Athletics
ATHLETICS
Athletics is keenly contested at interHouse and interschools’ level from Under 9 through to Under 19, offering both track and field events. Athletics season traditionally takes place in the third term, however High School athletes have an opportunity to enter other leagues throughout the years.
PREP SCHOOL ATHLETICS
The official start of our season is our annual InterHouse Athletics at the end of July. This traditionally takes place over two days, with field events on a Tuesday afternoon and track events on a Thursday morning. Athletics training is offered during the August holidays, preparing athletes for their first InterSchools’ League meeting in September.
Events in the league
- U9s: Long jump, High Jump, 80m and Relay
- U10s & U11s: Shot Put, Long Jump, High Jump, 100m, 1200m and Relay
- U12s: Shot Put, Long Jump, High Jump, 100m, 150m, 1200m and Relay
- Opens: Shot Put, Long Jump, High Jump, 100m, 200m, 1200m and Relay
The season is approximately five weeks. We participate in the Independent Schools league against other co-educational schools on a Wednesday afternoon as well as the first and last Saturday of the season.
So as to encourage athletes to participate in as many field and track events as possible, practices take place twice a week from 06h45 to 07h15 (track & middle distance) as well as afternoons from 14h15 to 15h15.
Our coaches are all qualified to provide the latest techniques and coaching in their respective areas, providing athletes with the best opportunities to succeed. While individual success is encouraged and personal bests are celebrated, great emphasis is placed on the school’s success.
Head of Prep School Sport
HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS
Athletics in the High School runs the whole year round.
In Term 1 we compete in the Johannesburg North District (D10) Secondary Schools Athletics League and at the Johannesburg North District (D10) Secondary Schools Athletics Championships held at the Ruimsig Athletics Stadium. The first and second-place winners go on to compete at the Inter-Districts Championship.
In Term 2 we compete in the Johannesburg Co-Ed Schools Athletics league and the Prestige Athletics meeting held at Germiston Stadium. The top two athletes from each event from the nine InterHigh Athletics meetings then qualify to attend the Prestige meeting. In 2018 we had 13 athletes participating during the season with seven athletes qualifying to attend the Prestige meeting, where they entered seven events and won seven medals!
The school Athletics extramural season takes place in Term 3 and we compete in the CEPSAL A League and at InterHigh. It is always most rewarding to see personal best scores being achieved and school and InterHigh records being broken by our Dainfern College athletes.
Our students achieve considerable success each year. One of our High School athletes, Gabriella Gait-Smith, competed in the South African Schools National High Schools Track & Field Championships in Potchefstroom in 2018, becoming the South African Schools National Champion in both the Girls’ Under-15 1500m and 3000m distances.
Head of High School Athletics
