Granite Belt Little Athletics in Stanthorpe, Queensland | Sports club

Granite Belt Little Athletics

Locality: Stanthorpe, Queensland

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25.01.2022 Unfortunately, the weather has forced the postponement of this weekends Regional Carnival in Toowoomba. More advice to come.Unfortunately, the weather has forced the postponement of this weekends Regional Carnival in Toowoomba. More advice to come.

23.01.2022 WEDNESDAY TRAINING - reminder that a training session for Sprints is on again this Wednesday afternoon for U11+ aged athletes. Coaching will commence from 4.30pm with Mal Jackson. All registered athletes U11+ are welcome. Only Sprint training is being offered this week.

23.01.2022 Good news - assuming there is no more rain, the Regional Carnival will go ahead this weekend (Saturday 22nd - Sunday 23rd February). Hopefully there will be no further disappointments. Go GBLA.

23.01.2022 Last Saturday, around 30 athletes proudly representing Granite Belt Little Athletics journeyed to Toowoomba for the Downs and South West Regional Carnival. It was stinking hot weekend a stark contrast to the same event last year where we experienced rain and blustery cold winds. Our athletes competed against others from around the region including Toowoomba, Highfields, Upper Lockyer, Mt Tarampa, Warwick, Tenterfield and Laidley. The energy sapping heat didn’t seem to affec...t the performances of our athletes. Many set personal best times, throws or jumps on their way to securing medals of various colours. I personally heard athletes recounting their event and beaming with pride at achieving a Personal Best. And all with huge smiles on their faces. An account of all our medal winners and qualifiers will come in a future post (the list is long) however it is worth making special mention of two of our athletes who set new Regional Carnival records. Jacob Kent in U13 Discus and Darius Jansink in U12 Shotput. Congratulations to all our incredible athletes who performed with determination, aplomb, humility and excellence over the weekend. We are all very proud. It was also pleasing to hear the loud cheering from our parents, grandparents, friends and athletes for those competing which could be heard clearly at the other side of the track. On behalf of our Centre, I would also like to thank all the parents / caregivers who assisted over the two days to ensure athletes got to their events on time, were prepared for their events and generally looked after the health and well-being of our athletes. A huge thanks to all those who assisted at the various events as well. Special mention to Kel McCosker & Kayelene O’Dea for their important roles they performed admirably over the weekend.

22.01.2022 To those athletes and families staying in Stanthorpe today our Saturday afternoon meet will be proceeding as per normal. Todays events will be Distance Running, Shot Put and Relays. Thanks to all our volunteers and coaches who have made themselves available. IMPORTANT - please remember that we will be commencing at 4.00pm again this afternoon whilst it is still warm and doesnt get dark too early.

22.01.2022 Good Luck to all our athletes competing this Saturday and Sunday at the Regional Carnival. We wish you all the best and are cheering you on all the way to the finish line.

22.01.2022 With Granite Belt Little Athletics taking a hiatus this weekend due to Apple & Grape festivities, it is a good opportunity to thank our loyal sponsors. Without the support from McDonalds, Crisps Coaches & Bus Lines, Mal Jackson Physiotherapy Stanthorpe and Stanthorpe State High School our little Centre would not be the success it has been. Thanks again for your support and generosity.

21.01.2022 Saturday 22 - Sunday 23 February 2020

21.01.2022 Apologies for the delay, but here are some photographs from our last meet on Saturday 14th November. Thanks to Nicky Robinson Robinson Ridge for taking this week's snaps of our amazing athletes.

21.01.2022 REMINDER - free training session for GBLA Regional nominated athletes this afternoon from 4.30pm at High School oval - walks, distance, shot put and high jump. See you there!

