Nikki Alcorn went straight into the lead in the 1000m U/15 Walk and stormed her way to her first All-Ireland Championship individual Gold medal in a time of 5 minutes 17.1 seconds from Aoife O'Grady, Letterkenny A.C. in 5.45.8 and Laura Gardiner, Ennis Track A.C. in 5.49.1. Nikki was Donegal's only Gold medallist of the weekend and richly deserved her Title as she is a very dedicated athlete coached by Patsy McGonagle.

Kylie Quinn was back jumping at her best again clearing 1.50m to win the Silver medal in the U/15 High Jump and narrowly missed 1.55m. She now looks forward to the outdoor championships in July when she will be aiming to improve her p.b. and retain her National title.

Darren Kennedy competing in his first All-Ireland Championships had a tremendous race in the U/15 1000m Walk to win the Bronze medal and will be training hard for the Track & Field season ahead.

Ryan McDaid had a busy weekend and was unfortunate that the heats of the 600m clashed with his High Jump and he had to jump on very tired legs after the 600m - he jumped 1.30m which put him in joint 3rd height-wise but lost the medal on countback but, considering he has a p.b. of 1.38m, he has a lot to aim for in the season ahead. Having qualified for the 600m during the High Jump he then had the final on Sunday in which he was pipped for the Bronze medal in the run in. Later in the day he qualified for the final of the 60m in which he finished 7th. Ian Ward, Ryan's clubmate also qualified for the 600m final and finished a very creditable 6th. Shane Bonner just failed to qualify for the final of the 600m.

Ciara Masterson finished in 5th place in the U/17 Shot Putt with 9.75m. Laura Chambers was 6th in the U/15 Shot Putt with a p.b.of 9.18m and Brendan Culhane also had a p.b. in 10th place in the U/15 Shot Putt with 8.60m.

Paul McGrath finished 8th in the final of the 60m Hurdles with a p.b. of 10.56 secs. Packie Mailey was 6th in his heat of the 60m Hurdles in 11.16.

Frances Galbraith finished 11th in the U/15 Long Jump. Shane McCool did very well in the U/13 Long Jump jumping 3.83m while Laura Friel also competing in her first National Championships did very well in the U/13 High jump.

The U/12 relay team of Lorcan McMenamin, Karl Bradley, Christopher O'Leary and Pauric McLaughlin ran very well to qualify for the final eight but were unfortunate not to make the final four in a very fast semi-final but will have gained a lot from the experience.

The U/16 relay team of Joe McGinley, Matthew Larkin, Seamus McMenamin and Pauric Feely were perhaps one of the most unlucky teams of the day after qualfying through the heats and then the semi-finals into the final four with the 2nd fastest time overall behind Listowel had a mishap with the baton and saw their medals slip away. But like all the best teams they will be back!

Thanks to the coaches, Bernie Alcorn, Evelyn Crampsie, Christine Feely and parents Richard Alcorn, Brid McMenamin, Celine Friel, Gemma Bradley and Sam Ward who looked after the athletes at the weekend.

This weekend our young athletes will be returning to Nenagh for the second part of the Championships which will involve the U/12 to U/18 and relays. Bus leaving the Finn Valley Centre at 2.00 p.m. on Friday. Good luck to all.

Valley compete in National Senior and Veteran Relay Championships

Finn Valley's Senior and Veteran Men and Veteran Ladies traveled to Dublin last weekend to compete in the All Ireland Relay Championships.

Valley's veteran men finished second team with Dominick Bonner scoring the fastest time for his lap. Pat Hegarty and Seamus Kerr was the other members of the team.

Valley's veteran women finished 4^th and senior men 6^th.

The club wish to congratulate all their athletes who have qualified for All Ireland Community Games Cross Country championships. Eilish Patton, Brian Patton and Jodie Stewart from Balleybofey area. Shauna Guthrie, Natasha Duffy Convoy area. Ian Ward, Jackie Gibson Castlefinn area. Maurice Boyle Rosses area and Enda Doherty Letterkenny area. Best of luck to all in the finals.

Valley now look to next weekends competitions with their senior and veteran athletes traveling to Navan to compete in the National 10K road championships.

All primary schools please note that Area Primary Schools Track and Field championships will take place on 14^th and 15^th of May. Donegal Primary Schools Finals will take place on June 6^th.

Finn Valley are holding two coaching courses over the next two weekends. The first course is on Saturday 13^th April. This is a S.A.Q (Speed, Agility and Quickness) course and will be directed by Jim Kilty. The course will start at 10am and finish 5pm. Anyone interested in coaching athletics or team sports are welcome to attend.

The second course will be held on Saturday 20^th April. This course is Introduction To Coaching. Already 15 club members have committed to attend this course. If anyone is interested they should give their names immediately to Patsy McGonagle.

Club developments are still ongoing and it is hoped that work will commence shortly on the grass pitch to the rear of the club.