President’s Corner

Thank you to all the members who

attended the Medibank Conference

in Palm Cove on the 15th and 16th of

June. It was a great weekend with a

lot of great debates, networking and

workshops. Some of the main

decisions to come out of the

weekend were:

• U16’s and 17’s will now

compete in their own age

groups at all LAQ competitions,

not as a combined U17 age

group.

• The financial year of the

Association has been changed

to now conclude on the 31st of

March rather than 31st of

December. This will mean that

our budget will now cover our

full competition year instead of

ending half way through the

summer season. It will also

mean that the AGM will be held

on the last day of Conference

instead of the middle of March.

• We are going to have a number

of AWD events at the IGA State

Championships. These events

will be decided by the

Competition Committee. After

the inclusion of Rheed

McCracken‘s exhibition events

at this years IGA State

Championships, I am sure these

events will be very popular.

So once again, I congratulate all

who attended. The information we

got out of the workshops will be very

useful in planning the future of LAQ.

I’d also like to thank all the athletes

and Centres who attended the IGA

Winter Championships in Townsville

on the weekend. It was a great

competition and I enjoyed catching

up with our Winter Centre members.

Thank you to the athletes who made

the trip up from Brisbane for the

competition, as well as the visiting

athletes from Canberra, Melbourne

and South Australia! We hope you

enjoyed your time with us.

I trust all Summer Centres are having

a good break after the record

breaking 2012/2013 Summer season,

and will be refreshed and ready to

go in September.

Tony Northey

From The CEO

2013 Medibank Conference

I know the Medibank Conference is

mentioned many times elsewhere in

this LA News but I’d like to take this

opportunity to personally thank all of

the Centre representatives that

made the trip north to attend the

Conference at the beautiful Novotel

Palm Cove Resort. The feedback

from the Conference has been

extremely positive and many

delegates have already

commented that it was one of the

best Conferences ever held. It

seemed everyone enjoyed

themselves and made the utmost of

their opportunity to mix with other

Centres and the LAQ Staff, Board

and sponsors.

Capacity building was a key topic

throughout the weekend, given the

record growth in our sport over the

President’s Corner .......... 1

From The CEO ................. 1

Administration ................ 2

Development & Coaching 4

Competition & Officials . 5

Mailout Attachments ..... 6

Checklist For Centres .... 6

From The Sponsors ......... 7

Contents

July 2013

2

last 12 months, and the Centre

representatives made the most of it,

discussing many new ideas that they

could take back to their Centres in

order to manage their increased

numbers.

The theme for the Conference

Dinner was “Living in the 70’s” in

recognition of our 40th year

anniversary which celebrates the

formation of Little Athletics in

Queensland back in 1973. It

definitely contributed to the friendly

vibe of the weekend and most

probably a few sore heads on

Sunday morning!

Lastly, I’d like to recognise our ever

loyal sponsors Margaret and Atlanta

from Medibank, Neal and Marianne

from Nordic Sport, Joyce and Rob

from Comfort Inn & Suites Robertson

Gardens and Ellen from McDonald’s

who all contributed to the great

atmosphere and provided the many

great prizes that were awarded

throughout the weekend.

We’ve already started planning for

next year and are looking forward to

catching up with everyone then.

Simon Cook

Administration

2013 Award Winners

Congratulations to those members

and Centres that received

Association Awards at the recent

Medibank Conference. They are:

Distinguished Merit

Mal Currie (Sunnybank)

Les Gearey (Tweed)

Merit

Wendy Banks (Algester)

Jenny Boardman (Redcliffe)

Val Hooper (Noosa)

Sue Williams (Bracken Ridge)

Frank Knight Coach of the Year

Joanna Spyro (Goodna)

Volunteer of the Year

Darrin Eager (Caboolture)

PR Award – Springwood

Admin Award – Nambour & Ipswich

Registration Awards

Highest Re-Registration Percentage

< 100 athletes – Texas

> 100 athletes – Beaudesert & District

Highest Registration Increase

< 100 athletes – Yeppoon

> 100 athletes – Jimboomba

CAPS Awards

Participant

Erin Radel (Tully)

Co-ordinator

Phil McNamara (Bundaberg)

Centre

Cassowary Coast

2013 Medibank Conference Wrap Up

Enclosed with this mailout are the

draft minutes of the 2013 Medibank

Conference.

