SETU to Host 123.ie All Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships
All roads lead to the SETU Campus on Saturday next for the 123.ie All Ireland Schools Cross Country Championships. Having qualified through their provincial championships the best and the brightest of Ireland’s young athletes will compete over eight races. The programme gets underway with the minor girls race at 12 noon and this will be followed by minor boys then junior girls and boys inter girls and boys and finally the senior boys and girls races.
Over 800 athletes will compete on the day and there will also be a large number of spectators so a lot of help will be needed with traffic management for both cars and spectators. Traffic stewards will be in action from 9.30am. If you are in a position to help on the day please contact Mary Ashe.
If you are coming as a spectator please prepurchase you ticket from Athletics Ireland to speed up the entry process.
Local Interest in Four Races
Athletes from West Waterford will compete in four of them races. Fist in action will be Oisin Whelan. This is Oisin’s first season running cross country and he had a very good run in the Munster event to finish 7th and qualify for his first All Ireland. He will be looking to put in a strong performance again on Saturday where he will compete for St Augustine’s College.
Next up will be Noah Commins in the junior boy’s race. Noah will compete in the colours of St Augustine’s. He has had two very good runs at East Munster and Munster level finishing second in to Nenagh’s Kevin Finn. Both of them will be in the mix from the start next Saturday and will be hoping to finish in the top eight and qualify for the Schools International Cross Country.
Fia de Paor will be in action in the intermediate girls race. This is the toughest girls race on the programme as it take in girls from 15 up to 17 years old. Fia is a very determined athlete and had a good win in the East Munsters and finished 8th in the Munsters. She will be looking to improve on that on Saturday when she competes for St Augustine’s.
Grainne Moore also competing for St Augustine’s will toe the line in the Senior girls race. Grainne will be in very good company in this raced as she competes against athletes who have recently returned from the European Junior Cross Country Championships.
Best of luck to all four West Waterford athletes competing on Saturday.
Munster Indoor Championships in Nenagh
Competing in the West Waterford blue and white Doireann and Eabha with take on the best in Munster in the under 17 and 18 race walking championships in Nenagh. While the indoor distance are much shorter than the outdoor distances the girls are training for at the moment they will use it as a speed and technique session as they look to qualify for the All Ireland Finals.
Training Returns on Wed March 15th @6pm
We will be back in action on Wed March 15th as we prepare for the track and field season. I have sent out the membership forms to all our athletes and those on the waiting list by email. If you have not received a form then I don’t have a current email address for you so please get in contact with me. All athletes must be registered and insured before they start training.
