Young athletes gather at open day

LITTLE athletes from around the region joined Bacchus Marsh Little Athletics Centre in enjoying fun and fitness on Saturday.

The cross country open day was held at St Anne’s Winery in Myrniong and was open to all registered athletes from Victorian centres.

It saw 137 young athletes compete from clubs across Victoria including Ballarat, Buninyong, Camberwell Malvern, Gisborne, Horsham, Knox, Melton City, Werribee, Williamstown and Bacchus Marsh.

“We had a great day,” committee member Linda Thompson said.

“It was a really good atmosphere, and the kids were all really enthusiastic and keen.”

It was the organisation’s first open day since 2018, and Ms Thompson said she hopes for it to become an annual event.

“We will definitely try and build on this now,” she said.

“It was a fantastic venue and there’s plenty of options to now extend it.”

Ms Thompson thanked friends, family and volunteers for their support in making the event possible.

“We had lots of family members that came and watched and there was a really great crowd,” she said.

“You could hear the crowd cheering the kids as they ran past so it really added to the atmosphere.

“It took a really big pool of volunteers, and we basically can’t run without the volunteers, so it was great that we had so many people willing to help out.”