20.01.2022 Last Saturday, Granite Belt Little Athletics kicked off the new season with a sign-on day and presentations held over from last season. We were delighted to see so many of our athletes and their families attend to receive and support our awards recipients. The athletics program will commence next Saturday 12th September at Stanthorpe State High from 3pm-5pm. There is still time to register. Go to our website www.gbla.org.au for further information. We were lucky to have repr...esentatives from our sponsors join us for our presentations - Natasha from McDonalds Stanthorpe, Chloe from Crisps Coaches and Mal from Mal Jackson Physiotherapy. Wed like to thank all our sponsors for their ongoing support. Our awards recipients were - Most consistent U6: Zachary Kerridge (male) / Isabella Sexton-Blair (female) U7: Harry Davis (male) / Clara Salazar (female) U8: Lucas Kent (male) / Olivia Boulton-Hendry (female) U9: Aiden McCosker (male) / Georgia Petrie (female) U10: Ethan Kent (male) / Shayeleigh McKenzie (female) U11: Braylen Harvey (male) / Sara Navybox (female) U12: Jacob Kent (male) / Gemma Navybox (female) U13: Isaac Hall (male) / Katie-Lee Jansink (female) U14: Torsten Birch (male) / Brigid ODea (female) U15: David Williams (male) / Taryn McCosker female) U17: Chelsea-Jean Williams (female) Most Improved U6: Isabella Sexton-Blair (track / throw / jump) U7: Mack Parsons (track / jump), Harry Davis (throw) U8: Lucas Kent (track), Olivia Boulton-Hendry (throw), Lucas Kent (jump) U9: Lucas Ho (track /throw), Jake Walker (jump) U10: Ethan Kent (track / jump), Ryan Haynes (throw) U11: Sara Navybox (track / throw / jump) U12: Gemma Navybox (track), Isobella Kerrigan (jump) U13: Isaac Hall (track / jump) U14: Jordan Cosmo (track), Torsten Birch (throw / jump) U15: Tarryn McCosker (track), David Williams (throw / jump) Most Outstanding Male Athlete - Jacob Kent Most Outstanding Female Athlete - Brigid ODea Congratulations to all our athletes and good luck for our new season.

20.01.2022 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING COVID LOCKDOWN The Queensland Government today announced that residents in the Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan, Moreton Bay and R...edlands Council areas will enter a strict three-day lockdown from 5pm this afternoon until 5pm on Thursday 1st April 2021. We have received further advice from Queensland Health that anyone who visited Greater Brisbane since the 20th March will also be required to be in lockdown. This would mean that all members who attended the McDonald’s State Championships on or after the 20th March would be required to abide by all the conditions of lockdown. If you or members of your Centre had athletes and families that attended the McDonald’s State Championships, please make them aware of the lockdown conditions. For more information, go to the Queensland Health Facebook page or their website www.health.qld.gov.au

20.01.2022 Granite Belt Little Athletics cancelled today. Enjoy the rain.Granite Belt Little Athletics cancelled today. Enjoy the rain.

20.01.2022 REMINDER - LITTLE ATHLETICS 4PM - 6PM TODAY DUE TO HEAT!REMINDER - LITTLE ATHLETICS 4PM - 6PM TODAY DUE TO HEAT!

