St. Coca's Athletic Club
Kilcock, Co. Kildare
Archives from 2010
Registration Night/Christmas Party - 14th December 2010
This will take place on Tuesday next 14th December in Kilcock GAA starting at 6.30pm. Parents welcome to attend.
28th November 2010
Four hardy individuals braved the elements and travelled North to Derry on Saturday to compete in the All Ireland even ages and Inter counties Cross country. A very heavy fall of snow fell just before the races got underway and made visibility nearly impossible. It did not daunt the runners however and there were some very exciting races. Oisin O’Cuill and Ciaran Smyth were in action for the county in the boys U12. They were full of running at the end finishing in 43rd and 55th places respectively. Rachael Smyth lined up at the start of the U18 race with high hopes of a top ten place. Over a gruelling 5000m over hard packed snow she finished a marvellous 8th place. Immediately after that the Junior mens race took place with the big prize of places on the European Cross country team up for grabs, so a place in the top six was the target for Paul Robinson. He started the race in a conservative manner picking off athletes one by one until coming into the last lap he was fighting it out for a 3rd/4th and 5th place. A tremendous battle on the last 250m and Paul made it to the finish in 4th place just 3 seconds between 2nd and 5thplaces. The team is expected to be announced today or Tuesday.
Mile Challenge - November 2010
The November mile challenge took place last Friday in freezing conditions. Temperatures had dropped to below zero but it did not stop the runners and walkers take on the challenge. In the first race Andrew Smyth, who had posted a best time in October went all out to break his time of 5.20. He was followed by 3 Maynooth footballers who showed they could run as well as play football. Andrew powered down the home straight to knock 5 seconds of his PB and set a new best time of 5.15. Andrew O’Regan was behind him in 5.29. In the second race Kevin Kelly fancied his chances of getting close to Andrews time. He came into the race with a PB of 5.23 set in September and after a tough mile finished 5.18 knocking 5 seconds off his own PB and coming within 3 seconds of Andrew. That should be some battle over the coming months. Further down the field many others were having their own personal battles and its great to see the improvement of so many. Times have been updated for the month. Earlier on that day the primary schools also did their “Mile” and its great to see the enthusiasm of the teachers and pupils on such a cold day. Well done to them all.
Club AGM - 2nd November 2010
Our club AGM will be held on Tuesday 2nd November in Kilcock GAA at 8pm. We invite all parents to come along to support our AGM.
Mile Challenge - 29th October 2010
The October “Mile Challenge” will be taking place on next Friday 29th at the track. Walkers and joggers at 6.30 and runners at 7pm. Looking forward to seeing you all there.
Leinster Cross Country – Day 1 – Belvedere House, Mullingar - 24th October 2010
Some good performances for club athletes at the Leinster Cross country on Sunday in Belvedere House. Blue skies and a very well laid out course by host club Mullingar Harriers. First out were the girls U12 where Meghan O’Brien was best placed for the club just outside the top 20. Lucy McCann, Emma Ginty, Karla and Aine Burke all ran well but the club were out of the medals. The Kildare county team finished 4th. Better luck for the boys U12 where Ciaran Smyth and Oisin O’Cuill were in the top 20 and also part of the 2end placed county team. Both Sam McCormack and Jake Reidy were running up an age and ran strongly. Elaine Kilduff was the lone St Cocas runner in the girls U14 and she finished in the 30’s. The Kildare team were all very well placed but did not have a 6th scorer to complete the team. Eoin Reidy, Shane McCormack and Brian Mc Loughlin all running out of their age were well placed and Kildare took bronze here. Niamh Burke was on her own too in the U16 girls and finished in the early 30’s. Again no full county team here.Sam Allen had the misfortune of being spiked in the boys U16 race when in about 12th or 13th place and had to pull out. Rachael Smyth ended the day on a high when running very well to take individual bronze in the girls U18. Competition was tough on the day with the longer distances proving tough but fair. Many of the athletes in action on Sunday will be looking forward to Adamstown in two weeks time where they will compete in their own age groups.
