On the 1st of June, a wet and rainy day, the boys and girls of Scoil Barra who had been selected to run for their respective age groups set out for CIT. It was a special year, as the team lined up in top of the range athletics gear kindly sponsored to us by Willie Murphy who for years was at the helm of athletics in Scoil Barra and experienced many days of success with his teams.
The boys were up first and lined up in Roinn A, the top division, to race for top honours. The debate to run with or without shoes on the wet grass was on, right up to the start line. We decided to go barefoot, a decision that favoured some and hindered others. Every boy competed with determination and gusto and did their school proudly. We came away with three sprint trophies, Alexander Jerierski in 1st class took top prize in his sprint and made it through to the county semi-final. Azeez Eleke in 4th class, who rarely returns without silverware took 2nd place in his sprint and Matiss Raksanovs in his first time out for Scoil Barra took 3rd place in his sprint. A fantastic feat in such a tough group. A number of slips on the start line were unfortunate but we had more success to come on the tartan surface upon the track.
The boys over 11 and under 11 lined up for their relays. Starting with the under 11, (Adam Hussey, Dylan Leahy, Jeremy Bazunu and Azeez Eleke) they competed mightily and took away 2nd place in their relay. The over 11 boys, (Fionn O’ Donoghue, Ben Heinen, Andrew Okpoyo and Tadhg O’ Connell) not wanting to be outdone, completed their baton changes like pros and took home the gold. The lead was never assured with Tadhg O’ Connell fighting all the way to the line to secure the victory. A fine start to the day by all!
When the boys returned it was time for the girls to shine. Learning from our mistakes of the morning we decided to opt to run in shoes. This proved successful on the wet grass. Again we lined up in the top group Roinn 1 to race the best girls in Cork. To gain a sprint trophy at this level is difficult and allusive. The Idouzee sisters (Irene in 6th and Jersey in 4th) matched each other and won a 2nd place trophy in their sprints. While Chidinma Eze won a 3rd place trophy in her race. All the girls gave their best and also did their school proudly.
The highlight of the day was yet to come where we had more relay success on the track. After a long wait in the underground track, the girls came out focused and ready. First up was the under 11 girls starting with Jasmine Galvin Mc Carthy, who was nominated by her teammates to do the first leg due to her cool and calm nature. She didn’t disappoint and got the girls off to a flying start. Eavan Nolan held this position down the back straight and handed onto to Zoe Conway in a baton change that wouldn’t have looked out of place in the Olympics. Without even a glance behind she took the baton and stormed her way around the bend handing off to Jersey well clear of the rest of the field. Jersey capitalised on this lead and lead her team to 1st place in the under 11 relay. The silverware didn’t end there. The over 11 relay team came agonisingly close to victory. Shannon Lane lead them off and held her own in the first leg, followed by Irene Idouzee who ate up the track at a fierce rate on her competitors. She handed onto Lauren Hill who ran a superb bend and finally to Alexandria Osobase in the least leg. The two final competitors were neck and neck the whole way down the straight, a hare’s breath between 1st and 2nd. They came away with 2nd place, an emotional moment for the four girls knowing that it would be their last outing for Scoil Barra after many years of success. Well done girls! A fantastic end to a great day.
Looking forward to next year already.
S O’ Connor