19.01.2022 Last Saturday, Granite Belt Little Athletics held their Presentation Day for the 2020-21 season. Congratulations to all of the athletes for a fantastic season well done!! It was another busy season with lots of wonderful milestones achieved including: our new shed, our awesome new wireless timing gates, attendance at Regional Carnival in Toowoomba, winner of Coles Community Round and participation at our very first State Championships in Brisbane. Thanks to our Committee,... coaches and volunteers for making this season so successful. Thanks also to our sponsors - McDonald's, Crisps Coaches and Mal Jackson Physiotherapy Stanthorpe for their ongoing support. Award Winners for Season 2020-2021 Most consistent presented by Brittany from McDonalds Stanthorpe U6/7 Jaxon Miller & Isabella Sexton-Blair U8 Patrick Moxham & Clara Salazar U9 Ned Robinson & Olivia Boulton-Hendry U10 Will Favaro & Georgia Petrie U11 Aden Williams & Maggie O’Dea U12 Riley Squibb & Sara Navybox U13+ Isaac Hall & Brigid O’Dea Most improved presented by Jarrod from Crisps Coaches U 6/7 Jaxon Miller (track ) / Paul Williams (throw) / Isabella Sexton-Blair (jump) U8 Patrick Moxham (track) / Harry Davis (throw) / Alex Miller (jump) U9 Maggie Sexton-Blair (track) / Olivia Boulton-Hendry (throw) / Zoe Denniss (jump) U10 Claire Barker (track) / Will Favaro (throw) / Georgia Petrie (jump) Presented by Sharon from Mal Jackson Physiotherapy U11 Mattias Salazar (track) / Jasmine Navybox (throw) / Maggie O’Dea (jump) U12 Sara Navybox (track) / Sara Navybox (throw) / Addison McCosker (jump) U13+ Isaac Hall (track) / Gemma Navybox (throw) / Jacob Kent (jump) Encouragement Awards Patrick Moxham and Evie Barker Outstanding Achievement at Qld State Championships Awards Jacob Kent, Darius Jansink and Katie-Lee Jansink O'Dea Family Most Outstanding Male Athlete David Williams McCosker Family Most Outstanding Female Athlete Gemma Navybox Thanks to Fran Moxham for taking the photos.

18.01.2022 For those families and athletes going to the Regional Carnival on Saturday and Sunday, we have been notified the following points to be aware - In the event the Carnival does not proceed this weekend, it will not be rescheduled and progression to States will be on the basis of centre PBs Nominations for States will be due soon after, so ensure your athletes are ready for a quick response There are no refunds of fees for non-attendance due to the change of dates... The weather forecast for this weekend is positive, so hopefully the Carnival will proceed as planned.

18.01.2022 Last Saturday, we celebrated the Coles Community Round. We asked our athletes and volunteers to come dressed as farmers, to pay tribute to our Region’s rich and proud farming heritage. Plus, without our farmers providing delicious fruit and vege's there’d be no Coles. We were even rewarded by a visit from Bella (Isabella Grape) and Jono (Jonathan Apple) who provided a further connection to our famed fruit and wine industries. Bella & Jono even took part in a quick sprint on the track the winner is being kept a secret. At the end of our meet, some of our families took home vouchers from Coles as a reward for dressing up as farmers. Well done to the Barker Family who took out the top gong as Best Dressed Family. Thanks to #LittleAthleticsQueensland and #colescommunityround for their support of our little Centre.

17.01.2022 Unfortunately all those athletes and their families who attended State Championships on Saturday & Sunday are impacted by this direction from Govt

17.01.2022 There is only a few more weeks of Little Athletics left this season, so make sure you come along to this afternoons meet. REMINDER OUR MEET WILL COMMENCE AT 4.00PM AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON. This week we will be conducting Sprints, High Jump, Distance Running and Long Jump / Triple Jump. Whilst there will be ongoing coaching to each of our athletes, we are hoping to measure / time all our events this afternoon. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

17.01.2022 It appears the Carnival in Toowoomba being postponed was in good judgement. More suited to a swimming carnival.

16.01.2022 The Border Post spoke to our committee during the week about the impact COVID-19 had on our Centre.

14.01.2022 Last Saturday, Granite Belt Little Athletics returned for 2020 with the second phase of our season. Our athletes must have been itching to get back into the new season, with a surprising number of athletes turning up to eager to perform on a hot and humid afternoon. It is especially pleasing due to competition from all the sounds and smells, rides and entertainment, fairy floss and dagwood dogs offered at the Show that day. Our athletes eased back into the routine, getting va...luable coaching in Sprints, Discus and Long Jump. Our photographer nearly made a very embarrassing mistake by not watching carefully when Jacob Kent was throwing a discus. Even with a long lens on the camera, it was still too close for comfort. Thanks to all our coaches and volunteers who each week willingly pitch in and get the job done. This support is necessary for our Centre to continue and enables our athletes to have the best possible training, have the most fun and continue to be safe. Finally, good luck to many of our athletes who are off to Toowoomba this weekend to compete at the Regional Carnival. Im sure each and every athlete will make the Centre, family and friends proud of their achievements.

