Kevin DINALE
Kevin began his athletic career with the Preston club but shifted across to Collingwood when our northern neighbours were relegated from A Grade. He joined the black and white in November 1977 mainly through his friendship with the Sargent boys. The acquisition of Kevin gave us a quite potent band of sprinters, including the aforementioned Sargents, Grant, Jeff and Greg, together with Richard Nightingale. Kevin’s name, along with a selection of others, still appear on our Record Board in a couple of the relays.
The Dinale name also features on the Club 100 Yards Championship after his win in 1980.
It is only fair to list some of Kevin’s achievements before his involvement with Collingwood to give readers a true indication of his abilities.
Kevin had a deal of success in schoolboy championships winning the 100m, 200m, triple jump, as well as being part of winning 100m and 200m relays. He was selected for the Victorian East Coast Sub-Junior (u/17) team as well the Trans Tasman Secondary Schools Championships in 1977. In the same year Kevin won the Victorian Junior 100mts Championship and was a member of the winning 4×100 team. The Australian Junior Championships held in Tasmania saw Kevin gain the silver medal in the 100 metres and win a gold medal in the 4x 100 relay. Jeff Sargent was also a member of that winning relay team recording a record breaking time. One of last things Kevin did at Preston was set a Club Record of 10.3 for the 100 metres.
Kevin says, “Being coached, initially by Henri Schubert (Debbie Flintoff- King, Pam Kilborn) and then Neville Sillitoe (Peter Norman, Gary Holdsworth, Richard James), allowed me to increase my potential and train with state and national squads. During this period I competed in various international special invitational events at Olympic Park (my home away from home at the time!). Running against Valery Borzov (100m & 200m Gold at Munich) and Allan Wells (100m Gold at Moscow), was at the time, a relatively new experience for local athletes.”
Kevin participated in the Olympic trials for the 1980 Moscow Games in the 100 metres. At the same meet Kevin was part of the winning Victorian 4x100m relay team.
Kevin concluded his competitive career with silver medals in the 100m and 100 relay at the 1981 Vic. Championships.
A primary teacher by profession, Kevin has played a large role in the athletics program conducted in the Victorian Primary Schools’ program. He has been the school’s State Track and Field coach since 2006 and has travelled with the team to all the States in Australia as part of his role.
July 2014