ATHLETICS - Big day called off

WHILE Northland athletes are thrilled that construction of the new all-weather track at Kensington Park has begun, the earthmoving claimed an unexpected casualty recently with the Northland Secondary School Athletics cancelled.
The cancellation means that several athletes won't have the chance to win Northland titles or set provincial records this year - something that won't bother most students as they'll get to line up on the new all-weather track next year - but for those students that are leaving school this year, it is a serious blow.
The week before the championships were due to be held at the park, the work on the new all-weather track started.
A temporary 300m track had been measured and although Whangarei Athletics spokesman Ian Babe said he had warned the NSSA organisers that it would not be suitable for the meeting, the planning went ahead.
Unfortunately the safety fence around the construction site finished up on the temporary track, meaning the event had to be cancelled.
Northland Secondary School Sports director Grant Harrison said high schools in the area weren't really set up for the kind of championship meeting that the the NSSA required.
"Once we realised we couldn't hold it at Kensington Park, we went through a whole range of contingencies like Kamo High School and Boys High ... but the impact upon both of those schools was too significant. At the end of the day it just became too hard and we had to leave it for one year," Harrison said.
"It's unfortunate but the upside is about what we're going to end up with after that ... an all-weather track."
The NSSA track meeting is usually the selection meeting for the Northland team to the North Island Secondary Schools' meeting but this year the team was picked from performances at school meetings, Harrison said.
"The athletes have instead had the option of competing in their schools and then being nominated through to the North Island Secondary Schools and we've got a team of 46 athletes going away this weekend."
The meeting will be at the Waitakere Trust Stadium on Saturday.