CONGRATULATIONS
Tremendous running from our athletes at the first day of the Leinster XC in Avondale and some great results Congratulations to Ben Jones who won the championship in the boys U14 and to Sarah O’connor who finished in the medals in 9th place in the U14 girls. Both these athletes will represent Leinster at the All Ireland’s. We also have several athletes qualified for the All Ireland’s as members of  Wicklow County teams, as the U14 & 16 girls teams won gold and the U12 girls were 4th. Congratulations and good luck to our athletes for Nov 23rd in Dundalk: U12 Girls: Eimear Ryan, Erin Howard, Ella Shanley & Emma Quirk, U14 Girls: .Sarah O’Connor, Rachel Diggin, Katie Lawless & Sophie Nicholson, U14 boys: Ben Jones, U16 girls:  Susie McParland, Richael Browne, Hilary Gallagher, Irene Gomez Romero, U18 girls: Katy Conroy & U18 boys:  Steven Diggin & Cillian Browne.
A disappointingly small number of club athletes took part in the 3rd and final day of the Leinster XC  in Adamstown today Sun. 9th Nov. and unfortunately due to the small numbers, we were unable to fill teams in any age groups. Some great running from those who did come along with individual medals for Cillian Browne in the boys U19 & Ben Jones in the boys U15. Co. team gold for Susie McParland & Richael Browne on the girls U17 team and a qualification place for Megan O’ Brien on the girls U15 Co. team. Best of Luck to all in the Nationals.

UPCOMING COMPETITIONS
XC LEAGUE ROUND 2
Friday 14th Nov. in Rathdrum Rugby Club. Registration 6.30pm. First race 7 pm. This one is uneven Ages U/ 7, 9, 11, 13.& 15, but athletes can move up one age group. Entry form is now on the website and entries close on Wed next 12th Nov. Athletes must be registered to compete. Certs to all finishers. Medals are awarded at the end of the League to athletes who accumulate sufficient points by attending regularly.
Please note that there will be no 6-7pm training on Friday 14th , as coaches will be at the XC. The 7-8.30pm training will go ahead for those who are not running in the league!

SOME ADVICE FOR RACE DAYS (for those who missed it last time)
Athletes should start their warm-up about 30 mins before their own race/event and they should complete their usual regular routine. This should be done in runners not spikes, and tracksuits etc. should be left on throughout. Athletes should only take their gear off and put their spikes on while the race ahead of there is taking place and they should leave a top on until the last possible minute. There is absolutely no point in warming up and then stripping clothes off  and letting your muscles get cold while you wait around. There is no support in a pair of spikes and it is very easy to spike yourself or someone else while walk around wearing them. Absolutely wonderful for racing in, but only for racing in………. wear them for the shortest possible time, not all day! Very long spikes are not recommended for children, as they may injure themselves or others.

SPORTSHALL
We are presently selecting teams for a Sportshall competition on Sun. 23rd Nov. in Portarlington. This is open to Boys & Girls U9 - U13 (born 2002 – 2007) If you are available & interested in taking part, please let us know asap on 0877730000 . We hope to enter teams in all categories.

TRAINING GROUPS
While our aim is to promote athletics and foster a love of the sport in all our members, we would like to remind you all that Greystones AC is first and foremost a competative club and so athletes are expected to attend training regularly and take part in the various competitions that the club competes in during the year.
Athletes in Groups 1 & 2 agreed to attend a minimum of two sessions each week before moving to these groups and we expect this to be adhered to. This is necessary to enable them to keep up with the training level and stay with their group. Training sessions take place on Tues/Wed/Fri from 7-8.30pm. While we hope you can do all three, if only doing two nights, it is better to do Tues/Fri or Wed/Fri if at all possible, rather than two nights together with 5 off. We also have an organised Sunday morning run at 10am, which is a very important part of the training week. If you cannot make this, you will need to do the run yourself later in the day. So far this season the attendance on Fri nights & Sunday mornings is very poor and we really need to see a huge improvement from here out.

FIT4YOUTH GROUP
This Sept. we created a Fit4Youth training group for members who don’t want to compete or train at competition level, but who do want to stay fit and remain/become members of the club.This group  trains at the 7-8.30pm sessions and have been working hard at maintaining/improving their fitness levels and core strength over the past few months. They will have opportunities to try field events over the next few months and always have the option to move to one of the competative groups if they decide they want to compete at any discipline. This group is ideal for those who just want to get/stay fit or for those who are just starting athletics, as it works at a less intense level than the competition groups.

ATHLETE ASSESSMENT DAY
We are holding a Talent Identification Day for our juvenile athletes born 2004 or before, who intend to compete in the Leinster Indoors in Athlone in March 2015.  If you are interested, come along and give each event a go and discover where your talents really lie. We also hope to have a Specialist in Steeple Chase there on the day, to coach those athletes eligible to enter the Steeple Chase (born 1999 or before).
Date: Sat 15/11/14, Time: 10-12 (reg at 09:45), Venue: Shoreline Track, Fee: €2 per athlete
Eligibility: Born 2004 and before and competing in the Leinster Indoors in Athlone in March 2015.
If you wish to attend please text your name and dob to 0877730000 by Wed. 12th November latest.
Members of the Slí Cualann development squad will have a similar event on Sat 28th Nov from 12-2pm in the Shoreline hall, with lunch afterwards.

REMEMBRANCE RUN
Last year we held a Candlelight Remembrance Run/Walk in Kindlestown Wood which received tremendous support and we have been asked by many if we would repeat it this year. As November is traditionally the month that  we remember those we have lost, we will hold  a similar event on Sun. 30th Nov. from 4.30pm. Due to the narrow road, parking and traffic control were a problem last year, so this year we will hold the event at Shoreline Sports Park , Charlesland. Starting at the front gates, our route will take us up the back road to the soccer pitch, around the pitch, down the winding hill behind reception, out through the side gate and across the carpark to the track gate, down the hill and around the roadway behind the track bringing us back out to the carpark beside Zoom, approx 1500m in all. The route will be candlelit all the way and hopefully will be as magical an experience as last year’s was. We will have refreshments afterwards in the Shoreline building. Once again there will be a bucket available for donations to Aware.

AAI REGISTRATION CARDS
We arranged to give out Registration cards for 2014 on Tues. 21st Oct. but very few bothered to collect them. As we do not want to give these cards to children and risk having them lost, we will try again on Tues. next 11th Nov. between 6.30 & 7.30pm and we ask that you please come and pick them up. There is a hotel voucher, courtesy of Athletics Ireland, with each card. Cards for athletes who registered in Sept. have arrived, but later registrations are still not here.