St.Brendan's AC Open Sports 2016

Age category - Born
Tiny Tots - 2010 and younger
U8 - 2009
U9 - 2008
U10 - 2007
U11 - 2006
U12 - 2005
U13 - 2004
U14 - 2003
U15 - 2002
U16 - 2001

KERRY JUVENILES COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

Despite small numbers from the club attending the annual Kerry county championships St. Brendan’s brought home a lot of medals.  It’s great to see many of the younger athletes coming to the fore & following in the footsteps of the older athletes. 

BOYS:

U9       Matthew O’ Sullivan 1^st        60m

                                              2^nd       300m & Long Jump

U13     Jack Shanahan             2^nd       80m

U14     Breanndán Walsh        2^nd       80m

U16     Fergal O’ Brien           2^nd       100m

                                                3^rd        200m

            Aaron Malik                1^st        Discus & Javelin

                                                2^nd       Shot Putt

                                                3^rd        100mh, 250mh & hammer

            Darragh Courtney       1^st        High Jump, 100mh, 250mh & Shot Putt

                                                2^nd       Long Jump & Triple Jump

                                                3^rd        Javelin

GIRLS:

U11     Lilly Nowak                2^nd       60m

U15     Ciara McCarthy          3^rd        100m & 800m

Junior Women

            Lauren O’ Grady        1^st        Discus, Javelin, Shot Putt, Hammer & 3k Walk

            Riadh Malik                2^nd       Discus, Javelin & 3k Walk

                                                3^rd        Hammer

Relays:

U9       2^nd       Matthew O’ Sullivan, Brody Leen, Pierce Lowth & Eoin Malik

Some great support was provided on the day by the parents & coaches. Well done to all involved!

Few photos HERE.
Results on Kerry Athletics website HERE.

MUNSTER SCHOOLS 2016

Congratulations to the older athletes in the club who travelled to Waterford at the weekend where the Munster schools were held.  The athletes involved were representing their schools both Mercy Mounthawk & the CBS Tralee.  Aaron Malik was involved with a junior relay team where he ran a fantastic leg in first position; along with his team mates they broke a 36 year old record!! Fantastic achievement by all involved.  Aaron also got two bronze medals in the hurdles & the discus in the junior category.  Fergal O’ Brien placed third with his relay team also in the junior category.  The rest of the athletes were in the intermediate category.  Darragh Courtney was 3^rd in both the high jump & hurdles.  Lauren O’ Grady placed 3^rd in the discus & Riadh Malik got a new Pb in the hammer.  Well done to all athletes involved.

Full results HERE.

Kerry Seniors Track & Field Championships 2016

Unusually warm conditions were part of this years seniors County Track & Field Championship in Castleisland. Despite the heat and other commitments, St. Brendan's AC had a respectable turn out with 5 women and 1 man competing for senior county medals and they didn't disappoint. 
For 4 of the St.Brendan's AC ladies this was the first time representing our club at senior level.
The best performer on the day was Lauren O'Grady winning shot putt, discus and high jump and also getting medal in hammer throw. Great effort in her first event at senior level.

Other ladies who competed and did very well for St.Brendan's AC were:
Linda O'Sullivan - 2nd in 400m, 3rd in javelin and 1st in 4x100m relay
Csilla Vamossy - 2nd in javelin, 2nd in high jump, 3nd in long jump, 1st in 4x100m relay
Irene Butler - 3rd in 400m and 1st in 4x100m relay
Kirstie Nowak - 1st in 4x100m relay

In men's section we had Artur Nowak competing in shot putt, high jump and javelin, finishing 3rd in high jump and 4th in javelin.
This was very good performance by our senior ladies team and St.Brendan's AC retain title of best Senior Ladies team in Kerry second year in a row. 
Final standing:
1. St.Brendan's AC - 24pts
2. Tralee Harriers AC - 12pts
3. Gneeveguilla AC - 8pts
4. An Riocht AC - 7pts
5. Listowel AC - 7pts
6. FFMV AC - 7pts

Full results HERE. Field results HERE. Track results HERE.
Galleries of photos HERE.
Congratulation to An Riocht AC men team on winning Quill Cup for the 3rd year in a row. 

Kerry Masters Track & Field Championships 2016

Kerry Masters Track & Field Championships took place on 8 May 2016 in Castleisland.
St.Brendan's AC have a good turnout with 4 women and 5 men taking part.

