It was a nice end to the season for the U10s and U11s as the sun shone down on Morton Stadium for Day 2 of the Dublin Championships. A far cry from the cold, wet, boggy fields of the Cross Country Series before Christmas. The Skerries athletes showed that they are not only cold weather specialists and they can turn on the style in the sun as well. This being the Dublin Championships the standard was very high and the athletes acquitted themselves very well.

First up were the U10 boys with Conor C, Conor D and Michael running over 500m in a field of about 30 athletes. Straight from the gun elbows were out and the guys stood strong to assert themselves and secure their positions within the pack. At the halfway point all three were comfortable within the pack. Conor C then turned up the dial and pulled away with the leaders, finishing strongly down the back straight and securing 6th place. Conor D and Michael timed their kick for a little later but showed lovely acceleration to finish just outside the top 10. Race over it was time to take to the trackside to cheer on the U11s who were running over 600m.

Eimear was the lone female representing Skerries AC and she continued with the good form she has shown all season. She was not phased by an early split in the pack. Using her experience and biding her time she let the break go. At 120m she upped the pace and started to reel in the early movers who were starting to tire. Blistering pace down the back straight saw her finishing in 6th place.

After Eimear it was the turn of the U11 boys and with a larger number of competitors, the race was split into 2 heats. The top three would be decided on the fastest times of the two heats.. First up were Tom and Daire. The guys showed great maturity and were not phased by the frantic early pace. Both bided their time at the back of the field and this strategy paid off as they picked off competitors coming down the back straight. Next up were James and Joseph. The boys adopted different strategies, James went with the break running a high tempo straight from the gun. Joseph bided his time. James’ s strategy paid off, digging deep into the red, he managed to maintain his tempo and finished near the top of the field. Joseph was not far behind, putting in a storming last 80m and picking off a few competitors down the back straight.

Coaches Dee and Michael were very pleased with the performances of all the U10 and U11 Skerries athletes. All put in huge effort, ran to the fullest of their ability and never gave up. The standard in the Dublin Championships is very high, many of those we were competing against on Friday night specialise solely in track. From the conversations overheard trackside it seemed that the weekend activities were only beginning for the Skerries kids with GAA, gymnastics, soccer, cricket, triathlons and the Dublin Community Games planned for the following days. The coaches are very pleased with the dedication the kids have made to athletics throughout the year and are pleased that the performances in Friday night are proper reflection of all the effort made. (Thanks to Michael for the writeup).

Next up were the U13’s in the 600m and Harvey took to the track for his second event of this season’s Dublin Championships. This race was run as a straight final with the numbers not high as the U/11’s. Harvey ran a very impressive tactical race taking his second gold medal in 3 days for Skerries AC. Congratulations to Harvey who is having a great track season and goes on to represent Skerries AC in Tullamore in mid -July.

The U15 & U16 boys 800m were run as straight finals. Lorcan was first up in the U15 which as expected at this level was a highly competitive race, he ran a great race and finished in 10th position. Josh was next on the track putting in a good performance after a disruptive training season and finished in 9th. (Both boys camera shy so unfortunately no action shots on the night!)

The U12 600m were moved in advance of the event to the end of the night to accommodate the U12 Long Jump, which had over 30 athletes registered to compete. This meant a long wait for Aoife who was our sole representative in the U12 600m and with 4 heats being run, the qualification from the heats for the final was to be the top 4 in each race. Aoife ran a great race showing no effects of the waiting around and finished in 4th position which sees her through to the 600m final in Tallaght on Sunday 17th.

Thanks to our coaches on the night, Olive Michael and Dee, to Joanne and Chris for representing the Club and acting as our officials on the night. Without officials these events cannot be run, as these events are all run by volunteers and their time and effort is greatly appreciated. Thanks also to the parents for their support and encouragement, their photographic skills and their chauffeuring services.

Congratulations to all the athletes who work so hard at training and always represent the Club so well.