Club News
Newsletters 2010
Monday, May 10th, 2010
2010 Road and XC Calendar released!
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010
Get it here:
New news!
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Latest club newsletter:
Old news
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Previous Newsletters:
Hawks recognize Addison’s outstanding contribution to sport
Thursday, February 19th, 2009
On Monday evening, members of Hamilton City Hawks and other colleagues gathered to recognise the inestimable contribution made by club stalwart Brett Addison, who leaves Hamilton this month to take up the post of Sport Manager at Athletics NZ in Wellington.
“His quiet efficiency, unflappable manner and huge knowledge of the sport are skills that will be missed in the Waikato but will be well used in his new role. We thank him for his 36 year contribution to athletics in Hamilton.”
Don Willoughby, Chairman, Hamilton City Hawks.
Acknowledgement of Brett’s efforts was extensive, as a number of individuals praised his work in various sporting areas. Hawks Chairman Don Willoughby talked about Brett’s huge involvement in athletics in Hamilton over the last 36 years. This is summarised below:
In 1973, the ‘slim teenager’ from Hamilton Boys High took part in high jump at the inaugural NZSS Track and Field Champs at Christchurch. He came under the care of club coach Paul Luckie who persuaded Brett to concentrate on decathlons and he later won a silver medal in the nationals at Dunedin in 1978. Such was Brett’s passion for athletics that he became a committee member for the Hamilton Athletic Club early on and over the next 15 years held every key post in the club except treasurer. Debbie and Chris Strange have told some great stories of the social activities that occurred during this period. Brett was made a life member of the club for his outstanding volunteer contribution to the sport.
During the ‘80s and ‘90s Brett became a key member of AWBOP management team and a regular manager of centre teams to nationals. During the early ‘80s he was a prime mover of the amalgamation of all Hamilton sections of the sport into the Hamilton City Hawks.
Above: Brett is presented with a medal and a plaque by Don Willoughby
The next logical step for Brett was managing national teams to international events overseas. He started with Oceania Champs at Nuku’aloafa 1998 and quickly graduated into IAAF World Champs teams, going to the first ever IAAF World Youth Champs at Bydgoszcz Poland 1999, and Debrecan Hungary in 2001 for the 2nd IAAF World Youth Champs where Val Adams won her first world title. In 2001 he managed the large NZ team to the Sydney Youth Olympics. In 2002 he was in exotic Kingston Jamaica for the World Junior Champs, where Val Adams took her second world gold and Nick Willis was 4th in the 1500. Brett has managed 11 teams to internationals since then, including the World Junior Championships at Grossetto Italy 2004, World University Games in Bangkok 2007 and more recently World Juniors at Beijing – an event he didn’t quite make after succumbing to a gallbladder emergency operation while at a pre-Beijing Queensland training camp.
In 1999 Brett was appointed as a SportsForce Athletic Development officer with Sport Waikato and over the next decade gained a reputation nationally for running hugely successful courses in coach education, official education and event management. Many of the work practices and initiatives that Brett has developed with Sport Waikato are now the template for other RSO’s nationally. During the last decade Brett has spent hundreds of hours as a volunteer in athletics, assisting the Hamilton City Hawks, WBOP Secondary Schools Association and the WBOP centre in many areas of the sport.
Announcing, results collation, news media work, event director, statistician, web management, sport analyst, and completing grant funding applications are just a few of the areas where Brett’s expertise, energy and passion for the sport have shone through. He has been especially adept at listening to and resolving disputes in the sport and at filling spots which occurred on committees and at events. His quiet efficiency, unflappable manner and huge knowledge of the sport are skills that will be missed in the Waikato but will be well used in his new role as Sport Manager for Athletics New Zealand. We thank him for his 36 year contribution to athletics in Hamilton.
Don Willoughby
Chairman
Hamilton City Hawks
Hawks Dominate at Matamata Relays
Monday, August 4th, 2008
An excellent club turnout of 13 club teams took part in this popular road race (compared with10 last year), but with 33 teams in the field, entries were down 9 overall on last year.
Cool, showery, overcast conditions on fast flat 3.3 km circuit provided members with a great short blast prior to WBOP Centre Road Champs at Ruakura. There were some classy Hawks efforts too, which thankfully confirmed form for NRR teams and provided a positive day with a great showing of club spirit. Hawks teams won senior women, masters women, M19, M16 and walkers grades and placed second in the senior women, senior men, masters men, and masters women so plenty of kudos came back to Hamilton.
Lake City sprang a surprise in the open men’s event taking out the race with 52.15 (some 2.30 slower than the top Tauranga Ramblers team of last year). The Hawks senior men had a great battle with the Hawks M19 team and, after trailing early, came home with a rattle on the last lap when club captain Corey Hinde put his foot down to run a fast 10.16. Fast laps that caught my eye were the 10.21 of birthday boy Cory Whiting (17 the day before) and the quick laps run by Bridget Ray (11.56) and Olivia Ritchie (11.52), the latter clocking the fastest femme of the day.
The mother son battle of Helen (12.26) and Cameron (12.31), also intrigued and did Cameron cook dinner as a result?
Some Matamata relay history. This event is now in its 39th year. In the boom period of the ‘70s and ‘80s,m Auckland clubs used to attend and University was a perennial winner. Fields of over 60 or more teams were common. Fastest lap time that can be recalled is that of John Campbell who, at 40, was the world fastest masters marathoner and ran his lap around the streets of Matamata in about 9.05.
This year, Steve O’Callaghan (Lake City) at 9.49 and the club’s NZ Youth Commonwealth Games rep Aaron Pulford (9.58) were the quickest.
