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She will compete in the 200m sprint, short hurdles, hammer and weight throws, weight pentathlon and pole vault – “plus a couple of relays thrown in as a bonus”, she says.
Anne, who competes in the age 50–54 category, is something of a Masters veteran having competed in various athletics events at the NZ Masters for around 20 years. Her first love was sprinting, but she saw hammer throwers in action while she was training at Millenium stadium, and decided to give it a go, around 18 years ago.
She says joining the North Harbour Bays Athletics Club was a turning point, providing the kind of quality coaching that any athlete thrives on.
“Even at Masters level, we all want to get better and develop in our sport so good coaching is very important,” Anne says. “Without it you get frustrated.”
Anne says hammer throwing and weight throwing (which uses a much heavier metal ball, on a chain instead of a wire) are very technical.
A lot hinges on how many times the thrower turns before releasing the hammer, as each turn builds up speed. Currently Anne is up to three turns.
Balance, core strength and timing are key to a good throw of the 3kg hammer. Anne always has a hammer and other sports equipment in her car as she is training twice a week for the throws, and the same for her track and pole vault events. This has to be fitted around the demands of her teaching job and family commitments.
In the early days she would sneak in a hammer throw or two on the reserve by Orewa Estuary at the back of the college but soon gave that up. “The hammer makes holes in the ground and I also ended up throwing it into the estuary quite a lot,” she says. “I soon got sick of pulling it out of the mud and getting rid of the smell.”
Anne took up pole-vaulting a year ago; she says starting along with her was a 68-year-old woman who will also be in the World Masters Games. “It just shows it’s never too late to take up a sport – even one as challenging as the pole vault.”
Already Anne is vaulting 2.10m.
When she was at school herself, Anne liked athletics but gave up competing after leaving college, while continuing to play netball. Her eventual return to the track came at the age of 30, after a netball coach organised sprint training, re-igniting her interest in athletics.
At 16 years old, Anne’s son Anthony Barmes has become a competitive hammer thrower and trains alongside his mum. Last year he placed fifth in the NZ Secondary Schools seniors – he was previously a junior title holder.
“I’ve never forced him into it, but he throws well,” she says.
The World Masters Games will be Anne’s second – she also took part when the event was hosted in Sydney in 2009.
“Having the event in our own backyard is an opportunity too good to miss,” she says.
Games facts and figures
The World Masters Games takes place this month, April 21–30 at 48 venues, mostly in Auckland • More than 24,000 athletes will take part – 53 percent are male and 47 percent female • Youngest competitor is a 25-year-old swimmer and the oldest is 101 and taking part in athletics • 100 countries are represented.
