The Aspiring Athletes Club offers Competitive and Club Only training and competitions throughout summer. Private winter coaching is also available – see below for more information.

Membership is renewable annually and, depending on your membership includes 1 or 2 terms of coaching (and includes Otago Athletics and Athletics NZ Fees).
 
Below are the two types of memberships you can choose from:

Club Only – (previously named non-competitive) – this membership is for those children who are keen to just ‘give it a go’ and attend our weekly Club Nights each Thursday from 12th October through to 14th December 2023. This registration does not allow the athlete to take part in any competitions outside of Wanaka (aside from Colgate Games and the two Country Meets in Alexandra & Wānaka.).  For ages 7+ if a Club Only membership is chosen at the start of the season then there is an option to ‘upgrade’ in December which will continue the membership on until March 2024 (and entitle the athlete to attend competitions such as Mini Multis and Otago Champs in Dunedin). NOTE: The upgrade is also available to Grade 6 athletes but please speak to your coach first.

Competitive – this membership is for athletes Grade 6 and above who are keen to attend any or all competitions outside of Wanaka, as well as our weekly Club Nights on Thursdays.  Competitions can include Mini Multi’s, Paape Cup, Otago Champs to name a few (see below for more info).  Most comps are held at the Caledonian in Dunedin so there is the travel factor to take into consideration when choosing this option.  Once again we hope to have more Competitive Athletes this season so if this is something you are thinking about for your child please do get in touch as we can discuss possible car pooling/mini van options and also look at house sharing accommodation options to try and get the overall travel costs down.  This season we are also excited to offer additional early season coaching for any competitive registered athletes aged Grade 10 and up – this is optional and is not included in the initial registration cost. This additional training will be held on Thursdays and Saturdays from September 7th in the lead up to the start of the season on 14th October.
 

Specialised Squad Training

If you’re serious about school and club events, join our competitive squads who train year round. These squads cater for age groups 14yrs and up.

Distance running, Sprints, High Jump & Long Jump training is offered by specialised coaches for Athletes focussing on personal performance goals and interclub competitions, you would travel approx 4 times within the season to compete, challenge personal bests (PB’s) and gain representative selection.
 
Coaches / Sessions:
Barbara & Michael Beable (high performance)
A minimum commitment of three training sessions a week is required – additional costs are applicable here. Please contact the club for more information.

Competitive Program

Athletics Otago (AO) in association with Athletics NZ (ANZ) provide an excellent Competitive Program for athletes (junior and senior) who are keen to take part in meets outside of Wānaka.  90% of the competitions are at the Caledonian grounds in Dunedin whilst others, like Colgate Games, are in different locations each year.  Travel and accommodation options are available so please speak to your coaches about this. Please click here for the full 2023/2024 Season Program.

Colgate Games 7yrs – 14ys

Colgate Games is held every January in different locations – the 2024 competition is being held in Dunedin over the weekend of 12 – 14th January.

We are hoping to take a large contingent of Aspiring Athletes – the age groups are 7yrs – 14yrs and members DO NOT need to be registered as Competitive to attend.  We offer additional specialised training in the first half of the season for any athletes intending to compete.  Athletes can enter up to 5 events and can also take part in a relay, depending on numbers.

This is an excellent opportunity for athletes of all ages (from 7 – 14yrs) to take part in a fun, all-inclusive environment. 

In previous years all registrations were done through the Club – this has now changed and all registrations are done by individuals/parents.

Click here to register for the 2024 Colgate Games!

Interclub events 7ys – 14yrs

These are run throughout the summer season, with the majority held at the Caledonian Grounds in Dunedin on Saturday mornings.  Athletes from Otago clubs compete against each other in a fun competition incorporating a mix of 4 track and field events.  The mix of events offered ensures that children get the opportunity to compete in a varied range of run, jump and throw events, encouraging the children to gain skills in all areas and not become specialised too early in their athletics journey.

Mini Multis 7yrs – 14yrs

In the 2023-2024 season the Mini Multis Competition will be held over one weekend (in Dunedin) with children competing on a Saturday afternoon then again on Sunday morning. The athletes will compete in 4 events per day and points will be accumulated from both days, with the highest accumulated points for all-round 1st, 2nd and 3rds in each age group.

Otago Championships

Held over one weekend in March, the Otago Children’s Championships will offer all competitively registered athletes to have the opportunity to compete in their choice of all available events.  Offering the children a chance to put all their seasons practice and competing into a grand finale event.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the athletes to compete and support their other club members in a championship style of event.

Competitions for Athletes aged 14+

For competitive athletes over the age of 14 there is the opportunity to compete at Inter Club level at the Caledonian in Dunedin. These events usually take place in the afternoons which means you may not have to travel overnight. The full season program will be available soon.

For more information about any of these events, please speak to your coaches.