Waverley Little Athletics Centre Inc.

Little Athletics Suspended

As of mid-March 2020, all Little Athletics events have been suspended or cancelled due to Covid19. Our season came to a grinding halt which was a great shame. The State and National Championships were cancelled, along with all other sporting events  

In line with directives from Little Athletics Australia, Little Athletics Victoria and the Government, there will be no Cross Country events at all in 2020, or at the very least, the LAVic State Cross Country Championships May be held if Government restrictions are lifted. 

All training groups have also been suspended and Monash Council has locked down the clubrooms, restricting access during the lock down period.

The Committee has not met since the AGM due to social distancing laws and other reasons, but once we do meet we will be discussing the 2020/21 season and what we can do to help the Waverley families leading into the Summer season. 

We are here for our members and we will do what ever we can to ensure we can provide your children with sport on the other side of Covid19. 

Please follow all government directions, stay safe and we will see you once all of this is over. Remember to check our website and Facebook page for any updates as they come through. 

Waverley Little Athletics Centre Inc. 

2019/20 Awards

The following PDF downloads are the 2019/20 age group and major award winners and recipients. 

Visit our Facebook page for the video announcements. 

News/Media

2020/21 Season

As of September, there is no set starting date for the 2020/21 Little Athletics Season ahead. 

Since government restrictions have recently been extended, we don't anticipate starting until at least November, however we must wait for information from Little Athletics Victoria. 

Until then, we must anxiously wait and hope restrictions ease.

We are here for our members and we will do what ever we can to ensure we can provide your children with sport on the other side of Covid19. 

Please follow all government directions, stay safe and we will see you once all of this is over. Remember to check our website and Facebook page for any updates as they come through. 

Waverley Little Athletics Centre Inc. 

Little Athletics

Little Athletics is a Centre based Track & Field competition for children aged between 5 and 15.  For more details check out What is Little Athletics?

Waverley Little Athletics Centre is based at Central Reserve Athletics Track in Glen Waverley, is affiliated with Little Athetics Victoria and is part of the Southern Metropolitan Region (SMR). Not near Glen Waverley? Find your nearest Centre.

Because Little Athletics is a totally voluntary organisation, the Centre cannot operate without the assistance of parents each week in fulfilling the many and varied duties required. These include officiating at an event; managing an age group; recording results; working in the canteen; to name just a few. Additional assistance is always required on the Centre committees and all parents are encouraged to become involved. Little Athletics is one of the few sports where parents can become fully involved in their child's sporting interests.

15/09/2020 - Possible Start Date for 2020/21

Since the recent announcement from the Victorian Government regarding the planned stages and easing of restrictions, we anticipate that the 2020/21 Little Athletics season could start as early as Saturday 31st October. 

However, this is only an educated guess. We must wait for confirmation from Little Athletics Victoria, which will be based on the advice from Sport Victoria which is subject to the average number of Covid19 cases remaining low. 

So if you’re keen to get back to Little Athletics, please keep checking our website, Facebook and emails for further information when it becomes available. Stay home, stay safe and we will all be back at the track very soon. 

Unfortunately, we have not been able to promote our Centre within our local schools this year, so we will be relying on social media and word of mouth from our current members. Please spread the word that Little Athletics is starting again soon and our registration fees will be at a record low. This is a fantastic opportunity for children and families to get back outside and into the community on the other side of this global pandemic that we’ve all faced since the beginning of this year. 

Until more information becomes available, take care. 

08/09/2020 - 2020/21 Season

As of September, there is no set starting date for the 2020/21 Little Athletics Season ahead. 

Since government restrictions have recently been extended, we don't anticipate starting until at least November, however we must wait for information from Little Athletics Victoria. 

Until then, we must anxiously wait and hope restrictions ease.

We are here for our members and we will do what ever we can to ensure we can provide your children with sport on the other side of Covid19. 

Please follow all government directions, stay safe and we will see you once all of this is over. Remember to check our website and Facebook page for any updates as they come through. 

Waverley Little Athletics Centre Inc. 

05/09/2020 - Major Award Winners and Recipients 2019/20

We have announced this years Major Award Winners and Recipients via video uploads to Facebook. 

Congratulations to all athletes involved that received these awards. 

The results will be uploaded to our website shortly. 

