September was a busy month for the team at Vision Sports Ireland; a number of programmes restarted after taking a break for Summer, we had new Come and Try events in different sports across the country, we trained up our newest Tandem Pilots in Cork, launched our Youth Leadership programme and had athletes compete in Athletics Fest in Carlow – the first athletics event of it’s kind, partnering with IWA Sport for the event!
To kick off the month, Tralee Tennis Club hosted a Come and Try adults tennis session. The session was a huge hit with those who attended and we now look forward to starting a new tennis programme in Tralee Tennis Club. The following weekend we went straight into restarting some programmes that had taken a break for Summer. Athlone tennis for adults and juniors, and our Portlaoise swimming and football hubs for juniors, all resumed. Everyone was happy to be back into the usual routine and sport with school resuming for the new term.
Into week two of September and we continued to ramp up our sport offerings! A golf Come and Try session was held in Carlow on September 11th, in conjunction with Irish Blind Golf as they hosted the Irish Blind Golf Open. Our junior Dublin swimming hub recommenced on September 15th. Swimming continues to be one of our more popular sports with the two sessions reaching capacity.
Another busy weekend was on the cards. On September 16th the team headed to Carlow along with athletes from our Portlaoise Athletics hub to compete in Atheltics Fest which was hosted by IWA Sport. The event was a great success with many of our athletes competing for the first time. There were lots of cheers, plenty of competition and quite a few wins for our competitors. Each one represented themselves so well and we are already looking forward to the next athletics session.
On the same day, Castlebar tennis club hosted a junior Come and Try tennis session. The first of two sessions held in these amazing facilities, the adult Come and Try took place on September 18th, and we are thrilled to bring a new sport offering to the west of the country. The sessions went well and we are now looking to start and ongoing programmes in the facility.
September rolled on, the European Week of Sport began and naturally we had plenty more sports and activities happening. On September 23rd we had members of our team all across the country;
- Our sold out Tandem Pilot training course took place in Cork, with 14 new pilots now trained and ready to guide our members on cycles.
- In Meath, we held a junior football Come and Try event at Donacarney Celtic FC with plenty of footballing ability on show and lots of potential football stars showcasing their talents.
- Meanwhile in Portlaoise our monthly golf session was held in the Heath Golf Club. This programme has proved to be a huge success and, while we will take a break for Winter, we are already looking forward to welcoming everyone back in the new year to continue to hone their golfing skills.
The next day it was on to Wicklow for the launch of our Youth Leadership programme for this year. Our Youth Forum and new Youth Leaders had a fantastic day, despite the weather, in Alive Outisde, Kilruddery. Plenty was on offer with building camp fires, taking part in water activites and creating some new friendships while starting to build confidence and leadership qualities through team building activities.
No rest for the team now as we move into October, our ongoing programmes continue while we also restart our Home Exercise Series and send a team to the inaugural Vision Impaired Rugby World Cup! Stay tuned for our October wrap up to hear all about the activities for next month.
To find out more information, or get involved in any of our programmes, please email visionsports@ncbi.ie.