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Australian Junior Championships - are you eligible?
Athletics Australia and its member associations are readying Sydney Olympic Park for the inaugural Australian Junior Championships to be held in the New South Wales capital in March 2010.
Bringing together young athletes from across the nation, the championships provide an opportunity for club members who are aged between 12 and 19 next year (under 14 to under 20) to compete without a school affiliation.
“The Australian All Schools is currently the pinnacle of junior competition” said Athletics Australia Competitions Manager David Gynther.
“The Australian Junior Championships will be different in that you must be affiliated with a club and this provides you with the opportunity to train with an appropriate coach and to represent your state at a national championship. Aspiring elite athletes must be in a club level to further develop, its one of the key requirements to compete in any international competition.”
To be eligible to compete in the championships athletes need to be a registered member of a state association, with interested participants encouraged to join as soon as possible.
“The championships aren’t until March so interested athletes have been allowed time to get in touch with their state association and find the right club and coach for them, with the state member associatiuons help” Gynther said.
“A summer of training at an athletics club or with member association programs in your state will be invaluable in making sure you’re in peak condition once you head to Sydney.”
With the championships also acting as the selection trials for the 2010 IAAF World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada and the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympics, Athletics Australia Youth High Performance Manager Sara Mulkearns believes the meet will highlight the quality of junior athletics in Australia.
“The qualifying standards for the event are no walk in the park but they are still inclusive. This ensures the athletes are ready for the quality of competition they will come up against at an international level, it also means that those who are close have an additional opportuntity” she said.
“Having said that, the meet is ideal for bringing together club affiliated competitors from across Australia and in encouraging the benefits of coaching and training with your local athletics club.”
Interested competitors are encouraged to make contact with their state association now to ensure their membership and commence the process of registration.
For information on selection and eligibility criteria or to learn more about your member association please click here
For more information on the timetable of events please click here
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