Community Games finals ready for the off
Thousands of young boys and girls will travel from all over Ireland to Athlone this weekend, to take part in the first of three National Finals' weekend's in the HSE 2010 Community Games. A total of 24 disciplines, including art, cross-country, draughts, signing, dancing, indoor soccer, and table quiz, will be hosted at Athlone Institute of Technology and other venues around Athlone, including the Marist College, which hosts badminton, cross-country, and mixed distance relays, on Sunday. South Westmeath will be represented this weekend by 24 competitors from Moate, Beechpark/Coosan, Castledaly, and Tubberclair/Glasson, with the action starting on Saturday morning (9am) at the Count John McCormack Hall in Athlone IT. There's also a healthy representation from South Roscommon, with a total of 27 competitors provided from Drum/Clonown, Kiltoom/Cam, Knockcroghery/St John's, and Taughmaconnell. This is the second year for the HSE Community Games to come to Athlone, with last year's inauagural hosting of the famed Games in Athlone proving an enormous success. There are also two weekend's of action pencilled in for Athlone IT later in the year, with the second and third weekend's of competitions taking place from August 13-15, and August 20-22. The Community Games is an independent voluntary organisation which operates in local communities throughout Ireland, and aims to provide opportunities for children and young people to develop in a healthy and safe environment through experiencing a wide range of sporting and cultural activities. The Community Games idea first came to prominence in Walkinstown, Dublin, in 1967, when Joseph Connolly mobilised a handful of adults, who then came together and formed a committee to deal with the problems of a lack of leisure-time activities for young people. The first Dublin Finals took place in August 1968, at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Santry, when 3,000 young people from 24 community areas participated. Interest in the games grew substantially in the following year, when 5,000 young people from 58 areas in Dublin participated. The movement has now spread throughout the country, catering for young people in 800 communities throughout 30 counties. Over 500,000 young people from across Ireland take part in the HSE Community Games per annum, and this is the 41st year of the HSE Community Games, making it an essential part of the Irish summer. Activities in the HSE Community Games are divided into team and individual categories. Art, Model Making, Cycling, Gymnastics, Swimming, Judo, Athletics track & field events - specifically Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Walk, Hurdles, Ball Throw, Long Jump, and cycling are competed for individually. Team events include Badminton, Basketball, Camogie, Chess, Choir, Draughts, Gaelic Football, Handball, Hockey, Hardcourt Tennis, Hurling, Rounders, Rugby, Tag Rugby, Soccer (Indoor & Outdoor), Table Tennis, Volleyball, Pitch & Putt, Variety, and Olympic Handball. THE LIST OF SOUTH WESTMEATH COMPETITORS THIS WEEKEND: Moate - Table Quiz: Gavin Murray, Kevin Booth, Alex Ryan, Jessica McCormack, Jacob Fannin. Model Making: Nicholas Hamm and Tara Rowlands. Beechpark/Coosan - Culture Corner: Aileen Reidy, Ciara Egan, Sinead Reidy, Aisling Golden, Chloe Rowan, Edel Hannon. Solo Singing: Aisling Golden. Retreat - Group Music: Caroline Sheehan, Annie Sheehan, Brian Leahy, Kate Brennan, Sophie Beaumont, Anna McGann. Castledaly - Solo Music: Colin Doyle. Art: Jay Looney. Tubberclair/Glasson - Art: Orla Cuffee. Model Making: John Ashe. THE LIST OF SOUTH ROSCOMMON COMPETITORS THIS WEEKEND: Drum/Clonown - Art: Darragh Harrington and Tom Glynn. Model Making: Kelly Colgan. Kiltoom/Cam - Art: Luke O'Rourke and Lauren Curran. Talent Group Singing: Martha Lousie Bowe, Ciana Scholer, Emma Harran, Deirdre Lawlor, Michelle McDermott, Lisa Kelly. Knockcroghery/St John's - Talent Group Dance Irish or Contemporary: Rachel Connaughton, Tara Kenny, Megan Kenny, Liosa Kilcline, Nicole Dolan, Lauren Conroy. Drama/Comedy: Mark Coyle, Susan Coyle, Aislinn Farrell, Niamh Walsh, Thomas Hurley, Cathal Galvin. Taughmaconnell - Group Music: Cora Hanrahan, Ronan Hanrahan, Grainne Beehan, Blaithin Beehan.