Week Beginning: 03/10/22

Wednesday:

Fr Collins 18:30-19:15

Note the earlier finish time (19:15) for all athletes as evenings are getting darker. We will be moving to the floodlit venue in November but more details on specifics of that later this week.

This is general training so focus on all athletics aspects, running, jumping and throwing.

Friday:

Fr Collins 17:45-18:30 (2013 & Older Only).

This is running training for those looking to compete in cross-country but also improve overall health & fitness.

Entries for the Dublin Even Ages Cross-Country Championships close on this day. These championships take place on 16th October in Abbotstown in the National Sports Campus. They are for 2013 / 2011 / 2009 / 2007 age groups. This is both a team and individual competition.

Expresssion Interest Form is here if you haven’t already submitted.

Sunday:

Round 2 of the Dublin XC League is on in Tymon Park at 11am. Details on the cross-country season are here. This is open to anyone from 2014 and older.

Expression of Interest Form is here.

No Club Run this Sunday.

Coaches Update

Big well done to four of our coaches, Colette, Cliodhna, Marie and Sinead and our Club Secretary Maeve who all competed in the Galway Bay 10km this weekend #Sport4Life.

Also, Coach Dan attended the High Performance Endurance Coach Education Day in DCU on Saturday. This was attended by over 60 coaches from all around Ireland with presentations from some of Ireland’s top endurance coaches.

Week Beginning: 26/09/22

Wednesday: Fr Collins 18:30-19:30 (2016 is 18:30-19:15)

This is general training so focus on all athletics aspects, running, jumping and throwing.

Friday: Fr Collins 17:45-18:30 (2013 & Older Only).

This is running training for those looking to compete in cross-country but also improve overall health & fitness.

Sunday: Fr Collins 10:00-10:45 (2013 & Older Only).

Club Run for all the family.

1.4km or 2.8km or 4.2km or 5.6km

Week Beginning: 19/09/22

Wednesday: Fr Collins 18:30-19:30 (2016 is 18:30-19:15)

This is general training so focus on all athletics aspects, running, jumping and throwing.

Friday: Fr Collins 17:45-18:30 (2013 & Older Only).

This is running training for those looking to compete in cross-country but also improve overall health & fitness.

Sunday: Fr Collins 10:00-11:00 (2013 & Older Only).

This is running training for those looking to compete in cross-country but also improve overall health & fitness.

First round of the the Dublin Cross-Country League is tomorrow. For those competing, here is what you need to know.

Venue. Map below shows the location. Head to Lusk and head out the Skerries Road, there is a right turn just outside the village and there is car parking here. There is ample parking and its €2 per car.

When To Arrive. The times for each race are listed below. Try to arrive 45mins before your race time. The races do not take long, average time 5 minutes, so it’s a quick day. When you arrive, we will have our Clongriffin AC Flag up so you will be able to see us. We will have the athlete’s numbers for them.

Race Times & Distances

Gu9 (2014): 11:00 (400m) (eg arrive at 10:15)

Bu9 (2014): 11:05 (400m)

Gu10 (2013): 11:10 (600m)

Bu10 (2013): 11:15 (600m)

Gu11 (2012): 11:20 (800m)

Bu11 (2012): 11:25 (800m)

Gu12 (2011): 11:30 (1000m)

Bu12 (2011): 11:38 (1000m)

Bu13 (2010): 11:54 (1000m)

Bu15 (2008): 12:32 (1500m)

Weather & What To Wear: Looking like it will be a lovely crisp and sunny autumn morning. Bring rain coats etc just in case. If athletes have spikes, bring them but the ground should be solid enough to just use runners also. You will need to bring your Clongriffin AC vest or tee. If you don’t have one we should have a tee available when you arrive.

Finally, nerves. If you are nervous about competing, that is ok. Means you care and it means something to you. The good news that everyone else is probably nervous too. By stepping to the line and being in the arena, remember, you are already winning….

“.......the credit belongs to the athlete who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends their time in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if they fail, at least fails while daring greatly......”

Week Beginning: 12/09/22

This week sees the return to full training for all athletes.

Wednesday: Fr Collins 18:30-19:30 (2016 is 18:30-19:15)

Friday: Fr Collins 17:30-18:15 (2012 & Older Only). Note, this time may change for future sessions on Friday, so bear with us as may not suit all.

Sunday: Cross-Country League Round 1 in Lusk. Details on the cross-country season are here. This is the first round of the cross-country league and is a great opportunity if athletes want to try it, even just once. Distances are relatively short and the event runs off pretty quickly. The full timetable for Lusk is here. If interested in competing complete this form here.

There is still a lengthy waiting list of athletes looking to join the club. We can only bring in a certain number of new members as we look to maintain an 8:1 athlete/coach ratio. This is to ensure the coaching team can provide the best quality of coaching to the athletes.

However, if parents or guardians of an athlete can commit to being an Assistant Coach, then this can help in getting the athlete into the club,

An Assistant Coach is the starter level coach and primarily involves assisting the Age Group Coaches at training sessions. The committment is just one night a week (Wednesday) but would be more than welcome to attend all sessions. If you are interested please email clongriffinathletics@gmail.com.

We are particularly keen to get Assistant Coaches in the 2015 & 2016 age groups.

Cross Country is running races based on grass as opposed to running tracks. The cross-country season runs from September up to November / December.

Competitions

**Note additional Competition added**

All-Ireland Cross Country Relays

This is a team event of 4 athletes per team, each running 500m before passing the baton to the next athlete. It takes place in Abbotstown on the same day as the Dublin Even Age Championships, October 16th.