Kildare Cross Country (Even Ages) - 10th October 2010
A smaller number of athletes than usual travelled to Narraghmore for round 2 of the Kildare Cross Country on Sunday and in a number of age groups we failed to have the required 4 athletes necessary to make up the scorers for the team competition. Nevertheless some fantastic results for the athletes who did make the journey on what was a beautiful day for cross country running.The day started off with the girls U10 and Aoife O’Cuill put in a great performance to take individual silver and lead her team to Bronze. In one of the largest fields of the day her sister Nise 11th, Holly Ginty 12th, Laura McDermott 18th and Andrea Judge 35th. The boys U10 were all running out of their age and all ran very well but were out of the team medals. Diarmuid Smyth 14th, Ben Doherty 16th, Alex Ginty 25th and Shane McDermott 28th. The girls U12 ran a marvellous team race with the team wining club Gold. Led by Meghan O’Brien 5th, Lucy McCann 6th, Tara Whittaker 17th, Emma Ginty 18th, Sally Jane Clifford 23rd and Harriet McDermott 34th. Another good team effort by the boys U12 where they renewed their rivalry with Newbridge. In a spectacular sprint finish Luke Morris of Newbridge got the better of Oisin O’Cuill and the Newbridge team went on the win the gold by beating St Cocas but just a couple of points. Ciaran Smyth 5th, Sam McCormack 6th, Jake Reidy 13th and James Behan 14th all ran well and this looks like two very strong teams for the Leinsters in 2 weeks time and also a strong Kildare squad too. Elaine Kilduff was the lone club runner in the girls U14 and she finished 10th overall. Eoin Reidy 6th, Shane McCormack 9th and Gavin Judge 10th all ran their hearts out but without a fourth scorer were not in the team prizes. Caoimhe Whittaker ran one of her best races for a long time to win the U16 race. Sophie Courtney had a great sprint finish to take 3rd spot with Anke Schumacher 6th. Again no full team here. Sam Allen made a slight error on the course midway through the U16 boys event just as he had taken the lead. He lost about 15 metres and even though he tried his best could not make up the ground and had to be content with 2nd. Kevin Kelly was 5th in this race. Next race was the U18 girls and Rachael Smyth had a great win to follow her U19 win last week. Jessica McKenna 4th and Sinead Kelly 5th along with Rachael won the team gold. Larry Kelly was the sole representative in the Masters race and he went on the have a fine win in the race. Well done to all who competed at the Kildare Cross country, next on the calendar will be the Leinster Cross country on Sunday 24th October in Belvedere House Mullingar (U12/14/16/18) Novice and Masters and Sunday 7th November in Adamstown Co Wexford (U11/13/15/17/19) and Intermediate
Kildare Cross Country (odd ages) - 3rd October 2010
The first round of the Kildare Cross Country took place today (Sunday) at the Eire Og/Corracoill GAA grounds. The weather for the event was perfect and the club had some fantastic results. In the first race of the day the U9 girls took to their marks for 500m. In a marvellous team effort St Cocas took the gold medal with the team led home by Nise O’Cuill 3rd, Aoife Rattigan 5th, Holly Ginty 6th, Orla Reidy 7th Rebecca Travers 8th, Maud O’Shea 13th, Anna Malone 14th and Kirsten Monaghan 15th. Diarmuid Smyth 7th, led the U9 boys to silver. With the assistance of Iarlaith Nolan 13th, Alex Ginty 19th and Conor Rattigan 21st most of these boys were running their first cross country race. The U11 girls had almost 50 runners and the St Cocas girls got an awful start. They recovered however and Aoife O’Cuill had a great run to claim 3rd spot. Hot on her heels were Emma Ginty 13th , Tara Whittaker 14th and Laura McDermott 15th who combined to win Gold medals. Also in action were Amy McDermott 19th, Aine Burke 21st, Roisin Daly 28th and Ciara Hanifin 49th. Only one club athlete in the boys U11 Jake Reidy who ran a brilliant race to take 2nd