WPA BOARD REPORT JANUARY – MARCH 2017 PRESIDENTS REPORT Greetings to my fellow athletes It is the exciting season of athletics in the Western Province. The track and field leagues, championships, walking and road running events are in full swing. Athletes are on the home stretch of getting their minds and bodies in shape to be crowned track and field champions and are aiming to be included in the WPA track and field junior and senior teams for the ASA championships. Track and field competitions have been jam packed and the commission changed the program to include mornings, afternoons and evening meetings. The programs have been working well and athletes are given an opportunity to perform at various times of the day. To the track and field Chairperson and commission members well done. Our road running events have been staged excellently from the first race in January 2017 till the end of February 2017. Statics shows that our road running events are not attracting big fields, compared to last year over the same period, our numbers are down. We do realise that our athletes organise their runs economically and I have noticed that athletes are only supporting events if the organising club supports their club race. I have been consulting with club chairpersons and will continue to consult with them to try to dissolve this notion of “we only support if they support us”. I have checked Mr Frikkie Kotze’s stats and our race results and there are clear indications that “we only support if they support us” is evident. Can I humbly plead that the Southern Clubs, Community clubs (the new buzz phrase), Northern clubs, West Coast Clubs and Cape Town Metropolitan clubs support every event and the only reason should be that my purse do not allow me to participate. If we carry on with watching what club support our events, this will brings disunity to our professional association and causes that clubs are marginalised in staging their flagship races, especially our small clubs. We as a board have noticed that clubs are staging long runs and inviting other clubs to join them at a fee that sometimes are more expensive to our race fees. We have also noted that the Two Oceans have arranged training runs but have avoided placing these runs on our fixtures. We have also noted with concern that individuals are staging long runs which affects our race calendar. We cannot prescribe to clubs when to stage long training runs for your athletes for the Two Ocean Marathon or Comrades but I humbly request that you support your WPA fixtures because as clubs you compiled the fixture list. We are consulting with the Cape Town disaster and traffic officials to monitor the individual organised long runs for the sole reason of ensuring that the participating athletes’ safety is not at risk. We encourage you to organise long runs but keep these runs specifically for your club members only. Support your fellow club races. The Board is aware that individuals is covering up the Lotto emblem on their licences because of religious convictions and I have personally taken responsibility for this actions after consulting the ASA President stating that we as a board would be implementing this action. Athletes can cover their Lotto emblem but must wear the ASA licence on the Front and Back of their garment at all times. If a race bib is issued by the club, the athlete must still wear both their ASA numbers Front and Back with the issued bib number in the front. We have submitted clubs concerns with e-mails from our athletes and
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WPA BOARD REPORT JANUARY – MARCH 2017
PRESIDENTS REPORT Greetings to my fellow athletes It is the exciting season of athletics in the Western Province. The track and field leagues, championships, walking and road running events are in full swing. Athletes are on the home stretch of getting their minds and bodies in shape to be crowned track and field champions and are aiming to be included in the WPA track and field junior and senior teams for the ASA championships. Track and field competitions have been jam packed and the commission changed the program to include mornings, afternoons and evening meetings. The programs have been working well and athletes are given an opportunity to perform at various times of the day. To the track and field Chairperson and commission members well done. Our road running events have been staged excellently from the first race in January 2017 till the end of February 2017. Statics shows that our road running events are not attracting big fields, compared to last year over the same period, our numbers are down. We do realise that our athletes organise their runs economically and I have noticed that athletes are only supporting events if the organising club supports their club race. I have been consulting with club chairpersons and will continue to consult with them to try