JUNIOR SCHOOL GAMES NEWSLETTER 0CTOBER 2014 HOCKEY The hockey season has taken off with a flying start. All of the girls are training hard with their new coaches and really have risen to all the challenges the coaches have set. All teams have played many matches to date and all the results can be found on our web page. Standard 5 and 6 girls’ league will be starting soon so keep an eye on http://hockeytables.wikidot.com/ for all league updates.
HOCKEY BLITZ On Wednesday the 15th of October St Gerard’s hosted 50 teams for a very exciting hockey blitz. Standard 5 & Standard 6 girls took part in this blitz and really enjoyed the day despite the weather! A famous comment by Caragh Charlton “Julie you look like you’ve been swimming” really sums up the day. Next year we may have to change the name from the ‘October Blitz ‘To the ‘October Gala’ if our luck with the weather does not change. A big thank you to Pippa, Sarah and Elena the 5 th year pupils who helped out on the day. Now let’s hear from our pupils I’m Orla Wilson and I’m new to St Gerard’s. I’m already in love with our magnificent school and all its facilities. But my favourite bit of it is hockey. Brendon and Cathy are great and were very welcoming which was good as a new school can be quite daunting, but everyone is quite settled in now. Orla Wilson Hi, I am Sarah Lily Lynch and I’ve been in St Gerard’s for 8 years. I would like to inform you that everyone in sixth is doing ….. AWESOME in hockey. We had a blitz on Wednesday the 15th of October (yes the horrible wet day) and
we didn’t lose any matches. How cool is that?! Everyone on the Standard 6 hockey team should be proud. I have a feeling we will do great this year without a doubt! AIJS SOCCER
On Saturday the 18th October St Gerard’s hosted the AIJS 5 – Aside soccer tournament. It promised to be a very exciting day with 15 teams coming to play from all the AIJS schools around Dublin. St Gerard’s had 2 boys’ teams and one girls’ team entered into the competition. All teams played very well but Willow in the boys and Castlepark in the girls’ ended up taking the Trophies. A big thanks you to Rachel Dunne and Susan Manning for keeping all the supporters warm and happy with tea and coffee on the side line. CROSS COUNTRY Sixteen pupils from Standard 6 took part in the Brother Clonliffe Schools Cross Country Event in Santry on October 8th. We have entered this event for the last three years and finally the dedication paid off. Roisin Tracey ran at the speed of lightening to take 2nd place in the event. Congratulations Roisin Here’s what Roisin had to say Hi ! I am Roisin Tracey. I have been in St. Gerards for 7 weeks now. I love running and I have been doing it for 2 years already. As well as winning 2nd place for my school in Santry, I competed in the county final U13, 2500m in Avondale and with a big surprise to myself I won!
RUGBY All the boys’ teams in St Gerard’s have had a very exciting start to the season. All teams are working hard with their coaches and I have seen big improvement already. The boys’ Saturday matches are underway and we have also played a few weekday matches. Please see all results on our web page.
Here’s a report from two of our boys in Standard 6 - one new and one old! Firstly I would like to say this is a brilliant school and I have enjoyed every minute of my time here. At first I was really looking forward to the rugby but after the first couple of training sessions I didn’t really like it - Until I scored my first ever try! At first I didn’t really know much about what I had done because I was saying to myself “did that just happen”. The results to date have not reflected on how we have played because we’ve played quite well and we have great players and coaches. Ben Callan In the summer on returning to school the thing I most looked forward to was playing rugby with my team. This year was the the most exciting year because there were lots of new people coming to join our team. Everything is looking pretty good so far, we have lots of very talented players and most people are making a big effort. Sam Lynch A big thank you to all mums and dads who fill flasks and keep our visitors warm with tea and coffee and hospitality. SHOW JUMPING
This year the Junior School are taking part in the inter schools show jumping competition. It is a very exciting time for the two teams that are entered into the competition. There are six competitions to compete in and last week saw us securing 3rd and 5th place. Well done to all the riders and good luck in all the events to come. I would like to thank our parents Pam O’Loughlin, Deirdre O’Connor, Neil Durkan and Valerie Charlton for all their help with the teams and organisation of the event.
By Julie McInerney Head of PE and Games St Gerard’s Junior School