There is no competition at Dunbar on the Zone weekend.

What is the Zone Carnival?

This carnival is the major event of the season for the Northern Metropolitan Zone where local Centres (Ryde, Parramatta, Northern Suburbs, North Rocks/Carlingford, Cherrybrook, Epping District Athletics Club Inc, St Ignatius College Riverview Athletics Club, The King’s School Athletics Club, and UTS Norths) are involved.

No late entries or substitutions are permitted on the day. Final entries for the Carnival close several weeks prior.

Parents must be in attendance at the carnival to help and should be aware that the usual job of age managers is not performed at the carnival, ie. the age manager is not responsible for escorting your child to the marshalling area or to their event.

Zone Program

The Zone Program is designed specifically for the North Met Zone Carnival. It differs from the general Zone program which LANSW publishes, so use only these programs when planning your events.

Although heats and finals are programmed for most track events, if an event only has enough athletes for a single race then a straight final will be run at the time of the scheduled heat.

Results from all track events are posted on the amenities block. Please check these lists to see if you have qualified, or are a reserve, for a final. If an athlete is late to marshalling for a final, the listed reserve who is at marshalling will be given the position of the finalist.

How do athletes enter/nominate events for the carnival?

Complete your nomination via the ResultsHQ Family Log In.  Entries close on 26th October 2024.

What are parents’ duties at Zone?

A requirement of Northern Metropolitan Centres is that parents of competing athletes must make themselves available for at least one allocated duty. The jobs are allocated to us and we must fill them. They are all simple jobs, so don’t worry – there are chiefs at all the events to tell you what to do!

All parents will be required to help so add your name to the roster now in a duty that best suits your family commitments that weekend. If you don’t choose a job, one will be given to you which may not be convenient, so please help us avoid the awkward conversation and just commit to doing a job now. If you are unable to complete your duty, you must organise your own replacement and advise us of the new helper’s contact details.

PS  It would be helpful if parents of athletes in the 3000m, or athletes likely to make 400m or 200m finals, could take track jobs around these times, as athlete numbers diminish towards the afternoon and we have less helpers available.

What are the Zone uniform requirements?

All competing athletes must wear their full Ryde uniform with registration number and red border showing, Coles patch and age patch attached correctly to the front of their shirt.

Athletes can wear black plain compression/bike pants or shorts. They must also finish above the knee.

If in doubt about your uniform, ask now and give yourself time to get it fixed.

How do I get to Barton Park?

From Kissing Point Rd and Pennant St, turn right onto Isabella St and right again into Barton St, ground is on your right. Heading west from Pennant Hills Road, turn left into Bettington Road. Follow the road past the golf course and straight ahead at all roundabouts. Proceed through the tunnel, (James Ruse Drive is above you).  Barton Park is on the left – park legally where ever you can.

See the map of Barton Park here.

On the Day…

Athletes and parents need to “check in” each morning at the Ryde tent when you arrive at the track. Athletes need to have their uniforms checked and parents need to confirm that they have arrived for their duty and to receive any instructions/information about event venues, etc. Please also “check out” at the tent when your job is finished, so as we know all the duties have been completed. You may also need to sign in at the event venue and let them know you’re from Ryde.

Listen carefully to PA announcements, especially marshalling calls.

How does the Track and Field program work?

The program above / list of events is not necessarily the order of events, but a list to identify the events.

Some events on the program have a time next to them – the NTSB time. This means the Not To Start Before time. It is not necessarily the time the event will take place. Remember that athletes need to be marshalled before for each event, so you should be at the ground an hour before the NTSB.

Two tracks (circular and straight) are run at the same time. This makes the track program run very quickly. At times it may appear nothing is being done to conduct track events but this is not the case. It is to allow Field events a chance to catch up and also provide some recovery time for the athletes before further track events are called.