to dissolve this notion of “we only support if they support us”. I have checked Mr Frikkie Kotze’s stats and our race results and there are clear indications that “we only support if they support us” is evident. Can I humbly plead that the Southern Clubs, Community clubs (the new buzz phrase), Northern clubs, West Coast Clubs and Cape Town Metropolitan clubs support every event and the only reason should be that my purse do not allow me to participate. If we carry on with watching what club support our events, this will brings disunity to our professional association and causes that clubs are marginalised in staging their flagship races, especially our small clubs. We as a board have noticed that clubs are staging long runs and inviting other clubs to join them at a fee that sometimes are more expensive to our race fees. We have also noted that the Two Oceans have arranged training runs but have avoided placing these runs on our fixtures. We have also noted with concern that individuals are staging long runs which affects our race calendar. We cannot prescribe to clubs when to stage long training runs for your athletes for the Two Ocean Marathon or Comrades but I humbly request that you support your WPA fixtures because as clubs you compiled the fixture list. We are consulting with the Cape Town disaster and traffic officials to monitor the individual organised long runs for the sole reason of ensuring that the participating athletes’ safety is not at risk. We encourage you to organise long runs but keep these runs specifically for your club members only. Support your fellow club races. The Board is aware that individuals is covering up the Lotto emblem on their licences because of religious convictions and I have personally taken responsibility for this actions after consulting the ASA President stating that we as a board would be implementing this action. Athletes can cover their Lotto emblem but must wear the ASA licence on the Front and Back of their garment at all times. If a race bib is issued by the club, the athlete must still wear both their ASA numbers Front and Back with the issued bib number in the front. We have submitted clubs concerns with e-mails from our athletes and
newspaper cuttings to the ASA Office. We had a meeting with the ASA President and ASA Road Running Commission Chairperson where we stated our concerns around the Lotto emblem and we are waiting on a directive from the ASA Board. I would encourage our clubs to make a concertive effort to have programs in their clubs to attract more juniors to our sport. At our last WPA Board meeting, we reduced the licenced fees for juniors by 50%. If clubs can encourage their members to bring their children along to our cross country events and encourage them to participate in the junior events, we can grow our junior base. Thus far we only have +/-850 registered juniors. Let’s implement programs that will benefit our juniors to move away from the TV games, cell phone crazed and let’s shape them for the healthy adults for the future. It’s being a privilege to lead the province and I must thank the Board for their diligence and loyalty in making this Province work. Our General Manager and her staff, our commission and committee members who voluntarily contribute to the functioning of our sport and last but not least our club executives and members who keep the Province colours flying at all times. Looking forward to an amazing second quarter of this year in athletics. ONE TEAM ONE DREAM God Bless. Lester Cameron President
FINANCE REPORT 2017 is already off to a great start with the financial audit being conducted already by our auditors for the past 2016 year. The WPA utility vehicle, our Toyota Avanza, will soon be on display and hitting the roads at races and assisting on various fronts including the delivery of goods and services. It will certainly enhance the visibility of our brand to the general public and our overall professional outlook. The year ahead no doubt is going to be a great challenge in terms of balancing all the various objectives and to ensure that the financial resources around each is secured and deployed correctly. We maintain a strong level of governance, transparency and accountability and welcome any input, questions, recommendations and/or assistance on every front. Every service offered to WPA, in turn means that we save money and able to put more back into development of the sport. Thank you for the commitment of each club and your speedy payments of your accounts with WPA. Malcolm Salida Finance Officer
CROSS COUNTRY COMMISSION An exciting Cross Country season is upon us again. This season promises to be bigger and better than ever. The CC brochure 2017 is available on the WPA website. This will cover a typical League programme, meetings and fixture, selection criteria. Contact details of all commission members is part of the brochure.
