General Information
Welcome to Redcliffe Little Athletics for the 2020/21 season. This information sheet has been prepared to provide families with general information about little athletics at the Redcliffe club.
At Redcliffe Little Athletics, we aim to develop children of all abilities by promoting positive attitudes and a healthy lifestyle through both family and community involvement in the sport of athletics. We cater for children from the ages of five (5) to sixteen (16) years. Children will learn the basic athletic skills of running, jumping and throwing. The children will be encouraged to improve their own personal performances from week to week through friendly competition on Friday evenings and training activities during the week. Most importantly, we encourage our athletes to have FUN.
If there are any questions that have not been answered in this sheet, please see one of our friendly committee members or contact the club on
2020/201 Calendar
TBA pending Covid19 restriction advice
Registrations
Welcome to our 2021/22 season.
Redcliffe Little Athletics provides little athletes with the opportunity to train two nights a week (Wednesdays and Thursdays in season – optional) and take part in club nights every Friday from 5:45pm to approximately 8pm (depending on how fast athletes get through their five events for the night) – from late August 2021 to early March 2022. Please read the parent section below. Little Athletics is like sports day every Friday (we take a couple of weeks off over Christmas/New Year, and on really wet nights!) that requires parent involvement. Athletes also have the opportunity to take part in various carnivals throughout the year.
If your athlete is 5 to 16, come join us.
To register:
Fees: $270 for the season for 1st child (includes $50 parent levy you get back at next AGM when you volunteer/help out 10 times over the season). Second child $220.
What’s included:
– 24 Friday night club nights (unless it rains!)
– Training on Wednesdays and Thursdays for an hour (Track and Field events)
– Medals night (Winner medallions and participant medals)
– Christmas party with gift bag for each child and sibling
– End of season Athlete booklet and break up (when Covid isn’t around!)
– Trophy or medal at end of season + special awards for some athletes
Uniforms: From $30 or we have a second-hand Facebook page.
Carnivals: Carnivals are extra and different clubs host carnivals across the season that little athletes can choose to compete in, ranging in cost from $10 to $15 per carnival. Fantastic socialising opportunity to get to know athletes from other age groups at Reddy and have lots of fun, and meet athletes from other clubs, and for more competitive athletes a great chance to compete against other athletes from other clubs.
Trial nights: You can do two trial nights to see if your athlete likes it. Look for the flyer coming home from your local school later this month with your free trial, or just $5 per night.
Parents: This is not a spectator sport nor a drop-and-run sport. This is a family engagement sport, where Friday nights can not happen without the active help of you, the parents. Children love it when their parents help out and it’s a great way to role model community engagement and foster family bonding. If you are not willing to help then this is not the sport for your little athlete.
Points/Friday nights: Every Friday night from the official start of the season (see below for dates), every time a child gets a personal best they get points, when they equal their PB they get a point. At the end of the season how they went in individual events determines their level (Red, Green or Blue) for trophy day and helps determine our bigger awards. You don’t have to be THE best, just YOUR best. More information on this is in the Handbook, out in early August and on our website from early August.
COVID-19: In line with LAQ and Qld State Government guidelines, families will need to provide trace contact information (we will combine it with athlete sign in), there will be sanitising stations around the grounds and in the clubhouse. Self-distancing is required by adults. Instructions on LAQ required sanitising of field items will be explained at orientation night on the 21st of August.
Orientation Night: Friday 27th August.
Official start of 2021/22 season: Friday 3rd September.
FIRST, you need to register online at www.laq.org.au (right hand side) – it should be open early August.
THEN, come down to one of our sign-on days on either August 6th or 13th at 6pm to 8pm, or Saturday 14th August at 1pm to 5pm at Langdon Oval, Margate:
– This Year – Carnival rides!
– New athletes bring your birth certificate with you
– Collect your welcome bags
– New athletes collect your registration number badge
– Pay your fees
– For those eligible, bring your FairPlay Voucher with you
– Get any uniforms you need.
– Eftpos available
Registrations will be online via the Little Athletics Queensland registration website, payment may be made online or at the Redcliffe Clubhouse.
For your convenience, we have EFTPOS facilities available for payment of registration fees and uniforms.
Fees can be paid in instalments over 6 weeks with $100 deposit per child.
Competition Night Structure
2021/22 – FRIDAY NIGHT STRUCTURE TBA PENDING COVID RESTRICTIONS
Competition is held each Friday night commencing at 5:45 pm sharp. Parents are required to sign their children in at the Recorder’s Shed each week and are required to remain at the grounds at all times. Children are not permitted to be left unsupervised at any time on competition night.
Athletes will begin the evening with a warm-up led by our senior athletes. Athletes will then compete in up to five (5) events that will rotate from week to week. Competition concludes as soon as the athletes have completed their program for the evening and this will vary depending upon the events scheduled and the number of athletes in attendance.