Dublin Leagues consist of three rounds of races with shorter than championship distances. They are an opportunity for athletes to try cross-country at race distances that are not as challenging as Dublin championship races.

Round 1: Sunday 18th September Lusk 11am

Round 2: Sunday 9th October Tymon Park 11am

Round 3: Sunday 11th December Tymon Park 11am

Dublin Championships is a once off race with both an individual and team element. The team element involves the finishing places of each athlete being counted towards the team’s score. Athletes can qualify from these races to compete with Dublin or their club at the All-Ireland Championships.

Even Ages Sunday 16th October Abbotstown

Uneven Ages Sunday 6th November Venue TBC

Race Distances

Age Group	Year of Birth	Championship Distance	League Rd 1 Distances	League Rd 2 Distances	League Rd 3 Distances
u9	2014	800m	400m	500m	600m
u10	2013	1000m	600m	700m	800m
u11	2012	1500m	800m	900m	1000m
u12	2011	2000m	1000m	1200m	1000m
u13	2010	2500m	1000m	1300m	1500m
u14	2009	3000m	1200m	1500m	1500m
u15	2008	3500m	1500m	2000m	2000m
u16	2007	4000m	2000m	2500m	2000m
u17	2006	5000m	3000m	3500m	3000m

What are the training groups? Training groups are split into groups; Little Athletics (U7 & U8), Academy (U9, U10, U11), Development (U12 & U13) and Preperformance (U14 & U15) and Performance (U16+). Boys and girls train together.

How do age groups work in Athletics? U7 for example is athletes who turn 6 in that year therefore they are Under 7.

Where do you train? You can find details on our training times here.

Do you need any specific clothing or footwear? For athletics training all you need is a pair of well fitting runners that allow for flexibility and movement of the feet (i.e. don’t have sole or heel with bubble that is too thick which can be prohibitive). For competition spikes are recommended especially for U12 upwards. All athletes need to wear a club t-shirt or club vest – see more information here.

Do children have to compete? We like to support children to take part in competitions. We endeavour to create an environment to enable children to build the confidence and capability and readiness to compete. Athletics has many disciplines from sprints, to longer distance, jumping and throwing to relays so there is many ways to compete for the club. However we understand that for some children they may wish not to compete.

What are the athletics competitions? There are three key seasons cross country (September-December), Indoor track & field (Feb-March) and outdoor track & field (April-July). Unlike team sports which have matches every week in athletics there are a few key weekends of competition for each season. These will tend to be full day events. You can find the competition calendar here.

My child has additional needs does your club cater for that? We are an inclusive club, let us know how you feel we could make it a positive experience for your child and we can work together to support them.

The end of season Mini-Summer Olympics was held recently in glorious evening sunshine in Fr Collins Park.

Based on a multi event format, all athletes got to do a 50m, Turbo Javelin and Long Jump with medals awarded to three athletes in each age group.

Results

Girl u7

1. Freya
2. Mia
3. Alannah

Boys u7

1. Darragh
2. Sean
3. Keir

Girls u8

1. Riley
2. Karina
3. Keeva

Boys u8

1. Sam
2. Denis
3. Clinton

Girls u9

1. Penny
2. Leila
3. Zoe

Boys u9

1. Mikey
2. Quinn
3. Emre

Girls u10

1. Orlaith
2. Mya
3. Sara

Boys u10

1. Joe
2. Charlie
3. Ruben

Girl u11

1. Aislinn
2. Ella
3. Emily

Boys u11

1. Lenny
2. Max
3. Evan

Venue

The venue is Tullamore Harriers in Co Offaly. There is ample parking on site and there will be parking officials to assist.

Timetable and Ticket Information

July 2nd Day 1 timetable is here. Spectators (over 16) must purchase an online ticket via this link here.

July 3rd Day 2 timetable is here. Spectators (over 16) must purchase an online ticket via this link here.

July 2nd Day 1 Athletes

Athlete	Event	Expected Event Time	Time To Arrive
Keane	80m	10:05	9:00
Mya	60m	11:00	10:00
Zara	60m	11:00	10:00
Joe	Javelin	11:00	10:00
Daniel	Javelin	11:00	10:00
Akim	Shot Put	11:00	10:00
Quinn	Long Jump	11:15	10:15
Emre	Long Jump	11:15	10:15
Ella	600m	13:30	12:30
Orlaith	Long Jump	14:00	13:00
Monika	Long Jump	14:00	13:00
Ella	Relay	14:30	13:30
Sarah	Relay	14:30	13:30
Sophie	Relay	14:30	13:30
Ava	Relay	14:30	13:30
Liliya	High Jump	14:30	13:30
Lucy	Relay	14:30	13:30
Orlaith	Relay	14:30	13:30
Maya	Relay	14:30	13:30
Niamh	Relay	14:30	13:30

July 3rd Day 2 Athletes

Athlete	Event	Expected Event Time	Time To Arrive
Ben	60m Hurdles	10:00	9:00
Marianne	High Jump	10:00	9:00
Kevin	Triple Jump	10:00	9:00

Other Important Information

The track surface in Tullamore is a special Mondo surface which only allows ‘pyramid’ spikes, so the extractable spikes in the bottom of the shoe. Most spikes have pyramid spikes but the coaches can check ahead of competing to ensure they are ok. If you don’t have them, the Club has purchased a batch on bulk and can be bought for €4 so will be all fine. Important to note that running spikes are not compulsory and runners can be worn. Runners must be worn for Shot Put and are recommended for Turbo Javelin.

While there is a shop there at the venue, it would be advisable to bring a packed lunch also.

Coaching support team on the Saturday will be Sinead, Marie, Kieron, Dan and Cliodhna and on Sunday it will be Cliodhna and Jeremy.