This year Nina Chalmers and Peggy Taylor headed down to Wellington to represent Owairaka Athletics in the North Island Colgate Games, and Peggy has written this report on the event.
Colgate Games are always a fun experience, whether you're watching on the stands or competing against hundreds of other athletes for a spot on the podium. It’s also a great way to experience competing, and travel to a new place at the same time, and was good to get out and away after so many cancelled events last year.
You start the games with a march past where athletes walk around the track representing their clubs, similar to the opening ceremony at the Olympics, where athletes represent their countries.
This year, in true Wellington fashion, it was freezing cold in the middle of summer, which was a shock as we stepped out of the plane in shorts and t-shirts. We had a cold day, a summery day and a windy day (think officials' tents flying around the track levels of wind) over our three days of competition.
We both had a busy programme of events, here's how we got on:
Nina, 13yrs old, placed 29th in the 100m, 14th in long jump, 13th in the 800m, and 9th in the 80m hurdles.
Peggy, 12yrs old, placed 10th in the 100m, 5th in long jump, 3rd in 400m, and finished the games with a first place (and gold medal!) in the 200m.
Overall it was another successful Colgate Games, and we hope more people can join us next year. The 2023 North Island Games will be held in Palmerston North, and the South Island Games in Timaru. Chat to Nina or I on club nights if you'd like to know more.