If 2 events for the same age group are called at the same time, DON’T PANIC. There is a Clash Manager who ensures any athletes entered in the 2 events will have the opportunity to compete in both. Remind your athletes to listen for event calls and advise field event chiefs if they are likely to need clash management. Athletes should go to their first event prepared for both events if a clash is likely, eg. if you are at shot put but likely to be called for the 100m, take your spikes with you. You will not have time to return to the tent to get your equipment as the clash manager will collect you, take you to the start line, and return you straight away after the race to your field event.

All events are announced twice over the PA system prior to being conducted so make sure you listen closely to the PA. When your event is first called, go straight to the marshalling area (track and field marshalling is conducted in 2 different tents at opposite ends of the ground). At marshalling, you will have your name checked for attendance and your footwear and uniform will be checked for compliance. You will not be allowed to compete, or you will be sent away to have your uniform corrected (and may miss your event), if you are wearing any uniform item which does not comply, so PLEASE check now and get it fixed NOW.

Is there anything else we need to know about the Zone Carnival?

Barton Park is a grass track, so may be affected in the event of heavy rain. If the carnival is postponed due to rain, this will be advertised on the Parramatta Little Athleticsweb site as well as our website and social media. However, this is an unlikely outcome. If there is no website announcement but the weather is bad, come prepared to compete with wet weather gear (athletes and parents), and expect some delays. Carnival organisers will only postpone if absolutely necessary, and even then, may only postpone some events and not the whole carnival. A date for postponed events is yet to be confirmed.

There will be waiting time between events so please be patient.  There are around 1200 athletes competing in 300 track and field events. When you get to Barton Park, have your athlete’s name checked off by the team manager so we know you are there.

Cameras and mobile telephones are not permitted to be used inside the competition area. If there is an official photographer at the Carnival, they will be clearly identifiable.

If you are assisting inside the competition area, you are not allowed to call out to/cheer the athletes and you must not assist/coach any child. For safety, all helpers must wear closed in shoes on the field.

Usual footwear rules apply for athletes – footwear is compulsory in all events.

Spike shoes with the spikes removed are not allowed to be worn.

Spike shoes may not be worn for athletes in any event in the 7-10 age groups.

Spike shoes may only be worn in track events run entirely in lanes for 11-12 but can be worn in all track events (except walks) for 13+. Spike shoes may also be worn in Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump and Javelin. For safety reasons, spike shoes are only to be worn during events and must be removed before proceeding to another event. This means spikes CANNOT be worn in the marshalling area – they should be put on at the start area of the event and removed at the finish line.

A maximum 12mm grass spike may be used at Barton Park. Tartan spikes should be used on the long jump pits.

All the Officials are parents volunteering their time to help run the Carnival. If you feel that something is not right about the way competition has been conducted, please address these concerns to your Team Manager who will make enquiries on your behalf. Do not approach officials directly as this can distract them from their duties.

The Carnival commences at 8:30am on Saturday and Sunday but marshalling commences at 8:00am (so you need to be there before 8:00am if you’re in these events). Make sure you allow plenty of time prior to your call times as parking can be a problem and you may need to park some distance away and walk with all your gear.

Ryde will provide some shade so bring chairs and rugs to sit on. If you have your own shade, it is advisable to bring it with you as often there is not enough.

Make sure you put sunscreen on you and your athlete before leaving home if you have an early event as it is easy to forget once you get there.

What are the Zone ‘Must Haves’?

Sunscreen – applied regularly.

Hat, Chairs, Shelter, Drinks, Extra Iced Water. It can be very hot.

It can also be very wet, so umbrellas come in handy, as do spare clothes, wet weather gear and towels in case of a December deluge!

There will be canteen and bbq facilities available, but athlete-suitable food is also good to bring – light snacks which can be eaten throughout the day are good to have in the esky.

Need more information?

Your age manager or our Championships Officer can answer any questions about the carnival. The Championships Officer can be contacted at rydelittleachamps@gmail.com