Ryde Athletics Centre

Training

• Athletics is a late development sport. Many of our state and national champions joined the club at an early age and competed in a variety of disciplines before discovering the event they excelled at. We aspire to provide all our young athletes with as much variety and opportunity as possible.
• The youngest athletes enter the club in the Academy Level 1 Fundamentals developing the skills and competences needed to support them as the progress to train at higher levels.
• As these skills are learnt and children progress, training moves towards developing stamina so that they can be guided into more specialist areas.
• At the outset, we aim to provide an inclusive environment where the breadth of athletics can be explored.

To view the Training Curriculum that Ryde Athletics follows please click here.

Stages of Development Little Athletics recognises that children are not simply small scale adults. As such, Little Athletics is divided into a number of stages, with the desired outcomes for each stage providing a suitable environment for the enjoyment and development of the participant. In combination, the stages provide a smooth progression to lifelong sporting activity, whether at a competitive or social level. Please click here to view the Stages of Development.

Coaching

• The club is self-financed and run by volunteers.
• We are always in search of help, either to coach, officiate or manage. Most of our help is provided by parents, some of whom have gone on to officiate at higher level events.

Training Days and Times

• Training Days are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons commencing at various times – please see the table below for an overview of available events.
• Pre booking is essential to help manage numbers at training sessions. Athletes who wish to participate will need to add their name to the weekly Coaching Online Sign Up System. 
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• Training commences  mid September (after the second week each season) and concludes the week prior the State Championships. A break also occurs over the Christmas/New Year period. Updated information shall be announced at Saturday morning competition or placed in The Footprint or on the website. 
• A parent or guardian must attend training to supervise their child/ren, assist with the training activities, and help set up and pack away.

Further Information and Becoming A Coach

• Coaching is an extremely rewarding experience, especially when a young athlete tells you through a huge smile how they achieved a personal best. The sense of achievement as your athletes improve is wonderful. New coaches are always welcome. We can assist with coach education and mentoring. We will ensure that you feel part of the team. No experience is necessary. If you would like to gain some coaching qualifications and join our team as a coach, please email coaching@ryde-athletics.org.au
• The LANSW website also lists coaching courses available throughout the year.