Hurling 365
Its 7.55 a.m. as Mr. Sheehan hops out of the car to open up the school gates. But he’s not the first person present; there are already a cluster of children with hurls pushed through their helmets as they stand under a cloud of warm breath on a crisp spring morning in the sunny South- East.
Eagerness to learn is their reason for being an hour early but not the conventional lessons. Their school under the stewardship of their teacher, club volunteers and Willie Cleary the Wexford GAA coach, they are part-taking in Hurling 365, an initiative that aims to get children active every single day.
The children are facilitated in their quest by three massive pillars from within their community- the teachers, parents and club coaches. A nurturing environment they are familiar with, people invested in the youth and games, and activities are founded in fun!
So how exactly does it work? Well any child from Senior Infants to Sixth class who wants to can sign-up. Depending on logistics the children will have an hour of hurling and fundamental activities before the school bell sounds.
The burden of equipment is spread between the school, club and county board. As Mr. Sheehan reminisces about the programme he recalls the ‘Helmet Drive’ as the initiative was in its infancy in Crossabeg National School- ‘ The community were a massive help to us, when we asked for old spare helmets at the beginning we were overwhelmed, people just wanted to help and the helmets just kept coming.’
What of the impact of Hurling 365? Indeed the community involvement didn’t stop with helmets. Club volunteers were taking turns on their way to work. Parents ditto. They very quickly saw the far-reaching benefits.
Teachers were now trained to Level 1 Coaching in hurling. The community and the school were together investing in their future. The school were equipped with coaching paraphernalia that could be used across the P.E. curriculum including goals. The local club Crossabeg Ballymurn were engaging the children. They were breaking down the number one reason children leave sport- lack of connections.
The children were daily building on the skills they were acquiring. Confidence grew. They were increasing alertness in class and readiness to learn. And they were reducing tardiness!
‘We knew it was going to benefit the kids but the extent of it was astonishing. We had over 80 children here in the mornings. We even had novelty mornings where the kids would play against the local senior players- their heroes here hurling with them. And other mornings where they would hurl in fancy-dress at Halloween. ‘
Hurling 365 has gone from strength to strength throughout Wexford and it is certainly reaping the seeds this programme has sewn throughout the county. The Hurling 365 flag is an extra incentive for schools as it can be seen flying beside green flags and active flags in schools in the region. Would it work in your school, club or community? Giving children a daily routine of exercise and fostering a love of our national games.
See http://rackardleague.com/hurling-365-initiative/
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Thanks to Mr. Joe Sheehan.