Colgate Junior 5 Star Awards

This much-loved scheme rewards personal improvement, giving every young athlete the chance to earn an achievement certificate as they grow in the sport. Certificates are awarded across five levels — 1 Star, 2 Star, 3 Star, 4 Star and 5 Star — based on standards achieved in a set number of events for each age group (see tables).

The best part? It all happens naturally as part of our regular Club Nights. There's no extra event to attend — as times and measurements are recorded throughout the season, athletes work their way toward each level simply by turning up and having a go.

The scheme is about spreading recognition across the whole club, not just to the fastest or strongest. It's not designed to produce champions — it's designed to build skills, confidence and enjoyment in every event, for every athlete. Because children develop at such different rates, encouraging a wide range of events means more kids can succeed at their own level, and hopefully stay engaged in athletics right through to the senior grades, where they can start to focus on their favourite events as their strengths emerge.

How it works

• Standards at Level 1 may look modest, but athletes need to reach them across a fairly wide range of events — this is intentional, to build well-rounded skills rather than relying on just one strong event.
• Athletes don't need to compete in every event in their age group — just the specified number shown in the tables.
• It's all about personal performance, not beating others.
• Clubs can choose to count performances from Club Nights only, or also include Inter-club and other NZCAA meetings (recommended for events like hurdles and track walks).
• A certificate is awarded as soon as an athlete qualifies in the required number of events for a level.
• Only financial club members are eligible to take part.
• Because every performance needs to be recorded to track each athlete's progress, parent volunteers are essential — please lend a hand whenever you can at Club Nights.
• All events follow official NZCAA competition rules (e.g. metre boards for long jump up to and including Grade 11, correct implement weights for Shot Put and Discus, and correct race lengths, hurdle spacing and heights).