Newsletters 2010
Monday, May 10th, 20102010 Road and XC Calendar released!
Tuesday, March 16th, 2010Get it here:
New news!
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Latest club newsletter:
Old news
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010Previous Newsletters:
Hawks recognize Addison’s outstanding contribution to sport
Thursday, February 19th, 2009On Monday evening, members of Hamilton City Hawks and other colleagues gathered to recognise the inestimable contribution made by club stalwart Brett Addison, who leaves Hamilton this month to take up the post of Sport Manager at Athletics NZ in Wellington.
“His quiet efficiency, unflappable manner and huge knowledge of the sport are skills that will be missed in the Waikato but will be well used in his new role. We thank him for his 36 year contribution to athletics in Hamilton.”
Don Willoughby, Chairman, Hamilton City Hawks.
Acknowledgement of Brett’s efforts was extensive, as a number of individuals praised his work in various sporting areas. Hawks Chairman Don Willoughby talked about Brett’s huge involvement in athletics in Hamilton over the last 36 years. This is summarised below:
In 1973, the ‘slim teenager’ from Hamilton Boys High took part in high jump at the inaugural NZSS Track and Field Champs at Christchurch. He came under the care of club coach Paul Luckie who persuaded Brett to concentrate on decathlons and he later won a silver medal in the nationals at Dunedin in 1978. Such was Brett’s passion for athletics that he became a committee member for the Hamilton Athletic Club early on and over the next 15 years held every key post in the club except treasurer. Debbie and Chris Strange have told some great stories of the social activities that occurred during this period. Brett was made a life member of the club for his outstanding volunteer contribution to the sport.
During the ‘80s and ‘90s Brett became a key member of AWBOP management team and a regular manager of centre teams to nationals. During the early ‘80s he was a prime mover of the amalgamation of all Hamilton sections of the sport into the Hamilton City Hawks.
Above: Brett is presented with a medal and a plaque by Don Willoughby
The next logical step for Brett was managing national teams to international events overseas. He started with Oceania Champs at Nuku’aloafa 1998 and quickly graduated into IAAF World Champs teams, going to the first ever IAAF World Youth Champs at Bydgoszcz Poland 1999, and Debrecan Hungary in 2001 for the 2nd IAAF World Youth Champs where Val Adams won her first world title. In 2001 he managed the large NZ team to the Sydney Youth Olympics. In 2002 he was in exotic Kingston Jamaica for the World Junior Champs, where Val Adams took her second world gold and Nick Willis was 4th in the 1500. Brett has managed 11 teams to internationals since then, including the World Junior Championships at Grossetto Italy 2004, World University Games in Bangkok 2007 and more recently World Juniors at Beijing – an event he didn’t quite make after succumbing to a gallbladder emergency operation while at a pre-Beijing Queensland training camp.
In 1999 Brett was appointed as a SportsForce Athletic Development officer with Sport Waikato and over the next decade gained a reputation nationally for running hugely successful courses in coach education, official education and event management. Many of the work practices and initiatives that Brett has developed with Sport Waikato are now the template for other RSO’s nationally. During the last decade Brett has spent hundreds of hours as a volunteer in athletics, assisting the Hamilton City Hawks, WBOP Secondary Schools Association and the WBOP centre in many areas of the sport.
Announcing, results collation, news media work, event director, statistician, web management, sport analyst, and completing grant funding applications are just a few of the areas where Brett’s expertise, energy and passion for the sport have shone through. He has been especially adept at listening to and resolving disputes in the sport and at filling spots which occurred on committees and at events. His quiet efficiency, unflappable manner and huge knowledge of the sport are skills that will be missed in the Waikato but will be well used in his new role as Sport Manager for Athletics New Zealand. We thank him for his 36 year contribution to athletics in Hamilton.
Don Willoughby
Chairman
Hamilton City Hawks
Hawks Dominate at Matamata Relays
Monday, August 4th, 2008An excellent club turnout of 13 club teams took part in this popular road race (compared with10 last year), but with 33 teams in the field, entries were down 9 overall on last year.
Cool, showery, overcast conditions on fast flat 3.3 km circuit provided members with a great short blast prior to WBOP Centre Road Champs at Ruakura. There were some classy Hawks efforts too, which thankfully confirmed form for NRR teams and provided a positive day with a great showing of club spirit. Hawks teams won senior women, masters women, M19, M16 and walkers grades and placed second in the senior women, senior men, masters men, and masters women so plenty of kudos came back to Hamilton.
Lake City sprang a surprise in the open men’s event taking out the race with 52.15 (some 2.30 slower than the top Tauranga Ramblers team of last year). The Hawks senior men had a great battle with the Hawks M19 team and, after trailing early, came home with a rattle on the last lap when club captain Corey Hinde put his foot down to run a fast 10.16. Fast laps that caught my eye were the 10.21 of birthday boy Cory Whiting (17 the day before) and the quick laps run by Bridget Ray (11.56) and Olivia Ritchie (11.52), the latter clocking the fastest femme of the day.
The mother son battle of Helen (12.26) and Cameron (12.31), also intrigued and did Cameron cook dinner as a result?
Some Matamata relay history. This event is now in its 39th year. In the boom period of the ‘70s and ‘80s,m Auckland clubs used to attend and University was a perennial winner. Fields of over 60 or more teams were common. Fastest lap time that can be recalled is that of John Campbell who, at 40, was the world fastest masters marathoner and ran his lap around the streets of Matamata in about 9.05.
This year, Steve O’Callaghan (Lake City) at 9.49 and the club’s NZ Youth Commonwealth Games rep Aaron Pulford (9.58) were the quickest.