Please see attached for a copy of the program for Round 12, which is to be held at Nunawading Athletics track on Saturday 21st January 2017.

Competition starts at 1:30pm on the track (Sprint hurdles) and 1:30 for the big Discus (>35m), Big Long Jump (>6.00m) & Pole vault (>3.80m) competitions.

This is the last (& most crucial round for our Under 14, 16 & 40+ Men as they strive for finals spots.

We will be based in our usual Nunawading spot, on the hill just past the start/finish line.

Please see below for a copy of the program for Saturday.

White Zone – Rd 12 – Timetable

SKAAC colours have been flying high in New Zealand with Alex Rowe dominating the 800m, winning in 1:48.06 (which was a track record) and Deluca Lawson-Matthew taking out the 400m in 48.93sec.

Please see below for a link to the NZ Herald article summarising the SKAAC dominance.

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11782561

 

 

A far better set of conditions for the SKAAC finals contenders at Nunawading during Round 11. With strong wins for the Under 14 and Under 15 Mens teams, second placing for the Under 14 Women’s team and third placings for Mens Open and 40+.

A big welcome to Kim Whelan having his debut run for the club with an excellent 800m (2:39.15) & 3000m (13:05.17) being the difference in the Mens 40+ team.

Women’s Under 14

Congratulations to Alessia Acquaro for her High Jump Club Record of 1.17m and strong 200m in 31.73s. Alessia has had a super strong first season and is eligible for Under 14 again next season!!

Mens Under 14

With a Shield Final spot already sewn up, the boys were out to stake their claims for spots in the team with Luca DiConza (800m 2:16.77s, 3000m (10:40.22), Triple Jump (8.65m), Shot Put (5.66m), High Jump) having a super big day. Also impressive was Samuel Scroggie in the 200m Hurdles (40.12s), 200m (31.79s) 800m (2:49.08), Triple (8.21m) & High Jump (1.27m).

Matt Dinan, suffering with severs was a terrific runner for the team in the 200m clocking 30.24s

Angus Down completed a 200m & 800m showcasing his versatility and talent with 31.29s & 2:36.45

Adam McGarry had a day out. A 12cm PB in the High Jump with 1.32m and another PB in the Hammer with 20.54m along with a Shot Put (6.58m), Triple Jump (8.53m), 200m & leg of the Under 16 4x400m Relay plus a 3000m (14:15.70) to ensure top point for the team was a great display.

Round 12 is crucial with Shield Finals spots up for grabs and the chance to finish the White region on top of the ladder.

Mens Under 16

What a super talented group this age is for SKAAC. Headline acts everywhere. Where do I start? Massimo Acquaro, Marcus Osman, Thomas Scroggie & Tristan Day were a 4 man team and took out a great win. Massimo scopping 412 point for his 23.57s. Marcus Osman having his first season with the club has been a wonderful addition and can’t he get through some work? 200m (25.49s), Triple, High (1.47m) , Relay all in days work for this young man. Thomas Scroggie, so talented that no event is beyond him…200m Hurdles (31.16s), 200m (26.08s) , 800m (2:08.72), Triple Jump (11.20m), High Jump (1.57m), and 4×400 Relay. Tristan Day again is crafting a super season, after winning the Club’s most improved trophy in 2015/2016 contributing over 800 points for his 800m 2:08.37 & 3000m 9:24.11.

Mens Under 18

Phil Borg with a 23.10 200m & 1.57m High Jump and Callum Day 2:07.10 800m were the only performances for this team that has been hit with athletes still being on holidays.

Mens 40+

This grade is nearly the most competitive age group in the whole of Victoria with 2nd spot in the Shield Final up for grabs next week in Round 12. The SKAAC team, whilst undermanned with injuries (when are we ever going to be not hit by injuries, I hear you say) was fantastic to hold on to 4th spot and keep our finals chances alive. VMA won the round, with Box Hill second, leaving a tantalising last round showdown in a virtual “Region Final”. Those that can remember back that far will recall the great memories of the region final, where SKAAC somehow seemed to always bring our best to the table. Whilst officialdom has relegated this great day to the scrapheap (hopefully only temporarily) the 40+ Men get to turn back that virtual clock in Round 12 as we try to cling onto second spot.

