OSCA
Athletics
STOP-START SEASON FOR OLD SCOTCH ATHLETES
Outstanding results in an interrupted season
TOP PHOTO : RUNNERS SET OFF AT THE START OF THE WILLIAMSON RUN , HAILEYBURY COLLEGE ,
BERWICK CAMPUS . ABOVE , LEFT TO RIGHT : JANET HOLMES , PHILLIPA DANKS , MYA JONES ,
ALICE MAXWELL , TAMAMI HOLMES . BELOW : THE BEISCHER BROTHERS – BEN (’ 19 ) LEFT AND ED (’ 17 )
Usually by late in the season most races would be complete and we would be nearing the finish line . But like so many activities , our season has been interrupted by the two lockdowns , with rescheduling and cancelling of much of the program .
However , when we have been able to get on the park , the results have been outstanding . Our hugely talented group of younger athletes , under the careful tutelage of their coach , David Lightfoot , have dominated the Associated Public Schools Old Collegians ( APSOC ) races , taking out the two teams events on offer thus far , the Jamieson ( at Scotch ) and the Williamson ( at Haileybury ).
At the time of writing we were still hopeful that there would be two more point-scoring races , and victory in either one would be enough for Old Scotch to win its first APSOC open premiership since 2002 !
Leading the charge of the younger brigade is a stellar collection of athletes , including Ed (’ 17 ) and Ben Beischer (’ 19 ), Tom Bowers , Fred ( Year 11 ) and Bart Leeton ( Year 7 ), Seb Brasington (’ 20 ), Robert Elkerton , Tom Worsteling ( Year 12 ), Conor Sullivan ( Year 8 ), Lachlan Stewart ( Year 12 ), Harrison Carr (’ 16 ) and Harrison Car ( not a typo !).
Our performances in the scratch events have been augmented by some impressive performances in the handicap events , with Peter Dodgshun completing a rare feat in winning back-to-back handicap races .
Needless to say the handicapper made sure that three in a row was impossible . Tamami Holmes won the 8km handicap at the Lodge event to keep the cardinal singlets at the front of the field . One of the pleasing aspects of the season is the strength of our female numbers , with nine female athletes running at the Williamson , likely the most ever for Old Scotch .
At state level , there has only been a handful of events , but APS United has shown our promotion to division one was well deserved , with some solid showings . Our M50 and W50 teams are dominating their respective competitions , with premierships in both these divisions likely if we can maintain our current form . Tom Bowers has taken out two individual titles at under 20 level , over 6km and 4km . At the time of writing there were still several events to come , if we were able to get on the track consistently , and our runners were primed to put on some terrific performances .
So while the country was absorbed in the spectacle of the Olympic Games , our athletes continued to train and compete hard . Sometimes , for us , a 17th place at a muddy park in suburban Melbourne feels like a gold medal ! We hope to have more good news to report by the end of the season .
PETE SIMM (’ 93 ) – VICE PRESIDENT , CROSS COUNTRY , OLD SCOTCH ATHLETICS CLUB
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