FAQ - Frequently asked questions:
Cross Country, Road and Trail Running
An introduction to how athletics works in our club. We have answers to some of the questions we have often been asked .
Help us demystify athletics for others – ask us a question using our contact form and we'll do our best to get back to you
1. Please explain the different seasons in Athletics and what types of sports your club does during the year.
Summer Season: The Summer Season is from the 1st of October to the 31st of March each year. Club members registered for the winter season are eligable to compete in Track and Field events hosted by Athletics Canterbury & Athletics New Zealand. Please refer to the Track & Field Tab on our website for details on the Summer Section of our club.
Winter Season: The Winter Section is from the 1st of April to the 30th of September each year. Club members registered for the winter season are eligable to compete in Cross Country, Road & Trail running events hosted by Athletics Canterbury & Athletics New Zealand. Please refer to the Track & Field Tab on our website for details on the Winter Section of our club.
2. Tell me more about the fee structure for joining, what would you advise a new member? Do events cost extra?
We want our pricing structure to be completely transparent so there are no surprises during your season. Here is everything you need to know about what you are paying for and how to get the best value:
How Our Fee Structure Works
When you pay your registration via our online checkout, your final Total Subs fee is actually a combined bundle of three distinct costs:
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The NBOL Club Fee: This stays entirely with New Brighton Olympic to power our local clubrooms, maintain our Rawhiti Domain track layout, buy training equipment, and keep the lights on.
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Governing Body Levies: A mandatory portion goes directly to Athletics Canterbury and Athletics New Zealand. This registers you as an officially licensed athlete, ensures you are covered by public sports liability insurance, and lets you log formal times on the national database.
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Winter Entry Levies: For teen categories (15–19), a minor winter race entry levy is pre-bundled to cover the club's administrative bulk entries into regional winter cross-country fields.
A breakdown of our fees in provided on the home page on our website.
Do Events Cost Extra?
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Standard Club Nights & Local Training: Completely free! Your subscription covers all weekday training nights at Rawhiti Domain and our weekly community Run New Brighton events.
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Athletics Canterbury Interclubs: For our senior and junior track athletes, weekend interclubs held at Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub are highly affordable. Local entry fees are generally managed via online systems like AthleticNET and typically cost a minor facility access charge (around $5.00 to $8.00 per meet, plus about $1.00 per specific event entered).
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Major National Tournaments: Elite regional championships, cross-country travel events, or the iconic junior Colgate Games do incur standalone individual entry fees (typically around $9.50 per event) managed directly through national registration portals closer to the race dates.
3. How do we work out the age of a child / adult for grading at events – as in, what date of the year do we use?
Athletics grading can be tricky because it doesn't always match the school year or your child's current birthday. To keep competitions fair across New Zealand, Athletics New Zealand and Athletics Canterbury determine your official competition grade using December 31st of the current season.
Here is exactly how it breaks down for each group:
Children & Juniors (Ages 7 to 14 Grade)
For junior athletes, your grade is determined by the age you turn during the calendar year of the current track season.
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The Rule: Whatever age your child is on December 31st is their official grade for that entire season.
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Example: If your child is currently 9 years old during registrations in October, but their 10th birthday is on December 28th, they must register and compete in Grade 10 for the whole summer. [1]
Under-6 (U6) Little Athletics
Our popular nursery and U6 play-central development grades are strictly for our littlest athletes who will be aged 3, 4, or 5 as of December 31st.
Teens & Seniors (Ages 15 to 19)
Teen athletes compete in two-year banding brackets based on their age as of December 31st in the year of competition:
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Under 18 (U18): Must be aged 16 or 17 on Dec 31st.
Masters Athletes (Adults 35+)
For our adult Masters runners, the rule changes slightly! Unlike the kids, your Masters grade is determined by your exact age on the day of the specific event or race. Adult categories scale up in 5-year increments (e.g., M35 for ages 35–39, M40 for ages 40–44, and so on).
4. Do I have to be a fast runner to join New Brighton Olympic
Absolutely not. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive community club. Our members range from social joggers and fitness walkers to elite provincial champions. For our adults, our weekly Run New Brighton sessions are completely free and specifically designed for absolute beginners. For children, our coaching focus is on tracking personal improvement, making friends, and learning core skills, not just winning races.
5. Can I come along and try a training session before I pay and register?
Yes, we welcome trialists! We highly recommend coming along to one or two Monday or Thursday training nights at Rawhiti Domain to meet the coaches, check out the clubrooms, and see how your child likes the sessions. Just make sure to introduce yourself to a club official or coach on arrival so we can place you in the right group for the evening.
6. What are the times for training in summer and winter for adults / children?
W.I.P.
7.
W.I.P. (this was a duplicate of FAQ 5).
8. How do I get to compete and go to the new stadium at Ngā Puna Wai?
W.I.P.
9. How do I enter an event? What info do I need?
W.I.P.
10. Does training and events sometimes get cancelled? How do I find out if this happens?
Yes - During the Summer Season, the Summer/Junior Club Captain will post on the NBOL Facebook group page is a training night will be cancelled.
W.I.P.
12. How do relays work? How many are there? Do I run with my club age group only or go in mixed teams with other clubs? Who chooses the relay teams?
W.I.P.
13. How can I get a New Brighton Olympic uniform and how much is it?
W.I.P.
14. Who runs the club? Is everything voluntary? What could a new member help with at the times they are there - on arrival and on pick-up?
The club is run by the executative committee. The names and contact information of the committee members are provided in the in the home tab on the website - refer to the 'club contacts' subtab. All committee members are unpaid volunteers.
As athletics is an individual sport, we see the importance of having parent supporters alongside young athletes to provide encouragement and relationship as the develop their technical skills.
We have a range of skilled and experienced coaches here to support the athletes and parents to learn and grow through our sport, but we are always looking for more!
If you are keen, with or without experience, let us know and we’ll take you on a journey that will be super rewarding!
When: All year around, depending on the program you are involved in.
How Often: Every week (or two if we have extra volunteers)
15. What are the Colgate games?
The Colgate Games are held in January every year and are made up of two events, one in the North Island and one in the South Island.
Entry is open to any child aged 7-14 years who is a member of an affiliated athletics club, and both events present an opportunity for children to compete in a fun and encouraging environment.
You don’t need to be selected or be a top athlete, though medals are awarded for 10-14 year old’s in each event. For 7-9 year old’s, the focus is on participation.
16. What is 995?
No longer relevant.
17. What does New Brighton Olympic specialise in - what is the club good at?
W.I.P.
We have a wide range of abilities, enjoying running, jumping and throwing. From beginners to seasoned track & field or ultra marathoner runners. Ages range from anything from 7 to 70 plus.