Week ending Saturday 21st November

To be (at Level 2), or not to be (at Level 2)?

Overhearing someone in a shop remark “to go to 2 or not to 2 is the question” puts in mind Shakespeare’s Hamlet. What level we move to in December is really outside our control, but with apologies to Hamlet, rather than just suffer the slings and arrows of Covid-19, we must continue to take arms against it, namely wearing face masks, practicing good hand hygiene and adhering to social distancing; it won’t end it but it will certainly help.

We’re a little over half way through the current level 5 restrictions and along with the customer in the shop, the question on everyone’s mind at the moment is whether we’ll move to level 2 or level 3 in a few weeks time, which will obviously impact what sort of Christmas we might enjoy, but also if there is any chance of competition before the end of the year. To be honest, it’s looking increasingly unlikely at this stage that we’ll drop to level 2 in December, which would allow a return to competition and the smart money is on level 3, with perhaps a few days of level 2 around Christmas itself to allow travel outside the County to visit family and friends.

Realistically, our best chance of a return to competition is in the New Year, hopefully as early as possible. Athletics Ireland remains committed to holding cross country competitions up to March next year if necessary, as is Athletics Leinster, but of course on condition that Covid-19 restrictions allow it at the time. Some tentative dates have been proposed but it is too early to announce them, so we must wait and continue training.

Indoor Season

It’s safe to assume that there will be no indoor season as we know it next year, though there is an outside chance of a National senior indoors, so Athletics Leinster is examining an alternative for field event athletes and sprinters, such as a day of jumps, a day of throws and day of sprints, outdoors obviously, but it would be better than nothing between now and the outdoor season next summer. We’ll keep everyone posted of developments.

Dublin to host European Cross Country in 2021

Athletics fans in Ireland were very disappointed when the European Cross Country scheduled for Dublin next month was cancelled due to Covid-19. It wasn’t a matter of simply rolling the fixture over and allowing Dublin to host it next year, as 2021 had already been awarded to Turin. However, last Thursday, European Athletics announced that in a show of solidarity, Turin has agreed to allow Dublin to host the event in 2021, and Turin will host it in 2022, which is great news for Irish athletics and something for us all to look forward to this time next year.

What was in the news this time last year?

Best known as the venue for the Grand National horse race, Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool hosted the British and Irish Masters International Cross Country this time last year and among the large Irish team competing against some of the best master athletes from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland was Eileen Kenny and Brigid McCabe who won team bronze medals, Aine O’Reilly who won a team silver medal, and Gerard Gavin who helped Ireland to second place and the team silver medals. This was Gerard’s International debut, becoming the one hundred and ninth name on the Club’s International Roll of Honour.

At home, focus for over sixty underage and a dozen senior athletes from the Club was on the AAI National Senior, Junior and Juvenile Even Ages Cross Country Finals at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Dublin. Mullingar had entered teams in six of the eight underage races, along with a number of individual qualifiers from the Leinsters, and teams in the junior and senior men and women races, which were trials for the European Cross Country in Lisbon. In addition to representing Mullingar and Westmeath, fifteen of our Juvenile athletes were also on Leinster teams, the largest number from any Club in Leinster. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can return to cross country competition once more.

Sympathy

Finally, the Executive and members of the Club extend sincere sympathy to Karla and Jessica Cunningham on the recent death of their grandfather, James Kilmartin, Kinnegad. RIP.

For the latest news, results and details of fixtures check the Club’s Facebook page or the website at www.mullingarharriers.com.

PRO