It’s been a long wait but six Gunnedah Health & Fitness Co (GHFC) athletes will turn out at the NSW PSSA State Track and Field Athletic Championships at Homebush on Wednesday and Thursday.
They will be part of North West’s 140-strong team which qualified after placing at the North West Regional Athletics in Tamworth in September.
Hayden Sawyer will compete in the junior boys high jump after winning the event in Tamworth with a jump of 1.32m.
Sister Bella will also compete in high jump (1.37m) and long jump (3.88m) after winning at regionals in the 11s girls event.
Jumps training partner Owen Shoesmith is also through in both high jump (1.38m) and long jump (4.29m) after coming first and second, respectively, in those events at Tamworth.
Ellie Thomas will also compete in high jump after taking out the 12/13 girls event at regionals with a winning jump of 1.35m.
Chas Jaeger will be a member of the Mullaley Primary School’s 4x100m relay team and Jed Rennick is competing in the 12/13 boys discus event after placing second at regionals with a throw of 28.68m.
The athletes are members of the GHFC athletics squad and/or members of the GHFC Kids Fitness Group and then join the optional representative athletics group in term three for the school athletics system.
Coach Maryanne Perkins is thrilled with their achievements and it tops of a great year for the GHFC squads.
GHFC has had a number of athletes compete throughout New South Wales and Queensland in a range of sports throughout the year.
They had three athletes qualify for CCC Athletics Championships in Homebush in September (Callum Dear, McKenzie Leader and Chloe Perkins).
Kurt Rennick qualified and competed at CHS athletics in September and Arlie Torrens and Charlee Adamson represented at Polding Athletics in Newcastle in September.
Other GHFC squad members have also been selected in many representative teams with Kaleb McIlveen recently selected in the Central North Cricket Team, Eliza Perkins in the NSW CCC Netball Team and NNSW State Talent Squad and Aaron Osmond recently won the Queensland Clay Court Championships.
Perkins puts the squads success to developing the fundamentals when they are younger and then focusing on all the essential attributes of developing athleticism as they grow. It’s all about not doing too much too early and getting the foundations right. That paired with the wonderful camaraderie in the GHFC squads where there is always lots of laughs and it’s OK to try hard and strive to achieve.
