Athletics Sport
T
he Trinity College Athletics Team completed a great season by building on last year’s victorious Inters Day result. In the defence of the Alcock Shield, the boys produced an extraordinary performance, including sixty three “personal bests,” to win the Inters meet by 230.5 points over Hale who in turn were closely followed by Aquinas. The season this year was six weeks long and for this period, the boys trained four afternoons per week and competed in various competitions on Saturday mornings. The weather was not kind and many sessions were held in miserable conditions, but to their credit the athletes trained on without complaint and this focus on self – improvement despite the setbacks was noticeable throughout the season. There were several competitions leading into the Inters at which all athletes were given opportunities to push for inclusion in the team, and it became apparent fairly early in the season, that the selection of the final team was going to be a difficult task. From the social meet with Iona, to the more formal and intense competitions at the Age Championships and the triangular meet with Hale and Aquinas, the boys kept on improving. The team believed that if they all performed to their capabilities, they would still be in the contest going into the all important relays which are the last five events on Inters Day. History will show that the 2005 team retained the Alcock Shield with a great all round team effort. The U/15, U/16 and U/17 age groups all won their respective age groups and the U/14 finished second in theirs. Anthony Lipari was the outstanding individual competitor on the day scoring in excess of one hundred points for the second consecutive year.
Team reserves always play an important role in the results of the team and it was largely due to the pressure they put on their mates to perform, that the athletes who competed on the day were able to achieve the level of performance they did. Well done team reserves. The leadership group of Year 12 athletes, led by captain Lee Ferguson and his deputies Dan O’Connell and Brendan Longman, set a great example at all training sessions and on Inters Day. All the senior boys in the team were instrumental in setting the highest of standards and expectations for the younger athletes to follow, and their support of the other athletes in the team was outstanding at all times. Once again, the Trinity parent body came to the fore when help was needed. From coaching, cooking sausage sizzles, providing morning teas, timekeeping and officiating to presenting the breakfast and dinner on Inters Day, their support was, as always, magnificent. A “thank you” is extended to the many coaches who worked with the boys to enable them to improve and attain new levels of performance. Special acknowledgement needs to be made of the College staff members who coached up to five days per week, this in addition to their normal teaching duties. It was also pleasing to see several Old Boys come back to support their former school and pass on their knowledge to the current crop of athletes. (Photograph bottom left) Based on the performance of the last two years, Trinity has established itself as a strong athletics school and should continue to remain so in the coming years. Stephen Leahy Director of Sport
163