03/09/2020 - Major Award Winners and Recipients 2019/20

We have announced this years Major Award Winners and Recipients via video uploads to Facebook. 

Congratulations to all athletes involved that received these awards. 

The results will be uploaded to our website shortly. 

News/Media

03/09/2020 - Line Marking for 2020/21

Hi All,

I will be looking for at least 1-2 people to learn how to Line Mark the Waverley Little Athletics track for this coming summer season.

I first learnt how to line mark the track when I took over as Arena Manager back in 2011 and I have marked the track ever since, except for the 2015/16 season. Katy and Denis have assisted along the way, but it’s time to start handing over these ropes to someone new. Line Marking is such an easy and enjoyable job, once the initial line measuring and marking has been completed. 

I will personally train anyone who would like to take on this role prior to or at the start of this coming season  

If you’re interested in taking on this role, please contact me via email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) and we will organise training sessions. Line Marking needs to be very precise, but once you get used to it, you will enjoy it. 

Dylan

edit: Monash Council marks the all lanes on the circular track and sprint track. WLAC Line Marking involves all the start lines, hurdle lines and relay boxes. 

02/09/2020 - Little Athletics Update 2020

Dear WLAC Families from the 2019/20 season,

After months of inactivity, I hope this email finds you and your families well, during Covid19 and lockdown. It's certainly been difficult for people not being able to work, not sending children to school and not being able to leave home. 

I have a few important items to address, mostly regarding the upcoming 2020/21 season.

Covid19 and Restrictions
As you are all aware, the 2019/20 season came to a grinding halt in March due to Covid19 restrictions. We have not yet been able to resume Little Athletics and are awaiting confirmation as to when this will happen. Once the Victorian Government restrictions ease, Little Athletics Victoria will issue communication to Centres which will include a season start date. 

2019/20 Award Announcements
In May, I announced the 2019/20 Age Group award winners. Tomorrow, 3rd September, I will announce the Major Award winners and recipients via video posts on Facebook.

Tune in at 8am for the first announcement, followed by; 11am, 2pm, 5pm and finally 8pm - where all awards will be announced. 

Congratulations in advance to all award winners and recipients on a successful season. 

Registration Fees and Start Date
Once Little Athletics Victoria release further information regarding the upcoming season, the WLAC Committee will be able to plan our start of the season.

The Committee has not been able to meet since the AGM in March, however, we have kept in communication over the past months and discussed several items behind the scenes. 

When the time comes to finalise our registration fees for 2020/21, we will be looking at keeping them as low as possible in an effort to provide some financial support to our families. 

Please keep this in mind when registrations open up soon, we understand that children (and parents) will be very keen to get back outside and into sport over the summer. We are here to provide this opportunity and support to our families and community. 

Vacant Committee Positions / assistance required
We currently require some assistance from our membership with organising the Centre's Publicity and Marketing for the upcoming season. 

Registrations are expected to be lower this year with Covid19, however without anyone to organise Marketing in schools, the local area or on social media, we will see a signifiant decline in memberships which isn't good for the future of our Centre. So please consider assiting the Centre and Committee in our endevours to ensure the future of our Centre. 

There are currently two vacant Committee positions; Publicity Manager & Results Manager. 

We would also like to recruit a few new parents as General Committee Members to assist the Committee with various tasks throughout the season. Being part of our Committee is not very time consuming, it is very rewarding. Please consider the above and feel free to contact me to have a further chat. 

Completed works at Central Reserve
The new Long Jump and High Jump surfaces were competed approx. 2 months ago with thanks to the Monash Council. 

We have not been able to utilise these facilities yet and we are very anxious to start using them during the Summer. 

If you live within 5km of Central Reserve, head down and take a look at the new facilities. 

Until we know more information about the start of the 2020/21 summer season, I ask that all members take care, follow the current rules and restrictions, keep checking our website and Facebook for more updates and we anxiously await the return of Little Athletics this summer. 

On behalf of the Waverley LAC Committee,

Kind Regards, 

Dylan Cooper
President and Life Member
Waverley Little Athletics Centre Inc.

30/08/2020 - LAVic AGM wrap up

Thank you to Katy Smith for representing Waverley at the recent LAVic AGM and online conference. 

The following summary is from the Knox LAC website. Credit to them for the information.