13.01.2022 On Friday a small group representing our Centre, journeyed down the range to the big smoke to compete against the best athletes in the State. Our athletes had the day off school and parents a sickie from work - all to no avail. Upon arriving at the Qld Sports and Athletics Centre, we were informed the Championships had been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst our athletes and their families were extremely disappointed, it was a decision not made lightly by LAQ... and was in the best interests of our health. Looking around at the other athletes mingling in the stadium, we could console ourselves that we didnt travel long distances from areas such as Tablelands or Mackay. Our athletes did get to have a run on the blue tartan track, try out the soft sand in the Long Jump pit and even have a play with starting blocks. Whilst not making up for a competitive run, throw or jump - at least the athletes had an opportunity to get a feel for the venue. The representative season was a turbulent period for our our Centre right from the start. Two failed attempts at a Toowoomba Regional Carnival before it went ahead in less than ideal conditions. Then the State Carnival being cancelled altogether. Hopefully next season will be less stressful. Looking forward to seeing everyone next Saturday at our final Little Athletics for the season. Reminder that this will be at 10am.

12.01.2022 TRAINING SESSION - GBLA are offering a training session to Regional Carnival nominated athletes this coming Wednesday 22nd January 2020 from 4.30pm. Athletes will be offered the opportunity to brush off the cobwebs in Shot Put, Distance Running, Walks and High Jump. Training will be held at High School oval and open to all GBLA athletes nominated for Regional Carnival. Race Walking training will be held from 4.30pm - 5.15pm and High Jump after that - under the expert tutelage of our very own Supercoach, Anita Jansink. There is no cost to attend this training session. Come along to participate from 4.30pm. Even if your focus is something different like Sprints, this is a fantastic opportunity to get back some fitness and loosen the muscles. Discus, Sprints & Long Jump will be offered during our next Saturday meet on 1st Feb.

12.01.2022 It is with great regret that we have to advise that our final meet and Presentation Day scheduled for this Saturday has been postponed. We are hoping to reschedule to a later date however will have to be guided by future developments. GBLA would like to thank all our volunteers, coaches and most importantly, our magnificent athletes for the amazing season that we had. We will post on our FB site if our Presentation Day proceeds. If not we are looking forward to another athlet...ics season 2020 - 2021 and hope to see you all back again. https://laq.org.au/covid-19-laq-update/

12.01.2022 REMINDER When - Monday 27th July 2020 5.00pm Where - Stanthorpe RSL Club Granite Belt Little Athletics cordially invites all parents, carers and interested persons from the general community to attend our 2020 Annual General Meeting. All committee positions are open for nomination for the 2020 / 2021 season. We would love to see as many of you there supporting our great little club. Please remember that our Centre can only be successful with the help and support of parents, c...arers and the community. Dont be fearful of attending and winding up with a job. However, if you want to get more involved there are also those opportunities as well. Your support and input at the meeting is what we seek. Being a part of the Committee gives you an excellent opportunity to have your say in how our Centre operates and making it better in the future. Hoping to see many of you at the meeting. See more

12.01.2022 As our new season edges closer, it is with great delight to announce and publicly thank our sponsors for 2020-2021. We are incredibly lucky to be supported by the generous folk at MCDONALDS STANTHORPE MAL JACKSON PHYSIOTHERAPY CRISP COACHES... It is especially noteworthy in these difficult times that these local businesses have provided much needed support to keep Granite Belt Little Athletics moving forward. A heartfelt thanks from all at the Centre and all our little athletes. It would also be careless to overlook the wonderful support of Stanthorpe State High School who allow us to utilise their ovals at our Saturday meets. Thanks to all the team at SSHS. Our season is scheduled to begin on Saturday 5th September 2020. This first week will be dedicated to assisting with registrations, ordering club shirts, answering questions from new families and presentations for last season. I would encourage all families and athletes involved last year to attend for certificates, medals and trophy presentations. More to come on our upcoming season.