It is worth highlighting a couple of

major changes that were passed at

this Conference. They include:

• Under 16 and Under 17 athletes

will now compete as separate

age groups at all LAQ Centre,

Regional and State

competitions

• LAQ’s financial year has been

changed to conclude on 31st

March each year

• The LAQ AGM will now be held

in conjunction with the Annual

Conference each year

• At the IGA State

Championships, LAQ will trial

events for classified AWD

athletes. These events will be

discussed and decided upon

by the LAQ Competition

Committee.

For a full list of motions that were

carried and lost, please refer to the

enclosed minutes.

An updated copy of the Association

Constitution and Resolutions and By-

Laws will be sent with next month’s

mailout.

Medibank Healthy Centre Forum

LAQ held a Medibank Healthy

Centre Forum in the Maranoa

Region in June. The forum was well

attended with 11 members from 3

Centres in attendance.

The LAQ Operations Manager and

Project Officer facilitated the forum,

which was also attended by the LAQ

President. It was structured in a

flexible way that allowed the Centres

to discuss what they wanted

covered. The topics raised at this

forum included Centre support and

services, advertising, athlete

programs, coaching and Regional

Championships.

The discussions were very positive

and LAQ is looking forward to

working with the Centres in this

Region and meeting again in the

near future.

2013/2014 Winter Centre

Registrations

There are a number of Winter

Centres that have not sent in

registrations or payment for

registrations so far this season. If your

Centre has not sent in any

registrations or payment for

registrations please do so as soon as

possible.

All registrations must be provided

through Team Manager. Once

Centres have exported their athlete

roster from Team Manager they will

need to attach it to an email and

send it to info@laq.org.au

All Centres will need to complete a

Registration Receipt Form with your

athlete roster. An electronic copy of

the Registration Receipt Form can

be found on the LAQ website under

Resources > Centre Forms &

Information.

Payment for registrations can be

made by cheque or direct deposit.

If your Centre requires assistance

with the Team Manager Program,

please contact Ngaire in the LAQ

Office.

Summer Centre Team Manager

Workshops

Team Manager Workshops for

Summer Centres have been

organised for the following dates

and venues:

• Sunday 21st July at10am

Caloundra RSL

19 West Terrace, Caloundra

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• Saturday 3rd August at 9am

Algester Sports Club Endiandra

Street, Algester

• Sunday 4th August at 10am

Runaway Bay LAC grounds

Lae Dr, Runaway Bay

• Sunday 11th August

Toowoomba

• Sunday 18th August at 1pm

Ipswich LAC grounds

Lion Street, Ipswich

• Saturday 31st August at 10am

LAQ Office, Yeronga

Further information regarding these

and other workshops will be

advertised once the details are

confirmed.

2013 LAA National Under 15 Camp

In 2013, LAA will be hosting a

National Camp for the Under 15 age

group, which will take the place of

the Under 14 Camp that was held in

2012.

The camp is open to athletes that will

be eligible for the U15 age group in

the 2013/2014 Little Athletics season,

who have met the national

qualification standards and who fulfil

the LAQ selection criteria.

Additionally, athletes must be

registered for season 2013/2014 prior

to the commencement of the camp.

The aim of the camp is to develop

and support young athletes who are

showing a commitment to the sport

and have reached national

standard. Athletes will receive

expert advice from some of the very

best coaches from around Australia.

The cost of the camp is $450 which

covers all meals, travel,

accommodation, coaching, ground

transport in Canberra and other

activities.

A maximum of 20 athletes will be

selected and athletes will need to

complete an Expression of Interest

Form if they wish to be considered

for the camp. Further information, including LAQ’s

selection criteria and an Expression

of Interest Form are available on the

LAQ website. The closing date for

nominations is Monday 8th of July.

