News & Updates

Athletics NZ has put together an exciting series of training camps and clinics designed to not only upskill and develop athletes and coaches but also bring together a sense of camaraderie and togetherness to the track and field community over the next six months or so.

Starting with a Distance and Walks camp in Hanmer Springs from 1-3 October, a host of specialist event groups gatherings will take place up and down the country to bolster learning and ultimate boost performance levels.

It is hoped that the various camps and clinics – designed for podium potential athletes – will attract big numbers and further build on the excellent work Athletics NZ has carried out in the event group space in recent years.

Kim Mickle, Athletics NZ’s Event Groups Project leader said: “The main purpose of our camps is not only to put on great content to help educate all the attendees but also to get people together and create a team environment.

“Athletics can sometimes be a lonely sport, but we’ve seen the importance of making connections and forming friendships through the camps. This means that when an athlete turns up to compete at the national championships or a Classic meet, they will know more people and feel more comfortable. That human element to the sport is good for moral.”

Some of the highlights of the event group schedule for 2023-24 include a Distance and Walks Camp in Bay of Plenty in late November, which will be led by Craig Kirkwood, coach to New Zealand middle-distance star Sam Tanner.

“We have previously held endurance camps in Bay of Plenty which has proved very successful,” she says. “The running environment in the region is amazing and with the focus of the camp on podium potential we know it will be very popular. This camp will give athletes and coaches an opportunity to “step-up” their level of knowledge in both distance running and walks plus connect as a group to create a united distance culture within New Zealand.”

Another must-do camp according to Kim will take place post the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships in Christchurch when development camps for pole vault (led by James Steyn) and throws (led by Hayden Hall) will take place on 11-12 December. The world-class High Jump Conference led by Terry Lomax in the city will run from 11-13 December.

“We also hope the pole vault and throws camp following the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships will be well attended,” says Kim. “The Pole Vault/Throws camps will not only be beneficial for athletes and their coaches, but also any teachers, parents or track and field enthusiast who wish to upskill and have more of an understanding of what it takes to become a High Performance athlete. With a lot of service providers in Christchurch as part of the High Jump Conference, we hope to also utilise these as part of the pole vault and throws camps.

Kim also identifies the pre-Potts Classic High Performance Sprint, Relay, Hurdles and Pole Vault camp in Hastings – which takes place 17-19 January – as one not be missed.

“We have previously run the Pre-Potts Classic camps for throwers and pole vaulters, which generated a cool environment. However, this year we have decided to align the groups a little closer to include pole vault, sprints, hurdles and relays. We hope to have 60 people attend and we will even start the camp with a twilight comp in Hastings.”

***To find a full calendar of all the event group camp/clinic dates go here

***We will continue to provide registration details of Athletics NZ Event training camps and clinics in the coming months.