We are going to concentrate a lot on our juniors, which will call close co-operation from the Board, Coaches, Schools and Development. New Courses and venues are added attraction. There will be slight changes in our league and Championship programs. IMPORTANT FIXTURE DATES and Changes 2017 Meeting with the Organising clubs and any interesting clubs will take place on the 11 April 2017. [Discussion – Guidelines for Cross Country, Safety events officers, Mike Walters, Policy etc.] Cross Country Booklet available on the WPA website 29 April Cross Country Relay Nantes Park 27 May Cross Country League 3 KAAPZICHT Wine Estate 12 Aug WPA/Schools Cross Country Championships CPUT Bellville 09 Sep ASA Cross Country Championships Potchefstroom SELECTION CRITERIA FOR SELECTION WE WILL LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING:- League: 1. CPUT 2. ATLANTIS 3. YOUNGSFIELD 4. NANTES PARK [These are all 2km loops] Specific times for the 2km loops will be looked at. Unregistered athletes, or athletes not registered with a club may be selected in the team but must register as a club member before their selection is confirmed. Where an “automatic selected” athlete [ refer of selection process] is not available, next placed athlete from the Championship will be selected to fill the position. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM – 2017
Winter League Relay [22 July 2017 – Beach Race] Training camp [Development] June holidays. Sub youth [kids] 8-12 yrs [ 4 athletes per group 4x2km] MOB RACE - 2km [All interest] Juniors 13-18 yrs boys and girls. [4x2km relay.] and Mixed relays. Seniors – Men, women, mixed teams. Masters – Men, women, mixed teams.
[Entry fees: R5,00 per event – all finishers will get medals, Teams consist of 4 athletes per team.] Beach Run [22 July 2017. TBA] Andy James Chairperson: Cross Country Commission
ROAD RUNNING COMMISSION
MEMBERS The following are the members of the Road Running Commission: Francois Gouws Edgemead Chairperson Chris Goldschmidt Celtic Harriers Trail liaison, Rules, Technical, Flyers Frikkie Kotze Durbac Fixtures, Statistics and Equipment Greta Brock Celtic Harriers Race Organisation & Event Standards Caroline Peters Nantes Development, Women Affairs & Medical Nancy Will Pinelands Awards, Colours & Selection Adnaan Mohamed Central Athletics Communication & Campaigns Achmat Jacobs Itheko Colours & Selection, Finance Pearl Schouw WPA Office Co-opted Secretary GENERAL The Road Running Commission meets on the 2nd Monday of each month. Aims of the RRC for 2017 are the following:
- Improve data and statistics capture process (Awards & Colours) - Improve WP Team selection process & criteria - Assist & guide clubs with regards race organizing - Improve communication with clubs
2018 FIXTURES LIST The current Fixtures List Format needs serious scrutiny. A proper build-up to Two Oceans & Comrades is required & as such might see races being moved around to accommodate a correct build-up to Two Oceans & Comrades. A meeting with all clubs hosting races in the 1st half of the year will be scheduled for May 2017. CHIP TIMING There is a move towards using chips to capture results. While chip timing and results capture has advantages it is proven that the manual WPA card and sachet system can handle up to 3000 to 4 000 finishers, especially over the longer distances. Chip timing adds costs, especially when one shot temporary chips are used and require pre-entries if the data bases are to be verified and accurate. The WPA RRC has established a working committee to look into the matter of a central chip timing system for WPA. The kick-off meeting took place in December 2016 & a follow-up meeting is scheduled for the beginning of April 2017. COMMUNICATION Clubs are advised to make maximum use of social media to distribute information, with a request for those who have access to pass information on to those who do not. EVENT ORGANIZATION The Road Running Commission hosted a very successful Race Organizer’s Seminar on Thursday, 24 November 2016 at the new WPA Offices, Green Point Stadium which covered the following aspects:
- Event Application - Route - Committee - Finish - Role of WPA
Two follow up Race Organizer’s Seminars are scheduled to take place in May & August 2017 where more topics will be addressed & discussed in a more interactive small group environment. APPROVAL OF ENTRY FORMS & RACE FEES Clubs are reminded to submit all requests on race fees, race organization matters & race flyers (for approval) to the WPA Office timeously. Please Note – all race flyers must be approved by WPA. SELECTION CRITERIA To avoid unnecessary disputes, it’s in the best interest of WPA to develop a selection policy that defines the selection process and clearly states the athlete selection criteria. A policy will outline WPA’s objectives and will provide a rationale for why and how decisions are made. A team selection policy may contain broad statements, such as: · select the best athlete; · select a team that is cohesive and performs to the highest standards; · select athletes for the pursuit of excellence; · select athletes as part of a long-term development strategy; · select a team that suits the nature of the competition. A WPA Selectors Workshop where all codes were represented was held on 28 September 2016 to discuss the WPA Selection Policy & Criteria. Further discussions/workshops will follow in order to achieve a singly comprehensive WPA Selection Policy & Criteria. TEAM MANAGERS COURSES An Advanced Team Managers Course was held on 8 & 9 March 2017 for all Team Managers accompanying WP Teams to ASA Championships in 2017. A Team Managers Database has also been established & will certainly assist all codes in appointing team managers for ASA Championship Events. 2017 LEAGUE, CHAMPIONSHIP & INCENTIVE RACES Coca-Cola League:
No Race Date Distance (km)
1 JointEase Dan Luyt January 15
2 Lion of Africa February 10 & 21
3 Laguna Mall March 10
4 Central April 10
5 UCT May 10
6 Mamre June 21.1
7 Eerste River July 15
8 Atlantis August 21.1
9 Medihelp Tekkie Challenge September 10
10 Elsies River October 10
11 TBHS November 10
12 Avbob December 15
Winter League:
No Race Date Distance (km)
1 UCT May 10
2 Dave Spence Memorial June 10
3 McKenna & Scott July 10
4 Khayelitsha August 10
5 ARD 3 Vlei September 10
ASA Championships:
No Venue Date Distance (km)
1 Nelspruit 4 November 10
2 Port Elizabeth 24 June 21.1
3 Durban 9 April 42.2
WPA Championships:
No Race Date Distance (km)
1 McKenna & Scott 30 July 10
2 Lion of Africa 4 February 21.1
3 Cape Town Marathon 17 September 42.2
4 Cape Town Festival of Running 22 July 100
Incentive Races:
No Race Date Distance (km)
1 ASA Champs (Nelspruit) November 10
2 WPA Champs (McKenna & Scott)
July 10
3 Top Form February 10
4 Dave Spence Memorial June 10
5 Ommiedraai October 10
6 Edgemead Classic November 10
7 Constantia Village March 15
8 Eerste River July 15
9 Avbob December 15
10 ASA Champs (PE) June 21.1
11 WPA Champs (Lion of Africa) February 21.1
12 Atlantis August 21.1
13 ASA Champs (Durban) April 42.2
14 WPA Champs (CT Marathon) September 42.2
2018 COCA-COLA LEAGUE FORMAT The Road Running Commission is currently investigating a possible change to the Coca-Cola League Format for 2018. In principle we want to consider moving from a pure mass participation format to one that includes an element of quality as well. Further details will follow in due course. CLUB SUPPORT AT RACES All clubs & athletes form part of the WPA family and as such we rely & appreciate the support & commitment to all club races across the Cape Peninsula whether it’s a race hosted in Kommetjie or in Durbanville. The success of every club organized race largely depends on the athlete support. We once again urge clubs to make a concerted effort to support all club races in the Western Province, irrespective of who & where it’s hosted. CONCLUSION All of the items mentioned above have been identified and documented by the RR Commission, some by the Board, and will therefore be discussed and hopefully actioned further. I would like to thank every road running commission member who has contributed & helped to maintain a high standard of service to athletics in the Western Province.
