The dates for the 2nd half of  the season have been finalised and are as follows:

11 Jan 2014 - Tea Tree Gully - closes 9 Dec 2013

25 Jan 2014 - Marion Australia Day  - closes 30 Dec 2013

2 Feb 2014 - Camden - closes 6 Jan 2014

16 Feb 2014 - Hectorville - closes 20 Jan 2014

22 Feb 2014 - Loxton - closes 27 Jan 2014

8 Mar 2014 - Flagstaff - closes 10 Feb 2014

23 Mar 2014 - Pulteney / McKinnon Parade - closes 24 Feb 2014

The dates for the 1st half of the season have been finalised and are as follows:

13th October - Port Adelaide - closes 16 September

27th October - Flinders - closes 30 September

1 November - Henley - closes 7 October

16 November - Whyalla - closes 21 October

1 December - Sacred Heart - closes 4 November

8 December - Pre Bay Colley Reserve - closes 11 November

15 December - Brighton - closes 18 November

27 / 28 December - Bay Sheffield - closes 11 November

Hi Athletes, Coaches & Officials

Welcome to the 2013/2014 season.

Online registrations are now available and if you register before 5 August 2013 you can take advantage of the Early Bird discount.

Please note if you are renewing your existing membership you will need to log in to the website using your username and password from last season and you will register via the Registration Renewal page which can be found under the Athlete Tools heading or on the home page. Please check your existing details carefully and update any changes. If you are unable to access your existing details because you have forgotten your username and password PLEASE DO NOT CREATE A NEW MEMBERSHIP.

A password retrieval system is now in place  for those who have forgotten/lost their password from previous seasons. If you visit our website (www.saal.org.au) and select “Athlete Tools” and scroll down to “Retrieve Password”, you can follow the prompts to reset your password.

Athletes registering for the first time can do so via the New Athlete Registration page which is also found under the Athlete Tools heading or on the home page. Once a new member has completed their registration and paid their fee they will receive their username and password via email which will then allow them to access the website.

Please note when you register online you will automatically receive 2 emails – 1 will confirm your payment and the other will confirm your registration. If you do not receive the 2 emails then your registration is not complete. If this occurs please contact the office for assistance.

If you have any questions about any of the above please do not hesitate to contact us on 8443 6177.

Kind regards

Michelle Burckhardt / Deb Osmond

Leading up to the big race every year, I enjoy reading the articles written by past winners. I remember in particular before last year's race reading an article which talked about lining up on the start line with shivers going through your body knowing that they were going to win the race. I was very grateful to the author of this article for being so honest, as these words came into my head when I too was on the start line and could not feel my body due to the shivers running through it. Rather than this being the excuse for me to talk myself out of the race (as I had done many times before), "I didn't feel good, couldn't feel my legs", it calmed me and I got excited by the knowledge that I knew what I had to do and if I executed my plan properly I had the best chance possible to win the race.

I began my athletic career as a child, first in little athletics and then at amateurs with Athletics SA. I remember my first ever professional race (a 550m at Mt Gambier). Being young and inexperienced at this type of running I got terrible boxed in and was forced to sit behind everyone else until the finishing straight. Having never raced over this distance before, I had no knowledge of how hard to push myself or how much energy to save. With 100m to go gaps opened up in front of me and I just went for it. I ended up coming fourth and was over the moon with my performance, I had really enjoyed the race. I am very fortunate for this positive introduction to professional running,

From the moment I first started running with the league, everyone spoke to me about the Camden Classic. Being a 400m runner at amateurs, naturally this was the biggest race most suited to me. I remember learning very early on (and I mentioned this on the dais after my win) once you are a Camden Classic winner, you are always a Camden Classic winner. And every time your name gets brought up from then on your Camden Classic win gets mentioned. I have thought for many years how good it would be to have that after my name when they mention me. Athletics is not just a pastime for me it is my real passion. I love watching any athletics and always read everything I can about it. I have read many a race preview or news articles about pro running where an athlete is mentioned because of their Camden Classic win. I am so excited that I now have joined this select group.

I have been fortunate to have had a fairly good pro running career so far, winning at least one sash in every season I have raced to date. As such every year when February came around, and with it the Camden Classic, I always seemed to be in good form and often got a mention as a chance to win the big race. I made my first Camden Classic final back in 2006 when I ran in black and came home last but was so excited with the biggest prize packet ($100) I had ever won. Since then I have made the final 4 other times including the successful 2012. Looking back on the other finals I have run (of which I remember each one by the singlet I was wearing for the race, which you get to keep when you make the Camden Classic final) I have certainly had my ups and downs. My results slowly improved and I was ecstatic in 2011 when I made the dais finishing 3rd.

