrom the WA Athletics Stadium to theErn Clark Athletic Centre (Coker Park).VenuesWest, who manage WAAS,cancelled our booking to allow them toprepare for a rock concert on theWednesday following our mainchampionships weekend.

This extraordinary decision has beenwidely condemned by MastersAthletics members. Nowhere has thiscondemnation been more forthrightthan on the MAWA group onFacebook. “That’s appalling” said oneirate comment. “So, they build a multi-million dollar athletics track, the polliespuff out their chests …. and theycancel a state championships athleticsmeet to hold a concert. It’s solaughable I’m speechless”, saysanother.

A third compared the pollies’ attitudeto athletics and football “I wonder if anEagles or Dockers match would becancelled if there was a chance tomake more money from a rockconcert.” One even looked beyond2012 “Does this mean that there is noguarantee for our major masters

booking in 2016 if a more financiallyviable alternative arises?”

Amongst members who looked atmore practical problems raised by theswitch was a male sprinter. “I for onemay have to assess the risks in runningon such a hard track, especially withthe nationals two weeks later.” He goeson “Being injured at the moment, all therepair/re-strengthening work maycome undone in one foul (sic) swoop.”

One of our top female middle-distance runners concurred “I certainlywill not risk injury and run in the statechamps at Coker Park. I’ve done toomuch rehab and believe it was CokerPark that was the beginning of myproblems last summer.” Her anger atthe VenuesWest attitude showsthrough when she adds “I cannotbelieve a concert takes precedenceover a major athletics meet again.”

Are you on the Facebook group? Areyou missing out on the opportunity tohave your say on the things that areimportant to you? Other discussionsthis past month have included regularviews on the recent Sunday runs, the6-hour relay, whether walkers get a fairgo at MAWA. Be part of it. Send anemail to John Oldfield or Toni Phillipsto become part of this exchange ofviews.

John Collier pictured onthe track with the stage forthe Stevie Nicks concert inthe background. Theconcert led to restrictionson the usage of the WAAthletics Stadium.

“I certainly will not risk injuryand run in the state champs atCoker Park. I’ve done toomuch rehab and believe it wasCoker Park that was thebeginning of my problems lastsummer.”

“That’s appalling” said oneirate comment. “So, they builda multi-million dollar athleticstrack, the pollies puff out theirchests …. and they cancel astate championships athleticsmeet to hold a concert.’’

FACEBOOK FORUM your chance to have your say

on the issues that matter to you

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Where have all the walkers gone?Pete Seeger might have written asong about it, but you’ll have tomake do with an article from JohnOldfield.

MAWA has always been aninclusive club, catering for athleticsin all its different guises. There is amyth that the club’s roots areexclusively in road running andthat it has traditionally based itselfon the road. Nothing could befurther from the truth. The club hasvery diverse roots. Most of itsfounder members ran both trackand road. Even a cursory glance atthe early issues of Vetrun (seewebsite) shows that track resultsdominate the news.

There has also been a strongrace-walking pedigree back to theearly days of the club, nowapproaching its 40th anniversary.Vetrun issue no. 1 (July 1974)

mentions the great Dick Horsleybacking up a 1000m race walk witha 400m run in 71.6s! Thisimportant aspect of athletics hasbeen strong throughout the club’shistory – from Dick Horsley to LynVentris. Race-walking is anintegral and important branch ofT&F. In recent seasons mostdistance races on Tuesdays andThursdays have had walkers liningup alongside the runners. Thisseason they have beenconspicuous by their absence –and we miss them. Please comeback.

Another aspect of the club that issuffering this season is throws.The throwers have had a hard timein recent months. Their winterbase was unavailable to them in2011. We have also lost the use ofUWA, so that throws are now offthe Tuesday night programme.

The hammer and discus cage atECAC has been out of action formore than two months, limitingthrows on a Thursday to shot put,javelin and weight throw. A smallgroup turns out regularly at theFriday evening Strive meets, andthere is a small group on aThursday, often relegated to theoutside circle. We do need toensure that the problems arerectified so that throwing continuesto thrive and the broad nature ofMAWA survives.

The MAWA committee is awareof the problems. It is looking for aTuesday solution, although unlikelyto find one this season. It is hopedthat the cage at ECAC will beready to use again later thismonth. Don’t despair, throwers, weare working to improve thesituation.

Walkers wanted

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IN FOCUS with Christine Oldfield

Good guys winBorn in Wagga Wagga, NSW, in 1951Nick lived in Geelong for most of hisschooling. He was married for thirtynine years and has three children(two boys, one girl) and fourgrandchildren. He played AussieRules Football for years and remainsa passionate supporter of AFL’sGeelong Cats.

