Club News

I have been involved with Joey for 5 years now, although I have never done the race. I started out having been asked to marshal in 2009 by a friend and watching the athletes that day, I thought they and the sport was bonkers.

Roll on 5 years and I am Club Secretary. With a big club and as we don’t have a base, its sometimes hard to get to know the new people. But I have been on the pool deck learning from our superb Swim Coach, Dee Kearney and have been trying to encourage beginners with a novice Saturday cycle group, which Liam Liddy greatly added to in the run up to Joey, so I have met a lot of our newer members and have had a chance to chat with them.

As people came in to register on Saturday, there was a great buzz – the excitement of a race after the winters training, the fact that the skies had cleared and the forecast was good you could feel the anticipation, nerves and excitement. We hadn’t really expected the race sell out at first, let alone be oversubscribed, but I guess people just like Limerick. They had come from near and far, north and south, top end athletes here looking for a podium and many first timers who prefer the idea of a pool – Lots of faces and friends not seen since last year.

Mike Deegan had his plans in place and tasks allocated long ago, but nothing can really happen untill you get those volunteers on the day. We put out the call to our members and friends looking for their help, although many were competing, and people have busy lives, I was delighted and astounded by the weekends contributions. The number who turned up to build the bike park in the rain; the man, woman and child hours put into Sunday were unbelievable, so many people gave what they could.

I know the weather helped. The feedback about support from marshals to all the athletes on the course, stories of equipmnet lent and nerves calmed has been terrific. One look at our Facebook page and if you werent there you will wish you were. It was fantastic to see so many members out there enjoying it. I hope the other marshalls got as many thanks as I did. The day didn’t go without incident and that’s to be expected – you will never keep everyone happy or everything right.

It was brilliant to watch the top guys in action and great to see so many Limerick athletes do well on home turf. I was delighted so many of our Swimmers from the Monday night and the Saturday Junior & Novice crew had achieved and exceeded their expectations.

When it’s an entirely non-commercial undertaking, why do you do it some would ask? And sometimes I am not sure myself, knowing now that isn’t the athletes who are bonkers, but those who undertake the organisation that are. On Sunday I was delighted to play a small part in organising of an event in the sport I enjoy so much, for a club I am proud of, honoring a man I never met, but from what I have come to know, his spirit certainly lives on in Limerick.

Roll on the 2014 Tri season – filled with the buzz on Sunday I went home and entered 4 races so I had better dust off my gear. I won’t be around for HOTW, I thought I was OK with that, but now I am not so sure.

Sinead

Proud Secretary,

Pain is temporary, CLUB PRIDE IS FOREVER…