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Rule changes

probstjoerg Competition advice

There are important rule changes (starting 1 Nov 2017) you need to be aware of. I don’t know whether Little A is applying them. Make sure you pay extra attention to the officials’ instructions:

  • You must start your throw within 30 seconds of being called (Rule 180.17). This means you have to be alert and make sure you get ready when the person before you gets ready. They could have a foul, and so you might be up next within just a few seconds! At the same time the rules contain notes aimed at officials to ensure they take into account the circumstances. For instance, the official should only call your name once the circle is ready for you to throw.
  • Don’t leave the competition area without the permission of an official otherwise you may be disqualified (Rule 180.19).
  • After commencing your throw you are now allowed to touch/scrape the ground outside the circe, but only as long as you don’t ‘propel’ yourself in the process, in other words you are still not allowed to push off the back of the circle, and in fact you still are not allowed to clip the inside edge of the rim of the circle (Rule 187.14(b)). The note reads: 
    Note: However, it will not be considered a failure if the touch is made without providing any propulsion and occurs during any first rotation at a point completely behind the white line which is drawn outside the circle running, theoretically, through the centre of the circle.

To get a copy of the complete rule book, click here.

2017 end of season wrap

probstjoerg Blog, My athletes' results
Alex Murdocca in action

Well done everyone for giving it your best shot at Little A State Championships under sometimes difficult conditions.

And special congratulations to Blake Archer and Jack McFadden, who were selected for the NSW State Team to compete in the Little Athletics National Championships on 22-23 April.

Below just a selection of outstanding throwing results from my athletes: 

Alex Murdocca (U15) never left any doubt as to who is the lord of the ring, leading from round one and winning gold in the discus with a close-to-PB throw of 53.98m. He also won silver in the shot put with 14.55m.

In the same age group Jack McFadden finished 5th in the discus with excellent 44.35m, and again 5th in the shot put with 13.41m.

Still in the U15s, Georgia Duncan won a sensational bronze medal in the shot put with 12.24m.

In the U17s, Patrick Gleeson shone in the discus with a fantastic PB of 42.05m. 

Blake Archer (U13) won silver in the javelin with 33.12m and came a respectable 5th in the shot put with 12.43m.

Bethaney Toia also threw well, finishing 6th in the U13 shot put with 10.19m.

Brothers Julian and Michael Ajaka did very well in the shot put, Julian coming 7th in the U12 shot put with 10.35m, and Michael finished 6th in the U10s with 8.71m.

Also very memorable was Emilia Duncan’s lovely rendition of Advance Australia Fair – loved it! Listen below if you missed it. She threw well too mind you, but no doubt her highlight would have been picking up a gold medal in the 80m hurdles.

Congratulations again everyone!

Good news also for Blake Archer, who was selected to represent NSW at this year’s National Little Athletics Championships in javelin and shot put.

One week later Patrick Gleeson competed in the shot put at the Junior National Championships in Sydney, finishing in 6th place with 13.28m.

RUSADA descends even more into farce

probstjoerg Doping

Can this situation get any more farcical? RUSADA, the Russian anti-doping agency is now headed by just-retired pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva. I recall cheering Isinbayeva on when she set her last world record in Zürich in 2009, but this appointment is hardly anything to cheer about.

This appointment is yet another example of bad governance in sport. Can the Russians really not see the potential conflicts of interest here? Isinbayeva is currently a member of the IAAF Athletes’ Commission, and she has also just started an 8-year term on the IOC Athletes’ Commission (note that she received quite a few “no”-votes, unlike the other elected athletes). As now head of RUSADA she should give up both these posts, even if they are of a non-executive nature. It’s is also the perception that counts. But perhaps perception of a different kind is what the Russians are after: According to the USA Today report, she will head RUSADA as part of a “10-person board including sports executives, academics, and a Russian sports ministry official.” I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking, and I mean no offence to her personally, that Isinbayeva is being used here by RUSADA to serve as a marionette. The announcement is of course impeccably timed as we await with bated breath the final McLaren report.

A new chapter in the Russian doping saga

probstjoerg Doping

Can this situation get any more farcical? RUSADA, the Russian anti-doping agency is now headed by just-retired pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva. I recall cheering Isinbayeva on when she set her last world record in Zürich in 2009, but this appointment is hardly anything to cheer about.

This appointment is yet another example of bad governance in sport. Can the Russians really not see the potential conflicts of interest here? Isinbayeva is currently a member of the IAAF Athletes’ Commission, and she has also just started an 8-year term on the IOC Athletes’ Commission (note that she received quite a few “no”-votes, unlike the other elected athletes). As now head of RUSADA she should give up both these posts, even if they are of a non-executive nature. It’s is also the perception that counts. But perhaps perception of a different kind is what the Russians are after. According to the USA Today report, she will head RUSADA as part of a “10-person board including sports executives, academics, and a Russian sports ministry official.” I can’t help thinking, and I mean no offence to her personally, that Isinbayeva is being used here by RUSADA to serve as a marionette. The announcement is of course impeccably timed as we await with bated breath the final McLaren report. 

Good riddance World Youth Championships

probstjoerg Administration, Athlete development

I must say I feel somewhat vindicated after arguing for years that the World Youth Championships are not in the best interest of long term athlete development. Back in August, following the IAAF’s Council meeting, president Sebastian Coe announced that 2017 will be the last instalment of this championship, saying that “it’s not the best pathway for those athletes at that stage of their career.”