Kirstie Nowak - 1st in Long Jump, 2nd in 100m, 2nd in 4x100m relay
Ann McGlynn - 2nd in 200m, 2nd in 400m, 2nd in 4x100m relay
Cathy Quilter - 3rd in 400m, 3rd in shot putt, 2nd in 4x100m relay
Ursula Barrett - 1st in shot putt, 1st in 200m, 1st in 400m, 1st in Long Jump, 2nd in 4x100m relay

Gerard Pierse - 1st in 100m, 1st in 200m, 1st in high jump, 2nd in 4x100m relay
James Pierse - 2nd in 100m, 2nd in 200m, 2nd in 4x100m relay
Mike Leahy - 3rd in 100m, 2nd in 4x100m relay
Artur Nowak - 1st in high jump, 2nd in 200m, 2nd in long jump, 2nd in 400m, 2nd in shot putt, 2nd in 4x100m relay

Full results: Track HERE and Field HERE.

Gallery of photos HERE.

Primary Schools Sports notes

There will be no training sessions for the next 2 Wednesdays evenings, 11th & 18th May as the Primary School Sports and Ardfert/Kilmoyley Community Games area finals are being held. Both events start at 6:30pm.

Primary School Sports are open from 1st to 6th class.

Please note that St.Brendan's AC Open Sports Day will be held on Monday, 6th June 2016.

Munster Juvenile & Youth Pentathlon Championships 2016

Munster Juvenile & Youth Pentathlon Championships took place in Templemore on Monday 2 May 2016.
Also known as "combined" or "multievents", this competition requires athletes to be able to sprint, jump, throw and distance run.

This championships final results are based on a cumulative number of points gathered from each individual event. Each result is converted to points and the final standing is known after the last event.

St.Brendan's AC had 2 girls:

Lilly Nowak in Girls U11 category competing in 60m sprint, long jump, turbo javelin and 600m distance running,

Daisy Nowak in Girls U13 category competing in 60m hurdles, long jump, shot putt, high jump and 800m distance running.

This was the first time experience for both our athletes in multievents and both showed great skills and determination over a long day of competition.

Gallery of photos HERE.

Results HERE.

Learn how to sprint

Running — and sprinting in particular — is a fundamental skill that supports a multitude of other activities. If you know how to sprint properly, you’re more likely to enjoy a wide range of sports and activities that emphasize this form of running.

Have you ever gone to a school track meet or sports day for your kids? Have you noticed some kids are clearly better sprinters? They’re not just faster — they look better when they run. Same thing when you watch a kids’ soccer game or even a simple game of tag.

Meanwhile, some kids look like a randomised mass of flailing arms and legs, and their heads seem to waggle in the wind like dashboard bobbleheads.

Why the difference?

The kids with decent technique are not “natural born” sprinters. They have simply developed some good running mechanics at some point in their lives, whereas the other kids haven’t. Most kids are never taught how to run properly.

Basic mechanics of sprinting

Here are the basic elements of correct sprinting technique:

1. Hold your torso straight and vertical.
2. Hold your head still, but relax your face and neck.
3. Bend your elbows at 90 degrees.
4. Pretend you are lightly gripping a small bird in each hand.
5. Pump your arms so your hands travel from “hip to lip”, and keep your arms close to your sides.
6. As you pump your arms, keep your shoulders steady but relaxed.
7. With each stride, lift your front knee high (“knee drive”) and straighten your back leg completely to deliver full power.
8. At the start of your sprint, keep your strides short and quick. Lengthen your strides as you gain speed and momentum.

How to teach kids the basics

You can teach these basic mechanics to kids ages 7 years and older without lecturing them on human anatomy. Simply coach them through the movements while they run:

1. Stand opposite your child (or children) and explain that you will run together on-the-spot to practice fast running.
2. Begin by jogging slowly with them on-the-spot, and make sure they are facing you.
3. Point out that your elbows are bent at 90 degrees. Make sure their elbows are also bent at 90 degrees.
4. Talk to them about lightly gripping a small bird in each hand. Their hands should be more or less “closed” but not tight.
5. Tell them to pump their hands from “hip to lip” (see mechanics above). Demonstrate the movement and make sure they are doing the same.
6. Start to speed up your movements slightly, and bring your knees up high. Ask them to bring their knees up high as well.
7. Finally, ask them to run very fast on-the-spot for five seconds (as if they are running a race).
8. Watch their movements as they speed up, and give them reminders where needed (e.g., keep your head still, bend your elbows, pump hip-to-lip, lift your knees more).

If you teach kids in this manner, their eyes will see how it looks to sprint correctly, their bodies will learn how it feels, and their ears will hear verbal cues for remembering key elements of technique.

Munster Marathon & Half Marathon Championships 2016

Barringtons Hospital Great Limerick Run was this year also a Munster Marathon & Half Marathon Championships event for AAI register members.
St.Brendan's AC have David Butler taking part in Half Marathon in Senior category finishing with new PB 1:47 and in Full Marathon distance we had Margaret Carlin (3:33) and Cathy Quilter (4:17) in Masters category.
Well done to all athletes representing our club in this championship event.
Margaret Carlin finished 2nd female overall and first in her age category.

Full results : Full Marathon HERE and Half Marathon HERE.
Munster Championships results HERE.