individual. Another big field in the girls U13 where Sophie Milner was the first home in 5th and she led her team to silver medals. Laura Rattigan 9th, Megan O’Brien 12th, Lucy McCann 13th, Louise Leonard 22nd, Karla Burke 25th and Helen Field 28th. Another gold medal individual and team performance in the boys U13. Eoin Reidy was an impressive winner and led his team to gold. Oisin O’Cuill 4th, Gavin Judge 7th, Ciaran Smyth 9th and Shane McCormack 11th were members of this team. The girls U15 and Girls U17 were gold medal team winners.The U15 team of Caoimhe Whittaker 4th, Niamh Burke 6th, Elaine Kilduff 8th and Katie Milner 9th. The U17 team was Emily Milner who stormed to individual victory followed by Jessica McKenna 4th, Sinead Kelly 5th, Anke Schumaker 6th and Aisling Kilduff 8th. Jamie Smyth and Edward Coyle were out of the medals in the U15 boys and Kevin Kelly 4th in the boys U17 race. Last event of the day was the U19/Intermediate womens race and it proved to be a cracker. Liz Foy (Kildare AC) and Rachael Smyth took up the running early and really pushed it out for all of the 3500m. In the last lap the fresher legs of Rachael gave her the edge as she pulled away for a great victory. Lynda Gormley finished 3rd in the Intermediate and with Annette Whittaker and Louise Manders the team won the gold. Well done to all who were in action on Sunday. Next Sunday sees the even age championships U10/12/14/16 and 18 and Masters O40 which will be held at Pike Bridge, Narraghmore (Crookstown Millview track). First race at 12 midday.
TEXACO BURSARY WINNERS - 30th September 2010
After a hectic week on the track with the visit of Frank Greally (Irish Runner) on Monday a small group from the club were invited to the Conrad Hotel in Dublin for a very special presentation. The occasion was the announcement of the Texaco Bursary for clubs. Over 900 clubs from all over Ireland had submitted applications for a bursary of €5000 and only 25 winners. Fantastic news for the club as it was announced that St Cocas were one of the lucky recipients of the €5000. We are the only Kildare beneficiary. Our application was made to assist us in the conversion of the cabin to toilets/changing room/meeting room and the selection committee deemed us worthy of the award. Well done to all involved!
Liz McDonnell 5k Cross Country
A number of club athletes took part in the Liz McDonnell Cross country in Castletown House Celbridge on Sunday. Kevin Kelly finished 3rd U16, Rachael Smyth 2nd Woman, Emily Milner 3rd U16 and Larry Kelly 2nd O40. Well done to all who took part.
Kildare Cross Country - 3rd October 2010
Next weekend see Round 1 of the Kildare Cross country. Events for U9/U11/U13/U15/U17 and U19 will take place at Eire Og Corracoill GAA grounds. First race at 12 midday.
Annual Church Gate Collection
Our annual church gate collection will take place next weekend at the local Kilcock and Newtown churches. Your support is appreciated.
New Season – Welcome Back
Welcome back to you all after the summer holidays. Training takes place on Monday and Wednesday and Friday evenings at 7pm for older athletes – MONDAY ONLY for “Little Athletics”
Cross Country Dates
Dates for Kildare Cross Country are as follows: Sunday 3rd October U9/11/13/15/17/19 Eire Og/Chorracoil GAA 12 midday(opposite Mondello Park) Sunday 10th October U10/12/14/16/18 Pike Bridge Narraghmore 12 midday (near Crookstown Millview Track) Leinster Cross Country Sunday 24th October U12/14/16/18 Venue to be decided 12 midday Sunday 7th November U11/13/15/17/19 Adamstown Co Wexford 12 midday Training Fees now due for this term – €20 per family
Kildare Coaching Day - 18th September 2010
Kildare County Board are holding the first of three coaching days on Saturday 18th September in Celbridge for athletes U11 upwards. Events covered Sprints, Hurdles, Jumps, Throws, Middle Distance and Walks. This is a great opportunity to try out something new – cost is €5 for the day. Starts at 11am sharp and will finish at 1.30pm.
