Canoe polo players win first international trophy
Mullingar Harbour Canoe Polo Club created its own little bit of history earlier this month when it claimed its first international honour at a tournament in Lithuania.
Around 35 club members made the trip to the city of Alytus to compete in a tournament with teams from the Ukraine, Poland, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
In total, four of the club's teams (women's, U17 and two U14 teams) competed in the tournament which was held in coach Rimvydas Insoda's home town.
All of the teams gave a good account of themsleves throughout the tournament, with each of the teams improving with each game. The tournament was particularly memborable for the members of the U14 Tangerine Team, which finished third in their division and came home with the club's first international trophy for their efforts on the water.
Mentor Ivan McDonald told the Westmeath Examiner that the trip was a great experience for all of the club's members, but especially the 25 junior members.
“They each played three games and it was also great for them to see some of the stronger teams from other countries in action.”
The club are preparing to return to outdoor training in the coming weeks at Mullingar Harbour. Throughout the winter the club has to travel to the swimming pool in Edenderry due to the capacity issues at Mullingar swimming pool.
Ivan says that facilities in Alytus, a small city about twice the size of Mullingar, are better than those in many of Ireland's larger cities.
“The 50m pool is in an incredible sports facility, which also has a basketball stadium that can hold a few thousand people.”
He also added that the trip wouldn't have gone ahead if it wasn't for coach Rimvydas, who is a huge asset to the club.
“He lives in Monaghan and we are extremelly fortunate to have him - he volunteers to travel to Mullingar every week to coach the kids in Mullingar. He grew up in Lithuania and moved to Ireland 20 years ago but still has strong links to the canoe polo community in Lithuania.”