Road to state athletics – bronze in the Norm and Elizabeth Austen 4x100 relay
August 31 2015 saw the Hay Sota relay team of Jack Turner, (Ivanhoe) Willy Ryan (Oxley), Kate Turner (Ivanhoe) and Claire Booth (Booligal) head to Albury for the Riverina Athletics carnival and after running a 1:04:40 they were positioned second in the Riverina to head to the State Athletics carnival in Sydney on October 15.
Living within a 200km radius of each other, having training sessions was just realistically out of the question. After a few pointers in how to effectively have a smooth baton change from Janine Bryant the gang went on with daily farm life.
Meeting in Griffith early on Wednesday October 14 to have a convoy to Sydney the team had a quick debrief by team coach/nutritionist and psychologist, 8 year oldPaddyRyan. This entailed chocolate cake and a warning that a training session would have to be held at the next stop.
Lunch at Harden included that very training session. Paddy, revealing the baton (a piece of conduit), made the team get into position and made sure they remembered what to do. With tour managers Darren and Simon on the case to get the team moving the training session was only short.
With some 800km’s under the belt the team met for a pre-race dinner of pizzaand were early to bed. All were awake early on race day ready to go.
Paddy again produced thetraining baton and with a few quick baton changes the team were ready to go.
The Hay SOTA team were in the second of three heats, placed in lane 2 and with a great start by Jack the team were off to a flying start. A seamlessly smooth baton change onto Willy the team were in great hands. Up the straight and another great change into Kate’s waiting hands who flew around the bend with a speedy change toClaire who charged home with a third place and a new team PB of 1:02:35 placing them as the seventh fastest into the semis.
A few snacks and a pep talk from team coach Paddy to make the baton changes a little quicker and the team were marshalled for the second of the two heats for the semis. Again, placed in lane 2, the team ran a picture perfect race and with another PB of 1:02:17 the team qualified fifth fastest for the finals.
The heat of the day was now at its peak, but that was only in Hay SOTA’s favour. The team were placed in lane seven. Not letting that concern them, or the false start that could have unsettled the racers, they again ran like a dream.Coming into the straight, with the sun powering down,the Hay SOTAchamp’s crossed the line with a speedy finish and a time of 1:02:70 leaving the competition sweltering in the sun.
The crowd roared with the parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles and cousins who made up the Hay SOTA’s support crew and who had travelled from near and far to cheer on these four kids from the bush!