10.01.2022 On Saturday 18th January 2020, 10 athletes from GBLA made the trek down the range to Ipswich for their Twilight Carnival. Under threatening skies and steamy conditions, out athletes competed against the best SE Queensland could offer in a range of track and field events. Athletes came from all over Brisbane / Logan (Springwood, Aspley, Kenmore, Toowong, Bracken Ridge, Strathpine, Jimboomba, Redlands, Balmoral, Souths, Centenary, Mt Gravatt, Beenleigh, Browns Plains, The Gap, ...Arana & Algester), Moreton / North Coast (Bribie, University, Redcliffe, Wamuran, Glasshouse & Caboolture) Ipswich, Toowoomba (Highfields & City), Gold Coast (Helensvale, Mudgeeraba, Runaway Bay, Tweed, Gold Coast & Ormeau) and other regional centres (Biloela, Rosewood, South Burnett, Beaudesert, Laidley, Ropehill, Tenterfield & Warwick). All our athletes competed to the best of their abilities making our club proud. Three of our athletes even managed to earn a medal (or two) against this high-quality field. Many athletes produced personal best times or distances and missed out on a podium finish by the barest of margins. Unfortunately, the storms did not hold off long enough and senior Long Jump and 800m events were cancelled. However, no-one from GBLA will ever whinge about rain. Congratulations to all our athletes for each and every performance run, jump, throw or walk. Also thanks to parents who assisted on the day with ensuring the athletes made it to each event. Our medal winners were Brigid ODea Bronze Medal U14 1500m Race Walk Chelsea-Jean Williams Silver Medal U17 1500m Race Walk Chelsea-Jean Williams Bronze Medal U17 100m Sprint David Williams Bronze Medal U15 Discus David Williams Silver Medal U15 100m Sprint

10.01.2022 Little Athletics WILL be on this afternoon (assuming we get no more rain in the meantime). The oval has been assessed and we will be able to go ahead with field events. The bottom oval (400m track) is completely water-logged and is unusable. We can utilise the top ovals, so we will be conducting Discus, Javelin and Long Jump / Triple Jump this afternoon. Starting time will be 4pm to allow fields to dry out as much as possible beforehand. Get there early to enable our athlet...es to warm-up properly before starting events. When arriving, walk around the outside of the 400m track closest to CF White Oval. The rest of the oval is water-logged.

10.01.2022 On the 27th July 2020, Granite Belt Little Athletics held their AGM. Thanks to all those who were able to attend. It was great to see so many old and new faces. Congratulations to those elected to positions - Toni Jackson (Centre Manager & Records Officer), Rosa Berrios (Secretary), Jacque Birch (Treasurer), Jodie Cosmo (Registrar), Daniel ODea (Public Relations Officer), Kelly McCosker (Technical, Coaching & Program Officer), Tim Robinson (COVID Officer) and Kayelene ODe...a (Officials Officer). Finally, a big thanks to our outgoing Treasurer, Sarah Tanksy. A decision was made to commence our new season on SATURDAY 5th SEPTEMBER. This will enable two weeks of activities prior to the Spring school holidays. We will also include our Presentation Day from last season on the 5th September. More information will come on our upcoming season, however our Centre welcomes all SCHOOL AGE children. A reminder that our Centre is also registered for Fair Play vouchers. A COVID safe plan is being developed to keep everyone safe. Hopefully our new season wont be impacted greatly but we also need to be aware that things may change quickly. We look forward to seeing new and old athletes back for the 2020-2021 season.

09.01.2022 Thanks to Dan and his team at Coles Clifford Gardens who generously donated refreshing water, energy replenishing fruit and ice for our athletes at the Regional Carnival last weekend. Your generosity was much appreciated.

