MORNINGTON Little Athletics Centre topped off their year with their very own junior version of the Stawell Gift, the Christmas Handicap, on Saturday 8 December.
Junior athletes from under-6s through to under-16s competed in the junior (under-6 to under-8) and senior (under-9 to under-16) handicapped races over 100m at the Mornington Secondary College in hopes of claiming the annual MLAC Christmas Handicap title.
The girls reigned supreme in both of the handicapped races. The Inflatable Land Junior Handicap was won by under-6s girl, Amelia Carroll, while the Gravity Zone Senior Handicap was won by under-13s girl, Madalyne Mundy.
Mornington Little Aths president Todd Martin said the great thing about the Christmas Handicap is that it allows everyone a chance of winning the race.
“We set the heats based on results throughout the season,” he said. “We had eight or nine in the final and they all finished within 0.4 seconds of each other which was great to see.
“The idea is that you don’t always have the fastest runner winning the race but the personal best on the day is what will win it.”
To add to the day, Santa made a surprise appearance alongside the Mt Martha CFA and was handing out lollies as well as taking photos with the juniors. Treasure hunts were also scattered throughout the day along with trophy presentations for the Multi Event winners who had won two weeks prior.
All in all, Martin said the event was a great day out.
“We had a decent turnout from the little athletes (150 competed) and their families as well,” he said. “We set it up as a very relaxed sort of day with families setting up their chairs on the side of the track and it looked like everyone enjoyed themselves.”
While the Mornington Little Aths events are done for the year, some of their juniors still headed to the State Relay Championships at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park on Saturday 15 December.
Mornington Little Aths will be back in action on Saturday 5 January for their Twilight Meet with Frankston LAC at Ballam Park. Their athletics track at Civic Reserve, Mornington is also on track for completion by October 2019 with the track’s base being laid and its layout now visible.