I was talking with Paul hallam last week about the AA relay policies for the next season…
he was told the sprints and relay program budget for mens and womens inc camps, overseas travel for individuals and teams would be less than $50,000 this year.
The on Monday the assistant coach at the jets calls me when i am on my way home from training and says what the hell is athletics NSW thinking?.
His daughter (high school age) ran at the catholic school state titles last week picked up 4 silver medals in her events, it was the first year she has ever ran track this year.
she was handed a form for the upcoming NSW allschools championships and thought she might like to run at these championships.
Mark decides to call them and they say sorry the entries closed 1 week ago, he replies “but how can you enter in the champs without knowing they are on or when they close 1 week prior to getting the forms at her state titles”?
they simply said oh everyone knew about its to late and if she wants to run its now $27 per event…
seriously no wonder people dont do this or are leaving the sport in large numbers.
Who could be bothered becoming good enough? The good talent in high schools are poached by the football clubs whilst still in school. What do they have to offer? Basically a career. What does 100m offer in Australia? 1 x run every 4yrs, well 8 since nobody went to the last oly games. Mind you, Aust likes the comm games, better chance of making that squad. Still… not much to strive for. Cost you a fortune just to make the team, let alone think that you will make any $$ from it if you do make the team. Unlike making a football $$$$.
Not really a hard decision to make if your fast and can play a bit of ball.
I have lost count of the number of my athletes who with my blessing and encouragement for better opportunities have gone onto other sports after being either national or state junior champions.
here are a few - no names
1996 WJ 400m relay rep - left to play rugby league right after this for $1000 a game in a sport he only had to train 3 times a week.
plus 2-3 other who have gone into league where in what is basically a social comp you can earn $600-1000 a week after your sign on fees
Former state 400m junior champion - went to play in the National Netball League.
multiply this effect by almost every coach in australia and then the fact that to the athletes our parent body appears to have no long term answers or plans.
be it the school stuff or the relay situation from the past olympic games for both teams lets not forget the women were in 17th place and months prior to this were not really given an opportunity to qualify knowing full well sally would come back into the team during the games, we seem to be in all sorts of shit in the years to come
i heard on the radio that they werent going to have sprinting 100/200 at the AIS anymore… is that true?? and patrick johnsons is going to set up a track club i think it said, anyone heard bout this…