During the course of the season there are many carnivals and competitions in which an athlete may choose to compete. These carnivals are usually organised by an individual club. Details of carnivals held by other clubs in our Zone are published on this website (see calendar).There is usually an entry fee involved and many charge an additional fee for entry on the day. Participation in these carnivals is not compulsory and entirely up to the individual. The club has a range of tents and shade shelters available for use at any carnival

The Lake Macquarie Zone Championships is the first step for our little athletes towards eventual representation at the State Little Athletic Track and Field Championships. Zone Championships are held at Hunter Sports Centre, Glendale.
The Centres that compete in our Zone are:

• Cardiff 89
• Kotara South 215
• Macquarie Hunter 96
• Eastlakes 75
• Edgeworth 87
• Westlakes 90

The method used to select children for Zone Championship varies from Centre to Centre. At Cardiff all athletes are asked to nominate the preferred events in which they would like to compete. Each competitor from U7 – U11 are allowed to enter no more than four events. Athletes from U12-U17 are allowed to enter no more than 6 events. Our centre can nominate any number of athletes in each event in each age group. If more than 4 athletes nominate for a particular event, the club will rank athletes in order of performances achieved at club nights. If the Zone Coordinator has too many entries in any event an athlete may be asked to choose another event.
Under 7 competitors cease at Zone and medals are awarded to placegetters in each event.
The first 8 placegetters in each event will receive a performance certificate. The first 3 placegetters in each event from Under 8’s upward will be selected to compete at The Regional Championships.
If an athlete nominates for an event at Zone and is selected to compete at The Regional Championships and subsequently at The State Championships, we expect they will make the commitment. The Regional Championships are generally held on the 1st weekend of February and may involve travel and overnight stay and The State Championships are held on the 3rd weekend of March at the Homebush stadium.

Following Zone competition, qualifying athletes progress to Regional Championships. Our club has a large number of athletes gain selection with athletes competing in most age groups in a wide variety of events.
Under 8 competitors complete their representation at Regional and medals are awarded to place getters in each event.

As a result of successful performances at the Regional carnival, most years a strong contingent of Cardiff athletes will be selected to compete at the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre for the State Championships. This is the highest level of competition that the majority of our athletes can achieve, and each of the young people should feel proud of their achievements during the season.

An example of our success
At the 2019 State Track and Field Championships, we had our first ever representation in the Senior Boys 4x100m Relay.
Ethan Cowling, Dylan Robertson, Nathan King, and Justin Banek did the Club proud competing against the big Sydney clubs - bettering their Regional time.