National Junior record for Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson made the long journey to Finland where tonight he created a little bit of club history….setting a new NATIONAL JUNIOR RECORD for the mile 4.00.93. This bettered the old mark by almost a full second and comes at the end of an action packed season for Paul. The race took place in Joensuu in Finland and was won by Josephat Menjo of Kenya in an amazing 3.53.62 (a time most Irish men would be happy with for 1500m!) with Paul crossing the line in 5th place. Fantastic achievement Paul!
Silver Medals for Kildare Women – Finals of National track and Field league – 14th August 2010
Back in early June when I received the news that Kildare Athletics had been sent to Antrim for round 1 of the National Track and Field League, I had just composed an email to the league co-ordinator to say that we would not be able to make up a team when I stopped myself and said I would leave the decision to the athletes…..I texted all of the eligible team members and left it to them….. What happened next was a journey which brought us to NATIONAL SENIOR TRACK AND FIELD medals. From a small group of 8 athletes who travelled to Antrim to a bigger squad who made the shorter journey to Santry our team went into the League final today lying in 6th place but with a belief that we could make it big. When all the events were completed and the points tallied Kildare finished on 105 points winning Silver medals and gaining promotion to the Premier division next year – in fact our team were only 2 points behind the winners Galway county. The day started out with the 100m hurdles and Sinead Lawlor took to her marks in place of her sister Sandra who had to withdraw during the week with a foot injury. Sinead led all the way just clipping the final hurdle to finish 2nd and gave the team a great start with 7 points. Sarah Bourke was in action in the 1500m walk and finished a solid 4th place and Cera Nolan had another fine run in the 400m hurdles to take 4th place. Meanwhile Fiona Hill was in action in the Long Jump and just after the competition started I got a call from her Dad to say that she had pulled her hamstring but was lying third! She did not take any more jumps and went to have it looked at – and was awarded 4th place as another athlete jumped the same as herself but was given 3rd on countback. The relay was up next and we took the decision to rest Fiona and Rachael Smyth took her place….and what a relay. Niamh Field got the team off the a great start, passed over to Fiona who passed to Sophie Ellis who made a fantastic change to Claire Brady who took the baton in full flight and ran on past two athletes to get our first 9 points…..Kildare had arrived! Out on the field Pauline Kenny had been in action in the Hammer and Discus finishing 5th and 6th respectively. After her excertions in the relay Rachael Smyth lined up in the 1500m and ran strongly to finish 6th and Chloe Abbott also ran well to finish 6th in the 3000m. It was at this stage that the Kildare women really started to motor with four straight 9 pointers by our European championship athletes. Roseanne Galligan winning the 400m in a fantastic time from lane 8 and went on to win the 800m just over an hour later. Claire Brady also showed her class to claim the top spot in the 100m and 200m. Erica Dixon gained 3rd place and 6 valuable points in the Javelin and Evelyn Morris also had a 3rd place in the Shot. After her earlier injury Fiona Hill jumped into top position and maximum points in the Triple Jump. It was then down to the last event of the day the 4x400m relay. The announcer had called out the scores after 11 events and Kildare were lying 3rd just 1 point ahead of Clonliffe so we knew the results would be very close. It was a most exciting relay with Clonliffe taking a strong lead. Rachael Smyth started for Kildare and handed to Niamh Field. Lying in about 5th place Sophie Ellis ran strongly to narrow the gap but there was a lot of work to do in the last leg….Roseanne took the baton still in 5th and chased after the field….she picked off 3 athletes in the process to get up to 2nd place and crossed the line for 7 points. It was all done at that stage, nothing more that any of the athletes could do but wait for the results. After what seemed like hours Georgina Drumm called the teams to the podium and called the results…..in reverse order. It got to the top three and Kildare still had not been called….excitement….not third….we waited….”on 105 points Kildare County” Silver medals to cheers and roars. Up to the podium to receive our medals and then Galway county were crowned champions of the Division….just two points ahead of us.
