“Sport has the power to change the world….it has the power to unite people the way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.” - NELSON MANDELA
WITH January not yet over, the local sporting calendar is already bursting at the seams. The truth is, it didn’t stop. On Boxing day morning the County Derry Post offices were open for business as the last edition of 2016 was sent to production.
For a lot of us, sport is a way of life and writing about it helps reinforce its values.
I remember former Ballinderry manager Martin McKinless speaking on a YouTube clip after the Shamrocks’ 2012 county final successes.
“People say it is our God. It is lived and it is breathed. Every morning I meet somebody on the road and the talk is football, football, football,” beamed McKinless, before the champions departed Celtic Park for their magical journey back to Ballinderry.
Sport is that important. It gives identity, it fuels motivation, it demands discipline and provides an environment to form friendships that stand the test of time.
I remember a parent coming to thank me after a season coaching the club U16s. We hadn’t set the world alight, in fact I think we were beaten in the first round of the championship. But the thanks quantified something else. Being involved gave her son direction during the year.
Team sport or individual – it is the same, sport gives us something to talk about. Last weekend local golfer Chris Selfridge was in Portugal pitting himself against Europe’s finest. My former work colleague Helen McToal’s snapchat has been a diary of her 100 mile December running challenge. Limavady United’s Robbie Hume has been banging goals for fun. Three different backgrounds, three different sets of targets but all fuelled by same desire to succeed.
The McKenna Cup isn’t the summit of Damian Barton’s ambitions but body language doesn’t lie. The Derry manager was urging on his troops with every sinew during Sunday’s win over Monaghan.
My sporting weekend concluded with interviewing James Kielt about his wonder goal but it started long before that.
Watching Glen and Crossmaglen prevail in two high-scoring encounters was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon at Creggan’s U21 tournament.
Seeing the satisfaction Sean McAuley got from his diligent MC duties reinforced how important everyone is in the equation, not just those strutting their stuff on the playing fields. It outlined how the togetherness of their local sports club helped the Creggan community through a tough week off the pitch.
Speaking to Stephen Barker, from the Derry CCC, it was reassuring to hear how much the welfare of club players are being taken into consideration. Putting together a fixture calendar is not a glamorous role with no shortage of headaches…but it was pushing Barker’s buttons. Why? Because it gives him a kick and he doesn’t do anything he doesn’t enjoy doing.
My in-laws are from ‘Screen and I spent a chunk of my weekend in that neck of the woods. Within a matter of minutes of a luscious feed in Apparo, one of the locals was reassuring that Slaughtneil should fear no one in their quest for an All-Ireland.
Later on, local publican Charlie McNally conceded that he was heading to Clones but was worried his beloved Fermanagh were going to take a pasting against the Red Hands. With Bancran Tug of War team ready to dust themselves down ahead of a new season, Gerard McEldowney wasn’t looking forward to the punishing forest runs devised to blow away the cobwebs.
On Sunday morning there was An Rath Dubh’s big breakfast in Moneyneana. The parish priest was there, the local GAA were presented, a range of ages, a vast array of food on show but it was the perfect start to a busy day on the road. Hugh McWilliams of H&A fame was there. Was Carlus going to play or not?
With my nephew and nieces in tow we were Armagh bound. As we reached Lough Fea the running clubs are out training, plotting a new PB. Meanwhile in the car, my squad were explaining how their sporting seasons were panning out. From cycling routes around Dungiven, how seriously Derry would take the McKenna Cup, who would mark Conor McManus and how much training underage teams should be doing. It was all in there.
With that week destined to the archives, it is time to move on. Another appearance in a McKenna Cup final, the MacRory Cup starts to get serious and Slaughtneil’s dreams of an All-Ireland camogie final come into the focus this week.
Will Eoin Bradley be back in time for Coleraine’s cup tie with Tobermore United? Another week and another set of questions. Sport is everywhere. From cyclist Marc Heaney’s warm weather training to Glenullin opening their Ulster league campaign against Dungiven.
It’s this time of the year when you miss the craic of coaching the U12s or heading to some far flung part of Ulster scouting Derry minors’ next set of opponents. But writing about it opens so many doors into the minds of sportspeople and teams.
With the bike hanging on the garage wall, maybe it’s time to dust it down and head back to Mamore and the Inishowen 100 – the lap of truth. We’ll see but one thing is for sure – sport never sleeps.
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