IT was a rare opportunity for local youngsters to compete on the big stage, with students from five Hamilton schools travelling down to Lakeside Stadium in Melbourne for the School Sports Victoria (SSV) State Track and Field Championships last Wednesday.

Hamilton North Primary School sent the biggest local contingent, with eight young athletes qualifying across multiple events.

Tess Lewis returned with a gold medal, winning the 10-year-old Girls triple jump, while Taima Thomas also medalled, finishing third in the 11-year-old Boys triple jump.

Hamilton North Primary School Physical Education coordinator, Leanne Willder said it was an exciting experience for each of the students to be involved.

“It was an amazing result for Tess, she had the triple jump and the shot put and finished seventh in the shot put and won the triple jump,” she said.

“Taima came third in triple jump and was fourth in his heat for 100m and seventh in the final.

“We had a relay team which finished ninth overall, finishing half a second off going through to the final.

“Angus (Ewing) finished seventh in the shot put, Carter (Ewing) was in the hurdles and finished ninth in his heat.

“Brennan (MacDonald) finished 14th in the shot put as well.”

It was a long process in itself for the locals to be selected, dating back to the school’s athletic carnival in March.

Strong performances then opened up opportunities to compete at a higher level, culminating in the state championships.

“They had to win a place representing our school at district level at Pedrina Park, then they went to division level at Warrnambool against Warrnambool, Hamilton and Portland divisions,” Willder said.

“From there, the top six in track events and the top three in field go through to regionals in Ballarat and from there they got selected for the state championships.

“This is the biggest team we have ever had, we are really thrilled with the effort the kids have put in during the lead-up, they have been really motivated to go out and practice and all of them have put in extra effort to make them the best they can be on the day.

“The fact they all put themselves out there, it is special and we are also proud of how they also encouraged each other while down there.

“It was such a thrill, the whole school embraced it and they were back here watching it live and apparently there was a real buzz here during the day.”

Competing at Lakeside Stadium also created plenty of buzz within the group, with the track and field venue hosting major events and big names over the years.

“It was amazing to walk in, one of the kids said it was really flash and the others were blown away by the fact it had a grandstand,” Willder said.

“It is an all-weather track and Usain Bolt ran there a few years ago, so it is all those things which make it exciting to be there.”

Hamilton North wasn’t the only primary school in action from the region with Gray Street sending four students to the championships.

Emily Iredell finished second in the 11-year-old Girls high jump, after a jump off was required to separate the top two.

Iredell finished with silver after jumping 1.40m, also finishing sixth in the long jump with a personal best effort.

Manaia Bremner tested his endurance in the 10-year-old Boys 800m and 1500m events, finishing fifth and sixth respectively.

Molly Barry scraped into the top five in the 12-year-old Girls shot put, while Max Shepherd finished 10th in the 10-year-old Boys shot put.

Gray Street Primary School principal, Ben Kelson said the whole school community was proud of their efforts.

“We are really proud of the students, they have done exceptionally well at this high level and put in great effort in preparation,” he said.

Grace O’Sullivan (9-10-year-old Girls) and Charlie Hindhaugh (11-year-old Boys represented The Hamilton and Alexandra College.

O’Sullivan finished ninth in the long jump with a 3.02m effort, while Hindhaugh competed in the 80m Hurdles and finished 11th.

A trio of students made the trek from Good Shepherd College, with Leayla Pohl doubling up, competing in the 12-year-old Girls triple jump and long jump.

Pohl recorded a personal best time in the triple jump, despite long jump being her strong event, and finished seventh in both.

Seamus McDonald contest the 10-year-old Boys 80m Hurdles and ran well to finish second in his heat and progress to the final, where he crossed the line in sixth position.

Tessa Verschuren also qualified for the 10-year-old Girls 80m Hurdles but was unable to compete on the day.

College’s director of sport, Julian Gollasch said it was a big accomplishment for the students to reach such a high level and were all acknowledged for their efforts.

“Our whole school celebrated these kids,” he said.

“We got them up at assembly and we are just really proud the fact they made it this far.

“Out of the 16 that went to regionals, eight made it to state level, five in secondary and three in primary.”

Kara Dickson flew the flag for George Street Primary School, competing in the 12-year-old Girls 100m spring.

Dickson finished third in her heat and placed ninth in the final.