Go for Life Games 2015
Well done to the twelve members of the Wicklow team that took part in the National Go for Life Games 2015 on Saturday 6th June in Dublin City University.
The Wicklow team joined 300 older people from Cork to Donegal to compete, to stay healthy and have fun at the Go for Life Games which are a celebration of physical activity where older people demonstrate that it is never too late to take part in team sports.
The teams represented older people’s groups from 22 Local Sport Partnership areas: Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin City, Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, Fingal, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Mayo, Meath, Offaly, Roscommon, South Dublin, Tipperary North, Tipperary South, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford and Wicklow.
The Wicklow team was supported locally by Co Wicklow Network for Older People (CWNOP) and Wicklow Local Sports Partnership (WLSP). It is hoped that in 2016, there will be teams from every county in Ireland.
The Wicklow Team represented older peoples groups, men’s groups and individuals from – Tinahely, Laragh, Blessington, Avoca and Ashford. While Dublin was the overall winner, the Wicklow team wore their county colours with pride and demonstrated great sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and skill. “It’s always a great day” so said John Conway a team member from Laragh who has participated in the Go for Life Games since they first started 4 years ago, “while the games are more a festival than a competition the friendly ribbing and rivalry is great fun”.
‘Mary Harkin, Head of Sport & Physical Activity in Age & Opportunity, was delighted with the great response on the day: “We are always hearing in the media about older people not getting enough exercise. When you see the kind of energy and enthusiasm that the Games inspire, you can see that older people can continue – or even start – to live very healthy, active lives at any age. By getting older people more active more often, can benefit everyone. Events like the Games are just a grand example of the kind of smaller activities that are happening in every county in Ireland.”
Wicklow will be hosting a ”friendly” games day against some of the Wexford team over the coming weeks and will be introducing “pickleball”, an exciting new game which may become a feature in the 2016 Games.
The team members are Breda Keogh, Avoca; Olive Mahon, Dick Mahon, John Conway and Finian McEvoy, Laragh; Terry Lundberg, Tony Lundberg, Eddie Hogan, Bernie Hogan and John Quinn, Tinahely; Tom McHugh, Ashford; and Brian Schweppe, Blessington.
