Connacht Tribune
Putting in the long hours in pursuit of Special Olympics glory
The athletes at Tuam Headford Special Olympics Club have their sights firmly set on gold at June’s National Games in Dublin.
Five athletes, competing in either swimming or rhythmic gymnastics, have been steadily training for months now in preparation for the games – having been selected to represent Connacht at the National Sports Campus.
Head Coach at the club, Patricia Creaven, says the five athletes selected have dedicated a huge amount of time and effort – and they will be giving it their all when they compete for their club, county and province.
“All they want is a medal – they are as competitive as any athletes. They get a ribbon for fourth, fifth and sixth place, and for participation, but none of them want them,” laughs Patricia.
“In training, week to week, it is as much about the social element of it all – but when it comes to completion, they really put their game faces on.”
The group going to Dublin is made up of two swimmers and three rhythmic gymnasts. Leah Costello is the club’s youngest athlete and at just eleven years old, she will compete in the gymnastics category.
Leah’s mother, Lorraine, says that the club is a real social outlet for the Scoil Bríd pupil, adding that she loves taking part alongside her friends.
“She might be nervous about the big crowd or the big place and all of the travelling because Leah has never been away from home,” says Lorraine.
The rhythmic gymnasts are each given the same routine to learn and they have been plugging away for months now – trying to perfect it before they take to the national stage, as Patricia explains.
“The three ladies that are doing the gymnastics have to do a routine with the ribbon, the ball and the hoop – it’s a three minute dance routine that they all have to follow.
“The training is quite difficult – there are six or seven stages that they have to do and there are very strict rules,” she says.
Joe Ward from Tuam will be swimming for Connacht in June and at 28 years old, the pool has become his second home since his first dip as a toddler.
Joe’s mother, Rose, says Joe’s autism has been greatly helped by swimming, giving him a sense of “complete freedom” in the pool.
“When he was two, he was very uncomfortable and when he was diagnosed with autism, we were advised to bring him to the pool – and he has been there since.
“His brother, Charles, brings him swimming four days a week and he loves it now – he is the baby of the family with two brothers and four sisters,” says Rose.
Like Joe, Ciara Nally will be taking to the pool and as an only child, her parents are very excited about the games.
Her father, Noel Nally, says Ciara is hugely competitive but loves the socialising that comes with the games.
“She’s looking forward to the disco,” laughs Noel. “We are very proud of her – the only thing she is nervous of is being away from home but it means that she gets to meet new friends and to compete in the games.”
Kawthar Yahya is the newest member competing for the club, having recently completed her schooling at St Joseph’s Special School.
Kawthar competed at the Limerick games four years ago and has stepped it up a gear this time around, says Patricia.
“In her school, Kawthar was at Level C and at that level, you can’t compete at the world games so she was pushed forward to do Level One which involves three routines and is a big step up.
“They were selected in July and we follow the school calendar so we only started training in September and she has to learn three new routines by June,” says Patricia.
But Kawthar is taking it all in her stride and according to her sister, Hayat, she’ll be hoping to add to an already well-decorated medal wall at home in Knocknacarra.
Maria Hannon will compete in gymnastics and has been involved in Special Olympics for 16 years.
Maria is a sports fanatic and achieved a personal goal when she met one of her sporting heroes, says Patricia.
“Maria loves Connacht Rugby; we got to go to the Sportsground in Galway and Maria, as a VIP, got to meet John Muldoon.
“This will be her second time competing in the games; last time, she competed in the basketball and it was the first Connacht team – and they won a bronze medal which was unbelievable,” she says.
Keeping the club going has been a labour of love for Patricia since she was inspired by the 2003 world games in Ireland.
And while it hasn’t always been easy, the success of athletes, in sport and in their development, is very rewarding, says Patricia.
“With each generation that goes through, we learn more and our club could be a lot bigger – we’re the only rhythmic gymnastics club in Galway outside of St Joseph’s and of the three athletes going from Connacht, they are all from our club.
“My mother, Vera Creavan, will be 77 this year and she volunteers – she never misses a week. I’ve roped in my best friend too,” says Patricia.
“We have Anne Woulfe and Sarah Steed who are both going to Dublin. We also have Donna Walsh, Breda Kennedy – Adriana Pacesiene who is doing her Leaving Cert in June and is just the sweetest lady; her sister is an athlete.”
Patricia hopes to see the treatment of Special Olympic athletes improve as each one still has to raise €460 themselves.
Numbers are also restricted for the world games with those selected drawn from a bowl rather than on merit.
This means that even if they win gold at national games, they are not guaranteed a spot at the worlds.
Nonetheless, she believes it is a hugely positive experience for all involved and says that each and every one of them will be proud to represent Connacht in June.
“The games take place on June 14, 15 and 16 and there will be 150 of us from Connacht heading to Dublin on the train from Ceannt Station in Galway – so we hope to see lots of support,” says Patricia.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
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