Mens Open

Jonathan Taylor 200m 23.74s and Jason Kozica 3000m Walk (13:03.62) an effort that was worth over 500 points were the standouts with support from Nigel Self 200m (24.02s) and Chris Milne running a PB in the 3000m (10:51.34).

 

It is a fine line between success and failure in this sport and Round 10 could not have dished up more polar opposite results for the SKAAC warriors that took to the track in extreme heat in Round 10.

Let’s start with the good, as there was plenty of it:-

* What a great 100m run by Joel Bee, clocking 10.52 at the Essendon track as part of the AV “roaming” round, his fastest since joining SKAAC (2nd fastest All time) and coming after a hectic schedule racing the pro circuit in Adelaide in Bay Sheffield and in Burnie (3rd in the Gift Final off 0.25m)

* Cainie, doing plenty with a 100m, Long Jump, 110m Hurdles & Javelin.

* A slashing debut by the James Tamouridis coached, Jackson Bennett taking out a classy “Heat 1” field in 10.66. All at the club are excited to have Jackson on board and can’t wait for his season to take off. A very exciting time for the club’s Open sprint ranks!!

* Samuel Scroggie might only be small, but he is tough. In searing heat he gobbled up a 1500m and 400m and in between had enough energy for a PB in the Long Jump with 4.03m. Samuel, along with Joel Imbriano has been a trojan for the Under 14 Mens team.

* Harry Livens, Marcus Osman & Thomas Scroggie were a 3 man band working SO hard to keep the Under 16 team’s hopes alive. Harry cleared his first height ever in Pole Vault, threw a >31m Javelin, Marcus had a crack at the Long Jump and Thomas was a mere 3 seconds off his 1500m PB in 4:31, in the most extreme conditions (38 Deg when he raced) for the day.

* Luca DiConza left nothing in the tank, completing his first ever 2km Steeplechase (7:59) and backed this up with a 1500m and a leg of the 4×100 relay

* Joel Imbriano completing the 2k steeple in 9:16 along with 6 other events (400m, 1500m, Relay, Discus, Javelin, Long)

* Joe Lynch under 60 sec in the 400m for the first time this season

* Jack Howard winding the clock back in the Javelin with 33m

* Dino Imbriano doing plenty of work with 7 events

 

But, and unfortunately this week there are a couple…

* The under 14’s lost narrowly to Box Hill, falling 1 event short;

* Same for the Under 16’s where the result was nearly the tightest miss in any grade this season;

* and Men’s 40+ teams who finished third, but thankfully ahead of AWA.

 

Plenty of work to do in Round 11 to rectify the bad luck from Round 10.

Come-on SKAAC, let’s make the last 2 rounds count.

Please see attached for a copy of the program for Round 11, which is to be held at Nunawading Athletics track on Saturday 14th January 2017 and is a Zone v Zone Competition.

Competition starts at 12:00pm on the track (Long hurdles) and 12:00 for the big Hammer (>35m), Big Triple Jump (>12.00m) & High Jump (>1.65m) competitions.

It should be a great day of athletics as we enter the penultimate round of Shield Competition. We will be based in our usual Nunawading spot, on the hill just past the start/finish line.

Please see below for a copy of the program for Saturday.

white-zone-round-11-timetable

Please see attached for a copy of the program for Round 10, which is to be held at Nunawading Athletics track on Saturday 7th January 2017. Competition starts at 1:30pm on the track (Sprint Hurdles) and 1:30 for the big Discus (>35m), Big Long Jump (6.00m) & Pole Vault (>3.80m) competitions.

It should be a great day of athletics as we enter the crucial final 3 rounds of Shield Competition. We will be based in our usual Nunawading spot, on the hill just past the start/finish line.