2014 New Zealand Development Tour

Nominations are now open for the

2014 New Zealand Development

Tour. The Tour will take place from

18th – 26th January 2014. The Tour is

open to any U14, U15 or U16 athlete

who will be aged 14 or 15 years as of

31st December 2013.

Selected athletes will spend 9 days

training, travelling and competing

together throughout the South Island

of New Zealand.

The cost for the Tour in 2014 is again

$1,900 and athletes of any skill level

are encouraged to apply. It is not

necessary to be an elite athlete to

take part in this Tour.

Closing date for nominations is Friday

20th September 2013. Further

information and a nomination form

are available on the LAQ website or

by contacting Shannon in the LAQ

Office.

2013 / 2014 Registration Fees

Summer Centres are reminded of the

LAQ registration fees for the

2013/2014 season:

• Tiny Tots: $21.60

• U6: $48.00

• U7-U17: $53.50

In accordance with LAQ’s

philosophy of keeping the costs of

membership within financial reach of

every child, Centres should be

aware of Rule 1.8.1 of the Centre

Constitution regarding the maximum

fees that can be charged.

For Centres that charge a once off

fee at the start of the season, the

total fee cannot be greater than

three times the LAQ registration fee.

Centres that charge a fee at the

start of the season as well as running

fees throughout the season, the

overall total cannot be greater than

four times the LAQ registration fee.

Centres should also be aware of By

Law ’00 05 04 that if they are

charging a Parent Levy, this fee may

be no more than the cost of one

Association U7 – U15 registration.

Trailling Athletes

It has come LAQ’s attention that

some Centres are charging more

than the maximum levy for trialling

athletes. We would like to remind

Centres of Resolution GC 1 (’12)

regarding trialists.

The maximum charge for a trialist is

$10 per week, for a maximum of two

weeks. This fee is to be deducted

from the individual’s registration fee if

registering. This fee is non-

refundable for individuals not wishing

to register.

LAQ will be conducting checks on

Centres throughout the season to

ensure they are not charging more

than the maximum fee.

Healthy Centre Tip

Now that the 2013 Medibank

Conference is over, what will your

Centre delegates and observers do

with the information they gained?

The Conference provided delegates

and observers with the opportunity

to learn more about the workings of

the Association and gave each of

them a chance to ask questions of

the Board, Staff and Committees.

Many took this opportunity and

talked openly about issues at their

Centre, asked for support to help

improve their Centres and some

even sat Officials exams during the

breaks!

More importantly, it gave members

the opportunity to meet other

Centre delegates from all over the

State and to share and exchange

ideas. The Centre Issues workshop

on Sunday morning was a great

example of this. Centre members

shared ideas on how their Centres

operate in different areas and also

offered suggestions for

improvements both at a Centre and

State level.

4

Now it’s time to take back the

information that you gained and the

notes that you took at the

Conference and share it with the rest

of your Centre Committee. There

may be ideas or suggestions that

you can put in place to help

improve how your Centre runs and

operates.

2013 World Youth Championships

The 2013 IAAF World Youth

Championships are being held in

Donetsk, Ukraine from the 10th – 14th

July.

Congratulations to the 21 athletes

who have been selected to

represent Australia at this

competition. In particular, to the two

ex-LAQ athletes who have been

selected. They are:

• Hannah Joye (Algester)

High Jump

• Aliyah Johnson (Mt Gravatt)

Heptathlon

We wish both Hannah and Aliyah all

the best as they represent our

country at these Championships and

will report on their performances in

the next LA News.

ISF Athletics 2013 World Schools

Championships

The ISF Athletics 2013 World Schools

Championships was held in the

Czech Republic from the 22nd – 27th

June 2013. This is a competition

where boys and girls from all over the

world compete in either schools or

selected teams in order to battle for

the world title.

