2025 Victorian Masters 30 Athletics Gift Registration

Victorian Masters 30+ Athletics Gift – 3rd edition

Saturday April 12th 2025 at Ross Reserve [home of

Dandenong-Springvale VMA venue], Noble Park. Start 10.30am.

Get excited! Experience for yourself the excellence of this recently re-opened, now world

class, athletics facility costing over 6.5 A$ million by entering the 2025 VMA Gift! The “Gift”

is a competition in the VMA’s Masters 30+ summer events series.

Victorian Masters Athletics (VMA) is proud to present the “third edition” of the VMA Gift,

believed to be the only event of its kind to feature all Track & Field Disciplines in a single

competition for prizemoney.

In the events athletes will compete against each other, with handicaps of different types

according to the event type, with the aim being to create a "level playing field"

where every athlete has a chance to win! A description of all the events that will be

contested on the day, the types of handicaps and the minimum event prizemoney, can be

viewed in the draft program. On the day, competition will get underway at 10.30 am (field

events) and just after 11am (track events), allowing time for near country athletes to travel

to Melbourne. The finish time will be around 3pm (based on last year’s event timetable),

but will be as dictated by the level of entries across all events.

To enter you need to be 30+ years of age and be a Masters’ affiliated athlete. Interstate

and Overseas athletes are welcome to compete by invitation.  Any non-masters affiliated

athlete will be required to join Victorian Masters Athletics (VMA) – for the low introductory

new member cost of just $10/athlete. For non-affiliated Masters athletes, membership of

VMA will be required in order to be able to complete the online entry form. This affiliation

will also allow athletes to enter other VMA 30+ events in 2025. Note: when completing the

VMA registration, new VMA members will join the Hub of their choosing - please contact

the VMA registrar 0423 424 185 or registrar@vicmastersaths.org.au if you have any

questions regarding this.  Membership and event entry costs cover the staging of the event

(including) insurance cover and this year for the first time, a digital chip per athlete for the

lap counting in the 5000m event.

Entry fee: “Early bird” $10 / event (individual events and relays) up to Sunday, March 23rd.

“Later entry” $20 / event thereafter up to close of entries on Monday, April 7th. Please note

that all events can have size limits and entries will be cutoff strictly when the field for a

particular event is deemed to be full. Athletes may enter multiple events – with any event

clashes across all events manageable based on the first two editions of “The Gift”.

As per above, entries close Monday April 7th (8.00 PM).  No entries will be accepted after

the entries closing date or on the day. Refunds will be given up until the Friday before

competition in the event of injury or unforeseen personal circumstances that arise.

IT WOULD GREATLY ASSIST EVENT ORGANISERS IF EVERYONE WHO INTENDS COMPETING

IN “THE GIFT” CAN ENTER BY THE ‘EARLY BIRD’ PERIOD END DATE OF MARCH 23rd.

DELAYING ENTRY MAY ALSO SEE ATHLETES MISS OUT DUE TO CUTOFF WHEN MAXIMUM

FIELD SIZES REACHED. 

All athletes entering that have run regularly this season in the following competitions will

be granted a place in the event/s they have entered, provided they have competed in

those events or similar this season and adequate performance data is available. The

competitions are (i) Victorian Masters mid-week venues (ii) any AV events (iii) Victorian

Athletics League events (iv) other competitions like the VMA State Championships,

Pentathlon (v) interstate State Athletics or Masters events for which performance data can

be supplied and is able to be verified. Athletes are also to welcome to email information

on their performances, including guidance on where this information can be viewed

to vmagift@vicmastersathletics.org.au. An independent VMA handicapper will review all

performance data accordingly.

Should the handicapper deem that they are unable to make a proper judgement of a

handicap of any athlete from competition data / information available (for an event they

have entered) and this is not able to be satisfactorily resolved, then a refund for that event

will be provided. Where the data may be deemed to be limited in nature (eg. if just for one

or several performances) an entry may be accepted but with the handicap being set

conservatively. All decisions regarding acceptability of entries will rest with the Event

Manager based on recommendations of the handicapper.

The following is a description of events including max. field sizes, format and minimum

prizemoney. In all events the winners will receive a sash and prize money. 2nd and 3rd

placegetters will receive prize money.

The events described below are first labelled by type and grouped (eg. ‘Sprint’, ‘Throws’),

so scroll down to the event/s which align with your participation interest. If you have any

questions please contact the Event Manager/VMA Registrar [0423 424 185 or

registrar@vicmastersaths.org.au.

Sprint (short): 110m. Max. field size 100. Prizes - 1st: Sash + $350, 2nd $100, 3rd $50.

Format: Qualifying (all run 110m) + Semi-Final + Final (both from distance marks). Field

will be split as, “Fast"/ “Legends” based on ability / handicap. The field will be split

according to a benchmark time/110m (to be established based on entries) by the

handicapper. 

The first round will be a qualifying round where all athletes run the full 110m and strive for

their best performance to qualify to progress in the event. The results from the qualifying

round will be assessed in conjunction with the pre-event assigned handicaps to determine

those who will progress to the next round. The VMA handicapper at this point also

reserves the right to make minor adjustment to originally based handicaps at their

discretion based on performance in the qualification round. 

