Last weekend’s Otago Athletics Club pre-season camp, which was held in Wānaka for the first time, featured team-building activities, skills-based learning, information sessions and more.

Around 50 athletes from the Otago Athletics Squad (aged 15 and up) and Talent ID (12-14 age group) got the chance to get to know each other better, have some fun, and build on their skills ahead of an exciting season. 

Among the group are six Wānaka athletes: Phoebe Laker and Ila Duncan are in Talent ID; and Millie and Amaya East, Niamh Townsend and Ryan Young are in the Otago Athletics Squad (though Ryan was unable to attend).

Athletes made use of local facilities including the Wānaka Recreation Centre and the Wānaka Community Hub.

Otago Athletics Club co-director and Wānaka resident Mandy Enoka said the athletes were looking forward to a “solid, uninterrupted season of athletics”.

“The last few years have been quite disrupted and there’s been a lot of uncertainty; this is a really good year to get stuck in,” she said. 

The camp, designed to help them prepare for what’s ahead, couldn’t have gone better, she said.

“It was a great recap for some of our older athletes and also great for younger and older to mix,” Mandy said. “...the mixing and the friendships that were created was what we were looking to achieve, really fantastic”

Otago Athletics Club co-director Mandy Enoka said pre-season camp helped prepare the athletes for a busy upcoming season.

Activities ranged from a Q&A session where the older athletes shared what they had learnt with the younger ones to a workshop with Aspiring Athletes coach Michael Beable, who gave a session on thorough warm-ups.

Among the other activities were plenty of training, a barbeque, a quiz night, and a teams-style ‘amazing race’ event. 

Paralympic Games Chef de Mission and squad co-director Raylene Bates said the squad was “sincerely grateful” to the Wānaka community for its hospitality and she said the local facilities were excellent.

“To be able to utilise the indoor stadium, pool, community hub for our practical and learning sessions was fantastic,” she said. 

“Thanks again to the Wānaka community for hosting us – we will be back,” she said. 

PHOTOS: Mandy Enoka