Please see below for a copy of the program for Saturday.

white-zone-rd-10-timetable

A great night of athletics for the SKAAC contingent at Nunawading on Thursday night, with the BBQ firing (big thanks to chef John Bedelis) and plenty of SKAAC athletes getting out there in the last round before the Christmas break.

With the Shield Season now three-quarters over, the last 3 rounds in January 2017 will be crucial for all teams. So stay fit over the break, but enjoy some rest and come back ready to fire in January 2017. We have meets on 7th, 14th & 21st January, with the Shield Final on February 12 for those teams that qualify, by finishing in the top 2 in White Region.

Some highlights from Round 9 :-

* 8 Hammer throwers (Marcus Osman (14.31m on debut), Thomas Scroggie (17,.65m)  Jack Howard (29.53m), Steve Cain (34.37m), Dino Imbriano (20.60m), James Flinn (26.07m), Lauren McGarry (31.00m), Adam McGarry (23.06m)

* Club Records for Daniel Doyle Under 14 200m 24.59s, Lauren McGarry (Under 13-18 Shot Put 9.50m with the 3kg) & (Under 13-15 High Jump 1.15m), Alessia Acquaro Under 13-15 200m 31.40, Isabelle Collins Under 15 800m 2:32.0 & Mens 40+ 4×200 relay (Andrew Thomas, Dino Imbriano, James Flinn, Aaron Little) 1:59.3

* Great wins for the Mens Under 16 team & Mens Under 14 team.

* A slashing run by Conor Fry for the first time since March in the Open 400m Hurdles, winning in 55.85

* A near club record for Joel Imbriano in the Under 13 Walk (8:56.1) , missing the mark by a mere 0.5sec.

* Top 10 All Time performances in the 200m Hurdles for Harry Livens 30.31 & Daniel Doyle 31.99

* 4 relay teams entered and a win to the Under 16 Men in 1:44.7

* A great run by Luca DiConza in the Under 14 3000m winning in 10:30.9

* Thomas Scroggie completing 6 events, TJ 10.87m; HJ 1.65m; Hammer 17.65; 200m 26.43; 800m 2:09.4 + Relay, with Samuel going toe-to-toe with 6, 200m Hurdles 39.66; TJ 8.03m; HJ 1.20m; 200m 32.14; 800m 2:45.4 + Relay

* A PB to Adam McGarry in the Hammer Throw with 23.06

* A PB to Tristan Day in the Under 16 800m in 2:08.0

On behalf of the SKAAC Committee I wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing everyone at the track on 7 January 2017.

Please see attached for a copy of the program for Round 9, which is to be held as a TWILIGHT meet at Nunawading Athletics track on Thursday 15 December 2016. Competition starts at 6:30pm on the track (Walk & Long Hurdles) and 6:00 for the big Hammer (>35m); & 6:30pm for the big Triple Jump (>12m) competitions.

Please note that as a Christmas break-up we will have a free BBQ and drinks for all athletes in attendance on the night as we close out the last AV Shield meet for 2016.

Click on link below for the timetable:-

white-zone-round-9-timetable

Terrible conditions for high class athletics didn’t deter the brave athletes of SKAAC who electrified Lakeside Stadium with maybe one of the club’s greatest single nights of high class performances.

The night got off to a flyer, literally, with the Open mens 100 yards (a race rarely run, but should be run more often) with Michael Romanin and Joel Bee taking on a superstrong field. Joel Bee flew the blocks and ran a super race to win in 9.46 (+5.4) by 3 metres from the classy Will Johns, with Michael Romanin finishing 8th in 10.01. For his efforts Joel was duly crowned Victorian 100 Yards State Champion.

Thomas Scroggie was our sole representative in the Under 15 1500m, running in a bunched field that was a sit & sprint from about 300m out. Thomas was caught 3 wide at the bell and tried to get around for a clear passage, but the group had the same idea. Certainly, based on times Thomas was in the race up to his ears and will no doubt learn plenty from this race to take into the serious races in the latter part of the season.