We would like to extend our

congratulations to the boys from

Toowoomba Grammar School, who

came in first place in the schools

competition. This is an outstanding

achievement and LAQ also

recognises and extends its

congratulations to the two ex-LAQ

members of this team. They are

Mitchell Phillips from Goondiwindi

LAC and Jacob Lawrence from

Warwick LAC. Well done boys!

Moreton Bay College in Brisbane

represented the Australian school

girls and came in a respectful 4th

place, only 6 points behind the 3rd

placed team. This is also great

achievement. Congratulations to

the ex-LAQ athletes who were part

of this team, Amy Leaver, Mia

Cunningham and Mikhela Bayes all

from Wynnum Manly LAC. Mia was

also a member of Maryborough and

Beenleigh LAC’s.

Shannon Kruger & Ngaire Hollands

Development & Coaching

2013 Comfort Inn & Suites Robertson

Gardens Winter Coaching Camp

This camp was held at the Townsville

Sports Reserve on Monday the 1st

and Tuesday the 2nd of July 2013.

We had a total of 42 athletes attend

the camp.

The camp gave Winter Centre

athletes the opportunity to be

coached in their chosen events by

some of LAQ’s best coaches.

It seems that all who attended the

camp benefited from the coaching

and had a fun time participating in

all the activities that camp had to

offer.

Australian sprinter Andrew McCabe

also dropped in to see our athletes

and offer them some words of

advice. Andrew represented

Australia at the 2012 London

Olympics in the 4x100m Relay. We’d

like to thank Andrew for giving up his

time to be there with our athletes.

They thoroughly enjoyed having him

there!

In addition it was also very valuable

for many of the parents who stayed

around during the two days, as

many of them were able to see the

various coaching techniques that

were used by our coaches.

Special mention must go to our

coaches Les Gearey, Cara Boustead

and Rob Gardner for their efforts

over the two days.

Little Athletics Program for Schools

(LAPS) - School Visits (Summer

Centres)

With the Summer season fast

approaching, Centres should be

thinking about whether they would

like LAQ to conduct LAPS visits on

behalf of your Centre. These visits

offer a great promotion for your

Centre in your local schools.

LAQ is also still offering to conduct

LAPS visits for Winter Centres.

If any Centres have schools in their

area that you would like LAQ to visit,

please contact Daniel in the LAQ

Office.

McDonald’s All Comers Coaching

Clinics

During the month of June, LAQ held

two McDonald’s All Comers

Coaching Clinics. Details are as

follows:

• Moura – 1st June

15 athletes

• Bargara – 2nd June

42 athletes

Our thanks is extended to Rob

Gardner, Stuart Dempster, Michael

Hooper, Tanika McClintock and

Richard Franklin for coaching at

these clinics.

We also have a number of clinics

scheduled in July. They are:

• Wulguru – 6th July

• Tablelands – 21st July

• Agnes Water – 27th July

Winter Centres who would like to

host a McDonald’s All Comers

Coaching Clinic should complete

the application form, which can be

found on the LAQ website and return

it to the LAQ Office as soon as

possible.

Summer Centres should be starting

to plan when they might like to host

a McDonald’s All Comers Coaching

Clinic at their grounds. Simply fill out

the application form and return it to

the LAQ Office.

Clinics can be held at any time

throughout the season and LAQ will

try to accommodate all requests

received.

5

2014 Comfort Inn & Suites Robertson

Gardens Summer Coaching Camp

This camp will be held at the

Maranatha Recreation Camp from

the 13th – 16th January 2014.

Further details on the camp will be

provided in the next edition of LA

News.

For further information on the camp,

please contact Daniel in the LAQ

Office.

Introduction to Coaching Courses

(ITC)

We are still seeking expressions of

interest from Winter Centres who are

interested in hosting an ITC Course

this season.

The aim of the ITC courses is to

provide parents, teachers and

interested sports people who have

little or no experience of the sport of

track and field with coaching

information and activities.

Introduction to Coaching courses

are designed for beginner coaches

to give a sound basic knowledge

and are particularly appropriate for

people coaching young athletes at

the grass roots level.

