It comes as quite a shock to think that three years
have passed since I was first elected to the role of President of the
association. In that time many changes
have occurred in the sport of athletics in Ireland none more significant than
the formal merging of BLE and the NACAI to form the new national governing body
for athletics, The Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI). This development has
hopefully brought closure to the unfortunate rift that has existed for many
years in the sport in this country. It also highlights the pressing need for
the IUAA to formalise its position within the new Irish athletic fraternity.
As my three year term as President comes to a close
today this report is written to serve two purposes;
(i)
to
report briefly on the past 2001 - 2002 season
(ii)
to
give some personal comments on my three years as President and try based on the
sweeping changes taking place put them into context
2001 - 2002
Season
The past year saw a healthy degree of balance return
to our team championships. University of Limericks 2001 dominance was curbed to
the extent that this year we had the pleasure of welcoming Trinity ladies back
to the top of the winners rostrum with their first ever team win in the Indoor
Championships and their first Cross Country team title since 1984. DUHAC also
picked up the overall cross-country trophy 'The Badger' in Coleraine thanks to
a solid performance by their men's team. In Colraine that day the men from
Queens also re took possession of the ‘Fox’ after a seven year absence.
Trinity's victories proved popular as it is 16 years since DUHAC have had the
pleasure of bringing some silverware back to the ‘Pav’. In fact it was 17 years
ago that Trinity ladies last won a cross-country/ track & field double. The
final team title of the year was decided in Cork IT last April and ensured the
addition of a new name to the Multi-Event trophy when UCG broke UL's dominance
of the event with a well deserved win.
Over the year our championship hosts again provided
the participant colleges with superbly organised events and certainly
maintained the high standard of professionalism and organisation that we
sometimes, I feel, take for granted. We are indebted each year to the host
colleges and their commitment to ensuring that the championships are run
efficiently. In particular can I specially mention the three sports officers in
CIT, led by Eithne Lydon who last April despite the awful weather organised a
top class event. As always we are equally indebted to all those officials and
helpers who came out in every type of weather to ensure that our athletes were
provided with properly officiated events. On behalf of the executive can I say
a big thank you to each and every one.
Last year provided many high points but also
presented its fair share of difficult decisions for the executive. The thorny
issues of athlete eligibility, guesting in the championships and interpretation
of rules arose at different times. Can I reassure you that the members of the
IUAA executive worked hard to deal with each of these occurrences in as fair
and objective a manner as possible in the circumstances. It was unfortunate
that some of these difficult decisions led to the resignation of our PRO during
the Track & Field championships in Cork.
We also had an unfortunate
incident at the Track & Field meal, when the team trophies were stolen from
the University of Limerick tables. The fact that one of the missing trophies
has yet to be returned to the trophy cabinet in UL makes one ponder on the
wisdom of allowing winning colleges to keep the trophies after the formal
presentation. Today in our constitutional review we have an opportunity to
spend some time exploring and rectifying some of the anomalies in the
constitution and rules of competition that have come to light over the past
three years. However we must be endeavour to move beyond our individual college
biases and look at how we can work to improve and develop third level athletics
in its broadest sense.
The highlight of the year for me came at the Celtic
International in Antrim in June when the IUAA men and women’s teams combined to
win the overall trophy for only the second time in our history. The athletes
who participated in Antrim did so with a passion that proved infectious and in
the end got their just rewards for their endeavours. Cora O’Reilly (TCD) and
Tony Lilly (CIT) were inspirational captains on the night providing a catalyst
for the success that was to follow. The only negative on the night was the
absence of any UL students on either team; those selected preferring to travel
to Birmingham to compete in an invitational club meet.
1999 - 2002: A
three-year journey
The IUAA has over the past three years has continued
to develop and is now in my opinion a more stable and progressive organisation.
A brief look at the initiatives that have taken place during those three years
illustrates the amount of work and time that has gone into improving the
infrastructure and processes that make the various championship events run
smoothly. The following initiatives undertaken in the last three years
illustrate that progression. They form the basis of some of the key
developments that have moved us forward to embrace all third level students and
to ensure that we are constantly challenging and looking for new and better
ways of doing things.
1999/2000
·
All
third level colleges on the island of Ireland become eligible to affiliate,
vote and compete as equals in IUAA championships
2000/2001
·
The
IUAA executive produce booklets on 'How to organise an Inter-Varsity Athletics
Championship'. These are updated annually and made available to host colleges
·
The
Johnson-Wadsworth Journal's, the IUAA’s new newsletter is successfully launched
·
A
Web based on line entry system for IUAA championships is successfully launched
2001/2002
·
A
formal meeting is held with representatives from AAI to clarify the IUAA's
position within the new athletics governing body
·
A
Web based registration system for affiliate colleges is successfully
implemented
·
The
associations web site is revamped and now contains more information and results
There have been many changes within the organisation
over the past three years particularly in terms of the number of affiliated
colleges and participants in our championships. Numbers have been steadily
increasing putting a strain on our resources and finances. This growth of our
participant base has always been a priority for me and has I know made it
difficult at times for the association to continue functioning effectively.
However I continue to believe that the benefits we will achieve by aspiring to
represent athletics in all legitimate third level institutions greatly
outweighs the perceived difficulties. Can I take this opportunity to thank all
of my fellow executive members for their support and help during my time as
President and for giving me the opportunity to pursue this vision. Can I also
thank you the athletes for the support and enthusiasm you give to the
Inter-Varsity championships. It is your unique contribution that continues to
makes them the success they are. In athletic terms the Irish Inter-Collegiate
championships were preceded, in Ireland, only by the Dublin University Foot Races
in 1857 and as you know this year we celebrate the 130th anniversary
of the first championships in 1873.
Finally when I reflect it is the athletic highlights
both individual and team during my tenure as President that I will remember
most. To mention them all would fill many pages. However there are a few that
on a personal basis come to mind as particularly memorable.
·
Katrinia
Campbell's (QUB) unprecedented ninth consecutive ladies javelin title
·
UCC
men's cross country team equalling the record of five team titles in a row
·
UL
supreme dominance when winning 10 out of the 11 team titles on offer in 2001
·
The
ladies from our oldest club, TCD, returning to winning ways in last years
Indoor championships
·
Eileen
O'Keeffe's (AIT) new national senior record of 59.44m in the hammer in 2002
·
The
performance of the IUAA men's and women's teams in Antrim last June
Looking ahead I hope to remain on the executive in
my capacity as Immediate Past President and will endeavour to support my
successor in any way I can. I still have a personal vision of what I believe
the association should aspire to and would hope to be given an opportunity to
explore these ideas further over the coming two to three years. For instance I
believe there are opportunities for the association to develop stronger
international links. I also have plans for developing a ‘Hall of Fame’ for
honouring past greats. All in all I believe there is still much to do. Many
thanks for all your help to date.
Eric
Brady, Honorary President IUAA 1999 – 2002