Athletics Nelson has received a grant of $14,070 to cover event costs for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships. The event is moved around the different provinces every year and this year it is the turn of Nelson to host on behalf of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletics Association.
Athletics Nelson Secretary-Treasurer and Local Organising Committee Chair Vern Mardon says, “This funding is critical as NZSSAA works on a tight budget for events and relies on the Local Organising Committee, in this case Athletics Nelson, to organise the event and be responsible for the budget.
“Athletics Nelson has provided a full range of athletics events including track and field, cross-country running and road running to the Nelson region since the mid-1930s. The Club caters for all ages ranging from ages five through to eighty. We are the only club in the Tasman region affiliated to Athletics New Zealand that provides a full range of athletics activities for its members over a twelve month period.”
“Athletics Nelson caters for people of all abilities from beginners to elite athletes. It is the most active athletics club in Nelson holding over ninety events each calendar year. The Club also offers its members quality coaching from certified coaches. Over the years, thousands of people have been members of the Club and enjoyed the wonderful benefits of improved fitness and life success that athletics provides. The Club is also proud of its Olympians, including Harold Nelson, Rod Dixon and Julian Matthews.”
“One of the key objectives of this event is providing community well-being for secondary school pupils.
Athletics Nelson Secretary-Treasurer, Local Organising Committee Chair Vern Mardon
“Athletics Nelson has had a long relationship with NZCT dating back to about 1995. In 1997, NZCT was the major sponsor of the New Zealand Road Relay Championships held in Nelson. NZCT has also assisted the Club, through the National Academy of Distance Running Charitable Trust, to fund the salary of Greg Lautenslager, an outstanding middle distance running coach and trainer. With Athletics Nelson hosting the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships this year, NZCT is once again the major funder of the event.”
“One of the key objectives of this event is providing community well-being for secondary school pupils. Athletics - and in particular cross-country running - is the most basic of any sports to help young people become fit and healthy. Athletes attending the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships will have devoted hundreds of hours of their time to achieve the very best they can.”
“Most of our participants will not rise to fame at national level, but they will find a way through running to achieve their best selves. Athletics teaches them essential life skills that lead to other healthy and productive life-styles, such as hard work, commitment, dedication, and discipline - core values that will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives. The grant towards the costs of hosting the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships is absolutely vital in helping them achieve their goals."
Athletics Nelson received a grant of $14,070 to cover event costs for the New Zealand Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships which travel around the country each year
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