REGIONAL Primary Schools competed in the Northern Metropolitan Regional (NMR) Cross Country last Wednesday at the Kilmore Racing Club on a chilly winter day.
Regional sports carnivals are organised by School Sports Victoria (SSV), and local primary schools promote students with advanced athletic track and field abilities to compete.
Primary school students from the Northern Metropolitan regions of Victoria who qualified at the recent Woodlands and Whittlesea Cross Country toed the starting line hoping to qualify to State Cross Country Championships with a position awarded to the first 12 runners to finish the race.
Poppy gets promoted
In the 12-13 girls section, 61 runners tested their speed and endurance across three kilometres.
Mitchell Shire was well represented by three runners, each from different schools.
Poppy Robinson from Broadford Primary School (BPS) ran at a blistering pace, qualifying for the State finals with a time of 11.41.617.
Wandong Primary School student Annabelle Robinson missed out by a whisker, finishing in 13th position, and Beveridge Primary School student Evelyn Locke finished not far behind in 19th position.
In the 12-13 boys section, 65 athletes, four of which were local, took their marks.
Whittlesea Primary School Student Harvey Cummins raced right to the end and crossed the finish line in 18th position. Close behind, Our Lady of the Way student Abbott Tayte finished 19th. Wandong Primary School (WPS) student Thomas Mack and BPS student Jake Eriksson also finished together, in 39th and 40th respectively.
In the girls 11-year age group, 64 runners competed across the same distance.
Saint Patrick Primary School (St Pats) students Vivienne Bowshall-Tanner, Cleo Waite, Paige Barry and Willowmavin Primary School student Zara Gill all competed well but missed the final cut.
There was a field of 69 runners in the boys event, and this featured five local students.
St Pats Hamilton Cardwell finished in 26th position and Will Currell in 40th. WPS Jude Whelan was the 45th athlete to finish and St Pats’ Oliver Boot finished 50th. Jack Nolan from Beveridge Primary School finished 52nd and St Pats’ Eli Cardwell finished 66th.
A first time for everything
Two local students competed in the 9-10 age group and with a shorter distance of two kilometres to contend with.
Congratulations to WPS student Arlo Crump and St Pats’ Brielle O’Dwyer for competing in their first NMR cross-country event.
Since the NMR event has permanently moved to Kilmore the local spectators have been delighted with the Kilmore Racing Club grandstand and Trackside bistro hospitality, and they hope to be considered as the preferred state venue in coming years.
We at the Review wish Poppy Robinson every success at the State Cross Country Championships on Thursday, July 24 at Yarra Valley Racing Club.
