Casey Fields Athletics Track, Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 March
What a gruelling ride it has been to get to the State Relays. Changes this season to accommodate COVID restrictions, shifting the Relays to the end of the season instead of the usual November/December timeslot, cancellation of our Regional events and, finally, only having 4 x 100m events has meant a long and interrupted preparation for all our teams. But we got there!
Our Keilor team of over 60 athletes in 36 different 4 x 100m relay teams should be congratulated for their persistence and training over this extended period. Over the weekend they ran brilliantly while displaying amazing team spirit and support for each other. To ensure that every athlete who wished to run got the chance to, we need to say a very big thank you to athletes who volunteered to run up an age group to help fill teams. A big effort!
Although not every team came home with a medal, all age groups and teams showed great strength and determination to achieve their best. We had many PB performances. Fifteen teams finished in the Top 10 in the State. And another six teams achieved podium finishes. Amazing results!
U/9 teams: Our new relay stars for Tim to coach for the next six years. What a terrific bunch of athletes, who are keen to learn and so excited to be running at their best. They unfortunately had to contend with the wet, blustery conditions on Saturday morning, but they did not seem concerned and put in wonderful performances to come home with Silver & Bronze medals and a fifth place. A great start to their Relay adventure.
U/10 team: What a fabulous four athletes we have at this age group. Only four athletes continued to train throughout the season and persisted to the end to run on Saturday. Well done, Girls.
U/11 teams: Our U/11s really missed the longer relays and medley events this year, but they showed determination to work as hard as possible and aim for PB performances in the 4 x 100m. Of their six teams, three finished in the Top 8. We look forward to seeing you again next year on top of the podium.
U/12 teams: What to say about our amazing U/12 teams, except WOW!
In the Boys A team, the first three runners – Brandon Cvetanoski, Koby Bewick and Luke Becvinoski – all ran excellent legs, allowing Zulq Haider to collect the baton in first place at the final change. So it was just a matter of how fast this team could go. And fast they did, crossing the line in the GOLD MEDAL position with a New Victorian Record time of 51:68sec.
In the three mixed teams, we saw some excellent teamwork and running to achieve PBs and a Bronze medal for the Mixed A team.
U/13 teams: With nine teams competing, this shows the continued strength of this age group and the close relationships they have formed with each other and their coaches, Tim & Yanah. Eight teams recorded PBs. The Boys and Girls A teams finished in fifth place. Congratulations all four mixed teams. The mixed A team finished a very close fourth and the mixed C team demonstrated great resilience to pick themselves up and finish the race in 59:14sec.
U/14 teams: Our U/14s were another age group disappointed that the longer relays and medley events were not held this year. They nevertheless worked hard together at training to have four teams representing the age group. The two mixed teams crossed the line within one second of each other, finishing in sixth and seventh positions overall. After easily winning their heat, the Boys’ team finished fourth overall. The Girls came ninth. All four teams finished in the Top 10 in the state – a great effort.
U/15 teams: GOLD in the Boys 4 x 100m... again! For the third season in a row, the Boys team has finished with the gold medal – an amazing achievement. This group of boys has created such a strong bond over the years of training with Steve. They team together so well that their baton changes seem to be set on automatic. All Boys ran so well despite injuries throughout the season and last-minute concerns of fitness. The Mixed team clicked again this year and ran a very strong race to gain a Bronze Medal. We sincerely hope to see you all again at the club next year for your U/16 season.
U/16 teams: Our six U/16 athletes competed in the relays for the last time. Some of these athletes have being training with Brian as part of the relay teams for the past six years – an amazing commitment to Team Keilor. Congratulations to our U/16 teams, who finished seventh and eighth on Sunday.
Team Keilor came home with:
2 GOLD
1 SILVER
3 BRONZE
Our medal winning teams were:
U/15
· GOLD: 4 x 100m Boys
· BRONZE: 4 x 100m Mixed
U/12
· GOLD: 4 x 100m Boys
· BRONZE: 4 x 100m Mixed
U/9
· SILVER: 4 x 100m Boys
· BRONZE: 4 x 100m Mixed
Thank you to our wonderful team of coaches and their assistants.
U/9 Tim Golder
U/10 Rachel & Matt Pellow
U/11 Michael & Maryanne Gec
U/12 Tim Golder
U/13 Tim Golder & Yanah Cini
U/14 Louise Muse
U/15 Steve Scodella
U/16 Brian McEvoy
Finally, a big thank you to the parents for getting your children to training sessions throughout the season, driving them to competitions and completing duties when needed. Your support of the athletes and Team Keilor is hugely appreciated.
Make sure you look at all our relay photos on our Facebook page.
Team managers:
Michelle Graham & Sandra Withers
Go Team Keilor
Let’s do it all again next season
Only six months away!