09.01.2022 With our new season recommencing this coming Saturday, it is timely to remind our athletes and families of a few guidelines surrounding COVID19 If an athlete or family member are feeling unwell, please do not attend our weekend meets. If you have traveled outside of our District and into SEQ, please take note of the numerous locations that are listed for contact tracing and get tested if you are experiencing any symptoms.... It is important that we continue with all our measures including signing in, sanitizing our hands and cleaning all equipment. Spectators must maintain social distance. In compliance with State Govt restrictions, GBLA will implement a contactless sign-in process. This records attendance information for spectators, volunteers, athletes and coaches and is a compulsory but easy process. The system simply requires people to scan the QR code via their smartphone camera and then enter their details on their phone. This system is secure, contactless, and easy to use. Please ensure you sign-in at the commencement of each meet.

08.01.2022 GBLA families and athletes, it is with great excitement we can announce that our on-line registrations are now open for the upcoming season. Log onto - https://memberdesq.sportstg.com/index.cfm New and old members, click on the JOIN button and follow the prompts. Our season will commence on Saturday 5th September with a registration / activity day, followed by presentations from last season. More to come on what we have planned for our first Saturday. The regular athletics p...rogram will then proceed from the 12th September. Also a reminder that our Centre is registered for Fair Play vouchers. For more information on our Centre check out our website - www.gbla.org.au or follow us on Facebook.

08.01.2022 COLES COMMUNITY ROUND - This coming weekend we are celebrating the Coles Community Round. As a result we are requesting our athletes, parents and volunteers to ...come dressed up in our theme as FARMERS. We have prizes to give away for the best dressed athletes / volunteers. We also have a fun selfie frame and other ideas for the meet to celebrate. Please be mindful that our athletes will still need to be able to compete in their individual events and also be sun safe. Our events this week are Sprints, Long Jump, Javelin & Hurdles.

07.01.2022 REMINDER - Nominations for this Carnival close on 11th January 2020. (Re-posted) Are you looking for something different for your kids this summer holidays? Are you wanting to get the kids out of the house, off the X-Box and get some exercise? I have an exciting option for you Ipswich Little Athletics have invited GBLA athletes to their annual Twilight Carnival held on the 18th January 2020. I can personally vouch that this is an excellent carnival to shake off the summer c...obwebs, get some carnival experience, meet some new friends and most of all have a great fun day of athletics. For those who have nominated to attend the Regional Championships in February at Toowoomba, this Twilight Carnival is an excellent opportunity to test your mettle against other athletes, fine tune your skills and get some fitness back after the Christmas. I would highly recommend nominating for this Carnival whether you intend to win a medal or just want to have a fun day out. Nominations are made through the ResultsHQ website (for which you should have already received an e-mail). Nominations close on the 11th January 2020 so dont miss out. The ODea Fearsome Foursome will be attending, so you wont be there on your own and we will be available to assist with preparation and ensuring athletes are at their respective events. Parents are required to accompany their own children to the Carnival. GBLA shirts and black shorts are required for athletes to compete.

06.01.2022 Granite Belt Little Athletics returns this Saturday for our first meet of 2020. IMPORTANT - DUE TO THE EXTREME HEAT OUR ATHLETES EXPERIENCE EACH WEEK, WE WILL BE COMMENCING AT 4PM UNTIL OTHERWISE ADVISED. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause to families, however the committee has determined that the health, well-being and comfort of our athletes must be taken into account. We will continue with meets between 4.00pm to 6.00pm until the weather cools off again. ... For those forward planning, our meets will continue until the 21st March - which will be our break-up and presentation day.

06.01.2022 Downs and South West have published all the results from last weekends Carnival, and I can proudly announce the following athletes were awarded medals. Those who placed fourth are also eligible to compete at next months State titles and our Centre would also like to acknowledge their performances. Torsten Birch Boys U14: 400m (silver) / High Jump (silver) / Long Jump (4th) / Javelin (gold) Ulani Birch Girls U9: 700m Race Walk (gold) / Discus (4th) / Shot Put (4th) ...Continue reading

05.01.2022 When - Monday 27th July 2020 5.00pm Where - Stanthorpe RSL Club Granite Belt Little Athletics cordially invites all parents, carers and interested persons from the general community to attend our 2020 Annual General Meeting. All committee positions are open for nomination for the 2020 / 2021 season. We would love to see as many of you there supporting our great little club. Please remember that our Centre can only be successful with the help and support of parents, carers and the community. Dont be fearful of attending and winding up with a job. However, if you want to get more involved there are also those opportunities as well. Your support and input at the meeting is what we seek. Being a part of the Committee gives you an excellent opportunity to have your say in how our Centre operates. Hoping to see many of you at the meeting.

