Kerry Juvenile Relays, U20 Cross Country Championships 2024 Report

 By

David Butler, Juvenile Head Coach

Super performances all around today on Day 1 of the county cross country championships!

Wind and rain were the order of the day, but that didn’t deter them. First up was the U20 race, where the men and women ran together on two and a half laps of the challenging course. Zach Walshe was the first club athlete home, winning the bronze medal for 3rd place. Zach will be running in the U18 race next weekend and is primed for another strong performance. Rian Kenny O’Sullivan was the next club athlete across the line, finishing in 6th place. In the women’s race, Caoilinn Kenny O’Sullivan also came home in 6th place. It was great to have three of our older athletes compete, providing inspiration to our juvenile relay teams who would follow them.

As the senior action took place, our relay teams warmed up with the club’s cross country coach, Tom McCarthy. First up was our GU10 team, with Éabha Cowan leading off and putting the team into contention for the medal positions. Lily Mai Scanlon helped maintain that position, and Emma O’Flaherty finished her leg strongly, keeping the girls in a medal position. Holly O'Driscoll, on the anchor leg, brought it home, securing a joint 3rd place and a bronze medal. This was their first time together as a team, and it was fantastic to bring home a medal for their efforts.

Next up was the U10 boys, who were determined not to let the girls have the limelight for too long. U9 athlete James Sheehy led off for the team, putting them into 2nd place before passing the baton to Liam O'Driscoll, who maintained that position. Dara O’Connell took over for the 3rd leg, again keeping the team in 2nd place with a strong performance. Brandon Scanlon finished the race with his trademark kick, securing a silver medal as he opened a nice gap on the team behind them.

The U12 girls raced next, with our quartet of U11 runners stepping up to the challenge. Aisling O'Driscoll was the first runner for the team, working her way through to the midfield. Einin Lawlor took the baton next, showing a good turn of pace. Lelia McCarthy ran a composed 3rd leg, giving her best for her teammates before passing over to Amelia Dineen for the final leg. Amelia faced a tough battle throughout that leg, but she rose to the occasion, sprinting in the last 100m to secure an 11th place overall for the girls.

Our final club action came in the boys' U12 race. Corey O’Carroll, the regular starter for the team, had a strong opening leg, finishing in 2nd place just at the changeover. Conor Slattery followed, extending the gap to 3rd place and working hard to close the gap to 1st before passing to Cody McKenna. Cody showed his speed, keeping the team in 2nd place before Jack Sheehy took over for the last leg. Jack kept his eyes on 1st place while being aware of the competition behind him, and with a strong finish in the last 200m, he secured a silver medal for the team.

Well done to all our athletes on the day! Thank you for representing your club so well. Thanks to the parents for bringing them to the event, especially considering the weather conditions, which likely didn’t hold much appeal that morning. However, experiences like these are very important for the athletes as they prepare for the season ahead. Thank you to the club coaches for preparing the athletes and supporting them on the day

Silver Award at the Kerry Community Awards

 

St Brendan's AC has just won a Silver Award at the Kerry Community Awards ceremony in The Rose Hotel in Tralee. 

The club won the award for its wide programme of activities for both young and adult athletes in the North Kerry area, for its diversity, inclusivity and integration policy. The award was accepted by adult head coach, Ursula with Tricia, Moira, Irene, David B,  David K, Sinéad and Marie Louise.

Kerry Sportshall Games 2024 Report

 

St Brendan’s AC Wins Best Overall Club Award

By David Butler, St Brendan's AC Juvenile Head Coach

St Brendan’s AC was represented by 28 of our younger juvenile members at the 2024 edition of the Kerry Sportshall Games. This year’s event was originally scheduled for April but it was postponed then on safety grounds due to a red weather warning relating to a long since forgotten storm taking place.

For the first ever it was going to be held in one of Kerry’s premier sports facilities, the Kerry Sports Academy at MTU Tralee so all were eager to see the young athletes take to the boards.

Competing for the club on the day were

Aisling O’Driscoll

Amanda Connell

Anna Winter

Aoife Rice

Cassie O’Connor

Corey O’Carroll (Gold in BU12 Sprints, Silver in BU12 Shot Put, Silver in BU12 Standing Long Jump)

Dara O’Connell

Éabha Cowan (Gold in GU10 Sprints)

Einin Lawlor

Emma Joy (Bronze in GU11 Sprints)

Holly O’Driscoll

Jack Feehan (Silver in BU9 Speedbounce, (Joint) Bronze in BU9 Standing Long Jump)

Jack O’Flaherty

James Sheehy (Gold in BU9 Sprints, (Joint) Bronze in BU9 Standing Long Jump)

Karl Wallace (Gold in BU10 Speedbounce)

Keely Flaherty

Kira Harbuzova

Laoise Neary

Lelia McCarthy

Liam O’Driscoll

Lottie Boyle

Millie Flavin

Niamh McGuckin

Olivia Leen (Silver in GU12 Shot Put)

Roisin Flaherty

Sarah Duggan

Tadhg Quille

Tomas O’Flaherty (Gold in BU12 Shot Put, Gold in BU12 Standing Long Jump, Bronze in BU12 Sprints)

Following the successes of the individual events it was then into the relays where the club fielded 6 teams across the age groups. 4 of our teams secured medals by finishing in the top 3 in exciting races.

U9 Girls Relay, Bronze Medal (Roisin Flaherty, Niamh McGuckin, Amanda Connell, Anna Winter)

U10 Boys Relay, Gold Medal (James Sheehy, Dara O’Connell, Liam O’Driscoll, Karl Wallace)

U11 Girls Relay, Silver Medal (Lottie Boyle, Millie Flavin, Aisling O’Driscoll, Emma Joy)

U12 Girls Relay, Silver Medal (Keely Flaherty, Aoife Rice, Olivia Leen, Emma Joy, Lottie Boyle)

Well done to all the athletes on their performances and congratulations to our medallists. With the competition completed the club won the overall best club award on the day, the last time the club won the competition was in March 2020 (just before lockdown!)

Thanks to Kerry Athletics for hosting the event especially as it was away from its normal calendared date, to all volunteers on the day including the Irish Red Cross and club volunteers who looked after the athletes and helped run off an efficient event. Thanks to the parents for bringing their children to represent the club. Thanks to club coaching team who helped to prepare the athletes for the original date and the rescheduled date and for supporting the athletes on the day.