What. A. Day!
A huge congratulations to each and every one of our 22 athletes who represented St. Mary's NS today in the Cumann na mBunscol games in Morton Stadium, Santry. Our team competed in a variety of events, including long jump, middle distance (600m), sprint and the 4x100m relay. Every single child represented our school with spirit, positivity, determination and showed the utmost respect to other athletes and race officials at all times.
This was our most challenging year's competition yet to date; with a massive 121 schools competing on the day. Naturally, competition was fierce!
The day kicked off with our 90m sprints, where Daniel, Isabel, Bobby and Gráinne shone. Daniel and Isabel managed to qualify in their heats for the final, but were unfortunate not to place. The four athletes were not too disheartened, however, as they were only gearing up for their main event which would take place later - the team 4x100m relay!
Olivia in 5th Class bravely agreed to move up an age category to compete in the U14 long jump. She was surrounded by some very experienced athletes, but was not at all fazed. She had a very impressive jump of well over 3m, securing her a shiny silver medal for second place!
Eve and Vincent, our gusty U14 600m runners from 6th Class, were up next. They both ran very tactical races and both flaunted a highly impressive 'kick' - moving skillfully past numerous runners in the last 200m of the race - no mean feat! They were cool and confident before, during and after in what is a very difficult race. Well done to you both!
Our U12 boys' team (Daniel, Alex, Stefano and Sean) kicked off our 4x100m events. They ran in a very competitive heat. Their baton changeovers were seamless and each boy ran his absolute hardest. They placed an impressive 3rd place in their heat, but unfortunately only the top two teams in each heat qualified for the final.
A special mention goes to one of our 5th Class boys' relay team (Jacob, Conor, Amir and Bobby) who bravely ran up an age category to compete against 6th Class U14 boys. They ran a very skillful race and placed third in their heat, very narrowly missing out on a ticket into the final. Next year is looking very bright for you all!
Our U12 girls' team (Isabel, Sarah, Julia and Ada) were next up. They breezed through their heat to secure a place in the final. This was a difficult run for them, as they competed in the final heat, before moving straight in to compete in the final, with very little recovery time. Nonetheless, their fierce determination shone through and they placed 4th overall, for which the team received a medal! Well done to you all!
The day was rounded off with an incredibly exciting U14 relay race. Rachel, Eva, Pia and Grainne ran a storming race and won their heat by an easy 40m. The final was incredibly close, but Grainne displayed true grit in managing to ward off the competition by a hair's breath, winning the race for the U14 girls. An incredibly exciting and memorable win for the girls as they end their journey in primary school.
A huge thank you to Emily, Dan and Alannah, our substitute runners for travelling with us today. Although they didn't have the opportunity to compete on the track, they had a big smile on their faces all day and demonstrated tremendous support and kindness for their team mates. Thank you to Stefano, for substituting in our U12 relay team today at very short notice and doing a wonderful job.
Well done to everybody on our team. Whether you won a medal today or not, we are so proud of each and every one of you!
Ms. Moran
