What is Athletics SA or ‘Seniors’ athletics? An explanation

When an athlete registers for PAAC as an Athletics SA member they are entitled to compete in Athletics SA competitions, summer and winter. Anyone turning 12 or older in 2021 is eligible.

The summer season includes state relay championships and state championships, similar to little athletics, although there are no qualifying standards for ASA state championships, so it is inclusive of everyone.

The bulk of the season is made up of 12 rounds of Interclub competition, usually held on Saturdays from about 12 to 5pm at Athletics SA stadium. Athletes compete for their clubs, in events of their choosing, in a graded competition against other clubs. Graded competition means that in certain events you compete against athletes that have similar ability to you regardless of age. Premiership points are earned by every athlete. Premierships are contested by clubs in each age group and gender. 

Here is what Interclub looks like for one of our athletes who transitioned from little athletics a few seasons ago: 15-year-old Amelie’s a sprinter so she chooses to only compete in sprint events, she trains several times a week with club coach Peter Burdett. She enters to run at Interclub by going to the ASA website during the week.  She nominates the times she thinks she will run based on her personal bests, it is Programme B so she enters the women’s 60m and 200m. Interclub alternates between an A and B program, similar to Friday nights at little athletics. She arrives at the track 45 minutes prior to her first event and checks in, to notify officials she will be competing. She then meets her training partners and coach in the PAAC area in the grandstand. Family members, coaches and committee members tend to congregate together in the same area every week under the club flag. Amelie warms up with her friends, she mixes with competitors from other clubs who she has got to know over the years, including little athletics and SAPSASA competitions.

Amelie has been placed in a 60m race (heat) with 8 other females that have similar predicted times, there could be a mixture of u14, u16, u18, u20, open and 35+ competitors in the race from a variety of clubs. The fastest 9 females race in heat 1 and then the second group etc. Depending on the number of competitors on the day there could be between 5 and 10 heats. Heat 1 starts at the designated time (2pm) and all others follow. Amelie runs in her heat, she finishes 3rd in the race and her time is posted within 30 minutes on ASA live results. Amelie is an u16 athlete, so she has scored Interclub points for PAAC u16 females– points are awarded by comparing all the times of u16 female 60m runners, the fastest gets 20 points for their club, second 18 etc. Every runner will score at least 1 point for their club, even the 25th fastest u16 female has earnt a point. Although finishing 3rd in her race Amelie could have earnt 20 points for PAAC u16 females.

After the race Amelie finds her friends who have run before her and they wait for those who run after them. They return to the PAAC area in the grandstand together and wait for the 200m, where the process is repeated. Amelie nominated with the PAAC Athletics Manager that she wanted to run a relay and is put in an u16 female relay team to run later in the afternoon.

The graded competition is used for track events excluding hurdles, which are run in age groups to suit the varying hurdle heights and race distances.

Field events are grouped in similar age groups and high jump and pole vault are grouped according to starting heights. For example: U14 and 16 shot putters compete at the same time with the age appropriate shot. The exceptional 13-year-old high jumper, doesn’t have loads of jumps at a low height or wait for ages for the bar to rise to their start height, they compete against similar ability jumpers.

By having a graded track competition, you do not run against the same people every week. An athlete who dominates their little athletics age group on Friday nights, would face genuine competition, which helps them develop. This system is great for the high performers but just as good for everyone else as they are not getting beaten by large margins every race. The team aspect means no matter where they finish, they are earning points to try and win as a team. Unlike traditional team sports, the weakest are not relegated to the bench or placed in a position where they do not see much action. Athletes are also trying to improve personal best performances.

Athletes choose to do as many or as few events as they like, we encourage the athletes to do what they enjoy. For some that may mean turning up for just a 1500m race, they could check in, warm up and race and be gone in an hour. Others will get there at 12pm and leave at 5pm after doing as many events as they can fit in.

Athletics SA competition is for everyone just as PAAC is. Beginner to elite, 12 to 75-year old’s, mum’s and dad’s competing with their kids (sometimes against them). Multi class athletes with mainstream athletes. Not many other sports could have a novice athlete competing in the same arena at the same time as an Olympian.

The choices for athletes turning 11 in 2022 and older are as follows:

Little Athletics – Friday nights at PAAC, starting October 8th

Athletics SA – Saturday afternoons at ASA Stadium, Mile End

Or

Become a dual member and compete in both Little Athletics and Athletics SA competitions.