04.01.2022 COMPETITION UPDATE FOR THE DOWNS & SOUTH WEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS TOOWOOMBA The Council fields have remained closed this week and will not be open unti...l Monday. This means that the Championships this weekend have been cancelled. A decision on whether to reschedule to next weekend or to cancel altogether is currently being discussed by the Regional Committee and will be advised as soon as possible. Any questions, please contact your Centre Committee.

04.01.2022 This Saturday, Granite Belt Little Athletics will kick-off the new season with a sign-on / presentation day. All families are urged to register on-line at https://memberdesq.sportstg.com/index.cfm Due to COVID restrictions, we are unable to handle registration fees, but can help you through the process of on-line registration using your own device. Our schedule for Saturday will be ... 3pm collection of athletes packs / assistance with registration / uniforms fittings / chance to ask questions about GBLA & fun activities for kids 4pm presentations & trophies for last season / FREE BBQ It is important to note that this Saturday is not a normal meet. We will commence our normal athletics program from the following Saturday 12th September 2020 3pm-5pm. Unfortunately, due to insurance & public liability reasons, we cannot offer Come & Try days. If you are interested in Little Athletics but are afraid to commit, you can attend one of our programs to check it out and have a chat with our committee members or other families but your athletes cannot participate. We would also like to remind families that we are not a registered Tiny Tot program provider. This means children must be born in 2015 (or earlier) to participate & register in our athletics program. Check out our website at www.gbla.org.au and see you on Saturday.

03.01.2022 After three weeks of uncertainty, delays and disappointment, the Downs and South West Regional Carnival finally got under way over two action-packed days at Glynis Nunn-Cearns Oval in Toowoomba. The conditions werent perfect for athletics, with blustery winds on Saturday and the added difficulty of light misty rain on Sunday. Our athletes, however, took to the track and field events without complaint, smiles on their faces and competed to the very best of their abilities. Th...ey competed against athletes from around the region including Toowoomba Central, Highfields, Upper Lockyer, Mt Tarampa, Ropehill, Warwick, Tenterfield and Laidley. Many of our athletes set personal best times, throws or jumps on their way to securing medals of various colours. A couple of noteworthy performances include Jacob Kent setting a new U12 Regional Carnival record in the Javelin. The old record was set over 20 years ago and was especially remarkable in that he has only recently began throwing this implement and was throwing the javelin INTO the wind on Saturday. Torsten Birch also told me that he set a new personal best in High Jump on Sunday on his way to securing a silver medal in the event. Another remarkable performance considering at the time of his event, light rain was falling. If anyone has tried to jump almost two metres over a bar, taking off on grass when it is wet and slippery, will attest to the difficulty of this feat. It is my understanding Darius Jansink also broke records over the weekend. I am sure each and every athlete, will have a similar story about their individual performances over the two days. Another pleasing aspect was the excellent sportsmanship, respect and camaraderie our athletes displayed when competing and in general over the weekend. They all looked magnificent in their apple green and orange shirts which was easily recognisable and identifiable. On behalf of our Centre, I would also like to thank all the parents / caregivers who assisted over the Carnival to ensure athletes got to their events on time, were prepared for their events and generally looked after the health and well-being of our athletes. A huge thanks to all those who assisted at the Discus cages as well. Feedback was received from the Carnival organisers who specifically mentioned the support our Centre received from our volunteers, our professionalism and ensuring the athletes had a good time at Discus. All of our Centre Committee were integral to the success of the Carnival, however I would like to single out Kel McCosker & Kayelene ODea for their important roles they performed admirably over the weekend. The exciting news is that an amazing 29 Granite Belt athletes qualified for the State Championships in Brisbane in March, competing in an extraordinary 91 events. Congratulations to all our incredible athletes who performed with determination, aplomb, humility and excellence over the weekend. We are all very proud.