Fitness was always part of his lifeand at about forty four he decided totry running. At first he ran on his ownbut when he felt up to the challengeof racing he did some of the MarathonClub fun runs. On one of these hemet the Tooheys who told him aboutMAWA. So he joined and Nick says“this was some thirteen years agoand I have never looked back.”

He soon heard about track and fieldand is now one of the regulars. He isoften envied for looking so strong, fitand tanned – evidence of his gymwork outs. Nick has always beenprepared to have a go at a variety ofevents and looked forward with relishto his sixtieth birthday when he couldcompete over the lower barriers in thesteeplechase.

He has competed in two WorldChampionships (Italy and Sacra-mento) and found them “an awesomeexperience”. He has not yet won anymedals on the world stage but hopesto keep on trying. But, since he joinedMAWA, he has competed at all theMasters National Championships andthere he has won medals - bronze inAdelaide and silver in Brisbane in thesteeplechase, bronze in the 4 x 400mrelay in Adelaide and bronze in thepentathlon in Brisbane. These gavehim great enjoyment as do the StateChampionships every year.

In 2012 he plans to go to theOceanic Championships in NewZealand and the Nationals inMelbourne and will try to improve onhis PBs. He is a self motivator andhopes to be able to run and competefor as long as possible.

CONTINUED – Page 7

ImprovementdrivesNick Miletic

Nick Miletic tackles thewater jump at theAustralian championshipsin Brisbane early thisyear.

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ECAC WAAS

Jan 3 60m 1 mile 400m 1000m r/w Long jump

Jan 5^ Jan 10* 60m 800m 200m 3000m r/w Triple jump2km steeple*

Javelin^AGT

Wt throw^AGT

Jan 12^ Jan 17* Pentathlon^ 200m 1500m 60m

2000m^5000m r/w* Long jump Shot^ Discus^

Jan 19^ Jan 24* 400m 1500m 100m 3000m r/w L/jump relay^Long jump*

Hammer^Javelin^

4 x 800mwalk relay^

Jan 26^ Jan 31* 200m 800m 60m 4000m r/w Triple jumpDiscus relay^ Wt throw^ 4 x 100m

relay^

T&F Programme for January

IN FOCUS with Christine Oldfield

‘I enjoy the torture’FROM – Page 6

He says “I'm 60 years old andfeel athletics has given me a newdirection in my life. I have runnine Perth Marathons and hopeto do my tenth next year. My goalis to keep improving as I getolder”. To this end, he has beentraining with David Carr’s groupfor a few years and says “I enjoythe torture which makes youimprove. You only get out whatyou put in.”

Nick is a ‘doer’ and is alwaysready to volunteer to help out atour MAWA events - directing aSunday run, holding a watch,firing a gun and organising thehot drinks and biscuits at ECACfor after the Thursday tracksessions in the winter. He issomewhat constrained by work atpresent but would like to get moreinvolved in all areas of athleticswhen he retires. He wouldcertainly be welcomed with openarms by AWA if he wanted to takeup officiating.

Nick says he’s made somegreat friends at the club and lovesthe comradeship which is partand parcel of masters’ athletics.

High jump held on Tuesday nights at WA Athletics Stadium.

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With a large part of the WAAS trackunavailable on November 29, the normalTuesday proceedings were cancelled. ButBarrie Kernaghan decided that it would bea good idea to present MAWA athleteswith a different sort of challenge – the BeepTest. This involves running up and downa 20m course over and over again at everincreasing speed, trying not to miss thebeeps. The number of times an athletecompletes the 20m course determines whatperformance level they reach – the higherthe better. Ten of our regulars took thechallenge. Here is what Campbell Till hadto say about it:

“The post Stevie Nicks hangover gaveMAWA runners the opportunity to testthemselves in the way that elite athletesmust do a couple of times a year.

The Beep Test is generally regarded assomething to be dreaded but Mastersathletes must be made of different stuff asthere was an air of expectation and smilesall around.

The test is a fairly reliable low-techmethod of calculating VO2 max, hence itspopularity with coaches of various sportingcodes. Barrie gave the briefing, explainingthat the test is also used as a benchmark formany military and police forces around theworld. The metronomic noises or beepsthen commenced.

The initial stages were easy but then theprogressive increase of intensity reallystarted to bite around Level 8. To reachLevel 10 you have to run up and down the20 metre course about 80 times. Thismeans the efficiency of your turns andacceleration becomes crucial. Just after

reaching Level 10 several people droppedout – must have been a mental hurdle.

