By LIAM TWOMEY
THEY may be the new kids on the block, but that hasn’t stopped members of Wyndham Track and Field from having a big impact on the Victorian athletics scene.
The club has enjoyed great numbers since launching earlier this year, with its focus on supporting culturally diverse groups in the community.
Just a few weeks into the new season, committee member Peter Gavaghan said they had been pleasantly surprised with the support for the new club.
“We have become a victim of our own success,” he said.
“We didn’t anticipate having the numbers that we have got. As far as competition is concerned we have about 15 or 16 but we have also got a lot of athletes who are in training who won’t be able to compete until later in the season.
“We have advanced at a more rapid rate than we had dreamed of. We are certainly surprised.”
While training has been going on for a few months, it hasn’t taken the club long to produce some head turning performances on the track.
Gavaghan highlighted the efforts of rising star Chris Mitrevski who has been outstanding in the early stages of the season.
“He is 18 so he has been doing serious school but he has been down there training a lot. In the 100 metres on Saturday he did 11.06 which was the second fastest, probably in the state,” Gavaghan said.
“He also did 6.90m in the long jump. His goal for the season was seven metres. He then went down to the Victorian Secondary Schools finals on the Monday … two days after his 6.90 and he did 7.21.
“To improve by that much is nothing short of remarkable.”
Wyndham Track and Field is hoping to hear from more people in the community who wish to start athletics.
The club can be contacted via its website, http://wyndhamtf.com/.
“Even if they don’t compete, if they just want to come down to the club and do some social training. We have got something for everyone.”
