Rousing welcome home for Portarlington Winter Olympians
PORTARLINGTON turned out in force to welcome home its Winter Olympics bobsleigh competitor, Aoife Hoey, who was honoured along with her sister Siobhan with a parade through the town on Sunday.
Aoife piloted the Irish Bobsleigh team, along with team-mate Claire Bergin, in the women's bobsleigh competition in which they achieved a very creditable 17th place finish at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in recent weeks.
Having been a renowned athlete herself, Siobhan put her experience of top competition participation in athletics and bobsleigh events to good use, as she was chef de mission - team manager - for the Irish Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics team.
The event on Sunday was organised to raise funds to defray the considerable costs involved in competing at such a high level for which specialised equipment doesn't come cheaply. The bobsleigh alone costs €25,000 while specialised footwear can cost anything up to €2,000.
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SEE ALSO
Irish athlete's delight at Winter Olympic Bobsleigh performance
Top 20 finish for Irish bobsleigh team at Winter Olympics
Olympic success is a national triumph
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Speakers at Sunday's event included Siobhan Hoey, along with Joe Dwyer, chairman of the homecoming committee and also the original fundraising committee which was set up to back the Hoey sisters and their dream of competing at the Winter Olympics. MC for the occasion was homecoming committee PRO Willie Murphy.
The commitment and dedication of Aoife and Siobhan was acknowledged by Mr O'Dwyer.
"They were outstanding track and field athletes before they took up the bobsleigh," Mr O'Dwyer said of their many success in a number of disciplines including long jump, triple jump, shot putt etc.
He said their dedication went back many years to when their father had turned a field at the back of their house at Droughill into a "sports arena" where they could train. "In my lifetime I never say two such committed athletes," he said. He said he often thought of whether athletes were born or nurtured and had come to the conclusion that it was the latter, due to the encouragement given by the Hoey's parents.
He also questioned how the Irish Bobsleigh team isn't categorised for elite athlete funding, pointing out that they are constantly improving their times.
He added that the Irish bobsleigh team competed in a basic bobsleigh while American and Canadian teams had bobsleighs built by Ferrari and Mercedez Benz respectively. He urged local businesses to provide financial backing for the athletes so they could compete on a level footing with teams with greater financial clout and superior equipment.
While a number of teams pulled out of making their last runs due to the speed of the track at the Whistler Sliding Centre, he noted that the Irish team was undaunted by the very fast track which was the subject of much debate and also one fatality during a practice run in the luge category.
Speaking to the Leinster Express after the Irish team finished its participation, Siobhan described their performance as "phenomenal". She added that qualification for the event was the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication, and a ten year plan.
The chef de mission said they were delighted the women's bobsleigh team had captured the imagination of the Irish public. "There has been a lot of negativity in the country with recession etc. People need something exciting and something different to focus on and it does appear that people did latch on to the story," Ms Hoey said.
The parade began at Portarlington Leisure Centre and made its way to the GAA Centre where a large crowd had gathered. The parade was led off by St Patrick's Boys NS Band, with pride of place going to the boy scouts and the Portarlington Special Olympics.
The Hoey family members were understood to have been delighted with the response and turn-out from their home town.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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