I think I was one of the few to have donethis test previously and on that occasion Igot into the 10s. On this occasion I reallywanted to improve that mark and I waspleasantly surprised (and gasping) to getinto the low 12s.

The champ of the day was Kim Thomasachieving a sensational score of 13.6. Thisequates to what a current average AFLplayer scores. I believe the better midfielders achieve around 15. AfterwardsKim said he really enjoyed 'the exercise'!”

Barrie reports that all of the participantsbeat the 6.5 required to enter the RoyalAustralian Air Force and all but two passedthe minimum 8.1 requirement to joinWestern Australian Police Force.

For further information just Google‘Beep Test’.

It may not be obvious to everyone, but thetrack sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdaysrequire a considerable amount oforganisation. Apart from those who makesure that all the equipment is out and readyand packed away again at the end, eachrace needs a starter, several timekeepersand a recorder of the result. Some alsoneed a lap scorer. For all these jobs we relyon volunteers. That means YOU! When youjoined MAWA or renewed your membershipyou committed to assisting with the runningof the track and field sessions.

It is heartening to find so many of you,even new members and visitors, steppingforward to help, particularly withtimekeeping. On Tuesdays, when there areother groups using the track alongside us,things are not always easy. At least we nowhave six identical watches instead of threedifferent models, each requiring a differentsequence of button pressing. So a lot of thehassle has disappeared.

If you would like a bit of practice beforeactually timing a race I will be happy to help.I am usually around well before 6pm – justask me. If you like, I can also give someadvice on recording the order of racefinishers and lap scoring the longer races– and there is always someone close bywho can help with the names.

Christine Oldfield

Volunteers keep club moving

Beep Test challenges

Christine Oldfield(black top) and

timekeepers keepan eye out for the

start of a race.

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ECAC – December 1800m % pointsBoris Padovan M36 2:23.9 71.13Brian Hewitt M58 2:38.2 78.53Rod Hamilton M49 2:42.4 70.99Rob Colton M48 2:47.2 68.34David Carr M79 2:51.4 93.44Toni Phillips W39 2:52.0 67.11Colin Smith M49 2:58.6 64.55Maurice Creagh M65 2:58.6 73.48

Roscoe McDonnell M53 2:28.9 80.09Bob Schickert M70 3:00.8 76.61Delia Baldock W49 3:02.6 68.97John Dennehy M52 3:04.6 64.06Robin King W53 3:05.2 71.28Hilary Beck W57 3:29.0 66.74

Kim Cook W37 3:10.0 59.64Peggy Macliver W67 3:11.8 87.38Carol Bowman W57 3:12.7 72.39Gillian Young W64 3:19.9 78.97Julie Willmott W46 3:28.2 58.97Nick Miletic M60 3:31.2 59.78Mel Hynds W34 3:35.1 52.66Sarah Ladwig W62 3:41.2 68.53Lynne Schickert W70 4:54.8 60.46

Patron’s Trophy

David Carr’s amazing 93% 800m (2:51.4) runwas the highlight of the night’s Patron’s Trophyclash.

Despite a 40-year age difference Davidchased Toni Phillips to pip her in the homestraight. There are still three rounds to go, butthis has surely almost ensured David’sretention of the men’s trophy. It is not quite soclear cut in the women’s contest, but PeggyMacliver eased into a significant lead with87% over two laps. Her lead over second-placed Gillian Young is now 34 points.

Other significant moves in the trophy tablewere made by Brian Hewitt, Bob Schickertand Maurice Creagh, all candidates forsecond spot. In the women’s contest, CarolBowman set down a marker for her closestrival Julie Wilson to note.

Whata run

Peggy Macliver leads Kim Cook, Julie Willmott, Gillian Young and Nick Mileticon the first lap of the Patron’s Trophy 800m.

David Carr chasesToni Phillips on the

final lap of the 800m.

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WAAS – DECEMBER 6800m % pointsAndrew Brooker M42 2:11.1 82.62Campbell Till M54 2:25.2 82.83Kim Thomas M37 2:25.8 70.87Mike Kowal M49 2:26.2 78.85Mark Dawson M50 2:35.1 74.99

Grant Schofield M43 2:42.4 67.30John Collier M45 2:51.0 65.11John Dennehy M52 2:52.4 68.60Karyn Gower W51 2:58.7 71.99Bob Schickert M70 3:00.2 76.86John Oldfield M68 3:04.1 73.60

Peggy Macliver W67 3:23.2 82.48Julie Wilson W58 3:23.9 69.41Nick Miletic M60 3:29.6 60.24Christine Oldfield W67 4:01.3 69.46Lynne Schickert W70 4:50.9 61.28

Patron’s Trophy

Solid rain, at times heavy, threateneda difficult evening for those wantingto gain good points in the trophy800m. In fact, the rain lifted and weeven saw some fleeting sunshine asconditions eased.