The cost is still $44 per participant

thanks to Medibank and their

continued support of the coaching

program

Costs of the course include an

ATFCA coaching manual,

attendance certificate, literature

and morning /afternoon tea.

The course is eight hours in duration

and covers all event groups on the

Little Athletics track and field

program. At the conclusion of the

course the coach will be able to:

• implement a coaching session

appropriate to the target

group,

• organise a group of young

athletes safely,

• implement a working model of

each event through the use of

drills, technical skills and games,

• rectify some of the more

common technical faults

associated with Little Athletes

For further information, please

contact Shaun Lethem on 0417 613

911 or s.lethem@laq.org.au

Daniel Nethery & Shaun Lethem

Competition & Officials

2013 Medibank Conference

The 2013 Medibank Conference held

at the Novotel Palm Cove Resort was

another successful event. This year

there were many new faces at the

Conference and we trust that you all

found it enjoyable and informative.

Congratulations to Erin Radel (Tully

LAC) on winning the CAPS

participant award, Phil McNamara

(Bundaberg LAC) on his CAPS Co-

ordinator Award and Cassowary

Coast for winning the CAPS Centre

Award. All are very deserving

winners.

Updated Competition & Officials

Handbooks (based on motions that

were carried at the Conference) will

be sent to all Centres with next

month’s mail out. They will also be

available on the LAQ website once

completed. In the meantime,

please refer to the Conference

minutes included in this mailout for

these rules changes.

The 2014 Medibank Conference is

scheduled for the 14th and 15th of

June and shall be held somewhere in

South East Queensland. Centres will

be provided more information as

soon as it becomes available.

2013 IGA Winter Championships

Good competition and good

sportsmanship was on display at the

IGA Winter Championships last

weekend. Our athletes had fun and

the weather in Townsville was

glorious.

It was wonderful that the number of

competitors at this competition had

increased from last season’s

competition and we even had

athletes make the trip from Brisbane

and interstate to compete.

We also had a number of program

changes, including the addition of

U7 & U8 Relays, 4 x 200m Relays and

the 4 x Medley Relays, which added

to the level of competition and

excitement for the athletes. The

feedback received from the parents

and athletes has been positive and

all feedback will be taken on board

with the aim to continually improve

the program and competition for

future years.

It is with sincerity that we offer a

huge thank-you to all of the parents

and Officials that were on the arena

assisting at the events. Without your

participation, the competition would

not have been as successful as it

was for our athletes.

We would also like to make special

mention to Greg Radel (Centre

Manager) and the athletes and

parents of Tully Little Athletics Centre

for their assistance and willingness to

offer and provide assistance on the

arena. Tully had the highest number

of Centre athletes nominated to

compete, which highlights their

Centre’s commitment to LAQ and

Family, Fun and Fitness. Well done

Tully!

We would also like to make special

mention of some individual Officials

that worked tirelessly throughout the

entire weekend - Brett Bettini

(Mulgrave), Tim Hogan (Gracemere),

Colin McLean (North Mackay),

Martin Brooke (Townsville Central),

Lesley Crane (Wulguru), Maree Bray

and Ruth and Cara Boustead

(Cassowary Coast).

We would also appreciate Centre

Committees extending our

appreciation to these Officials and

parents, and we hope to see return

to the competition next season.

Congratulations to all athletes that

participated. Many of you recorded

personal best performances and

there were also 22 Winter Best

Performances recorded (to be

ratified). As this was the first LAQ

competition of the season, all first

placed U16 athletes also set QBP’s.

This is due to the 2013 Conference

Motion, where U16 and U17 athletes

6

now compete as separate age

groups at all LAQ competitions.

Athlete certificates and a full set of

results are included in this mailout for

all competing Centres.

2013 Bendigo Bank Winter Regional

Championships

We hope that all Winter Centres are

promoting the upcoming Bendigo

Bank Regional Championships. All

Winter Centres are holding their

Championships on the weekend of

the 7th and 8th of September.

