The venue is storied – Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre, a world-class stadium where state, national, world and Olympic champions have competed for gold medal glory.
The athletes – hundreds of elite schoolboy competitors from across the AAGPS competition – have trained hard. And now Newington’s best athletes are ready to bring it home at the 128th AAGPS Athletics Championships tomorrow.
The College has a proud history at the championships since they were first held in 1892. Newington has won the Senior Championship Shield for Athletics four times since it was first awarded in 1895; the Intermediate division’s The J M McCann Trophy twice since it was first awarded in 2012, and the Junior Athletic Trophy, curiously named The Ladies Challenge Plate, 15 times since it was first awarded in 1912.
As well, Newington athletes hold records in 19 of the 82 events, their so-far peerless performances spanning high jump, long jump and shotput, and short, long and middle distance running. They include the second longest-standing GPS athletics record, set by Newington student Greg Halpin (ON1974) in1971 when he ran the 800m U16 Championship in a blistering 1:55.80.
Director of Athletics Cameron Black has worked closely with coaches to prepare the 111-strong Newington squad for this year’s championships.
‘Athletics underpins every sport we play,’ he said. ‘When students understand this, they embrace the challenges that come with it.’
He described efforts of this year’s Newington athletes as ‘exceptional’.
‘In order to maintain a competitive advantage, our coaches ask more and more of our athletes each year; they have responded positively and thrived as a result.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing what they will achieve this year.’
Captain of Athletics Luca Cleverley says the culture of the College athletics team is exceptional.
‘This season we’ve had more than 150 boys participate in the athletics program in their chosen events, training twice a week to jump higher and further, throw further and run faster,’ he says.
‘The boys have shown true stewardship and enthusiasm towards the athletics program.
‘They understand that every single place will contribute to the overall score (at the GPS Athletics Championships) and can be the difference. This will be a day won by the consistency of personal bests by everyone. I’d like to thank every athlete for their efforts and extending my gratitude towards all the staff who have guided us to be our best and achieve highly in our respected disciplines.’
The championships kick off tomorrow with the Junior high jump, Intermediate shot-put and Senior long jump at 9.15am.
Typically, huge crowds will be in full voice for the high-octane final events, the Senior and Open relays, just after 3pm.
The 1st XVI will lead a Black and White army made up of students in Years 7, 11 and 12 to bring out the best in Newington’s competitors. Families and students from every year are welcome and can buy a ticket here.
Families who can’t attend can watch the full program of events live on Streamer.