The Mens 800m saw a historic quinella to SKAAC with Alex Rowe winning in 1:50.09 and just as impressive was Steve Knuckey holding off Christian Davis to run a strong 2nd in 1:51.30. It has to be said that the pre-race hold on the start line for a presentation of an officials award made little sense, with the rain, wind and plummeting temperature not the best way to get set for an 800m.

Alex sat in nicely behind the pacemaker and virtually led all the way in what was on viewing the conditions and pre-race delay probably worth a time significantly below that which stopped the clock. Steve’s race pattern was nearly perfect, got out from a crowded start beautifully and held a great spot all race, with a great lead-in to the last 250m, where he was challenged with 200m to go and responded in the home straight to finish a strong race and set himself for later in the season.

In a night where we honour the great Emil Zatopek with the running of the National Mens & Women’s 10k, it seems odd that a club relay race would stir the most from a sparse crowd in attendance. However, the Zatopek 4x400m Relay is one of the more successful additions to this program. Old Melburnians have taken this race to a new level in recent years, regularly having two teams in the final and for the previous 3 years at least, taking home the Gold medal. However, this year, it was SKAAC that had 2 teams in the final and it was SKAAC that took home a Gold Medal in a sensational battle with a very strong Old Melburnians team. Joel Bee ran the first leg and was sensational in handing the baton to Steve Fabris in 1st place, taking on a 2-time Olympian. By the 100m mark Fab had company and it was battle-on. Composure was critical and 150m from home, the SKAAC faithful could see something special happening. Fab had more than a sniff, he was closing and closing fast. Half-way down the straight Fab had taken the lead and taken down a key plank in the OM’s team, it was a herculean run and one that was warmly received by the entire SKAAC contingent after the race. Peter Bol has been training the house down of late and so it was to be in the 3rd leg, where shoulder to shoulder for the first 350m it was still anyone’s race. With 80m to go, the OM’s athlete had given it everything and Peter’s base allowed him to pull away ever so slightly in the last 30 metres to set Deluca on his way. Deluca was fantastic clocking a split time of 48.5 to extinguish any chance the competition had. 3:13.95 was the winning time with OM’s about a second away in 2nd place. SKAAC had secured our first ever State 4×400 crown and created a new club record, breaking the previous mark set over 25 years ago, that is still a State Junior Record.

The SKAAC second team was also a strong performer on the night, with Seb Purcell continuing his resurgence under the guidance of Mark Ladbrook, Gerard Kerr getting to experience the magic of the final and continue his own return from injury over the last few seasons. Alex Rowe and Steve Knuckey backing up from the earlier 800m ran sensational splits of 49.1 & 49.7 respectively. The team stopped the clock at 3:22.28, good enough for 10th All Time for SKAAC, and put a huge exclamation mark on what was a truly sensational night for SKAAC Athletics.

It was a pleasure to be there to witness it.

Thanks to  each and every athlete, their coaches and to JR for handling the teams during the night and on the heats so brilliantly.

Go SKAAC

With school finished for many of us and Zatopek a way better option than training (in my opinion :-)), get yourself Lakeside on Thursday night to witness a really great night of Australian Distance running with the feature event (Australian 10,000m Championship) containing our Olympian Sam McEntee as pacemaker. There is plenty of SKAAC athletes in action on the night as well:-

Hugh Pentland in the 10,000m lower grades at Aberfeldie on 6/12/2016

6:40pm Joel Bee and Michael Romanin in the Victorian 100 Yards Championship

7:00pm Thomas Scroggie in the Under 15 1500m

7:25pm Steve Knuckey & Alex Rowe in the Mens 800m

and at 8:45pm to round it all out from a State Relays perspective, the Open Mens 4×400 where SKAAC has two teams qualified for the final.

Get down to Lakeside Stadium for a great night and plenty of SKAAC athletes in action.