Andrew Brooker (82.6%) stole theshow with 2:11.1 in his signatureevent. Campbell Till (82.8%) wassome 14 seconds behind but gainedslightly more points as they battle forsecond place in the men’s table. Bob

Schickert (76.9%) is also still in therunning, with Kim Thomas (70.9%)also well in line for a podium spot.One of the best performances of theevening was John Dennehy’s 2:52.4– some 12 seconds better thananything else for a couple of years.

Amongst the women, PeggyMacliver was disappointed with her82%. Julie Wilson notched a PBA,but lost ground to her great rivalCarol Bowman in the table.

Wet and wild

Andrew Brookerheads to theinside lane on theback straight ofthe 800m.

Campbell Till, Mike Kowal andKim Thomas battle for positionson the final lap.

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Patron’s Trophy

Competition is always friendly at MAWAevents. However there were a few grittedteeth as the contest for the minor placingsin the trophy moved towards conclusion.It has looked for several weeks as thoughDavid Carr and Peggy Macliver wouldprobably retain their trophies.Mathematically they could each be hauled

in over the next eight days, but it is lookinghighly unlikely.

However, the prized places behind themare still wide open. Gillian Young (88.8%)cemented her second spot in the women’stable with an outstanding top score in the1500m. Karyn Gower (79.94%) waswithin a whisker of her first 80% to moveinto the chasing pack. Third spot could stillgo to any of Karyn, Carol Bowman, JulieWilson or Delia Baldock. For the first timein at least five years, it looks as though 10women will complete the trophy.

The men’s event is just as open, if noteven more so. Twelve will probablycomplete with all but the top spot wideopen. The prized minor placings could goto any of Kim Thomas, Maurice Creagh,Grant Schofield (who all have 10 eventscompleted), Brian Hewitt or BobSchickert (nine completed). Favourites forsecond and third however are 2009 winnerCampbell Till (eight completed) andAndrew Brooker who still has four eventsto come, two of which are his specialities.It will be a fascinating finish to what mustgo down as the best trophy season for years.

ECAC – December 8Javelin % pointsKaryn Gower W51 9.15 17.51Gillian Young W64 8.02 20.98Carol Bowman W57 10.23 22.86Delia Baldock W49 7.61 14.55Peggy Macliver W67 16.68 46.95Julie Wilson W58 13.51 31.06Sarah Ladwig W62 9.29 23.21Monique Thomas W34 6.69 9.16Christine Oldfield W67 6.96 19.59Lynne Schickert W70 10.73 32.67Melissa Foster W33 14.62 20.03

Kim Thomas M37 35.17 38.42Campbell Till M54 26.77 37.47Brian Hewitt M58 15.60 23.68Grant Schofield M43 25.80 31.08Maurice Creagh M65 11.18 18.73Bob Schickert M70 12.71 22.54John Dennehy M52 14.78 19.91Nick Miletic M60 19.24 28.92Graeme Dahl M62 12.14 19.03Greg Wilson M64 27.20 44.55

WAAS – December 16Andrew Brooker M42 38.34 45.55

ECAC – December 81500m % pointsKaryn Gower W51 5:50.5 79.94Sue Bourn W44 6:02.7 70.87Robin King W53 6:09.3 77.88Toni Phillips W39 6:11.5 65.55Gillian Young W64 6:19.0 88.79Kim Cook W37 6:21.6 62.80Mel Hynds W34 6:32.0 60.08Hilary Beck W57 6:35.7 76.73Carol Bowman W57 6:35.9 76.70Delia Baldock W49 6:37.1 68.79Peggy Macliver W67 6:44.5 87.24Julie Wilson W58 6:48.7 75.35Sarah Ladwig W62 7:29.7 72.58Monique Thomas W34 8:10.1 48.05Christine Oldfield W67 8:16.0 71.14Lynne Schickert W70 9:38.7 64.10

Kim Thomas M37 4:52.6 72.74Campbell Till M54 5:19.1 78.21Brian Hewitt M58 5:20.8 80.48Grant Schofield M43 5:36.3 67.14David Carr M79 6:07.7 88.56Maurice Creagh M65 6:10.2 73.84Bob Schickert M70 6:13.6 76.26John Dennehy M52 6:17.6 64.94Bernard Riviere M46 6:17.8 61.49Nick Miletic M60 7:05.2 61.76

Athletes aim high

Kim Thomas atfull stretch ashe prepares torelease thejavelin.

