Thousands to converge for Community Games

THOUSANDS of young athletes will converge on Athlone over the coming days when the second weekend of the 2010 HSE Community Games takes place in Athlone IT and at various other nearby sporting venues. A total of 90 competitors from Westmeath and the South Roscommon region will represent their respective counties over the course of this coming weekend (the second weekend of Community Games Finals this year after the first weekend was held in Athlone in late May). Back then, events such as model-making, chess, cross-country, choir, drama and comedy sketches, handball, and table tennis were competed for, while this weekend (Friday to Sunday) sees swimming and gymnastics take centre stage. Other events up for grabs this weekend include Gaelic football, soccer, pitch and putt, tennis, hockey, handball, volleyball, cycling, and Variety. The majority of this weekend's events will take place at Athlone IT, with other local venues used including Athlone Regional Sports Centre, Bealnamulla Pitch & Putt Club, Our Lady's Bower and Marist College gymnasiums, and Athlone GAA Club. Beechpark/Coosan will be hoping to perform well in the Variety competition, having won the event in Mosney two years ago. A third-placed finish last year was also more than respectable, and Beechpark/Coosan PRO, Sean Reidy, is hoping things go well this weekend, too. "We have a hugely committed bunch of young kids and a thoroughly dedicated coaching staff of Niamh Donohoe, Fiona McManus, Joe Duke, Kathleen Sweeney and Breda Mooney. We've had some great years in the Variety and hopefully it will go well this weekend. Mostly, it has to be looked at as a great learning curve for these young kids and it teaches them good habits." The Beechpark/Coosan Variety team this year consists of 14 members - Orla Mooney, Sarah Lough, Sinead Reidy, Eileen Reidy, Chloe Rowan, Aisling Golden, Cliodhna Golden, Danielle Peppard, Charlene Peppard, Sam Doyle, Ciara Egan, Jack Quinn, Naimh Brady and Bill Kelly. Beechpark/Coosan are also represented in swimming and gymnastics through Brendan Gibbons, Ciaran McDermott, David McNamara, Robert Kelly, Shane Gibbons, Eoin Meaney, Adam Geraghty, Brianna Geoghegan and sole gymnast Dimitrije Sreckovic. Sreckovic will be joined in the gymnasium by Aidan Mannion of Ballymahon Road, who competes in the under-16 age category, with seven others competing in swimming; Ciaran Quigley (Tubberclair/Glasson), Rhys Rowlands (Moate), Niamh McNamara (Drumraney/Tang), Dearbhla Duignan and Aoife Connolly (Mount Temple/Baylin), and Myles Duffy and Eric Kearney (Retreat). Kate Brennan, of Retreat, takes part in the under-14 Cycling event. South Roscommon will also be well represented at this weekend's event, with a total of 28 competitors taking part in swimming, gymnastics, judo, cycling, and pitch and putt. Drum/Clonown sends nine swimmers into the pool - Zara Rooney, Eoghan Lennon, Rachel Johnson, Tara Dully, Michael Kelly, Aoife Kelly, Shauna Connell, Christina Connell and Katie Costelloe. And they will hope their relay team of Christina Connell, Shauna Connell, Aoife Kelly, Katie Costello and Tara Dully can repeat their great success in winning the relay event at last year's Community Games Finals. Kiltoom/Cam also have six swimmers in action (Aibhlin Clabby, Fiachra Lennon, Conor Murray, Niall Murray, Damon Daly and John Leonard), while Taughmaconnell's Fergus Galvin and Rhys Connolly of Knockcroghery/St John's are also taking part in swimming. In judo, Knockcroghery/St John's are represented by trio Devon Mullally, Aisling Walsh and Rachel Corcoran, while Amy Mulvey and Sinead Farrell (both of Drum/Clonown) will be fighting it out in gymnastics. Jason Martin, of Knockcroghery/St John's, competes in grass cycling, and Kiltoom/Cam quartet Mark Daly, Sean McBrearty, Niall Ryan and Killian O'Donnell will be among the Pitch & Putt competitors. More than 200,000 children aged between six and 16 take part in the HSE Community Games each year, and the emphasis is on participation, rather than competition. Friendly rivalry and the encouragement from families, coaches, and volunteers can help children get to the ultimate goal of representing their county at the national finals. Families from all over Ireland will travel to the national finals, which are being held over three weekends this year; May 28-30, August 14 and 15, and August 21 and 22 in Athlone IT. This is the second year for Athlone to welcome the event to the town.