From Ladies Finals
It was a marvellous team performance from the entire team from round 1 in Antrim to todays final. I have never worked with such a terrific group of athletes and there was a fantastic team spirit in evidence. Kildare county now have 20 NATIONAL SENIOR TRACK AND FIELD MEDALISTS. It is Premier Division next year and we get a chance to mix with Kelly Proper, Ailish McSweeney, Niamh Whelan and the like….. Kildare’s heros – in no particular order are Sandra Lawlor, Claire Brady, Aoife Sheehy and Sinead Lawlor (Celbridge AC), Cera Nolan, Chloe Abbott and Claire Mooney (Naas AC), Pauline Kenny, Evelyn Morris, Roseanne Galligan, Sophie Morris and Fiona Hill (Newbridge AC), Rachael Smyth, Aislinn Hurley, Niamh Field, Sarah Bourke,Emily Milner and Sinead Kelly(St Cocas), Erica Dixon (Le Cheile) ….. and me! The journey was over………………..for this year! Carmel Kelly
Watch Paul Robinson in Action at Junior World Championships in Moncton, Canada
Paul's Heat
The Final
Weekend News – 25th July 2010
Word reached us on Friday morning that Paul Robinson had finished in 9th place in the final of the 1500m at the World Junior Championships in Moncton, Canada. His time of 3:44.56 was just slightly outside of his own PB. Paul can rightly be proud of his performance at the championships – well done from all in St Coca’s AC! Saturday saw the day 3 of the Juvenille Championships of Ireland. First on the track was Oisin Fitzgibbon in the boys U-14 1500m in which he finished 6th. Emily Milner finished 6th in the girl’s U-17 1500m and shortly afterwards, Rachel Smyth was 7th over the line in the U-18 1500m. Attention then switched to the Walking events and ‘Bobby’s Girls’ were to provide the only medals for the club on this day. Karen Bourke had a fine silver medal performance in the girls U-14 2000m walk, with Ena Groome coming home 7th. This was an unusual event in that three visiting athletes from Leicester, Cambridge and Sheffield crossed the line in positions 1-3. In the next event, the girl’s U-15 2000m walk, Sinead Burke collected the second silver medal of the day. Over the longer 3000m course of the U-17 walk, Sarah Bourke came home in 5th position. Our only male walker of the day, Nathan Murphy, finished 6th in the boys U-14 2000m event. Well done to all our walkers and to their proud coach Bobby! As the day moved on to the sprint events, we had three athletes in the 200m events. Caoimhe Whittaker finished 4th in the girls’ U-15 final. Despite a spirited effort, Andrea Bennett failed to make the final of the girls’ U-16 event. Niamh Field came home 6th in the U-19 race, her last ever Juvenille race for the club as she now moves up to Junior events. Well done to all of our athletes in action over the weekend. They can all enjoy a few weeks well-earned rest before we commence the cross-country season. Finally, Ireland’s Ciara Mageean had a fantastic silver medal finish in Moncton on Sunday, in the World Junior 1500m women’s final. Her time of 4:09.51 was less than 2 sec behind the Etheopian winner. Well done to Ciara from all at St Coca’s AC!
Paul Robinson makes the World Junior 1500m Final – 20th July 2010
Fantastic news from Moncton in Canada where Paul Robinson was in action in the heats of the 1500m earlier this afternoon (Tuesday). Running in Heat 3 and with only three to qualify automatically, Paul ran a fantastic race to finish 4th in 3.44.04, just outside his PB, and qualify as one of the fastest loosers for the final on Thursday (after midnight Irish time). Unfortunately the IAAF website is very poor with no details of the other races or the other qualifers but word from Canada is that Paul is one of only 3 Europeans in the final and that many of the fancied runners failed to make the final. This puts Paul in a WORLD FINAL and we all wish him the very best of luck on Thursday. It is a tremendous achievement for St Cocas and for Paul and his family and we know that with Paul anything is possible – Go for it Paul!!