Toni Phillipsleads Sue Bourn

in the 1500m.

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Patron’s Trophy

WAAS – DECEMBER 13

1500m % points

Andrew Brooker M42 4:45.2 78.42Mike Kowal M49 5:01.3 79.25John Collier M45 5:46.0 66.54Fiona Leonard W45 5:50.2 74.28Karyn Gower W51 5:53.0 79.37John Oldfield M68 6:13.6 75.00Simon Leonard M52 6:27.1 63.35

John Collier M45 5:58.9 64.15Mark Elms M44 6:03.6 62.71Frank Gardiner M61 6:03.8 72.75Maurice Creagh M65 6:04.1 75.08John Dennehy M52 6:42.1 60.98Julie Wilson W58 6:55.0 74.20Julie Willmott W46 7:00.3 73.27Gavin Howard M51 7:10.5 56.47Cathy McCloskey W48 7:30.0 59.95

Triple jump % points

Christine Oldfield W67 4.80 52.29Geoff Brayshaw M62 8.39 66.32Andrew Brooker M42 10.89 65.37Karyn Gower W51 5.48 46.36John Oldfield M68 4.68 40.87Campbell Till M54 9.65 67.67Cathy McCloskey W48 7.91 64.20Keith Martin M68 8.49 74.15

One lap to go

A mixture of field and track provided thepenultimate WAAS trophy evening. Mosthad already posted a triple jump mark, butwanted to try for improvement as theclimax approaches. A few still neededevery event to count. Campbell Till andAndrew Brooker scored heavily to raisetheir prospects. Christine Oldfieldrecorded a lifetime best. Karyn Gowercontinued to climb the ladder bysupplementing her wonderful trackcampaign.

The 1500m required two heats, therewere so many entries. Andrew Brooker(78.4%), still in line for a major placing,took the first with Karyn Gower (79.4)once more taking points honours. JohnCollier ran a PBA in this heat. Crucialpoints went to Julie Wilson (74.2%) andMaurice Creagh (75.1%) in the secondheat as the final table begins to take shape.With just one more week to go, the winnerslook very safe – but it’s all to play for inthe race for minor placings.

Julie Willmott andGavin Howard leadJohn Dennehy and

Cathy McCloskeyin the second heat

of the 1500m.

Fiona Leonardreceives the bell withKaryn Gower andJohn Collier in closepursuit.

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Not quite the finale of the trophy …. butthe two almost certain winners did notdisappoint. Peggy Macliver stormed homein the 200m with an emphatic 92%. It iswidely agreed that 90% is world-class;Peggy certainly graces the world stage. Thesame can be said of David Carr. Each ofthese two athletes is at home wherever theyrun – be it a world championships or on thepitted surface that we know as Coker Park.

Other trophy highlights have been thebattle for the minor placings in both men’sand women’s categories. Carol Bowmanrefuses to concede that her battle with JulieWilson is yet over. A season’s best in the200m keeps her in the hunt, but she stillinsists that she’ll try to better this nextTuesday. That’s spirit! In fact, DeliaBaldock may well take third place behindGillian Young. An excellent 200m,garnering 75.8%, puts her in third spotcurrently.

The men’s placings look fairly wellconfirmed now, with Tuesday athletesAndrew Brooker and Campbell Tilllikely to finish second and third.

John Oldfield sums up the Patron’sTrophy with the following remarks.

“As one who was always going to bewell down the order, and now likely tofinish 9th of 11, I can confirm that there is

a great deal of both enjoyment andsatisfaction wherever one finishes. Thereis much truth in the old adage that mastersathletics is all about the taking part, not justthe winning.’’

Patron’s Trophy

ECAC – December 15200m % pointsBernard Riviere M46 26.6 81.88Colin Smith M48 27.7 79.75Kim Thomas M37 28.7 70.91Brian Hewitt M58 32.0 73.50Nick Miletic M60 33.1 72.51

Kathy Lawson W45 30.6 78.56John Dennehy M52 31.6 71.93Fiona Leonard W45 32.0 75.13Peggy Macliver W67 32.9 92.01Delia Baldock W49 33.2 75.78

Bob Schickert M70 33.9 76.11Fran Cherry W48 35.2 70.65David Carr M79 36.5 81.84Carol Bowman W57 37.4 72.59

Maurice Creagh M65 39.8 62.29Monique Thomas W34 43.5 49.06Christine Oldfield W67 45.6 66.38

Flying high

Delia Baldock isa picture ofconcentrationas she stridesout in the 200m

Bernard Riviereheads BrianHewitt in the firstheat of the 200m.

