About the club

Old Carey is a cross country club catering for all male and female athletes. Established in 1963 as a summer track club, the cross country club began in the 1960’s. Initially catering for past Carey Grammar students, it has since become an inclusive club welcoming athletes from all schools and clubs.

Old Carey competes in the Associated Public Schools Old Collegians Association. This 13 event, 10 club competition is held between April and September each year. Between 100 - 200 athletes compete for team points and individual trophies for men and women, both fastest times and handicaps. Distances range from 5km - 16km including three relays.

Events cater for all ages and standards. Athletes can compete both in the Athletics Victoria (AV) cross country season as well as the APSOC season, as the two associations run events on alternate Saturdays. The APSOC competition is renowned for its informality, friendliness and big afternoon teas held at the conclusion of each race.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Cooke-McClelland 8km, 2009 Season Wrap

Cooke-McClelland 8K Teams Race - Sept 12th 2009
  • The history of the race goes way back to 1931 when O/Xaverians, O/Scotch and O/Wesley had their first ever race through the paddocks of Kew and Hawthorn. The current course along the Kew Boulevard has remained largely unaltered over 50 years and is a reminder of the history and the continuity of this race which pre-dates most other running races in the country. So current athletes run in the footsteps of many past athletes. The race also features two remarkable course records set by past Australian XC representatives. In 1981, Nick DeCastella (younger brother of Rob) ran a sizzling 24.37, and, in 2002, Anna Thompson ran a very fast 27.25 to set the women’s race record.
  • This year, a hot north wind day greeted the 120 plus runners making it a tough run for all. The hilly terrain makes this a hard race on the legs and the aerobic capacity of all athletes. The men’s race was a one horse affair with invitation runner, Kane Wille, smashing the field in a fast time of 26.10. The women’s race was won by Lisa Dick in a relatively slow 32.29 in the absence of a number of the top women. 
  • No surprises in the teams event with the top teams of 2009, O/Haileybury and O/Xavs, dominating the men’s and women’s team races. O/Carey finished 4th in the men’s event with Steve Griffin leading the way from Dave Rayner, Andrew Edwards, Andrew Beath, Chris Kiddle, Chris Papadakis, Peter Pang and Erin Carter. Courageous runs from our two club champs, Chris and Erin, who both raced with injury and illness.
APSOC End of Season Lunch, Sept 13th 2009
  • A successful conclusion with all clubs getting together for this annual event at a Lebanese restaurant in North Balwyn, a good occasion to socialize, recognize individual and team achievements and acknowledge the efforts of officials who keep the show going. Congratulations go to the top Men’s and Women’s Teams, Old Haileybury and Old Xaverians, and also to O/St Kevins Mark DeLuca (Male Athlete of the Year) and O/Wesley’s Anna Kasapis (Female Athlete of the Year). Good to see OC athletes and partners there in force leading the way with Club representation.
Old Carey Club Trophies 2009
Best OC Male Athlete - Chris Papadakis
  • A past winner of the Richard Wilcox Trophy, Chris had an outstanding season despite injury late season. He ran 11 of the 13 races and consistently finished in the top 10 in most races with a top 5 finish a number of times. Despite close competition from Dave Rayner, Hamish Beaumont, Steve Griffin and Andrew Edwards, Chris had his best season to-date and was our most consistent performer over the season.
Best OC Female Athlete - Erin Carter
  • Winner of the trophy in 2007, Erin had another great season running 11 of the 13 races and was one of the best performed female athletes in the competition. Despite coming off a low fitness base at the start of the season, Erin showed significant improvement as the season progressed. A runner with much potential, Erin’s determination and courage was evident in the final race when she finished the race despite suffering a bad asthma attack.
The Richard Wilcox Trophy - Norma Gonzalez
  • This trophy is given to recognise outstanding contribution to the club. A popular member of the club for the past 5 years, Norma ran the first half of the season whilst pregnant and continued to offer support to the club, acting as a race official at Gembrook. Norma’s efforts to recruit new female members to the club also reflected her enthusiasm and support for OC and the Association.
APSOC Spartan Award - Peter Pang
  • Congratulations to Peter Pang who completed his 7th consecutive Spartan season, running all 13 races for the season. A fantastic contributor to OC, Peter has now run 99 races in a row for a “career” total of 10 Spartan seasons. Amazing when you think about it, given the vagaries of illness, injury and other interruptions.
Thanks and a final word
  • Thanks go to all those athletes who ventured out for a run in 2009 and kept the OC Flag flying. To quote Alan Rowe, the club had a “moderately successful” season, with good numbers particularly in the first half of the season. 
  • Our men’s Div 1 team had some solid results, with the best effort a 3rd place at the Geelong relays, ending the season in 5th position on the team’s ladder table. Our Men’s Division Div 2 Team finished in 7th position. We had regular attendance from a number of our women, but had a bad year for injuries, illness and other absences thereby limiting our capacity to score team points at a number of races. We finished the season in 9th position. Definitely plenty of room for improvement for our men and women in 2010. 
  • As always, we had lots of camaraderie and good spirit. Special mention goes to the following athletes for their support and attendance over the season; Chris Papadakis, Erin Carter, Dave Rayner, Andrew Norwood, Kari Entwisle, Hamish Beaumont, Andrew Edwards, Matt Poulton, Norma Gonzalez, Andrew Beath, Chris Kiddle, Steve Griffin, Peter Pang, Andrew Tulloh, Jeff Sharam and Nicole Matthews. Thanks guys, without your support Alan and I would have been very lonely. 
  • Finally, a word for next season. To all our regulars, we hope you will return again. For those who missed this season, please think about next year. A small club like ours need you attending on a regular basis. We also need new recruits each year to sustain critical mass, so please help us with new runners in 2010. We really need your support, so please use your existing social or professional networks to get people along to run in April 2010. For those overseas or not able to compete we hope the emails during the season keep you in touch.