The LAVIC annual Conference ran from Monday 17th August 2020 – Saturday 22nd August 2020. With the current restrictions in place the conference this year was held online culminating in an online awards ceremony on Saturday Night. 

The theme for this years conference was – shared learnings between the Association and its Centres, fostering connections and driving the progress of our sport via online resources exclusive to 2020

Each day of the conference had a number of online evening sessions, ranging from centre management, finance, marketing sessions, to coaching, competition and rules and updates to what the season will look like in a COVID 19 environment.

The key takeaways from the conference are:

Calendar for 2020-21 Season

• Season start date has NOT  been finalised. LAVIC are working on a number of calendar options. This will be dependant on Government advice and what is permitted following current COVID 19 restrictions ending. Season dates will be sent out as soon as they can.
• LAVIC are expecting delays to the start of the season and are working to minimise the impact on the season.
• There may be different season start dates for regional and metro centres.
• Australian Little Athletics Championship has been scheduled for 23 and 24 April 2021 in Melbourne.  LAVIC are working the various calendar options back from that date.
• It is planned to have a full calendar and schedule relays, Combined Event and the Regional and State Championship.
• No venues have been booked for major events. LAVIC will be working to secure locations once venues are allowed to take bookings. This may mean that new locations for certain competitions may be used. 
• A number centres confirmed that they are not planning on running their open days.

COVID 19 and Restrictions

• COVID 19 protocols will need to be agreed to by centres prior to a centre being able to accept registrations for the 2020-21 season. 
• Protocols will be based on those published in May will likely only need minor amendments to meet Government requirements.
• LAVIC is currently negotiating will suppliers of Hand Sanitiser etc, to help supply centres with the needs to meet protocols.
• No advice has been received form government as to return to play restrictions or requirements on gatherings at outdoor venues.

Fees and Marketing

• LAVIC have agreed to reduce the LAVIC component of the fees by 15% for returning athletes. This was in support of athletes and recognition that last season was abruptly ended with no T&F Championships or Cross Country Event.
• LAVIC will begin advertising shortly for the upcoming season.
• LAVIC will provide support to centres for marketing materials and key messages for the upcoming season.

Competition and Coaching

• Clarification provided on recent rule changes introduced. 
• LAAust and LAVIC are in the process of aligning competition rules with updated competition rules recently released by World Athletics. 
• Relays, T&F Regional and State Champs will move to Timed Finals.
• Relays will now include  a Swedish relay. Other changes to Relays including limitation of substitutions will be implemented. 
• Multiclass athletes will be included competition at relays, T&F regionals and state events including at State Combined Event with Multiclass athletes competing across 4 events.
• Mutliclass athletes will be grouped in age groups of U9-10, U11-12, U13-16 at regional and state events.
• Cross Country distances are being reviewed and will be standardised. More information about this will be provided prior to the 2021 Season.
• LAVIC has received a grant to improve and attract more women to coaching and support coaching and education.
• Coaching programs will be scheduled throughout the season to fit-in with  the season calendar.
• For athletes interested in the Junior Development Squad, the JDS program will go ahead when permitted. JDS qualifying requirements will be published shortly.

In summary, they key message is that we have to be flexible with the upcoming season and recognise that things may change quickly. We will provide more information as LAVIC releases details of the upcoming season.  Special thanks to Committee Member Caitlin Brusco for taking on our COVID 19 safety officer. We will follow protocols for return to play, we will ensure that our COVID19 protocols are in place and up to date, so that we wont be further delayed when the season does start.

If anyone has any questions on the conference please do not hesitate to contact the Committee, or if you would like to see the conference presentations they can be found here https://ourcentre.com.au/conference/

24/08/2020 - August Update

I hope all WLAC families and associated members are keeping well throughout these trying times. 

Unfortunately our Committee has not been able to meet since March due to restrictions, however we have been communicating via email and trying to organise what we can for the 2020/21 season ahead. 

No start date has been set for the upcoming season, we are waiting for further information from LAVic before finalising our calendar for this season.

The LAVic AGM and Conference was recently held online, more information will be available in due course. 

If you’re still looking for something to do during winter, check out the Little Athletics Australia “Fundamental” videos on Facebook or YouTube. They’re great coaching tutorials on the various Little Athletics events. 

Stay well. Stay healthy. Stay at home! 

Dylan