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Patron’s Trophy

The finale was topped by trophy winnerPeggy Macliver with a 90%-plusperformance in each sprint. Even her 93%in the non-trophy 100m was bettered laterin the evening with a phenomenal 94.31%in the 200m. A true champion.

In the men’s 200m Campbell Till scoredthe second highest Age-Graded score with

86.62% to be an agonising .7 of a per centoff 700 points in the final tally with thirdplace overall.

In their the race for fifth on the leaderboard Julie Wilson and Carol Bowmanthrew everything into their final 200m withJulie edging out Carol by 3.3% in thetrophy race.

WAAS – December 20200m % pointsAndrew Brooker M42 25.2 83.89Campbell Till M54 26.6 86.62Colin Smith M48 26.6 83.05Craig VanWaardenburg M52 26.8 84.81Andrew Taylor M45 27.2 79.49

Richard Williams M41 27.5 76.33Ian Coate M41 28.4 73.91Grant Schofield M43 28.6 74.48Mike Kowal M49 29.4 75.68Keith Edmonds M44 30.3 70.83

Roscoe McDonnell M53 29.3 78.09Fiona Leonard W45 30.9 77.80John Dennehy M52 31.4 72.39Nick Miletic M60 31.9 75.24Cathy McCloskey W48 32.1 77.48

Peggy Macliver W67 32.1 94.30Delia Baldock W49 32.4 77.65Sue Coate W45 33.0 72.85Fran Cherry W48 33.9 73.36Karyn Gower W51 36.5 70.49

Julie Willmott W46 35.9 67.72Carol Bowman W57 35.9 76.41Julie Wilson W58 38.9 71.23Sarah Ladwig W62 40.8 70.71Christine Oldfield W67 44.5 68.02

Fast and furious

Julie Willmott andCarol Bowmankept thetimekeepers ontheir toes witheach recording35.9s. Julie Wilsonplaced third.

Andrew Brooker,Campbell Till,

Andrew Taylor, ColinSmith and Craig van

Waardenburgaccelerate around

the bend.

15

Tuesday highlights at WA Athletics Stadium

John Collier leads Bob Schickert, John Dennehy, JohnOldfield (obscured) and Karyn Gower.

ABOVE: LynneSchickert, Julie Wilsonand Peggy Macliverrun the bend in the200m

FAR LEFT: AndrewBrooker heads DonaldBradley down theback straight.

LEFT: Nick Mileticrings the bell forMark Dawson.

Kim Thomas triesto outrun hisreflection in one ofthe many puddlesat WA AthleticsStadium followingthe downpour thathit Perth.

16

Thursday highlights at Coker Park

ABOVE: Kevin Hyndswatches the watch as wifeMelissa runs past.

LEFT: Bernard Rivierekeeps his eyes on the finishline in the 300m.

INSET: Sarah Ladwig runsdown the main straight.

BELOW: Craig vanWaardenburg (far left) andBev Hamilton prepare torelease the weight throw.

17

ECAC – December 1The great Eileen Hindle paid us a friendly visit. Eileen stillholds 17 state records almost twenty years after she gaveup the sport. Looking very well, she arrived before thestart and spent half an hour reminiscing with many oldfriends from her competitive days. One member recalled“She was like poetry going over the hurdles or in thejumps pits- a real natural”.

A state record always has to be a highlight. So pride ofplace goes to Bev Hamilton’s W65 12.18m weight throw.But surely alongside it she would not mind me placingDavid Carr’s amazing 93% 800m run.

The warm, almost windless conditions were ideal forsprinters on the night. Almost half of the entrants in the200m and 60m short races achieved season’s bests orPBAs, too numerous to mention individually. DavidSolomon is not a member this season. He is living downto the south of Mandurah for work reasons and can onlymake spasmodic visits to the city. His excellent 200m win(27.3) showed us what we are missing. Nick Miletic(32.1) stormed to his best for a long time over 200m withJulie Willmott taking the third heat.

A good mix of throwers is turning out each Thursday.Apart from Bev Hamilton’s SR, the weight throw also sawCraig van Waardenburg (13.79m) set a PBA. Lajos Joni(15.80m) was only 1 cm short of his state record in hispenultimate week before moving back to Sydney.

WAAS – December 2Rob Colling (M40) was welcomed as a new member fourdays ago. At this Strive meeting he raced down the 100mstraight in 11.1s and repeated the form over 60m, clocking7.0s. Unfortunately the Stevie Nicks concert last Saturdayleft us with electronic timing problems. The hand timingwas not sufficiently reliable for record purposes, so this

potential SR over 100m and AR over the shorter distancecannot be validated. There were good times all round onthe track. Brett Blanco (7.2s and 11.5s) is running intotop form, Melissa Foster, Barrie Kernaghan and RoyFearnall likewise.