I finished that 2011 season with 3 PB's on the track including my first individual state championship medal in a number of years. Bring on next season I thought. That winter saw me take 2 months off running to travel to Europe for a holiday. When I returned in October I knew I had a lot of training to catch up on. I wasn't working at the time so I was able to quickly get back into it and train hard for the remainder of the year. In fact, being a school teacher I had only gone back to work for a week when the Camden Classic rolled around again. I was confident I'd be able to pull out a good race, as I had managed to get second in the 400m at Burnie earlier in the year and had also won the 200m at Tea Tree Gully. I knew I was in good form but so were a number of other girls, some of whom are my really good friends and whom I wanted to see run well. I was fortunate enough to be able to run a relatively relaxed heat and make it through to the final. In previous years I have had to run hard in the heat and exerted all my energy just to make the final. Now I just had to focus on the final. I made sure I spent a bit of time thinking and dreaming about what it would be like to win the Camden Classic. As I've already mentioned I understood the prestige of this race and the implications winning it had. I lined up on the start line a bundle of nerves, standing next to some great competitors and 4 of my closest friends (Eleni, Katherine, Teagan and Yasmin). I started well, as I have been taught really well how to do. My race plan was going perfectly. Down the back straight I tried to stride out but it didn't seem to be having the effect it was meant to, I wasn't catching the other girls like I wanted to and so I thought, oh well maybe this is not my year (again). But my legs kept doing what I had trained them to do and without even really realising it I was on the back of the pack. A pervious coach (Shane Thiele) had always said to me, "they will come back to you late, just don't give up". These words went through my head as I found myself in a good position. I heard the back marker come up on my shoulder and thought I can't let her pass me or I'll get boxed in and have no chance of getting past everyone. But it was too early to go yet, I knew I wouldn't be able to sustain a run for home from here. I got into a good position and waited, waited, waited, not yet. Then it was like I actually said to myself "now". With about 80m to go I made my move and went for home. Funnily enough, this is the spot that my beloved Flinders Athletics Club squad is situated every year. I totally surprised myself with the acceleration that I was able to produce (I had already felt like I was running pretty much maximum speed). I felt amazing, everyone else dropped off behind me and I could hear Terry McAuliffe say "Ashman's got 1m... 2m, she's pulled clear and is going to win" I remember at that point thinking I'm going to win! And being so excited, I don't remember smiling, I think I did it without realising but lots of people commented after the race on the big smile that came across my face about 3m from the finish line. I stumbled through the last couple of steps and then didn't feel any more pain. I was so excited I felt like jumping around like a crazy person, but I didn't, not sure why!

To anyone who has ever dreamt of winning the Camden Classic, don't give up on this dream. One of the things I pride myself on the most is that I have stuck at it for so many years. Over the 15 years that I have been running I have seen many people come and go but if you want it enough and are committed you can achieve your dreams. We all know how big a sacrifice it is to commit to our sport, it's not something that you can just turn up to for training one night and week and then have a game on Saturday. It requires many hours of long hard training, in all sorts of conditions. It requires sacrificing those Friday night drinks because you are competing the next day and forgoing those holidays because you can't afford to miss out on training. To me the sacrifices have been worth it. I get so much enjoyment out of racing (after the nerves have worn off) and I have made so many amazing friends. I have also been lucky enough to be coached by 3 South Australian pro running legends (Richard Manthey, Shane Thiele and Toby Schreier). Without these coaches, and my running friends I would not be here so thank you to everyone who has played a role in my Camden success.

Claire Thiele (nee Ashman)
January 2013

As a Camden athlete since 2003, I have always enjoyed our club's prestigious event. Frank McHugh makes it pretty clear that if you train with Camden and forget to nominate at the Classic, your next stop is the highway.

Since 2005, in my second true season as a Camden athlete and witnessing fellow stable mate and training partner Matthew Cousins win the Classic, it has always been my goal to one day emulate his success. To this day I can still recall Frank speaking outside the clubrooms to Matt prepping him for the race ahead. The words spoken between the two of them on that day I shall never forget. I feel I could write twice as much about his win than that of my own. I have always looked up to Matt as a fellow stable mate and enjoyed the many years of training we have endured together.

Throughout the pre-season of the 2011 / 2012 season I joined a gymnasium and decided it was time to increase my strength and conditioning. In conjunction with this I played football for the first time since Primary School and incorporated some longer distance running to keep fit.

I enjoyed a successful season throughout 2011 / 2012 placing on the dais on several occasions, winning the 300m Open in Whyalla, the Camden Classic and a 400 metre race interstate at Stawell. However, for the majority of the season training consisted of sprint work up to 200 metre and my aim for the season was pursuing a victory in a gift race. It was also my luckiest season to date being the only season I have remained injury free. I had a fantastic and dedicated training group throughout the season including James Cibich, Nick Giles, Matthew Cousins, Riordan Welsh, Ashley Brown and Jack Sutton which enabled us to improve and motivate each other at every training session.

From the beginning of 2012 and leading up to the Camden Classic, Frank began incorporating some longer distance work in my training in preparation for the main race. Frank put the Camden athletes through their paces in his usual laid back and low key style. Before too long, the big day in February had arrived.

On the morning of the Classic, one thing was for certain - I had no expectations to win the feature race. My aim for the day was to run well in the 120 metre sprint. I made the final of this event and ran second to a quality runner in Luke Buchanan. It is safe to say I was disappointed with this result as I desperately wanted a win on my home track. After the race my father and I went for a walk and he told me to keep my head up as the 400m Camden Classic was still ahead of me. I am grateful for his support and encouragement during that moment in time.

I won my heat race of the Classic and after my 120 metre performance, I carried both confidence and determination into the race. I knew I would have the fitness to be competitive. Before the final I was quite relaxed and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere of the event. I lined up for the race as the front marker and had one game plan in mind and that was to go as hard as possible for as long as possible, hoping that no runners would pass me.

The first 300 metres of the race elude my memory but the last 100 metres I will never forget. I was passed by a few runners about 100 metres out from the line but had the advantage of holding the inside line. I threw absolutely everything I had into the last 100 metres and pulled off some stunning facial expressions in the process. I gained the lead only metres before the finish line and was fortunate enough to win this significant event on the athletics calendar in a close finish. It was later revealed that my team mate Matthew Cousins who also featured in the final that day and who created my first memories of this great race spent most of his time cheering me up the straight rather than running his own race.

I am unable to conclude this article without thanking my coach and life mentor, Frank McHugh, for all of his time, support and advice throughout my many years as a professional runner. The Camden Athletic Club has been a major part of my life and I would like to thank all club members and training partners over the years.