Local little athletes meet Paralympian

MEMBERS of Lucas Little Athletics received a special guest earlier this month as Australian Paralympian Jaryd Clifford stopped in to greet the club’s young athletes.

Clifford met with the nascent group at their primary base of activities at Lucas Primary School, where he helped present new equipment funded by Coles.

Lucas Little Athletics president Patrick Jenes said the visit was an incredible event for their young players.

“It was really exciting for the kids to hear Jaryd’s story with his disability and his vision,” he said.

“He showed them his skills and dedication and they were all eating out of the palm of his hand.

“We also had members from our local Sebastopol Coles come out with a barbecue and goodies and Jaryd did a warm up and some games.”

The star athlete is one of several who have spent a fortnight visiting Little Athletics branches throughout Australia as part of the national supermarket’s Coles Community Round.

In addition to sharing his story of competing in the recent Paris Paralympics, Clifford gave answered questions from the young players, and also helped present the club’s new line marker, received with $4,200 from the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund.

“The line marker’s invaluable to us,” Mr Jenes said.

“With one line marker, you’ve got to walk up and back down the track and measure it, so once we get this one set up, it’ll save hours of work.

“We’re all volunteers, so anything that can speed up our process and make things look a bit more professional is really, really helpful.”

Lucas Little Athletics’ next goal is to overhaul the oval adjacent to the primary school’s one.

Clifford, who also visited his former home-club with the Diamond Valley Little Athletics Centre in Greensborough, said the Coles Community Round initiative is about inspiring the future of athletics at a grassroots level.

“[It’s] such a great opportunity to return to where it all started for myself and many other athletes,” he said.

“Paris was such a rollercoaster ride and it’s always humbling to go back to community clubs and to see the pure joy and delight these kids have for track and field.

“It’s a reminder that athletics is first and foremost about having fun and being the best athlete you can be rather than medals and accolades.

“Coles Community Round is a great way to demonstrate these values and to share my experiences with kids and parents alike.”

The Coles Community Round has delivered more than $2.5 million in sports equipment and more than five million bananas to Little Athletics clubs since 2017.