Our only entrant over 1500m on the night was MikeKowal. Mike is also new to us this season, and his 4:58.4gave us a good indication of his pedigree too.

Add Melissa Foster’s 4.89 long jump and season’sbests almost all round in both hammer and javelin and itgives you a good flavour of what was a top night’s athletics.

WAAS – December 6The two sprints took place into a headwind, very unusualfor this stadium. Craig van Waardenburg (27.4) madelight of this with a PBA in the 200m. Julie Wilson (39.3)did likewise, knocking some 5 seconds off her previousbest. The two 60m heats were won by Craig vanWaardenburg and Geoff Brayshaw. Geoff also had a3.87m jump into some very soggy sand. And finally the4000m event saw only three takers. Kim Thomas ledfrom gun to tape to clock 15:29.5, some distance aheadof Mark Dawson and John Collier.

ECAC – December 8Away from the trophy events, there was a 300m race,won by Colin Smith and a 2km run in which RodHamilton left the rest of the field trailing in his wake; andin the field Melissa Foster triple-jumped to a huge10.87m. This would have easily eclipsed her state recordbut for a strong following wind.

The cage finally came back into use, but without thenetting, as the throwers hurled the discus for the first timethis season. It was Lajos Joni’s last hurrah, as his twoyear stint in Perth is over. He has now returned to hishome in Sydney. We will miss his constant smile.

Analysis of the results By John Oldfield

MELISSA FOSTER

LAJOS JONI

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WAAS – December 9Most of the attention at the WAAS Strive meeting was inthe field and over the barriers. Tom Gravestock grabsthe headlines with a 39.65m M55 state discus record. Hewas joined in this event by no less than nine other MAWAmembers.

We welcomed new member Sarah Edmiston. Sarah’shammer throw of 35.35m is a new W35 state record. Herdiscus throwing also showed good promise. She joins thegrowing band of younger members who have swelled theranks this season.

The night was designated the Patron’s Trophy discusopportunity. (ECAC’s discus has been cancelled until thenew year with cage problems and Tuesday night throwinghas been cancelled for at least the 2011/12 season.)Throwing for points, Nick Miletic (38.2%, PBA) took mostadvantage with Carol Bowman, John Dennehy andGrant Schofield all in the low-20s. Greg Wilson alsothrew a PBA. Greg had performances as the sole MAWAjavelin thrower and high jumper too.

Four Masters athletes also jumped the barriers in a2000m steeplechase. David Carr led the way, with JulieWilson, Nick Miletic and Mel Hynds also practising theirtechnique.

Main track focus was in the 100m sprint. Rob Colling(11.41) had a good legal wind this evening but was unableto repeat his ultra-fast hand-timed 11.1 of two weeks ago.Craig van Waardenburg and Barrie Kernaghan eachput in solid runs in the later heats. Barrie also ran anextremely good sub-70s 400m to close the evening’sentertainment.

WAAS – December 13Between the Patron Trophy triple jump and the evening’sconcluding 1500m trophy races, there was much else toenjoy. The 300m and 2000m are not regular events, butnevertheless still enjoyed by many. Mark Elms and KeithMartin showed their sprint speed to take the honours inthe 300m heats. John Collier took the 2km race aheadof the returning Fiona Leonard.

Then we had three heats of the 100m sprint. Heatwinners were Mark Elms again, new member Quintonde Klerk (who joined on the night) and CathyMcCloskey. Cathy and sister Fran Cherry were alsomaking their first appearance of the season. All the sprintswere wind-assisted, so times were good, but only validfor personal landmarks, of which there were several.

Also sandwiched in this time before the 1500m trophywas a high jump competition. Dave Wyatt runs this, andonce more, for the third time, equalled his own staterecord without managing to better it.

ECAC – December 15Away from the Patron’s Trophy 200m events there wasmuch to admire. Kim Thomas (2:24.2) led DaveSolomon (2:24.7) to an excellent time in the 800m in agreat finish. Rob Colling marked his first regular clubmeet with 11.4 in the 100m. Roscoe McDonnell led allthe way in a sub 11-minute 3000m. All five shot-puttersrecorded season’s bests. Bernie Riviere jumped to5.16m in the long jump, a club best for him. And onpersonal notes, several athletes returned to the meet afterlong breaks; Simon and Fiona Leonard, Fran Cherry,Ian and Sue Coate, Anne Travis. It’s good to see you allagain.

