From Maeve I gained my love of statistics which I suppose has led me to being here tonight. She is the ultimate role model in showing athletes that our sport is not just a pastime of youth but an enduring passion which can give a lifetimes enjoyment. She was a pioneer in every way in veteran athletics having set a series of British and World age group records some of which survive today.
Rarely do three athletes of the calibre of Hopkins, Peters and Kyle appear on the same small stage. While their entrances and exits spanned a period of four decades their roles often co-incided. On one such occasion at the Northern Ireland Championships in 1964 they played all the parts but one with Gay Porter, herself the holder of 19 Northern Ireland Titles and three all Irelands, having to be content with a walk on part in the Javelin. Thirty years later all of the performances on that day would be good enough to challenge for medals.
Another occasion was the Commonwealth Games of 1958 in Cardiff. As someone who has travelled as Coach with several NI Womens teams on the usual shoestring budget it is not unknown for non specialist sprinters to be recruited to make up the relay team. 1958 was no exception and since there were only four ladies on the team selection was simple. Thus it was that jumper Hopkins, thrower Peters and sprinter Kyle were joined by Javelin thrower Bridget Robinson to finish a not surprising last in the 4 x 100 heats. However following a disqualification this unique quartet found themselves in the final where they finished – last again. It is interest to observe that the times posted by these ladies 42 years ago was 50.0 and 50.3. An interesting challenge perhaps for Ursula Fay, Eva Massey, Vicki Jamison and Alison Moffitt the modern day equivalents to consider next season.
I propose to sum up at this stage. The more I looked at the subject the more I realised the number of people who were being left out. In the In the 51 Championships held since 1950 there have just under 600 titles won by 204 different athletes, one sixth of them won by just three individuals.
Great sprint champions like Joan Atkinson who won World Student Games Medals in 1960 in times which no one broke this season: Linda McCurry who won 15 sprint titles including the memorable treble in 1980 and more recently Stephanie O’Connell/ McCann who took the treble on three occasions in the 90’s to finish with 14 titles; the era of the High Jumper’s with Wendy Phillips, Janet Boyle, Sharon McPeake, Ursula Fay and Debbie McDowell clearing heights we have not seen for years: hurdlers like Judith Rodgers who went to three Commonwealth Games and won eight local hurdles titles as well as 200 metres Gold; middle distance stars like Adrienne Lynch / Smyth with 15 titles at 100/200/400 and 800 who went to the Commonwealth Games in 1970 in Edinburgh on a time of 2:10 and came back as the Northern Ireland Record Holder with 2;6 the fifth fastest at the Games yet failed to make the final:
Throwers of the calibre of Pauline Holbrook and of course the two girls who have dominated throwing for the last decade Jackie McKernan and Alison Moffitt with 40 titles between them and who would bet against more to come. |
