WARRNAMBOOL sprint coach Rob Duynhoven believes more time competing across the summer will hold the large contingent of athletes from the region in good stead when they hit the Stawell Gift this weekend.
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Twenty-two athletes will travel to Stawell to compete in the prestigious Victorian Athletics League season finale over the Easter weekend.
"The more they compete they actually get used to competing over the distances and then it's just about controlling the nerves," Duynhoven, who coaches alongside Wayne Perry at DPS (Duynhoven Perry Sprinting), said.
"And that comes with additional competition so at training at the moment they're just doing repetitions and on the weekend the idea is through training you work on all techniques and race day is about execution."
State medal winners Grace Kelly, Jesse Suter, 2019 VAL gift winners Hannah Duynhoven, Jai Perry and Layla Watson headline a strong Warrnambool representation in the VAL events.
They'll be by Leon and Joss Brooks, Jacob and Natalie Densley, Josh Drysdale, Carl McMeel, Chad Ryan, Richard Wearmouth, Naticia Varley and Richard Wade.
A variety of little athletics events are also incorporated into the meet with Kelly, Watson and Suter splitting their time between junior and senior events.
Grace Carter, Hudson Downes, Amber Ferguson, Hannah McMeel, Callum Wade, Aubery and Eliza Watson will compete in just junior events.
Duynhoven, who has trained the DPS squad in partnership with Perry for the past 18 months, said the large crowds and the hype which usually surrounds the event would be a positive for the athletes.
"Most of the athletes will actually find a bit more because of that as it's like an adrenaline rush," he said.
Perry said he expects to see more athletes travelling to Stawell to compete.
"We have noticed over the last three months that looking at the track at training and seeing all these people is fantastic," he said.
"Important thing is if we can get the young ones coming through and hopefully they hang around for a few years and enjoy it."
Warrnambool representation
VAL
Grace Kelly - under 18 girls 100 metre, 100 metre girls (little aths)
Jesse Suter - under 18 boys 100, 100 metre boys (little aths)
Hannah Duynhoven - 120 women's gift, 200 metre open, 70 metre womens
Jai Perry - 200 metre open, 400 metre backmarkers
Layla Watson - under 18 girls 100 metre, 100 metre girls (little aths), 400 metre girls (little aths)
Leon Brooks - 1600 metre women's-masters
Joss Brooks -
Jacob Densley - 300 metre masters, 400 metre frontmarkers
Natalie Densley - 1600 metre women's-masters, 800 metre women's
Josh Drysdale - 100 metre masters, 300 metre masters
Carl McMeel - 1600 metre frontmarkers, 1600 metres women's-masters 300 metres masters
Chad Ryan - 400 metres backmarkers, 550 metre open
Richard Wearmouth - 100 metre masters, 300 metre masters
Naticia Varley - 800 metre women's
Richard Wade - 1600 metre frontmarkers, 1600 metre restricted, 1600 metre women's-masters
Little Athletics
Grace Carter - 100 metre girls, 400 metre girls
Hudson Downes - 100m boys
Amber Ferguson - 100 metre girls
Hannah McMeel - 100 metre girls, 400 metre girls
Callum Wade - 100 metre boys, 400 metre boys, 800 metre boys
Aubery Watson - 100 metre boys
Eliza Watson - 100 metre girls
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