Gift has athletes back on track

The Canterbury athletics community is on track for a fresh new start at Rawhiti Domain – thanks to some trans-Tasman generosity.

Interclub track and field will be held at the New Brighton venue today, with Athletics Canterbury setting up a base there after the February 22 earthquake wiped out the sport's habitual home up the road at QEII Stadium.

John McBrearty and Andrew Reese from the Athletics Sport Recovery Group have been overseeing the upgrade at Rawhiti Domain, home of the New Brighton Olympic track and field club.

"The club has kindly agreed to Athletics Canterbury coming here and upgrading the facilities," McBrearty said yesterday.

"It's not far from where we were at QEII and when we do go [to a permanent, longterm venue], this facility will stay, so we will be leaving a legacy that will stay here in the eastern suburbs."

A six-lane grass track has been created and McBrearty said all-weather throwing and jumping areas had been established after the installation of a "Mondo" surface formerly used at Melbourne's Olympic Park, the warmup venue for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

"When they laid it [at Olympic Park], they knew it was only going to be there a short time because they've since set up a new athletics venue," McBrearty said. The Mondo company had "kindly donated the product to us" with Athletics Canterbury only paying the shipping and installation cost.

A large all-weather area has been laid to accommodate the javelin run-up and high jump pads. All-weather strips have also been created by the long jump pits and the throwing cages from QEII have been reinstalled at Rawhiti Domain.

McBrearty said Fulton Hogan carried out the site works through the company's earthquake recovery trust. City council staff had also contributed their expertise and many volunteers, in particular Alan Tucker, had "put a lot of work in down here".

Athletics Canterbury had been using Burnside High School as a temporary interclub venue but it will move its operation to Rawhiti Domain, where building consent has been granted to erect a large gear storage shed.

Papanui High School, home of the Papanui Toc-H club, will continue as the pole vault venue but all other events will be held at Rawhiti.

McBrearty said the Canterbury centre championships will continue to be held at Timaru's Aorangi Park, now the only all-weather track in the region.

"But the Canterbury secondary schools championships will be held here (at Rawhiti)."

The Athletics Sport Recovery Group comprises officials from Athletics Canterbury's track and field committee and the Canterbury Children's Athletics Association.

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