Weekend News – 18th July 2010
Three St Cocas athletes were part of the Kildare Womens team in Round 2 of the National Track and Field League in Santry on Sunday. It was all about putting points on the board for the team on Sunday to make sure of their place in the National final which takes place in Tullamore on Saturday 14th August. Niamh Field made a winning return to competitive running when she was the first runner in the victorious 4x100m relay team. The team, which also included Claire Mooney (Naas), Sophie Ellis (Newbridge) and Sandra Lawler (Celbridge), looked very impressive as they took top points in the relay. Emily Milner (1500m) and Aislinn Hurley (800m) both finished 4th in their events and the 400m relay team which included Emily, Aislinn Claire Mooney and Fiona Hill (Newbridge) also came 4th. The team finished the day on 104 points and are looking good to make the final. There were some other fabulous performances by Sandra Lawler (Celbridge) 1st 100m hurdles and 2nd Long Jump, Claire Mooney (Naas) 1st 400m, Fiona Hill (Newbridge) 1st Triple Jump, Pauline Kenny (Newbridge) 2nd Discuss and Hammer, Sophie Ellis (Newbridge) 2nd 100m and 3rd 200m, Aoife Sheehy (Celbridge) 3rd Walk, Cera Nolan (Naas) 3rd 400m hurdles, Chloe Abbott (Naas) 5th 3000m and Evelyn Morris (Newbridge) 2nd Shot. All eyes will be on www.iaaf.org this week for news of Paul Robinson in Canada. Heats of the 1500m at 3pm (Irish time) on Tuesday.
Paul Robinson sets off for World Junior Championships in Canada - 19th/25th July 2010
Paul Robinson set off early last Tuesday with the Irish Junior team to Montcon in Canada for the World Juniors which take place next week – 19th/25th July. Paul is entered in the 1500m and 800m. The heats for the 1500m will take place next Tuesday 20th at 3pm (Irish Time) and the final will be on Thursday at 6.05 (Irish Time). For more information on the World Junior Championships seewww.iaaf.org and take the link to Montcon 2010. There will be a big banner across the home page from next week. Then go to the Timetable/Results and you can see the status of the races ie start lists etc. As soon as the race is over the results will pop up under the status field. If we have any news on TV coverage we will update the web site with the information. Everyone here at St Cocas and in the wider Kilcock community wish Paul all the best in Canada. We are very proud of his achievements so far and who knows what the championships will bring…..no pressure Paul! Tom Durkan, club chairman, made a small presentation to Paul before he set off and many of the older members were present to wish Paul all the best.
Closer to home the Kildare Athletics womens team will be in action in Santry in Round 2 of the National track and field League on Sunday. A number of St Cocas athletes will be competing for the county. They are currently in 8th place (of 15 teams) and the top 8 qualify for the National Final in August.
All Ireland Pairs – 26th/27th June 2010
Congratulations to Aoife O’Cuill and Aoife Rattigan who won a bronze medal at the All Ireland U10 500m last weekend. It was a brilliant performance from the girls in their first All Ireland competition. In the U9 300m the team of Nise O’Cuill and Holly Ginty finished just outside the medals in 5th place. Their combined time was just 4 seconds off the bronze medal and they finished 1stLeinster team. The girls U9 relay team had a great run in the final also but an athlete crossed into their lane at one of the changeovers and they lost some ground. They battled on to finish 8th and were delighted with their experience. The team was Maud O’Shea, Nise O’Cuill, Holly Ginty and Aoife Rattigan. Well done to them all.
