Want to know more about Nunawading Little Athletics? Here is some useful information for new and returning members.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the children do?
What are the events?
Where are the events held?
What is available to children with disabilities?
What level of ability do children have to have to join?
What time does the program start and finish?
How much does Little Athletics cost?
Can children try Little Aths before joining?
When and how do we join Nunawading Little Athletics Centre?
How long does Little Athletics operate for each year?
What are the minimum and maximum age limits to join?
Which age group would my child be in?
What is expected of the Children?
What is expected of Parents?
What policies or codes of conduct does the centre use?
Is there any training provided?
How are the children's performances monitored?
What other forms of competition are there?
Cross Country Season Registrations?
What about Safety, Insurance and First Aid?
Clubs in the Nunawading Little Athletics Centre?
What types of awards / trophies are presented?
Where can I find more information if what I would like to know is not here?

Frequently Given Answers

What do the children do?
Each week on the event calendar the children follow a program that takes them through the series of events that are offered by the centre. When they arrive at the centre, there is a warm-up session, then the children meet with their age group manager who discusses the program for the day, and instructs the children about what events are in operation and when they need to be at each event.

What are the events?
6 year old children do the "on track" skill development program. The rest of the athletes do high jump, long jump, triple, jump, discus, shot put, hurdles, walking and running events.

Where are the events held?
The summer program events are all held at the Bill Sewart Athletics Track (BSAT), East Burwood Reserve,
Burwood Hwy, East Burwood (behind the Basketball Stadium). Melway map ref: 62 C8.

What is available to children with disabilities?
The ethos of the centre is to provide an opportunity to build and develop athletic skills for children and to help them achieve their personal best in a family friendly environment. The centre does whatever it can to achieve these outcomes for it's members.

What level of ability do children have to have to join?
The centre provides training and coaching to build the skills and abilities of the members. There is no minimum ability. It is all about children learning and improving their fitness and athletic ability in a "family friendly" and fun way. Kids just love it. They make new friends and have a great time!

What time does the program start and finish?
The program starts at 8.45am (warm-up) for a 9am start and finishes at aproximately 12 noon.

How much does Little Athletics cost?
The fees and charges (including insurance) for the 2008 - 2009 season is

Can children try Little Aths before joining?
Our insurance allows children to try out for one session before joining. The clubs promote "bring-a-friend" days to encourage their friends to come along and try out little athletics

When and how do we join Nunawading Little Athletics Centre?
Children can join any time throughout the season. After 31st January the fees are reduced. You join by either attending our registration day(s) or by filling out the application form.

How long does Little Athletics operate for each year?
These seasons run nearly all year round. It generally starts with the summer season (October), runs through to December, there are a few weeks off over Christmas and then the season starts again mid-late January. The Summer season continues on until mid-March. There is a presentation event at the end of the Summer season. Then the Winter season starts. The main activity over Winter is Cross Country running. Membership covers both the Summer and Winter seasons. The Winter season starts in April and works through to early August.

What are the minimum and maximum age limits to join?
The simple answer to this question is a child must be 5 years of age or over to be eligible and must not exceed 14 years at 30 September 2010. Children turning 5 during the season may be registered immediately after their birthday. Proof of age is required for all new registrations.

Which age group would my child be in??
You can determine the age group by using the Age Group Ready Reckoner which can be found here

What is expected of the Children?
The children are expected to be supportive of each other and encourage each other to perform at their best. They are expected to be courteous to other children and to the parents and officials running the events. The centre has a zero tolerance for verbal and physical abuse.

What is expected of Parents?
Little Athletics is not a child minding facility. All participants must have a parent or guardian remain at the track while events are being held. Children thrive on positive reinforcement and encouragement and they love it best when they hear it from their own family. Ways to reinforce this are:

• Watching and encouraging your childrens participation and performance
• Participating in rostered duty (usually once every two or three weeks) helping to set up, run events or pack up.
• Attending a club meeting every now and then
• Joining in on the fun social activities held by the clubs and the centre
• Recognising, valuing and contributing to the volunteer efforts of coaches and officials
• Reinforcing that Little Athletics is a fun family activity.

