This season Albion Park Little Athletics Centre will be commencing their own Mutli-Class program, which involves a three-week rotation of events selected specifically for each child. Thanks to the dedication of Centre President Crystal Woll, who was inspired by her daughter, Albion Park Little Athletics Centre has transformed their offerings for Multi-Class Athletes.

Crystal shared with us how their Multi-Class program has developed over the years to now be a personalised program for six registered athletes – and counting! She shares their exciting new purchase of an electronic starting light for hearing impaired athletes, and their commitment to ensuring ALL individuals have the opportunity to participate in Athletics below.

I came upon Multi-Class athletics in early 2017 after registering my daughter (T37) in Little Athletics for the 2016/17 season. I approached Albion Park Little Athletics Centre (APLAC) regarding modifications of events to cater for her, which they were very supportive of. She has thrived since then, competing at the Little Athletics NSW State Track and Field Championships twice, and representing NSW at National school events. Last week she also won gold at the National Cross-Country Championships in Queensland.

In her second season, I joined the committee as championship officer and became a strong advocate for inclusion at Centre, Zone and Regional level. I am now President of APLAC and I am very excited that this season our Zone and Region Championships will both incorporate Multi-Class events, and that our Centre will be running a regular Friday night Multi-Class program. We will also offer Multi-Class events at our Grand Prix Carnival within the Mid South Coast Zone, and at least one other local centre within our Zone has also agreed to this with our support on the day.

Our centre Multi-Class program will be commencing on September 21, which is a modified version of our regular program to allow for the inclusion of athletes with a disability. The Multi-Class athletes will have their own three-week rotating program with events selected specifically for them. We have removed events such a high jump and hurdles from the program to cater for most Multi-Class athletes, and as of this season, the only classifications that we are unable to cater for is children in wheelchairs. However, we are of course happy to have them compete in seated throws at our centre if they wish to.

We are also in the process of purchasing an electric starting light to use for our children with loss of hearing, and we can also use flags for those with sensory problems. Our committee is always open to new ideas and equipment which may help children with a disability participate.

To date, we currently have six children registered with a stated disability, the majority of which are around the age of eight with intellectual disabilities. We’re optimistic that this will grow too, as we have had more enquiries and a few testing out how they like it with a free trial.

Congratulations Albion Park Little Athletics Centre – Thank you for ensuring athletics is the inclusive sport it can be!

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