THIS NEWSLETTER CONTAINS A LOT OF VITAL INFORMATION FOR ATHLETES AND PARENTS. PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ IT THROUGH.

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Niamh Kearney who set another PB of 4.29.16 when she won the 1500m at the War Eagle Invite in Alabama, ranking her 2nd in the Sun Belt conference. The conference championships are on in Miami in May.  Niamh is having a terrific T&F season and is setting PB’s practically every time she races. We look forward to having her back in Greystones with us for the summer months!  
Congratulations also to Padraig Lennon overall winner of the Fit4Life 5K in Shanganagh park last Thurs. evening. On what was a very blustery evening, Padraig took it out from the start and eventually broke away from the field to finish comfortably ahead in 9.44. A good run also from Jamie Lennon, who finished 3rd  junior in 10.45.

HELP NEEDED
As you are all aware, we are a totally voluntary organisation and are constantly growing and developing as a club and so we are constantly in need of help. We are delighted that a few new parents have agreed to come on board , but we still need more help. To improve our sessions, we urgently need volunteers for about 15-20 mins around drop off time to do the check-ins for us. This will free up the coaches to get on with the warm-ups & training, enabling us to cover a greater variety of events at our sessions and finish on a high note rather than a mad rush. If enough come forward to form a rota, it will spread the load. We are constantly trying to improve things for all of our athletes and a little of your time could make for a safer and more enjoyable session for your child.

VERY IMPORTANT
To facilitate the above new check-in procedure, we are asking all athletes to arrive a few minutes early for their training sessions from now on. Proceed to the bottom gate, where check-in will be done and wait here for coaches to collect their groups. This will mean that we can start our sessions on time and as a result, finish on time.  Athletes should not climb the banks or wander down the back path while waiting, as this may lead to accidents. Late arrival will delay the whole group and upset the training session. Your co-operation is crucial to the smooth running of our training sessions.

RELAY TRIALS
Trials for athletes interested in representing our club on relay teams at the Wicklow Championships on 11th/12th May  and/or the Leinster Relay Championships, (which take place in Greystones on 19th May), will be held on Tues. 30th Apr at our usual training times.  Anyone interested in being considered for a team, needs to sign up on the web-site (form in the sidebar) and also needs to attend these trials. Selected teams will be posted on our web-site shortly after these trials.

COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS
This year’s County Championships will be held on Sat/Sun 11th/12th May at the Greystones track. Programme of events is on the sidebar on the web-site. Athletes who intend to take part need to sign up on the form provided on the web-site. Please indicate if you are attending one or both days. This form will be removed on Wed 8th May and no further entries will be accepted. Athletes who sign up and then fail to attend will be liable for entry fees paid on their behalf.
Competition on Sat 11th for younger athletes up to age 10 in 2013 (U11), is an Award Scheme. All athletes must compete in all 3 events, 60m run, long jump and turbo javelin. Points will be accumulated from all events, with all athletes receiving an award. There will be a gold, silver or bronze awards for anyone who completes the 3 events. Sunday’s races are individual, with 1st 3 getting medals. Obstacle races and Tug-O-War are fun events only.  Events for all other ages are individual, with 1st 3 getting medals. Medals for 1st 3 teams in all 4x100m relays.

WORKSHOPS
Athletics Ireland are hosting a series of workshops in Greystones over the next few weeks. This is a great opportunity to try an event, or to improve your technique, before the Track & Field season gets under way. Details of these workshops are:
Thursday April 25th – Long Jump + Triple Jump Workshop – Greystones 7.00 – 9.00pm
Open to all Coaches and athletes over 12 years. Cost: €5 per Athlete/Coach
Thursday May 2nd – Javelin + Turbo Javelin Workshop – Greystones 7.00 – 9.00pm
Open to all Coaches and athletes over 9. Cost: €5 per Athlete/Coach
Thursday May 9th – Shot + Discus Workshop – Greystones 7.00 – 9.00pm
Open to all Coaches and athletes over 12. Cost: €5 per Athlete/Coach
Thursday May 16th – Hurdles + High Jump Workshop – Greystones 7.00 – 9.00pm
Open to all Coaches and athletes over 12. Cost: €5 per Athlete/Coach

ST. ABBAN’S OPEN SPORTS
This year St. Abban’s Sports Day returns to it’s former Bank Holiday date and so is back on our calendar of events.  This is an open sports, with events for all ages and in the past was an event targeted by GAC.  It is being held on Mon. May 6th and is always a top class event.  Start time is 12.30pm and entry fee is €3 per athlete & €5 per relay team. A great way to spend the Bank holiday and they usually get good weather too.

AWARDS NIGHT
Our awards night on Thurs 18th Apr was a great success and while we had a big attendance, there were a number of athletes who didn’t make it on the night to pick up their awards. These will be available after your training session on Tues 30th April. Well done to the many athletes who got rewarded for their efforts in 2012 on the night. Congratulations to all the winners, especially those who received 'Exceptional Athlete' awards. Special congrats to Conor Dempsey our 'Athlete of the Year' and Niamh Kearney our 'Senior Athlete of the Year' Many thanks to all the coaches who put so much effort into organising the event and making it such a successful night. A big Thank You to Charlesland Golf Club for supplying the fantastic venue

ATTENDANCE DAY TRIP
Details and numbers for the Atendances Day Trip have now ben finalised and we hope everyone has a terrific day on Sunday. A big Thank You to the coaches who organised this and to those helping out on the day.

 TALKS
We had a very interesting and informative talk on Nutrition & Hydration last Sat. morning. While numbers attending were disappointingly small, the feedback from those who did attend is excellent. Handouts from the talk will shortly be posted on our web-site.