All Ireland Track and Field Championships – 3rd/4th July 2010
Day 1 U13/U19 The older age championships took place over the past weekend in Tullamore and St Cocas had two athletes in action in Saturday. Luke Allen jumped 1.78 in the U17 High Jump to claim a bronze medal. As happened in the Leinsters the top three athletes jumped the same height and the medals were decided on countback. Luke is perhaps the most consistent performer for the club winning a medal at All Ireland level all of the past 5 or 6 years. Andrea Bennett competed at the U16 100m but was out of the medals. Well done to both Luke and Andrea on their performances. Day 2 It was middle distance day for all of our athletes on Day 2 of the All Irelands. Eoin Reidy was first up in the U13 600m final. Eoin ran a perfect race not starting off too hard and with 400m to go he was tucked in at the back of the pack. At this stage he made his move and passed a number of athletes to finish 6th place. It was a great performance for his first All Ireland. Next up we had the 800m races and St Cocas were represented in all age groups from U15 through to U19. Caoimhe Whittaker in the girls U15 ran her usual race and was in the mix all the way through. With 200m to go she went clear into 2nd place and battled all the way to the line being passed just on the line to win a bronze medal. Caoimhe is another athlete who has been a consistent medallist over the past few years. Sophie Courtney was in action in the U16 event. The race started off very fast and all of the athletes went with the fast pace. At 300m the athlete in front of Sophie tripped and fell and Sophie had to jump over her. This disturbed her stride pattern and she lost some ground, however she battled on the finish 7th. A terrific result in her first All Ireland. Emily Milner U17 and Rachael Smyth U18 both ran well but finished 6th and 7th in their races. Last of the 800m and the most drama of the day. Aislinn Hurley started in lane 8 and going down the back straight got into a great position in 4th. As she went into the 2nd lap she pressed on and overtook one of the Greystones athletes to get into 3rd place which she maintained to the finish. However it was not to be on the day as the judge at the break line had put up the red flag as Aislinn had crossed in just before the break. It was heartbreaking as she had run a fantastic race and it was a tough outcome after she had given it her all. Sport sure has its ups and downs! The 3k events were next and Samuel Allen was in action in the U16 race. The pace of this race was perfect with no one going out too fast. This suited Sam as she settled in the middle of the pack. With 3 laps to go the leaders stepped up the pace a bit but Sam hung on to 6th place and ran on superbly to finish 6th. Daragh Fitzgibbon was the last of the club in action in the U17 3k. The race started out very fast and Daragh decided not to go with the fast pace expecting some of the athletes to slow down. Half way through the race Daragh was starting to pick off athletes and got to 8th place but had left too much to do at that stage and could not make up any more ground. Well done to all who competed at the All Ireland this weekend, everyone did their best and even though there were a few disappointments along the way everyone supported each other which was great to see. Thanks especially to the non competing athletes who travelled to support the others. We will have another big contingent competing on Saturday 24th in the walks, 1500m and 200m events. In the meantime training continues for those who will be in action that day. The selection for the World Juniors is expected over the next day or so and all eyes will be on the AAI website to get confirmation of Paul Robinson’s selection.
Our New Tent – Bring a little Soul to meetings!
We have taken receipt of our new tent, a 5m Bell Tent which should help to keep our athletes and their gear dry or cool at various meetings. This is an extremely good quality tent that is quick to erect and dismantle. No doubt many of our supporters and members will become very proficient at erecting and taking down this tent in coming months.
St Cocas’s AC – Winners of 2010 Kildare Track and Field League! Well Done..
With the final meeting for the 2010 Kildare Track and Field League in Crookstown last Sunday, St Coca’s AC again emerged as overall winners. This is a great achievement for the club and demonstrates the breadth of young talent we have in our club, as well as the dedication of trainers and mentors. Aside from the overall award, we also had individual category winners – Caoimhe Whittaker, Oisin Fitzgibbon, Gavin Judge, Aoife Rattigan, Miracle Ladejobi, Rebecca Travers, Tara Whittaker and Holly Ginty. Well done to all junior athletes who took part at the various events and contributed to the success of our club. Thanks to all the parents, mentors and coaches who gave of their time and skills. Good Luck to all of our athletes taking part in the All Ireland Track and Field Championships over the coming weekends in Tullamore.
Leinster Track and Field Championships U13/U19 – Tullamore – 19th/20th June 2010
Day 1
The first day of competition in the Leinster T&F took place on Saturday last in sunny Tullamore. The walkers were the first athletes in action and as usual they set the bar high for the rest of the club. In the girls U14 Karen Bourke was an impressive winner with Ena Groome coming in 3rd to claim the bronze medal in her first competitive race. Nathan Murphy looked powerful in the boys U14 event winning the silver but improving with every race he does. Sinead Burke U15 and Sarah Bourke U17 both won gold medals. Well done to them all and to Bobby for all the good work. Daragh Fitzgibbon was next up in the U17 3000m where he ran strongly to take the gold medal. We had three competitors in the 1500m and Emily Milner finished 2nd in the U17 and Sophie Courtney 3rd in the U16. Oisin Fitzgibbon had a brave run in his first ever 1500m to finish 4th and qualify for the All Irelands. Aislinn Hurley also had marvellous run in the U19