Some of the best aspiring athletics talent in the Western region will have a chance to put their skills and endurance to the test during the annual Western Plains Zone Championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The event, set to be held at Barden Park, functions as a qualifying stage for the Region 3 Championships typically held in the following February and calls on sporting talent in the under 7 - under 17 age groups.
The carnival will be held over two days, November 23 and 24, and feature over 360 events in that time, with several hundred competitors travelling to participate, according to Little Athletic's Regional Support and Development Officer, Mick Gardiner.
READ ALSO:
"We've got in total about 480 competitors, which is record numbers compared to previous years and events, so that's a really good showing."
"It's obviously good for Dubbo for us to be having all these people and their families coming to us, that way we'll get them travelling around here and spending their money locally in the West, which is welcome."
Athletes who place in the top six results for their chosen events will automatically qualify for the Region 3 Championships to be held again at Barden park on February 1 and 2.
That event, and this weekend's qualifying event, will also be a boon for some of the athletes travelling from more isolated and remote areas within the Western Plains zone, according to Gardiner.
"It's great for the kids competing to get them here in Dubbo for their athletics," Gardiner said.
"A lot of kids this side of the blue mountains don't get to run on a synthetic track all that often, so to get them running on not only a proper track, but one of the better tracks in the region is a really good opportunity for them."
While the current conditions in Dubbo present a challenge, with temperatures in the high 30s, smoke concerns and the possibility of rain on Sunday, organisers have reassured attendants that every effort will be made for the competition to go ahead barring 'major disruption'.
"Preparation's are going really good, council have got the grounds in really good condition, which is great giving the conditions we've seen recently."
"The chance of rain won't hurt us, that's actually quite welcome, and the heat is actually looking better than it has, so we're looking good on that front," Gardiner said.
"Smoke and the chance of dust storms is the biggest worry, obviously have air quality standards we have to adhere to, but we're going to do everything we can to ensure things are conducted in safe manner."
The competition will begin from 8am on both days, with the 1500m run functioning as the opening to proceedings on Saturday and the 1100m walk kicking things off on Sunday.