03.01.2022 Due to the all-encompassing behemoth of the annual dance concert, many of our athletes will be away this Saturday. Subsequently we propose to schedule only 3 events this week - Sprints, Discus & Relays. We look forward to seeing the remainder at our meet on Saturday. Please remember to be sun-smart as it predicted to be warm and sunny. Also don't forget to support our major sponsor McDonald's Stanthorpe this Saturday for their annual McHappy Day.

02.01.2022 PRESENTATION DAY - tomorrow Saturday 27th March @3.00pm. We'll play a few games with the athletes, present the medals & trophies and enjoy a free BBQ at the end. Our last Little Athletics meet of the season.

02.01.2022 Our second last meet of the year is on again this Saturday afternoon. This weeks action-packed events are Triple Jump, Relays and Javelin. Our start will be at 4.00pm. Next week will be our last meet for the season where we will have some fun activities (including a parent v coaches v athletes relay) and our presentations. Parents, caregivers and athletes should all bring along running gear for soem activities before the presentations. HEADS UP - OUR ACTIVITIES WILL BE COMME...NCING AT 10AM NEXT SATURDAY - STILL AT HIGH SCHOOL OVAL. Apologies if this confuses or interferes with other plans however the timing was unavoidable. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OUR ATHLETES COMPETING THIS WEEKEND AT THE STATE CARNIVAL IN BRISBANE THIS WEEKEND. The Carnival is over three big days and Im sure our athletes will perform to the best of their abilities and do our fledgling Centre proud. Importantly, make sure you all have fun and enjoy the experience of performing at a major stadium (and on a tartan track). For those who dont know the history of the stadium, it was purpose built for the athletics events of the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games (known back then as QE2 Stadium). It was also used as a home venue for the Brisbane Broncos for a number of years. GO GBLA.

02.01.2022 NEWS FLASH: This Saturday before our regular meet, we will be conducting timed Race Walk events. We will be offering Walk coaching during our normal meet, but if any athletes want to get a time, you will need to arrive at the oval at 2.20pm to participate. This Saturday's events are Sprints (timed), Javelin (measured), Long Jump (measured) & Race Walking (drills / coaching). It will be warm again on Saturday afternoon. Please ensure all athletes come with plenty of water to rehydrate, a hat on their heads and sunscreen applied.

02.01.2022 After an unsettled and turbulent beginning to the year, it was back to business-as-usual last Saturday at Little Athletics. Our athletes responded to the beautiful afternoon by turning up in their droves and putting in remarkable performances of skill and endurance. Whilst watching High Jump during the afternoon, I noted that many athletes were challenging or beating their PBs. High Jump is a problematic event to fit into our schedule, due to each athlete needing to fail to ...clear the bar three times before being eliminated. It makes it difficult to fit into our half hour blocks, but our coaches and volunteers did a remarkable job to allow everyone to have their chance on Saturday. I was further amazed at some of the older athletes with their levels of endurance they completed multiple sets of 100m starts / races, moved on to High Jump, then completed an 800m AND a 1500m race, then topped it all off with Long Jump. Impressive recovery guys and girls! The older athletes also had the added bonus of using starting blocks will be made available on a more regular basis next season to these athletes. Overall it as a fantastic afternoon. There will be no Little Athletics next weekend due to Apple & Grape but we will be back the following weekend for our second-last meet. Saturday the 21st March will be our last meet of the season where we will be conducting some fun activities and doing our presentations.

01.01.2022 Thank you very much to this wonderful lady, Jane Kerridge, who has once again this year helped GBLA obtain some grant funding. Thanks to Jane, we were able to purchase our new shed & some flash wireless timing gates! We love your work Jane, and wanted to say thanks very much for all that you do to help our club grow!! Enjoy your choccies