TRACK & FIELD COMMISSION The Track and Field Commission presented several meetings during the past 3 months: Junior Meeting: Entries up by 30% despite all the school meetings that were held during the same week. 3 x League Meetings: which were held at different times of the day to simulate National Championships participation times. At all the league meetings the total participation went up by 60% which took us completely by surprise. We have experienced a huge increase in the participation of junior athletes, which bodes well for the future. WPA Junior and Schools Meeting: A very successful meeting was held with 1450 athletes from school zones and WPA clubs taking part at Vygieskraal over 3 days. The format of this meeting will be reconsidered at our debrief meeting. Top Ten Meeting: The Top Ten meeting attracted athletes from the whole of the Western Cape. Due to the closure of the Stellenbosch track, several Boland clubs attended and entered teams and individuals. The number of athletes exceeded all expectations and we had to revise the program to accommodate 11 Heats in the men’s sprinting events! It was the biggest Top Ten Meeting ever held and our officials did a marvellous job in running the meeting exactly on time! WPA Senior and Masters Championships: A fair increase in numbers were once again experienced. The championships were very successful and 2 Senior WPA athletes qualified for the World Championships in London later this year. Rocco van Rooyen (javelin) and Antonio Alkana (110m Hurdles) were the 2 most outstanding athletes.
A provisional WPA team of 32 athletes were selected to participate at the ASA Senior Championships in Potchefstroom on 21st and 22nd of April. The final team will be announced after the meeting on the 1st of April. ASA Meetings: Several of our athletes participated in the ASA Speed series meetings. A WPA Men’s Relay team participated in all of the meetings and performed well. This served as a good training ground for our team to prepare for the National Championships. Green Point Track: Serious discussions should be held with the City of Cape Town with regard to the availability of the Green Point Athletic Track for WP athletics. Green Point is the only fully equipped stadium in the Western Province and WPA should have priority in the booking of the stadium. Thanks: to all the commission members for their support and hard work throughout the season and a big thank you to the officials for their assistance and cooperation in helping our athletes to perform at their best. Mariana Meyer Chairperson: Track and Field Commission
EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS The Board has charged this portfolio with the following tasks: Communications, Marketing and PR Our Social media and website presence continues to attract members with the marketing and reporting on our events receiving high prominence. The Board has approved the repositioning of the position that was left vacant by the resignation of Tracy, and we have now employed Thabiso Mazosiwe who will focus primarily on our Communications, Marketing and PR requirements. This appointment will soon change the WPA landscape in many ways. We have again appointed Photographer, Roger Sedres to provide WPA with photographs of various key focus events. Athletes Committee We held a meeting on Saturday 18th February. Unfortunately, only 4 athletes attended. A good discussion however ensued. We will now approach the establishment of this committee in a different way. I shall seek a 15min slot at each of the WP team workshops and present the Athletes committee proposal. In this way we will capture the athletes where they are at. I shall report on the success of this strategy later. Sue and I have met with some WP Elite athletes to get a better understanding of their individual needs, we will continue doing this with a view to collating this information and then propose a course of action.
WP Masters A meeting was held with the Chairperson of WP Masters on the 16th February, unfortunately, the most salient points listed below. 1. The newly appointed executive is stable and working most efficiently. 2. Masters will be represented on the WPA Track & Field Commission. 3. Masters require financial assistance, and assistance with procuring service providers/logistical
items, for their events. 4. Masters will pay over 90% of the monies received from the gate and entries to WPA within
the week following the specific event. 5. Masters is requesting assistance in hosting the SAMA Championships. Budget to be provided
by Masters. WPA Strategic Plan The WPA Board will review its quarterly performance against the WPA Strategic Plan on the 28th May 2017. Allen Barnes Additional Member
WPA DEVELOPMENT New Clubs Thus far for 2017 we have not signed up any new clubs. Currently we are reviewing two applications. During the month of July, we will be hosting a workshop for all our new clubs that joined during 2016 and 2017. The workshop would include:
Club Administration
The role of the WPA office
Athletics and the role of the club
Club sustainability Development We have rolled out our Development programmes for 2017. The Kids Athletics Facilitators got their school programmes underway as soon as the academic year started. A combined Kids Athletics event is in the pipeline for June to show case the program. We have had our Level 2 Team Managers course which was for all managers who will be managing teams in 2017. The Long Distance Elite team have been meeting weekly (including coaches) in preparation for the Oceans Ultra. Discussions/activities included:
4. Mental readiness 5. The team also did their fitness assessment at UWC.
In April we will also roll out the Street Athletics series. First event will be held in Sunningdale. Our Development Officer has played a major role in all projects and continues to develop the Talent Identification programme for WPA as well as the concept of developing coaching hubs in Cape Town for juniors. “One Team – One Dream” Development Committee Michael Schouw Additional Member
TECHNICAL OFFICIALS COMMITTEE TECHNICAL OFFICIALS COMMITTEE 2017 - 2018 Chairperson : Gavin Burgess Secretary : Nazema Abels Additional Delegates : Mandy Skinner : Kaltoema Benjamin : Neliswa Ntusi : Neville Williams Commission Rep’s: Road Running : Chris Goldschmidt Cross Country : Nazema Abels Race Walking : Charlotte Kettlewell Track & Field : Cedric Van Wyk Coaches : Willie Legolie Development / Workshops : Johanna Arendse COMMITTEE MEETINGS / EVENTS The Technical Officials Committee held regular monthly meetings. Technical officials have officiated at Track & Field, Road Races and Race Walking events. The Cross Country season will be commencing at end April. Technical officials have been placed for the first six Cross Country League races and Road races up to the end of July. It has been a busy Track & Field season for WPA technical officials. The team pulled together and took on every challenge that came their way. All the Track & Field technical officials were actively involved with the WPA Junior, Senior and Masters Championships. UPCOMING EVENTS WPA Technical officials will be officiating at the:
ASA Youth / Junior Track & Field Championships in Cape Town on 7/8 April 2017
USSA (Students) Championships on 28/29 April 2017 at Green Point Stadium
SAMA Championship on 4 – 6 May 2017 at Parow Track and Green Point Stadium
Technical officials believe that anything is possible through hard work, commitment and dedication. Many hours spent on the athletics field, away from loved ones and family members, is often unnoticed or not appreciated. TECHNICAL OFFICIAL COURSES The dates have been posted on the WPA website. Please encourage your Club members to attend. CONCERNS OF OFFICIALS Clubs are encouraged to educate their members on issues that affect the Technical Officials:
o Licences must always be worn front and back of the vest. If a race number is issued it may partially cover the licence but the licence Province, date and sponsor must remain visible.
o The use of headphones is not allowed and may result in disqualification. o Age category tags must be a minimum of 6cm high and be worn on the front and back
of the vest above the licence. o Minimum ages are in place to protect young runners from causing damage to bones
and joints that are still developing. In particular we note that runners under the age of 14 are entering 10km road races. Unfortunately they will be disqualified and are not eligible for prizes.
o Runners guilty of intentionally littering may be issued a Yellow card by the Referee as a warning, and if issued a second card will be disqualified. Runners receiving a warning may also be fined. Clubs are specifically requested to educate their elite runners who are expected to set a good example.
o Clubs organising races that do not implement satisfactory litter management procedures will be reported by the Referees and fined.
PARTICIPATION OF DISABLED ATHLETES IN ATHLETICS Please refer to ASA Circular 32 of 2017. Copies will be made available by the Office. In terms of being inclusive, Race organisers should be encouraged to change their attitude, so instead of finding reasons why a disabled athlete should not compete, rather to ask how they can facilitate their participation. ROUTE MEASURERS There are new recruits who have been shadowing Gavin Wright on measurements. They are: Tony Breslin (AAC) Alan Green (West Coast) Alistair Kannemeyer (Top Form) Flippie van Dyk (Eskom) Clubs are encouraged to make use of the above members as Gavin Wright may not always be available (out of the Country).
In conclusion On behalf of the Technical Officials Committee I wish to thank you for allowing the Committee and me to be of assistance, as well as to the WPA Board for their continued support. We are here to serve the athletes and Clubs and to apply the technical rules of athletics.
