Athletics

The Girls’ Athletics Club enjoyed a very full and successful programme throughout the year 2007-2008.  The Junior team collected the Junior Challenge Trophy at the Ulster Championships.  The Minor team finished runners up in Ulster and in the Intermediate team event we were a creditable 3^rd in Ulster.  With the combined scores of all four teams, we secured the Ulster Schools’ Challenge Cup.  Winning by a clear twenty points was very pleasing.

Athletics is a sport that never ‘sleeps’, but somehow it manages to convey the image that it only takes place during a few weeks in May and June.  For a number of athletes pre-season training did in fact start at the end of October 2007.  The first competition of the season – N. Ireland Indoor Championships, took place in January 2008 at the Odyssey.  The season finished with the UK Games at the end of August in Bath. Our athletes seemed to thrive on good old fashioned hard work.  There is much to gain from training with other like-minded people, who want to be the best they can be.  The sessions on Tuesday evenings in the Sports Hall from 7.00-9.30 pm were good for working on techniques and building confidence.

It is always exciting to see the new ‘batch’ of the Form I athletes in action.  Many potential new stars emerged at the first outdoor competition against Hunterhouse, Friends’ and Methodist College.  We had no shortage of girls lining up to compete in the full range of events.  Through friendly matches like these, athletes learn the basics and most importantly – have fun – all good preparation for the major championships.

The Form I girls did not disappoint at the District Championships, held on the 12^th May 2008.  The team was placed 2^nd just one point behind Victoria College.  Anna Hutchinson looked impressive and led the way, winning both the long jump and high jump.  A jump of 4.23m was an excellent mark and would be good enough to make a Junior Ulster Final.  Emma Kelso proved to be a well-focused athlete and performed well to take 3^rd place in long and high jump.  The relay team successfully made it through the heats and secured the 3^rd spot in the final to qualify for the Ulster Championships.  I had high expectations of the Junior athletes and they certainly delivered the goods.  The girls scored highly in the technical events.  In the triple jump Emily Reid and Lucy Dugan both qualified with superb jumps of 9.56m and 9.46m – good enough to make an Irish Final!  Lucy soared over 2.50 to win the Pole-Vault.  Again this was a very confident performance.

Charlene McAdams who sometimes springs a surprise or two during competitions was in fine form to take the No. 1 spot in discus.  Her friend and personal organizer Laura McKay took second place in hammer. Vicki Sefton narrowly missed qualifying.  Middle distance events are probably the most competitive in District, so it was great to see Lauren O’Donnell Anderson qualifying in the 1500m.

At Intermediate and Senior level, we did not have the large number of competitors of previous years.  We did have a number of athletes who had the potential to be the top in Ireland.  Christine McMahon recorded two wins in both 800m and 300m hurdles.  Sasha Hooks also qualified in both 800m and 1500m.  Rachael Harvey made her mark in 300m hurdles and 80m hurdles.  As expected Captain, Orla Drysdale was well ahead of the field in discus and had a good win.  Nikita Cheyney in her first year at Academy qualified in javelin and shot as did her friend Trudy Neill.

The Ulster Championships were held on the 18^th and 19^th May at the Antrim Forum.  The competition got off to an excellent start on the Friday evening with a gold medal for Lauren McCay in hammer.  She also recorded a new personal best of 27.83 metres.  Lucy Dugan claimed her gold medal in pole-vault just a few minutes later.  She was delighted to set a new Ulster record 2.50 metres.

I am delighted to report that there were more gold medals to follow on the Saturday.  In total the girls notched up 8 gold medals, 3 silver and 3 bronze in the Ulsters.  All our athletes rose to the big occasion and showed a great deal of determination and composure to make the finals.

One of the most eagerly awaited races of the day was the final of the 800m.  A number of spectators remarked that the race between our two high quality athletes Sasha Hooks and Christine McMahon could be likened to a clash between the mighty Steve Ovett and the magnificent Seb Coe.  Both girls ran impressively and were well ahead of the field but Christine’s final kick around the last bend brought her home ahead of Sasha in times of 2.16.8 mins and 2.17.1 mins respectively.  Sasha gained a bronze medal in the 1500m and Christine went on to run a superb 2^nd leg in the 4x100m relay.  Rachael Harvey, Shannon Turkington and Christine Martin were also part of the team which picked up the silver medal.

Captain Orla Drysdale won the Ulster Champions Title in discus for the 3^rd consecutive year, with an excellent throw of 32.22 metres – some 8 metres ahead of the field.  Not to be outdone Charlene McAdams won the Junior event with a new P.B of 25.59m.