What policies or codes of conduct does the centre use?
Nunawading Little Athletic Centre has adopted the following Healthy Lifestyle Policies:

1. Working With Children (WWC) - all Centre committee and Club executive office bearers will hold a WWC check.
2. Healthy Food Choices - our canteen offers healthy alternatives.
3. Responsible Alcohol Management - no alcohol is permitted at the track.
4. Smoke Free - the track and surrounds are smoke free.
5. Sun Protection - children are encouraged to wear a hat and apply sun block.
6. First Aid - a qualified and trained First Aider will attend all competition meets.
7. Blood Spillage - anyone bleeding will be immediately taken from the event to the First Aid room for dressing and treatment prior to returning to competition.
8. Weather - events will be modified to suit prevailing conditions eg. no long distance in high temperature or smoke-filled air, no high jump if take-off area slippery etc.
9. Rain - Decision to be made at 9:15am if raining or during morning in the event of rain.

We have also developed a number of codes of conduct that govern how everyone associated with the centre adheres to. These can be found on our Policies and Code of Conduct web page.

Is there any training provided?
Yes, regular training and coaching sessions are held all year. These sessions are usually on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons depending on the events and activities at different times throughout the year. The Victorian Little Athletics Association arranges coaching clinics for centres. These sessions train parents and others who are interested to become accredited coaches for Little Athletics. These courses are promoted on the website calendar events schedule. Contact your club if you are interested in becoming a coach.

How are the children's performances monitored?
Each event requires the childrens performance to be recorded in two ways. The first record is an event ticket is given to the children noting the date, event and their performance. This encourages the children to take an interest in their performance for each event. The other record is for the performance to be noted on the official transcipt of each event which is then transcribed into the online records system. This system is available online. Children or parents/guardians can check event performance for individual events, their personal bests and their ribbon achievements. This information is accessible from the Records & Results menu on our website

What other forms of competition are there?
Throughout the year there are a number of additional competitions that involve either the Eastern Region or State or National levels. These competitions are widely promoted within the clubs and at the centre and through the website, handbook and other promotional means to encourage participation

Cross Country Season Registrations?
Registration for participation in the Cross Country Program is required. This usually happens in March towards the end of the Summer Season. Each year there is usually a Cross Country run included towards the end of the Summer Season to allow children to sample a Cross Country event and to encourage their participation in the Winter Season Cross Country Program

What about Safety, Insurance and First Aid?
The Nunawading Little Athletics Centre is incorporated with the Victorian Little Athletics Association Inc. As such, all Clubs, registered athletes, voluntary workers, officials, employees and members of the Board of Management and Executive are insured in activities relating to the administration, promotion, participation and organisation of non-profit sport, recreation and craft pursuits including training, coaching, the rendering of first aid, provision of food, publication of newsletters, property owners and property occupiers.
We have a qualified First Aid Officer available at the track for the duration of the programs.

Clubs in the Nunawading Little Athletics Centre
There are four clubs in the Nunawading Little Athletics Centre. Each club has it's own management and operations structure and is responsible for encouraging and promoting Little Athletics across Nunawading. The Centre has very loosely defined each club as covering the schools in their areas. Anyone is able to join any club, these groupings are a guide only. The clubs are:

• Blackburn: (Labarnum PS, St Thomas the Apostle CS, Blackburn Lake PS, Nunawading Adventist C, Blackburn PS, Blackburn HS, Nunawading PS, Old, Orchard PS, Orchard Grove PS, St Phillips CS, Springview PS, St Lukes CS)
• Burwood Heights: (Burwood Heights PS, Forest Hill SC, Glendal PS, St Christophers CS, Mt Waverley North PS, Mt Waverley SC, Ashburton PS, St Scholastica CS, St Benedicts CS, Syndal South PS)
• Mitcham: (Nunawading South PS, Mullauna SC, Mitcham PS, St Johns School, Whitefriars College, Antonio Park PS, Rangeview PS, St James School, Southwood Boys GS, Kingswood Coll Prim & Sec, Mt Pleasant Rd PS)
• Vermont: (Livingston PS, Vermont PS, St Timothys CS, Parkmore PS, Emmaus College, Holy Saviour PS, Weeden Heights PS, Highvale PS, Highvale, SC, Vermont SC, Camelot Rise PS)

Of course these are a guide only. Any child can join any club recognising that children will want to join the club that their friends, siblings are in, or that their parents were in 10, 15 or 20 years ago!

What types of awards / trophies are presented?
The aim of awards is to encourage athletes to take part in all events and to recognise the achievement of a large majority of the children competing in the Centre. The awards scheme is based on a system of achievement levels. This comprehensive information can be found in our handbook which is more commonly referred to as the "green book".

Where can I find more information if what I would like to know is not here?
The best way to get more information is to continue looking through the content on our website or to pick up the phone and talk to us. Any one of the people listed on our Contacts Page will be able to either answer your question, or refer you to someone else who can answer your question.