The Bunbury Little Athletics squad focuses on three things: fitness, fun and friendship.
The participants have started training ahead of the year’s extensive line-up of track and field meets.
The side is pulling out all the stops ahead of the Country Championships, held at Bunbury’s Regional Athletics Arena from January 26 to 28.
The club is expecting around 500 WA little athletics athletes over the three competition days.
Soon after, they will be getting ready for the State championships in March and Bunbury-Geographe Gift in April.
Bunbury Little Athletics president Paul Lever said the club saw kids achieve goals, keep fit and work together.
“On a personal level you want to see the club grow and expand, but it is about the kids enjoying what they like doing,” he said.
“It’s about them enjoying it, getting their personal bests, and growing in terms of reaching their goals.
“What we’re about is the kids improving as they go along and liking what they do and how they do it.”
Bunbury Little Athletics registrar Nicole Kenny said the club welcomed participants of varying abilities.
“We’ve got a few special needs athletes this year, and the way they have been accepted by the whole club is great,” she said.
“All of the other kids have accepted them and encouraged them, and those are the values that we like to see as a club.
“We’ve had kids run another 400 metres after running their own 1500m just to help someone finish the race, and that for us means more than anything else.”
At the beginning of the 2017/18 season, the club focused on increasing participant numbers.
The group was on a high after clinching impressive results in the 2016/17 State championships.
Late last year, the club sent athletes to compete in the 2017 Australian All Schools Championships in Adelaide.
Mr Lever and Ms Kenny invited children and teenagers from the district to come down and have a go.
Check out the Bunbury Little Athletics Facebook page for regular updates.
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