Among the highlights of the day were the performances of the jumpers.  Emily Reid produced a good series of jumps in the triple and like a true champion – kept her focus throughout.  Anna Hutchinson competed well under pressure and struck gold in both the long jump and high jump.  She was delighted with a new personal best of 1.40m in the high jump.  Emma Kelso did well to lift the bronze medal in high jump.  With her fantastic gymnastic ability she could well be a potential recruit for pole-vault next year.  Other noteworthy performances came from Trudy Neill, Nikita Cheyny and Lauren O’Donnell Anderson.

Overall it was a great two days of competition and the girls deserve much praise for their success and in lifting the top trophy in Ulster.

12 girls qualified for the Irish Championships held at Tullamore on 1^st June 2008.  We teamed up with the boys and travelled down to Athlone the night before.  To reach this level is a superb achievement for our young athletes, but it can also be very daunting.  We did bring an excellent back-up team with us – Mr McCarey, Mr McCoy, Mr Carolan, Mr Dorman, Mr Moffett and our youngest recruit Mr Johnston. We had every eventuality covered!  The staff members were even prepared to lace up their spikes and guest in the 4x100m relay.  Mr McCarey and Mr Dorman spent a long time debating who should run the 2^nd leg – Mr S Johnston being the hot favourite!

In a more serious note I would like to thank all the staff for their hard-work and support throughout the year. You would not find staff anywhere willing to give up so much of their free-time for Athletics.  It is very much appreciated by the girls.

All the athletes performed admirably with Lucy Dugan and Christine McMahon winning gold, Emily Reid winning silver, Sasha Hooks silver and Orla Drysdale silver.  The 4x100m relay settled for a bronze medal.  All our other athletes can be very proud of finishing in the top 6 in Ireland.

As a result of their performances, the following girls were selected for the Ulster U17 Inter-provincial team – Lauren McCorey, Lucy Dugan, Christine McMahon, Sasha Hooks and Rachel Harvey.  They managed to maintain their momentum which led to international selection for Christine McMahon, Sasha Hooks and Lucy Dugan.  To represent your country is every athlete’s dream and selection is the culmination of an enormous amount of hard-work and effort.  Hopefully they will remember this achievement and it will inspire them to set their targets even higher in the future.

When school finished at the end of June, the athletics season was far from over and for Christine, Sasha, Lucy and Rachel it probably felt like it was only getting going.  They competed with distinction at the All Ireland Club Championships and in the Celtic International.  They could not afford to take their foot off the pedal, as they had gained selection for the N. Ireland team to compete at the UK Games.

The UK Games - a high level competition which mirrors the Olympic Games - gives the elite athlete of Great Britain an opportunity to compete and mix with the top in 8 different sports.  For all our girls it was their second year.  Jenny Kyle our 1^st XI hockey star and talented all rounder in sport also gained selection for hockey, as did Hannah Clarke who unfortunately had to withdraw through injury.  The school is very proud of their achievements.  All the girls are gifted and also possess that vital ingredient required for success – ‘winning attitude’.  Sasha Hooks achieved a new P.B in 800m clocking 2.15.83 in her heat to reach the final.  Rachel Harvey ran a very gutsy 300m leg in the 4x300m Relay.  Lucy Dugan scaled the heights, with a vault of 2.80m, a new personal best.  Christine McMahon ran an excellent heat in her No2 event 300m Hurdles in a time of 44.04 seconds.  She made the final with the second fastest time and was happy with the lane draw.  The final the next morning took place in near silence! The track was shrouded in a thick mist and it was virtually impossible to see the athletes.  I stood at the final bend watching and only managed to see Christine running over 3 out of the 8 hurdles.  Her running was strong and her rhythm good. At the 250m stage she was in the lead, only to be overtaken at the last hurdle.  She was narrowly pipped at the post in a fantastic time of 43.23 seconds.  To end the season on such a high and to find out that Christine is now ranked 2^nd in the U.K U17 records of achievement is most pleasing.

In the longest season that I can ever remember, there have been many memorable performances.  For those girls whose names have not yet hit the headlines, I urge you to be patient and keep on practising the basics and beating your own personal targets.  You can still be winners if you if you have the desire, dedication and determination. 

We are moving into an exciting era for athletics, especially with the 2012 Olympics.  There are many challenges ahead to encourage development of athletics at grass roots as well as at the elite level.

Finally on behalf of all the athletes, I would like to thank the headmaster for his unflagging support down the years.  Mr Young was a familiar figure at the major championships and was always the first to congratulate the athletes.  He never ceased to amaze pupils and staff with his incredible knowledge of performances.  He shared his passion of sport and he believed firmly in the power of sport to inspire young people’s lives.  We wish him well in his retirement.