Athletics: Junior champ excited to compete in US

Holly Manning is more than ready for her United States Scholarship. Photo / Duncan Brown

The chance to run before crowds of 15,000 or more in the US is making Hawke's Bay athlete Holly Manning impatient.

"I'm getting lonely back here in the Bay as all my friends have gone off for their studies. I can't wait to get over there and begin my scholarship," Manning said.

The national junior women's 800m champion will start a $50,000 American scholarship with Stonybrook University, near New York in August.

It's a one-year deal initially but Manning, 18, is planning to be there for at least four years.

While representing her Napier Harriers club in crosscountry events during the next fortnight, Manning will be competing in front of a couple of dozen spectators.

Everything going to plan, the former Napier Girls High School student will qualify for National Collegiate Athletics Association events within two years and they can attract crowds of 15,000-plus.

"The crosscountry events I'm doing with Napier Harriers is ideal base training for when I get over there as the first three months will be crosscountry before I switch to track events indoors.

"That's going to be a new experience and because the indoor tracks are 200m I will find myself doing 600m events, my favoured 800 and depending on my times I could go up to 1500," Manning explained.

"I do want to improve my 1500 time of 4m 36s," she said.

Her crosscountry distances in the US, 5km and 6km events, will vary from the 4km races she tackles in Napier colours.

"My coach over there, Andy Ronan, has told me to use the crosscountry races to ease into the system. There will be no pressure on me in those," Manning said.

"Andy is Irish. New Zealanders and the Irish have a good bond and I think he will be really nice ... it will be better than having a scary American."

Manning, who has been coached by NGHS PE teacher Sheila Smidt since her Year 10 days, will arrive in the US with some impressive times on her CV. In atrocious weather conditions at the March nationals in Wellington, she stopped the clock at 2m 9.76s when she won her second consecutive 800m title.

After the nationals, Manning competed in the Australian Junior Champs for the first time and recorded a personal best of 2m 7.12s in her heat. In a tough final at Sydney's Olympic Park, Manning won silver with a time of 2m 7.8s.

Manning, who has been working at her family's Lick This! ice cream parlour and East Coast Credit Control will be one of two Napier Harriers club members at Stonybrook.

She was delighted to catch up with the other, Taradale High School old boy Eric Speakman, when he was back in the Bay in January.

"Eric answered a lot of my questions about food, student accommodation and campus life ... it was really helpful."

Manning, who was born in Bromley, London, is considering going to England to work and compete instead of returning to the Bay at Christmas.

"As long as I don't get homesick. I can do that because I have an English passport ... I just won't be able to take prizemoney as per the rules of my scholarship," she said.

It's easy to see why Manning, who will study health science in the US, is getting excited ... just 93 sleeps to go.