Athletics Report

Saturday 6 September

Invitational #3

Hello Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre (SOPAC)!! The 3rd Invitational, now known as the ‘selection’ carnival, lived up to its name. Shore athletes turned up in their droves to create a buzzing atmosphere and the biggest invitational carnivals this year. In total, 95 Shore athletes turned up and competed in the events; of the 95, 18 brand new athletes were competing for the first time in an attempt to make the GPS team. This was very exciting to see as it meant the competition ramped right up. Many of those who have been training for the past three weeks were able to rely on their hard work to get them over the line. However, the coaches are always happy to see more people turning up and giving athletics a go! With only one more invitational before the big dance, most athletes can rest easy in their final invitational, knowing they have done what it takes to secure a spot in the team.

It is also very important to acknowledge the athletes who have been turning up each week, trying their best, knowing that they may potentially miss out on making the team. These athletes are just as much a part of the team as those who compete on Saturday 20, at GPS. Each competitor needs their peers to challenge and push them to their limits. By stretching one another, we ensure we are at our best. Thankfully, it has been a fun ride along the way, and the efforts of all athletes have not been wasted. It’s been a fun time, and we always look forward to working with and developing all students every season.

Middle Distance

Yay! We had three 3000m runners saddled up and ready to race at 8am last Saturday. Tom Gray, looking like an extra from The Pirates of the Caribbean with a dodgy moustache cultivated over the exam period was there, along with Jonty Jagger and James Warren all keen to record a decent time and stake a claim on a berth in the 3k at the GPS Championships. Tom went to the front of the Shore lads, although he needed to hang onto the athletes from other schools as he let them casually slide away from him, and there he remained for pretty much the whole race. Jonty was watchful from behind, no doubt focusing on the E ahead of him, and he slowly drew up on Tom and slid past, just before race end, and recorded a very pleasing sub 10min run of 9min 50secs, 5 secs ahead of Tom in 9:55. James was never far away and tenaciously crossed the line in 10min flat!

The middle-distance coaches were looking forward to the 800m, as always, and were hoping for some good results and tussles in racing. Henry ‘Ferg’ Ferguson espoused during the week that his personal best was 2:20, and having not seen it this year, we were hoping he’d close in on it on Saturday. That he did as he finished his effort in the Championship race in 2min 21:09secs. He looked strong and quite fresh, so we can’t wait for that sub-2:20 run, may as well go 2:15 in the process… Zac Robertson wasn’t far adrift, and if he can hang onto a slight increase in pace in his racing, 2:20 is certainly a possibility for him, too! Harrison Ayer rocked up to keep George Harvey honest in the 14s. That he did as he was only a yard or so behind George at race end as George finished in 2:24:17 and Harrison 2:14:39. Will Tomes looked great and will be someone to watch next season on the Track as his debut this year has been most pleasing, maybe a bit of Cross Country… We were all waiting with excitement to watch the unfolding Toby vs Tom battle in the 15s. It has been awesome this year. Toby Ward and Tom Armati both squared up, yet again, in the Championship 800 in the 15s. Toby led for pretty much the duration, yet it was Tom who found that little extra down the straight to slide past for the second week in a row. Trying not to sound like a scratched record, it is this healthy competition amongst ourselves that is essential in producing improvement and, of course, depth. They won’t have to worry about each other at GPS and will be able to dish it up to their GPS competitors. Archie Watson looks better every week, too, as he nailed a most pleasing 2:16. Fraser Pandit remains on the recovery trail and made further progress as he went 2:09 in the 17s. Henry ‘The Rock’ Roxburgh was solid also in 2:13. Hugo Stewart looked even stronger than last week, choosing to run up in the Opens and take on Shore Vice-Captain James Bestic. Lachie Warner also miraculously found his way off the Northern Beaches, as we had hoped he would all Cross Country Season (crying inside) and was in the thick of it too with Daniel ‘The Wrecker’ Becker also in the mix. It soon turned into a stoush up front with James needing to engage the injectors in his Diesel, Turbo Diesel engine down the straight to hold off the upstart. That he did as James crossed the line in 2min 02:48secs with Hugo just behind in 2mins 02:77secs. Lachie faded a little on his second lap and only just managed to hold off Daniel, who was finishing fast just behind him. They recorded 2:13:49 and 2:14:48, respectively.

Quite a few middle athletes chose to do a 400m, looking for a little extra speed, so the 1500m fields were a tad depleted. That being said, Coach Brown and I were excited for the races, in particular the little blokes in the 13s who were closing in on 5min! Henry Grieve led the charge for pretty much the duration, yet it was Zac Robertson who was the first Shore athlete to finish as he slid past Henry in the dying stages. Zac was calculated and tenacious as he went 4min 56:91secs for a huge personal best! His smile was enormous, and, no doubt, may not disappear this week! Henry was just behind in 4min 57:58secs. Jackson Harris wasn’t far adrift either in 5:17:48. Tom Gray, James Warren, and Harry Edmunds were our only other athletes to race in the 1500 on the day, and it was another internal stoush between Tom and James up front. James found something in the dying stages and just got Tom as they went 4:45:10 and 4:45:99, respectively. A shout out to Harry, who is closing in on the 5min mark, maybe next week!

