On the evening of May 7th, a crowd of excited Trinity athletes and club members entered the Dining Hall to attend a ceremony in recognition of their sporting talents and contribution to college life.
There were 50 extraordinary and dedicated Trinity athletes and club members nominated for twelve awards.
The University Times spoke to some award winners to hear about their achievements.
Lee Pearson received the award for sports person of the year. Lee, a Gaelic footballer on the Offaly senior team and a player for TCD GAA who helped the team reach the Trench Cup final and win the second division league with Trinity, was also nominated for the award last year.
“I was very proud to win such a prestigious award. To get that level of recognition from the college is great, and a nice way to finish up my time at the college as an undergraduate. I was equally delighted for the team at TCD GAA as much as I was for myself to collect the award. It’s as much a reflection of their hard work and effort as it is my own.” Lee tells me.
Lee is also involved in the “learn to play GAA” programme which gives international students the opportunity to learn the skills of the game.
In fact, Rory Ardill-Walker, an international student and the recipient of the award for club member of the year, started his involvement in Trinity Sport through this programme.
He says to me that the programme felt like “the perfect way to dip my toe in Irish culture.”
Rory is enormously involved with the activities of Trinity Sport, such as five-a-side and tag rugby, and thoroughly believes that the plethora of events hosted by the organisation allows people to make life long friendships. He is of the opinion that this “is a testament to the wonderful spirit of community engendered in the trinity sport mission”.
Jane Prendergast, an avid Trinity rower, has won the Women in Sport Champion Award. It is her view that “Sport has been a massive part of my life since I was very young”. She is delighted to be involved in uplifting the women’s sporting community in college, and she believes there is a responsibility on all of us to give back when we can.
Trinity Squash Club won the award for the most inclusive club. I spoke to their captain, Sarah Jane Smith, to find out more about the club and its inclusivity. She states that “We’ve worked really hard to create a space where everyone feels welcome, supported, and valued, regardless of gender, background, or experience level.”
This year, the club had a higher number of female players than any other university at intervarsities, and they fielded two women’s league teams for the first time ever, many of whom were completely new to squash. “Our women’s first division team even went on to win the entire league, which was an incredible moment for the club,” Sarah Jane tells me.
Trinity Squash club set up a six-week professional coaching programme for women, and organised taster sessions and exhibition matches for Women in Sport Week. This award is a reflection of certain programmes that aim to include a wider variety of people into the club. .
This year, the club has had a record number of new members and international members too, and now the club almost has a 50/50 gender split in which 48 percent of the members are women.
The Trinity Sports Awards evening is a showcase of the work undertaken by the 49 Trinity sports clubs and also its various facilities and programmes, which all create an atmosphere of solidarity and friendship amongst the college community. Whether a club has won an award or not– Trinity Sports continues to be a dynamic presence within college life.
The award recipients were:
Trinity Sport Member of the Year – Rory Ardill-Walker
Inclusive Club Award – Trinity Squash Club
Coach of the year – Dan Curran (Dublin University Boxing Club)
Alumni of the Year – Manon Nouvian-Flynn (Dublin University Fencing Club)
Volunteer of the Year – Oisin Culhane (Dublin University Rifle Club)
Club Officer of the Year – Finn Walker (Dublin University Sailing Club)
Performance of the Year – Dublin University Golf Club (Men’s Golf) for their Colours match win against UCD
Team of the Year – Women’s Basketball Varsity Team
Communications and Impact Award – Dublin University Basketball Club
Club of the Year – Dublin University Fencing Club
Women in Sport Champion – Jane Prendergast
Sports Person of the Year – Lee Pearson
