There goes another busy year for Athletics Wexford. Then again, in Planet Athletics every year is a busy year. That counts for both athletes and those that make athletics happen – the coaches, the officials and the parents. When God, or man, invented volunteerism he had athletics in mind! For those that eat, sleep and dream athletics the year is mapped out in a way that ensures you are never allowed wander too far from the zone. If you do you get yanked back into line pretty sharpish. For now, however, as the old year draws to a close, there is a small window of down time.
Seriously though, it has been a pretty good year for Wexford Athletics. There may be things happening in the greater athletics firmament that none of us particularly likes but that does not stop us doing what we do. Coaches will still coach, administrators will still administer and athletes will still train and compete. And dream.
There are young athletes in clubs throughout the county who simply love their sport. They love the buzz they get from training, the rush they get from competing and the craic they have with their mates. There are those among them who, while they have all of those traits, want to take it to a higher level. There is a desire to win at all costs, to be the best, to identify so closely with their chosen discipline that it becomes a part of their very DNA. Here’s the thing: those kids dream. Big dreams. Maybe deep down every kid is like this.
If you are a coach or, indeed, a parent you are already aware of the huge part you play in steering those in your charge along. Sometimes you push, other times you restrain. You set realistic targets. You keep half an eye out for stuff that may act as a distraction. And, all the time, you make sure that the fun never goes out of it. What’s the net result of all this effort? A very small number of your athletes may achieve great things, but every one of them will have learned valuable lessons which will stand to them for life.
So here’s to the dreamers of big dreams, those whose dreams come true, and those who are happy to take it as it comes.