Talk about a crazy week. It started in the worst possible way, assisting in some small part with the aftermath of the collapse of Stadium Southland. It ended with cyclists back on Stadium Southland’s ILT Velodrome and a full weekend at the Southland Time Trial and Road Race Championships.
Much has been written since last weekend’s day of destruction. Many opinions have been voiced. Whatever yours is, know this – you should be extremely proud of those working on the ground behind the Stadium scenes. Life tends to throw up its fair share of tragedies and they tend to either bring people together or push them apart.
Certainly the evidence of the last week tells me that the sporting organisations and Stadium Southland team are closer now than ever. Already it’s become obvious what can be achieved when we work together. Yes, there will be challenges, but if this week is anything to go by, nothing should be insurmountable.
The best way to bounce back was to get back to business. It seems incredible to me that just four days after the collapse the Dunkley’s Craft Show was setting up in the centre of the track. Today the Stadium Southland team open ticketing for our OctoberFest Track Carnival next Tuesday and Wednesday night (Tickets only $10 for adults and $5 for students from the Stadium’s new reception). That shows how committed the team is to maintaining their spot as the heart of the Southland sporting community.
After the challenges of the last week, it was great to get out in the fresh air to assist with the Southland Road Racing Champs. A lot of familiar names appear in the results you’ll find in this fine publication today, but one should make us all particularly happy. Tom Scully is back and in winning both the Senior Men’s Time Trial and Road Race he’s shown how to bounce back from adversity. You don’t get bitter and twisted. You just get on with the business. Nigel Skelt’s Stadium team provide another perfect example.
This Friday the 26th Yunca Junior Tour will be staged around Southland. Over 160 junior riders from Australasia will battle each other (and maybe the elements) in the country’s premier junior road race. It’s the last round of the National Junior Points Series so the competition should be hot. That will be true also of the OctoberFest Track Carnival which follows the Yunca next week. It will be a great way to get major local events back in Stadium Southland. We’ve got some exciting things planned for these two nights and if you are looking for a couple of hours of non-stop sporting theatre, I know you won’t be disappointed.
And to finish, yesterday Cameron Karwowski showed just how much he’s benefiting from his recent European racing campaign by winning for his H&Js Outdoor World team at this weekend’s Benchmark Road Race in Christchurch. Apparently he went out on training rides every day this past week. That’s commitment ... or madness.
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