Golden weekend for local Community Games competitors

AN impressive total of 17 individual medals were claimed by athletes from Westmeath and the South Roscommon region as the first weekend of the 2011 HSE Community Games National Finals took place in Athlone last weekend. Along with the 17 individual medals, there was also success for Ballymahon Road's Girls' Hockey squad (who claimed bronze medals), and bronze for Beechpark/Coosan's Variety Group, as well as gold for Beechpark/Coosan in the under-13 boys' swimming relay, and bronze for the same group in the girls' under-16 swimming medley relay. Athlone was a centre of excitement and expectation as last weekend's events took place in Athlone IT and at many other sporting facilities around the town. Nearly 2,500 children participated in a number of cultural and sporting activities including gymnastics, swimming, Gaelic football, soccer, tennis, pitch & putt, volleyball, Olympic handball, hockey, and judo. They were supported by over 600 volunteers and organisers, as well as family members and friends, who came from all corners of the country to offer support and encouragement. Over 200,000 young people from all over Ireland take part in the HSE Community Games qualifiers and finals every year, making it an essential part of the Irish summer. This is the second year the National Finals have taken place in Athlone, and a very respectable local medal haul did much to boost spirits among Westmeath and South Roscommon competitors. Knockcroghery were the big winners from South Roscommon, taking home an excellent six medals. The majority of their success came in the judo event, as Rachel Corcoran took gold in the 45Kg category. Her sister, Ciara, was a silver medal recipient in the 40Kg event, while Ciara Gaffey (50Kg) and Shauna O'Grady (25Kg) also claimed silvers. There was also a bronze medal for Tansey Ryan in the open weight competition. John Francis, of Drum/Clonown was also a silver medallist in the boys' open weight contest. South Roscommon also had a productive time in the swimming pool at Athlone Regional Sports Centre, with Roscommon Community Games PRO, Bernie Ryan, saying: "It was great to get some excellent results in the pool. We were a bit disappointed not to get any relay teams qualified from Connacht in swimming, but it's a very competitive field, and many of our young swimmers have so many other interests and activities to partake in. But our performances in the pool over the weekend were very, very good, and everyone associated with Roscommon Community Games is very pleased by that." The stars of the show in the pool for South Roscommon were gold medal winners Robert Powell and Michael Kelly (Drum/Clonown), and Kiltoom/Cam's Aoibhin Clabby. Powell saw off stiff competition from competitors from Cork, Galway and Mayo to capture the boys' under-12 freestyle, while Kelly's success came in the under-14 butterfly. Along the way to claiming the girls' under-14 butterfly crown, Aoibhin Clabby was too quick for her main rivals from Galway, Donegal and Meath. There was further notable success for Roscommon in swimming, with 2016 Olympic Games hopeful Sarah Kelly, from Castlerea, storming to victory in the under-16 butterfly. Competitors from South Westmeath were also busy making waves in the pool, with the Beechpark/Coosan boys' under-13, and girls' under-16s, stealing much of the limelight. The Beechpark/Coosan under-13 outfit of Bill Kelly, Robert Kelly, Ciaran Mc Dermott, Shane Gibbons, Padraig McDermott and Joe Reidy, were a full four seconds ahead of the second placed team, and bettered their time with each of their three swims, winning their heat and semi-final also. The under-16 girls' medley relay team took bronze medals, and consisted of Briona Geoghegan, Orla Mooney, Michelle Gibbons and Sinead Reidy. Staying in the pool, there was also silver medals for Drumraney/Tang's Nimah McNamara (under-16 butterfly) and Moate's Bryan Scully (under-12 breaststroke), while bronze medals were taken by Beechpark/Coosan's Bill Kelly (under-14 backstroke) and Moate's Rhys Rowlands (under-12 backstroke). Ballymore's Siobhan Ryan also did exceptionally well to win gold in the girls' under-16 backstroke event, seeing off close competition from Mayo, Sligo and Tiiperary. Shane and Keith Harrington, from Tubberclair/Glasson, took silver and bronze in under-8 and under-16 gymnastics respectively. The Beechpark/Coosan Variety Group were also defending their title in Athlone IT's Count John McCormack Hall, and finished in the bronze medal position. The 14-strong team consisted of Sarah Lough, Eileen Reidy, Sinead Reidy, Jack Quinn, Aisling Golden, Chloe Rowan, Orla Mooney, Edel Hannon, Annalise Carey, Grainne Kenny, Cian Mulhall, Doireann Mulhall, Shane Gibbons and Adam Cooke. Ballymahon Road's girls' hockey team also took home bronze medals.