Athletics has gone from strength to strength over the last 6 years. Squad numbers have soared due to the outstanding culture we have as a team. We have quality coaching and a variety of training programmes with a focus on long-term athlete development. Our athletics programme caters for all students from Year 7 to 13.
Programme Structure
Our Prep Squad caters for Year 7-8 students where fundamental movement skills, drills and correct technique are priorities.
Our Year 9-13 squads also include the basic drills and skills for running and squads become more event specific. Our more competitive athletes travel to Porritt Stadium every Wednesday evening for training and racing at club nights. They also compete at club events most weekends over summer.
Our Sprint & Relay Squad is for events from 100m-400m and is focused on technique and speed. Programmes include strength and conditioning, cross training and relay sessions. There is nothing as tactical and precise as watching a great relay team getting a baton around the track - the ultimate team work.
Our Hurdle Squad includes the specific technical side of hurdling from short hurdles through to 300m/300m hurdles. Training also includes sprint sessions, hip mobility, cadence drills, and strength and conditioning.
Our Middle Distance Squad is for events over 400m and include steeplechase, cross-country over winter. Sessions range from interval and tempo runs, speed endurance, plyometrics (for seniors) technique, cross training, strength and conditioning.
Jumps & Throws are coached externally through our connections with Hamilton City Hawks coaching connections.
Some squads overlap into each other and athletes can move between squads depending on their development.
Why Track and Field?
A good foundation in track and field can help any athlete in his or her chosen sport. The skills obtained from learning how to correctly run, jump and throw can easily transfer to other sports. Explosiveness, stride length, body position, knee lift, and arm carry are all essential components in any sport that involves running. Middle distance running helps you learn how to cope with fatigue, change of pace, or holding tempo over time which is important for sports like football, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, and netball where there is a lot of non-stop moving.
If you want to improve agility, and be fast and strong then hurdling is helpful for tackling sports, change of direction and jumping sports. Jumps horizontal and vertical develop coordination, agility, power and speed which are all critical components to any sport.
Throwing events develop strong core, a good centre of gravity and power.
Meet the Coaches
Ange Russek has successfully coached several St Peter’s middle-distance and cross country athletes to national titles, podium finishes, New Zealand selection and American Scholarships. Always keeping up with coaching developments and research, Ange provides variety and challenging sessions for her squad to enable athletes to reach their goals.
Jess Patrick has experience as a 400m runner and has a wealth of relay experience coaching successful St Peter’s relay teams to NZSS medals. Jess has managed Athletics NZ Teams to World Junior and Youth Commonwealth level. She is passionate about speed and sprinting, encouraging athletes to raise the bar.
Sonia Waddell attended the World Junior Athletics Champs as a 400m Hurdler and has all the technical expertise and coaching experience for our hurdling squad. In her first season coaching St Peter’s hurdlers the athletes won gold, silver and were additional finalists in short and long hurdles. Sonia’s passion for coaching and positive energy fits well with our athletics culture.
We are fortunate to have Sarah Yardley (prep squad) and Kristie Baillie (technique and drills) as additional coaching support for our programme. Both have experience as athletes and coaches over a range sprinting and longer distances.
Athletics Accolades
- national titles and medals in sprints, middle-distance, relay, field events and cross country
- athletes have been selected for New Zealand representative teams and the Pathway to Podium nationwide talent development programme
- athletes have won scholarships to universities in the USA