Please be aware that, for insurance reasons, parents are not permitted to join their children inside the competition areas, unless they are rostered as a parent helper for the evening. When you are not rostered as a parent helper, we recommend that you bring a blanket or chair for your own comfort and enjoyment. There is a large grassed area in front of the clubhouse that provides a great vantage point to watch your children compete.
Parent Helpers
To ensure that competition nights run smoothly and finish as early as possible, we need the help and support of YOU! Each week, we require marshals, recorders, timekeepers, ticket writers, judges, spotters and canteen helpers. All in all, we need approximately 50 parents and friends to get through a full program EACH WEEK.
As an incentive, Redcliffe Little Athletics offers a refundable parent levy of $50 which is incorporated into the first child’s fees. The levy is refunded at the conclusion of the season to those families that provided assistance on at least 10 occurrences, these may be competition nights, working bee or regional competition. Committee members get the parent levy deducted from fees at the beginning of the season (they’ve already earnt their weight in gold by our first comp night!)
If you would like to know more about any of these volunteer jobs, please speak to any of our committee members for further information.
We take the safety of our children very seriously, so at times parents assisting in an official capacity may be required to apply for a Working with Children Blue Card. As a volunteer, this is a free application and can be transferred across other sporting organisations. If you are interested in applying for a Blue Card, please see our Officials Officer, Jenny Boardman to obtain a Blue Card application form.
Trial Nights
Redcliffe Little Athletics welcomes new athletes all throughout the season. The club offers two ‘trial nights’ to new athletes wanting to give it a go before making the commitment to join. Trial nights cost $5 each, which are deducted off the registration fees should the child join the club. During the season, we will also hold a ‘Bring a Friend’ night, which is free for the friend to trial and great fun for the athletes.
Uniforms
Uniforms are compulsory and must be worn at all Little Athletics competitions, including Friday nights. Athletes are required to be in full uniform within four (4) weeks of registering. Uniforms can be purchased through the club; Layby is available.
| Boys & Girls Shirts | $45 |
| Boys & Girls Singlets (U13-U17) | $45 |
| Girls Crop tops (U13 -U17) | $45 |
| Boys & Girls Shorts | $30 |
| Girls Bike Pants | $30 |
| Jacket | $75 |
| Scrunchies | $5 |
It is compulsory that enclosed footwear be worn by athletes at all times in all events at any Little Athletics Queensland (LAQ) centre or carnival. Lightweight shoes/waffles or sandshoes are ideal. Shoes with tags, such as football boots, are considered a safety hazard and therefore not acceptable. Spiked shoes may only be worn by athletes in the U/11 age group or older in specified events.
* Please note due to LAQ’s Competition Handbook policy singlets and crop tops can only be worn by those in the U13 and upwards categories.
Trophies and Awards
Each athlete will receive a participation plaque on presentation night at the end of the season. The plaques are presented to athletes in their first year of competition and are re-engraved each competition year after that as a memento of their time at Redcliffe Little Athletics.
A strong focus within the club is placed on achieving your personal best. Points are awarded to athletes each week based on their personal performances and improvements. Trophies are awarded to the top three point-scoring athletes in each age group and are not necessarily those athletes that place first in their events.
There are also awards for Most Outstanding athlete (male and female) and Most Improved athlete (male and female) – a list of how points are earned for these are in the Handbook.
Canteen
The canteen will be open each Friday night for the sale of food and drinks. Please check the weekly newsletter for the following week’s food specials. Parents wishing to order food for their children at the end of the night may do so prior to 6:45pm. Please be aware that athletes are not permitted to take food into the competition areas.
Smoking is always prohibited on the grounds and within the clubhouse.
Alcohol or persons under the influence of alcohol are not
permitted on the grounds at any time.
Questions
How will I learn?
We have coaches to help you learn correct techniques, improve and learn about athletics so you can get the most out of your involvement with Little Athletics. Learning is fun and in no time you will see your personal best (PB’s) performances improve. Our coaches will be holding Sprints/ running training Wednesdays from 5-6pm and Field event training every Thursday 5-6pm. We will notify each week on our Team App and Facebook page which Field event they will be working on that week.
What does my mum, dad or family have to do?
Apart from making sure you get safely to and from Little Athletics, your mum and/or dad or your family make great helpers and officials and coaches of the future. Organising, raking, recording, directing and measuring are all jobs families and helpers are asked to do. This really is a family event and we strongly encourage family involvement – they’re only little athletes for such a short time – we try to make the most of every moment.
What events can I do?
Depending on your age group Little Athletics offers Sprints, Middle and Long Distances, Hurdles, Relays, Walks, Shot Puts, Discus, Javelin, High Jump, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Cross Country.
How friendly is it?
You will find no shortage of friends or friendships at Little Athletics! Little Athletics has provided a friendly environment for over 40 years with millions of Aussies enjoying their experiences. If you are uncertain or a little shy, bring your best friend and do Little Athletics together.
