1 minute read
Sprinting towards dreams
WORDS Erica Visser
SPRINTING
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TOWARDS DREAMS
Mayor Gillian Aldridge OAM with some local athletics enthusiasts.
A trail of tiny tots was the first to test the state-of-the-art running track at the official opening of the Bridgestone Athletics Centre in late March.
The much-anticipated facility at the 6.8 hectare Bridgestone Reserve, Salisbury was opened during a weekend of festivities with a line of three and four-year-old budding athletes the first in a series of races on the track to mark the occasion.
The Bridgestone Athletics Centre is the new home for three local athletics clubs – Ingle Farm Little Athletics, Salisbury Little Athletics and Northern Districts Athletics Club.
It will also be available to host school sports days and athletics carnivals, and is at Olympic training standard, making the opening an exciting milestone both for local clubs and the broader athletics community. In alignment with Council’s commitment to sustainability, the innovative Bridgestone Athletics Centre boasts features such as water harvesting, use of recycled rubber in the surface, LED lighting and solar panels.
Its development was thanks to a partnership between Council, State Government and tyre company Bridgestone – which after closing its local factory a decade ago gifted the Bridgestone Reserve land back to the community.
Salisbury Mayor Gillian Aldridge OAM said the addition of a high-level athletics track was a great asset to the north. “Since the announcement of the Bridgestone Athletics Centre development, our local athletics clubs have seen significant increases in participation and the Centre’s opening will help grow this further,” said Mayor Aldridge.
Former Olympic sprinter and Team Bridgestone Australia athlete Cathy Freeman says the Centre will be an enormous inspiration for aspiring athletes to get involved and chase their dreams.
“I think it’s important that we give as much encouragement and support as possible to our next generation, and give them the confidence to chase their dreams,” Cathy Freeman said.