Analysis of the results

CRAIG VAN WAARDENBURG

SUE COATE

19

WAAS – December 16Dave Wyatt finally broke his own state M60 high jumprecord on this Strive night. After recording 1.45m at noless than four meetings, his 1.47m raised the record atlast. Greg Wilson jumped his customary 1.35m but oncemore could not go higher.

It was all MAWA men in the throws. Tom Gravestockput the shot out to 11.06m, his best mark in Perth thisseason, although he did record 11.17m in the AdelaideMasters Games. Tom’s 38.34m discus was also a goodmark in the stiff breeze. Greg Wilson will be happy withhis discus throw of 29.52m. Not so chuffed, however, withhis javelin; “Threw rubbish tonight”, he commented.

The javelin competition was the last eligible throw forthe trophy, with Andrew Brooker taking advantage tonotch good points in his quest for second place. His38.46m (45%) is his best I have recorded on the MAWAdatabase.

On the track it was only sprinters wearing our singlet inthis final Strive meet of 2011. Roy Fearnall clocked 8.97s,Barrie Kernaghan 9.42s with legal winds in the 60m.Barrie went on to break the electronic beam at 29.67s inthe 200m which closed the programme.

WAAS – December 20Another very busy evening at WAAS was made easy tomanage by many willing hands. Many thanks are due toall who helped. It was great to see so many new fingerson watches. Thanks especially to Karyn Gower and ToniPhillips for their debuts as recorders; to Campbell Tillfor lap-scoring the 3000m and everyone who helped.

Personal landmarks were numerous. True, there wasa good wind helping the sprinters, but as I said to ourqueen sprinter, you have to have the ability to takeadvantage of it. And so many did. There were no lessthan 18 PBAs on the night, and another 22 season’s

bests. It truly was a grand finale for 2011 at WAAS – thereis no doubt that this switch has been a huge success.

ECAC – December 22We were expecting a leisurely evening with a few of thehardy souls giving up the mince pies or last-minuteshopping. No way – a big turnout with lots of endeavourmixed in with all the goodwill was the order of the day. Ahuge bonus to end the year was the sight of six hardyyoung (-ish!) men winding up the hammer/discus cage inpreparation for the return of the strong men to Coker.

Damien decided to hold the scheduled discus event,but to supplement it with a bonus hammer throw insteadof shot put.

Matt Staunton threw a lifetime best with the hammer.Three others managed PBAs as the implementsthemselves seemed to be enjoying the evening’s outing.It calmed down a little with the subsequent discus event,several disci deciding to avoid the netting and fall outsidethe cage via the stanchions.

The other field event was the triple jump, LesBeckham’s last offering of this festive season. LynneSchickert and Cathy McCloskey took advantage of afavourable wind to record season’s bests. MelissaFoster was foiled by the following breeze as she onceagain exceeded her W30 state record to no avail. It willsurely come on an evening when the wind is legal, Melissa.

It was planned to be a short programme on the track.But plans did not take into account the need for five heatsof the 60m and three heats of the 400m; even the twoother races (mile and 1000m) should really have beenseparated into two heats. But ace organiser BobSchickert decided that his timekeeping A-team of JackieHalberg, Pat Carr and John Oldfield could cope withmass races. And so they did.

Analysis of the results

BARRIEKERNAGHAN

KARYN GOWER

20

BSEFP State Track & Field ChampionshipsThursday, March 15 10,000m run 7pm ECACSaturday, March 17 Pentathlon ECAC

Saturday, March 17 Throws Pentathlon ECACThursday, March 22 5km track walk 7pm ECAC

Saturday/Sunday March 24-25 Main Championship weekendErn Clark Athletic Centre (Coker Park)

Other ChampionshipsAustralian Masters are welcome at all of these events

February 5-12 Oceania Masters Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand (www.nzmastersathletics.org.nz)

April 6-9 AMA Nationals Melbourne (www.australianmastersathletics.org.au)July 21-22 British Masters Nationals Derby, UK (www.bvaf.org.uk)August 9-12 North American Masters Regionals St. John, NB, Canada (www.nccwma2012.com)

November3-11 Pan Pacific Masters Games Gold Coast (www.mastersgames.com.au)

Black Swan Event Financial Planning is pleased toagain be associated with Masters Athletics WA,supporting the 2012 MAWA State Championships.

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If you would like more details or would like a free“health check” of your finances, contact JohnCameron or Petrese Ivey at Black Swan EventFinancial Planning. Or check the website atwww.blackswanevent.com.auContact details:Phone : 9322 7818 Fax : 9481 5570Email : perth@blackswanevent.com.auOffice : Level 11, 28 The Esplanade, Perth