Venues are as follows:

• Tropical North

Tully LAC grounds

• Central North

Gin Gin LAC grounds

• Maranoa

Dirranbandi LAC grounds

• North Queensland

Townsville Sports Reserve (TBC)

These Championships are open to all

U7 – U17 LAQ registered athletes. U7

& U8’s will be limited to a maximum

of five (5) events and those that

compete will receive a participation

medal. U9 – U17 athletes are limited

to a maximum of seven (7) events.

U15 – U17 Pentathletes may also

nominate for an additional two (2)

individual events.

Any U9 – U17 athlete who places 1st,

2nd or 3rd will be awarded a

placegetter medal. Because the

2014 IGA State Championships will

be held at Barlow Park, Cairns, the

Board has agreed to allow the top 4

placegetters in all Winter Regions to

be eligible to nominate for the 2014

IGA State Championships. The date

for the IGA State Championships is

21st - 23rd March.

Centre Recorders or Nomination

Officers should be aware that

nominations must be provided to the

LAQ Office by 26th August via a

Team Manager import file. Payment

of nomination fees must be received

before the competition date and

provided with the nomination

summary form.

Centres that do not use Team

Manager to supply nominations will

be charged a $50.00 administration

fee, as well as $1.00 per athlete

nomination. Centres cannot pass this

fee onto its athletes or parents, it is

an administration fee ONLY.

Officials Workshops

Listed below are Officials Education

Workshops that have been

scheduled to date. While these

dates and further information can

also be found on the LAQ website,

Centres shall also be receiving

specific information and registration

forms for workshops in their area.

• North Mackay - 14th July

• West Bundaberg – 17th August

• Hervey Bay – 24th August

• Forest Lake - 22nd September

• Jimboomba - 29th September

• Algester – 13th October

• Toowoomba – 20th October

All workshops are free and are

offered to anyone that has an

interest in officiating regardless of skill

level. The Centre Officials Officer

should ensure that the appropriate

registration form is completed with

the details of members interested in

attending the workshops, and return

it to the LAQ Office by the required

closing date.

LAQ has organised a practical

workshop that will cover all track and

field events in the areas of

procedural information, correct

judging techniques and track

procedures. Any interested Official is

welcome to attend, however, the

LAQ Officials Committee strongly

encourages all C Grade or higher

Official that has previously been

appointed or those that wish to be

appointed as Key or Chief Officials

at LAQ competitions. See the

attached flyer for more information.

• Date: 20th July

Time: 9:00am – 11:30am

Venue: SAF, Nathan

Cost: Free

We have also organised a

PhotoFinish Workshop and we invite

any interested persons to attend.

LAQ is in need of PhotoFinish

operators for our competitions and

would like to have a pool of people

able to operate this vital piece of

equipment at our competitions.

Approved PhotoFinish operators will

also have the opportunity to earn

money by being appointed as a

PhotoFinish operator at LAQ

Regional competitions as well as

School District Athletics competitions.

Details of the course are:

• Date: 19th & 20th July

Venue: SAF, Nathan

Cost: $75 (unless by special

arrangement with the

LAQ Officials

Committee)

Again, a flyer has been attached

with further information.

Karen & Bianca Lunt

Mailout Attachments

• Registration figures summary

(Winter Centres only)

• Conference Minutes (draft)

• Centre Carnival flyers

(Summer Centres only)

• IGA Winter Championships results

and certificates

• Officials Practical Session

Registration Form

• PhotoFinish Seminar Registration

Form

Checklist For Centres

Items due in July - August to LAQ

Summer

• Centre minutes and Treasurers

Reports – ongoing

• Officials Accreditation Workshop

Host Applications – ASAP

Winter

• Centre minutes and Treasurers

Reports – ongoing

• Officials Accreditation Workshop

Host Applications – ASAP

• Bendigo Bank Regional

Championship nominations –

26/8/13

7

From The Sponsors

Bendigo Bank

McDonald’s