Hurdles

Shore’s Junior hurdling cohort were well represented and Hugo Huang was the quickest in Under 13s age group, posting a fast 15.03. Notable runs from Tom Eaton and Sam Holt (Under 14), and Toby Cay and Ed Godfrey (Under 15) ensured their names are in the mix for AAGPS Carnival selection. Tom Kierse was our fastest Under 17, and Team Captain Charlie Mott continues to improve on his time, showing strength in the demanding Open’s high hurdles event.

High Jump

Round three of the athletics competition featured several outstanding performances in the High Jump across all age groups. Lucas Wright continued his strong form, clearing an impressive 190 cm and coming agonisingly close to equalling the Shore High Jump record. In the Opens event, Julian Harrison was the final competitor remaining and also soared to 190 cm, capping off an excellent weekend for the Shore High jumpers.

Shot Put

Shore’s shotput stocks were in full force at SOPAC this past Saturday. With some strong throws from some first-timers in competition this season, we look to the penultimate competition with confidence. Standout throwers who threw personal bests this week were Charlie Galligan (11.58m) and Hugh Trafford Jones (12.06m) in the open competition. Orlando Stewart also improved his season’s best in the Under 14s with 10.92m as he continues to impress.

Sprints

It was encouraging to see several new boys enter sprint events for the first time since our School carnival. Several personal best’s were achieved with favourable conditions especially in the 100m events.

In the 200m events, impressive runs were recorded by two newcomers in the Under 13s. Hamilton Kennedy (27.36) and Hugo Huang (27.45). Sam Courtenay, Archie Smith, Harry Smith, Josiah Thomas, and Josh Yates also recorded their quickest 200m times of the season. In the Under 14s, Angus Murdoch-Tilmouth, Elliott Copeland-Ognibene, and newcomer Oscar Riding all ran competitive races. In the Under 15s, Harry Hemming and Isaac Lo ran their fastest 200m of the season, with Toby Cay posting Shore’s quickest time of 25.49. In the Under 16s, Scott Robson recorded a season personal best of 24.24, Noah Quayle (Under 17’s) posted a quick 23.98 in his first run of the season over 200m, while in the Opens veteran Digby Hockey ran a scorching 22.71.

The 100m events were where the real excitement lay, with a favourable tailwind helping athletes. As a result, several boys recorded their season-best times. In the Under 13s Gilbert Cay (12.45) was quickest of the big Shore contingent with Sam Courtenay, Henry Ferguson, Beau Hockey, Tom Jeffreys, Josiah Thomas, and Josh Yates also posting season best times. Hugo Huang also impressed in his first 100m run of the season. In the Under 14s, Elliott Copeland-Ognibene and Angus Murdoch-Tilmouth recorded season-best times. The Under 15s were also impressive with Toby Cay, Harry Hemming, Isaac Lo, Billy Sorensen, and Will Watson running their quickest times this season. In the Under 16s, Scott Robson ran an 11.94, with strong runs also from Archie Alderson and Jacob Shih. Our Under 17 group are coming together well. Jeremy Bremner (11.23) and Oscar Lau (11.36) posted the quickest times on the day, with Will Powell and Noah Quayle also breaking the 12-second barrier. In the Opens, Charlie Mott clocked a blistering 11.02 and was well supported with strong runs from Rex Bassingthwaighte (11.27), Digby Hockey (11.37) and Jai Callaghan (11.47).

As a sign that the sprint group is gaining greater depth, Shore fielded four 4 x 100m relay teams two weeks out from the AAGPS Track and Field Championships. Next week will see Shore put out teams in every age group to build some combinations before the big day!

Long Jump

With a few new long jumpers joining the athletics squad for the first time, we were able to post competitive results in all age groups. Jai Callaghan jumped over 6 metres in Opens, placing in the top 3. Luke Maclennan challenged Noah Quayle’s leading spot in the team despite carrying an injury. Similarly, Michael Hocking arrived to challenge Will Bestic’s outstanding jumps over the past couple of weeks in the Under 16s age group. Harry Hemming and Sam Holt continued to refine their technique in the Under 15s and Under 14s age groups, respectively. It was very pleasing to see five boys from Under 13s still all having a go and trying to gain a spot in the GPS team. Gilbert Cay and Thomas Jeffreys are fighting it out for the top spot. Looking forward to further improvements in the final weeks of the season.

Reports written by the Athletics Coaches 2025.