Hi Cross Country friends,
Once again it is time to get in shape for a season of cross country running. Sorry for the delay in my emails. As soon as you think you have the season planned, something happens to change all our plans. We have two major developments this year which complicated our domestic league considerably:
- The National cross country championships will be hosted in Gauteng North on 12 September 2009.
- We have started to combine traditional club cross country with schools cross country into a single Gauteng North calendar.
We have a lot to look forward to! Cross country is taking major strides at a national level towards becoming a sport in which South Africa will soon rank amongst the best in the world. Gauteng North is especially proud of thee of our athletes; Annerien van Schalkwyk, Myrette Filmalter and Letitia Saayman who formed part of the National Cross Country team who represented South Africa at Amman in Jordan where they started a new golden era for South African Athletics by accomplishing the best ever result for a traveling South African cross country team.
South Africa was one of only four countries in the world that was able to get top ten places for all four their teams (junior men, junior women, senior men, and senior women). Only Kenya, Ethiopia and America could do the same.
It is great to know that South Africa ranks amongst the top four countries in the world, but with the right focus we will soon be up there with Kenya and Ethiopia fighting for the first South African medal at a World cross country championship.
But, before we do that, let’s first focus on our domestic league. Central Gauteng Athletics has been a dominant force in cross country for many years, and a few years back it seemed to be impossible to beat them. However, Gauteng North Cross country has grown into a force to be reckoned with as well. In fact, Gauteng North was awarded 53 medals at the National Championships last year, only 15 shy of the 68 of Central Gauteng Athletics. Athletics Free State finished in third position with 32 medals.
There are only 150 days left before we face them again, and this time it will be on home soil. If ever there was a chance for AGN to be crowned as the top province in a world leading cross country nation, it is this year.
Fixtures
Like in the past, our season will be divided into three stages. In the first stage athletes need to take part in at least one of the first two events:
- Transnet (9 May 2009)
- Fountains Valley (16 May 2009)
To be stand a chance to be included in the team that will represent Gauteng North at the first Inter Provincial of the season at Middelburg on 30 May 2009.
In the second stage, athletes will compete in at least three of the next six events to be eligible for selection into the provincial team for the second Inter Provincial at Newcastle:
- Soshanguve TUT (23 May 2009)
- Middelburg (30 May 2009)
- Bronkhorstspruit (06 June 2009)
- TUT Technicon Rand (13 June 2009)
- Innovation HUB (20 June 2009)
In the third stage, things become a little more complicated. In our drive to combine AGN and school events we will split our events into two groups:
· Boerefort Primary School (24 July 2009)
1 Tuine Primary School (31 July 2009)
2 Simon Bekker Primary School (7 August 2009)
3 Gauteng North Championships (15 August 2009) (Compulsory)
· Irene (18 July 2009)
1 New Balance Fountains Valley (25 July 2009)
2 LC de Villiers (1 August 2009)
3 Gauteng North Championships (15 August 2009) (Compulsory)
Cross Country League Competition
We continue with the exciting league competition which was introduced in 2007 where athletes score points for their clubs and schools based on their positions in their age categories.
League points can only be scored at four league races during the year:
- Transnet (9 May 2009)
- Soshanguve TUT (23 May 2009)
- Bronkhorstspruit (06 June 2009)
- Innovation HUB (20 June 2009)
Athletes will compete in 3 leagues:-
· Junior league: Up to under 13
1 Intermediate league: Between the ages of 13 and 19
2 Senior league: For athletes 20 and above.
Each age category will earn 40 points for position 1, 39 for position 2 and so on down. Should there be more than 40 athletes then each athlete from 40 on down will earn 1 point each.
The points for the junior league are then combined and sorted into clubs and schools. The club or school with the most points is then allocated 40 league points, the next 39 and so on down. A club or school that does not participate at a cross country league meeting will not earn any league points.
The same format will apply to the Intermediate and Senior leagues.
There are not separate leagues for male and females. For example in the boys under 13 the first boy to finish will earn 40 points’ the 2nd 39 points and so on. In the girls under 13, the first female to finish will earn 40 points, the 2nd 39 and so on. The junior league will then be a combination of all the under 8’s up to and including the under 13’s male and female athletes.
Athletes can only earn points for the club or school that they have filled in on their entry slip. They cannot earn points for both their club and their school at a given cross country meet. It is however, possible for athletes to enter for their school at one league meeting and their club at the next league meeting.
When a club is hosting an event, workers at that race must be relieved so that they may take part in their event to score points for their club or school. No separate helpers’ race results will be taken into consideration.
Winners of each league will be awarded with a floating trophy which will be handed to them as part of the proceedings of the Gauteng North championships on 15 August 2009.
Event Program
We will use a standard program for all our cross country events, except for Inter Provincials, the Gauteng North Championships and the South African championships. It is the same program we used very successfully last season, with two additions:
- A new age group 30 to 34 will be added to the master’s categories for both men (8 Km) and Ladies (4 Km).
- A new under 23 age category will be added for both men and women. They will take part in the 4 Km events like the under 21 age categories. However, to be selected for the national teams, athletes will need to take part in the senior events at the South African championships (8 Km for ladies and 12 Km for men).
The Provisional program is as follows:
- Race 1 - Girls 8 yrs, Boys 8 yrs - 12:30 - 1 km
- Race 2 - Girls 9 yrs, Girls 10 yrs - 12:40 - 2 km
- Race 3 - Boys 9 yrs, Boys 10 yrs - 12:50 - 2 km
- Race 4 - Boys 11 yrs, Boys 12 yrs - 13:00 - 3 km
- Race 5 - Girls 11 yrs, Girls 12 yrs, Girls 13 yrs - 13:15 - 3 km
- Race 6 – Boys 13 yrs, Boys 14 yrs, Boys 15 yrs - 13:30 - 4 km
- Race 7 - Girls 14 yrs, Girls 15 yrs - 13:50 - 4 km
- Race 8 - Men 21 yrs, Men 23 yrs, Senior Men, Boys 16 yrs, Boys 17 yrs - 14:10 - 6 km
- Race 9 - Girls 16 yrs, Girls 17 yrs, Women 21yrs, Women 23 yrs, Senior Women, Women 30 yrs, Women 35 yrs, Women 40 yrs, Women 45 yrs, Women 50 yrs, Women 55 yrs, Women 60 yrs, Women 65 yrs, Women 70+ yrs - 14:30 - 4 km
- Race 10 - Boys 19 yrs, Men 30 yrs, Men 35 yrs, Men 40 yrs, Men 45 yrs, Men 50 yrs, Men 55 yrs - 14:50 - 8 km
- Race 10 - Men 60 yrs, Men 65 yrs, Men 70+ yrs, Girls 19 yrs - 14:50 - 6 km.
Personalia
Our thoughts and prayers are with our 12 year old friend Simone Combrink and her family. Simone, who is regular member of the Gauteng North team is currently fighting for her life following a heart attack on Friday last week! We know that God is with them and hope for her full recovery.
Simone Combrink
Email List
If you know of anyone who would like to receive our Cross Country emails, please forward their address to me so that I can add them to the list.
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