Since then Cycling New Zealand has looked at following the path of rowing in creating Regional Hubs. These have proven very successful for rowing and have provided the pathways for the next up-and-coming High Performance athletes. It is also partly the reason rowing has been successful in increasing medals.
SportNZ has supported Cycling New Zealand's bid to set up three to four regional hubs, and is giving financial support towards these.
We have a great opportunity to be the regional hub for the lower North Island. This gives us the opportunity to have cyclists coming to train here or even move here from outside the region.
As we have the perfect conditions for road training as well, they would not be coming in for just one-off events but spending significant time here.
A coach paid by Cycling New Zealand/SportNZ would be an added bonus - one less cost for us to pay.
Of course this is not just about current cyclists, it is about increasing the participation in the sport.
The recent Track Champs in Waikato saw entry numbers increase 300 per cent over 2 years.
Velodrome are generally multiuser facilities and like any facility they need to be used regularly. Very rarely is any facility used 100 per cent of the time.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Sport Facility Strategy highlighted that some sports were looking for more space and that to attract national events they needed six courts in one location. Therefore the velodrome attached to Pettigrew Green Arena achieves not only an indoor velodrome, but a facility that can assist achieve the goal of more facilities for these two codes in one place.
A building built specifically for say basketball would remain underutilised most of the time or would shift games from other facilities who would then be underutilised, whereas a multi-purpose velodrome achieves greater use by adding a new sport to use indoor space.
With the added advantage that two thirds of the cost is coming from outside organisations and we have other external parties contributing to the overall running with paid salaries.
When the Stadium Southland collapsed a few years back all netball and basketball was played on the velodrome for about three years, including the Sharks basketball and Steel netball games. All netball is now played inside, including using the velodrome.
The Manchester Velodrome used for the Olympics a few years back is also used for basketball, so this multi-use happens not only in New Zealand but in the rest of the world.
Southland Stadium is also used for a wide variety of activities including craft shows, boat shows, rugby (Southland Stage) fitness training, and many other activities - even funerals, so it is well used.
Cycling is well aware that they need to work in with other sports.
The location of the velodrome at Pettigrew Green Arena makes a lot of sense not only for creating more court area for other sports, but enable other larger non-cycling events to be able to use the facility that cannot be accommodated within the Arena or other facilities.
Gyms and track cycling go hand in hand, so an increase in gym membership can be expected - we just need to add a good coffee shop! It also makes sense being close to EIT and will work in well with the sports programmes they run there.
-Ivan Aplin is the immediate Past President of Cycling New Zealand Road and Track. He is also two-times SportHB administrator of the year.
-Views expressed here are the writer's opinion and not the newspaper's. Email: editor@hbtoday.co.nz