Sprint (long): 400m. Max. field size 64. Prizes - 1st: Sash + $350, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. Format:

Qualifying: Field will be split as, “Fast” / “Legends” based on ability / handicap. The field

will be split according to a benchmark time/400m (to be established based on entries).

Format: Qualifying + Final ("Fast" &"Legends").   

The first round will be a qualifying round where all athletes run the full 400m and strive for

their best performance to qualify to progress in the event. The results from the qualifying

round will be assessed in conjunction with the pre-event assigned handicaps to determine

those who will progress to the next round. The VMA handicapper at this point also

reserves the right to make minor adjustment to handicaps at their discretion based on

performance in qualification. 

Sprint: Relays: 4 x 200m. Mixed. Prizes: 1st: “Winner take all” $200. Handicap basis: total

of individual handicap times of all four runners competing. There is no event entry cost for

Relays. No limit on the number of teams.

Format: There will be two age-band categories that will apply as a basis for the formation

of a relay team: (i) all runners aged 60+ on April 12th (ii) any age. Each Hub can enter up to

one relay team per age category. The handicaps of all runners to be assessed. An athlete

can only compete in one relay. 

Team Captains (nominated by their Hub) are to enter relay teams via email (NOT ENTRY

FORM)  to vmagift@vicmastersaths.org.au the names of each relay team member, to be

four runners + two emergencies (date of birth of runners to be obtained from entry form).

Changes can be made up until Friday April 11th (has to be prior to competition due to

requirement to assess handicaps). 

The first runner from each team will start “on the clock” supervised by race marshals, with

time penalties applying if an athlete starts before being called to start. The first runner will

run in lanes before “cutting in” after running the initial bend (ie. @ 300m back straight

start, having run approx.. 100m). Subsequent baton changes will be as for a 4x200m relays

supervised by race marshals.

Middle distance: 1,500m. Max. field size 40. Prizes - 1st: Sash + $350, 2nd $100, 3rd $50.

Handicap basis: Times.

Format: Athletes will start “on the clock” supervised by race marshals, with time penalties

applying if an athlete starts before being called to start. 

Long distance: 5,000m. Max. field size 40. Prizes - 1st: $350, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. Handicap

basis: Times.

Format: Athletes will start “on the clock” supervised by race marshals, with time penalties

applying if an athlete starts before being called to start. 

Walk: 2,000m. Max. field size 40. Mixed event. Prizes - 1st: Sash + $180, 2nd $80, 3rd $40. 

Handicap basis: Times.

Format: Athletes will start “on the clock” supervised by race marshals, with time penalties

applying if an athlete starts before being called to start. 

Throws: (‘Trio’): Discus, Javelin, Shot Put (all three). Max. field size 50. Mixed. Prizes - 1st:

Sash + $350, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. Handicap basis: Season’s best (SB).

Format: All athletes compete in all three events. There will be a Qualifying round and then

a Final. In qualifying all three events to run simultaneously with athletes competing in

random event order as drawn by lots. At each event an athlete will have up to three

throws.  At the end of qualification the SIX athletes with the highest % of SB will qualify for

the Final to be called "the top 6 shootout" (TTSSO). The performances from Qualifying

will not count for Final. For the TTSSO, the public (if they wish) at the event will be invited

"to be ringside" (at safe viewing positions) to watch the 6 finalists have two further throws

in each discipline...in order Discus (1st), Shot (2nd), Javelin (last). The lowest ranked

qualifier overall from Qualifying will throw first in all three final rounds and then other

finalists accordingly. As its name suggests the TTSSO is just that - where the athletes in

only having two throws/event are competing “in a pressure situation”. The aim is to make

it like "T20 throwing". A commentator with a laptop for scoring will make regular calls on

a “live ranking” of the six throwers during the final. The athletes’ final rankings for the

competition final will be according to % SB of their final 6 throws only.

Jumps (‘Duo’): Pole Vault (optional), High Jump, Long Jump – best two events count.

Mixed. Final only. Max. field size 50. Prizes - 1st: Sash + $250, 2nd $100, 3rd $50. Handicap

basis: Seasons Best (SB).

Format: Athletes can compete in either two or three events – their choice. The best two

SB% results will determine the placegetters.  The three events will be run in series

throughout the day. In the Long Jump athletes will get three jumps. As stated, athletes

can compete in up to three events – albeit that it is recognized that some may not

nominate for the Pole Vault. Athletes competing in three events can be considered to have

some advantage but that is all part of how this event is setup.

Refunds

Refunds will be given up until the Friday before competition in the event of injury or unforeseen personal circumstances.

Privacy Statement

In this Privacy Statement, "Personal information" has the same meaning as in the Privacy Act 1988. Victorian Masters Athletics (VMA) are committed to protecting and security of the personal information we hold about you. Personal information provided in this entry form will be used to:

• Process your competition registration
• Provide you with competition and results information
• Provide you with information about future Masters Athletics events.