from Mark Dunphy A 17-year-old cross country athlete from Kilfinane has been named the inaugural winner of the monthly Performance in Sport Award, sponsored by Limerick-based first aid and medical device specialists Fleming Medical in conjunction with Limerick Sports Partnerships.
The award scheme adjudication panel selected Scoil Pol Secondary school student Ed Valetka as the February Award winner after he finished third in the Munster Cross Country Finals and 11th overall in the All Ireland Finals. The Kilfinane Athletic Club member was presented with a First Aid Kit for his club and school, plus a €500 Voucher towards an AED Defibrillator.
Ballingarry AFC was runner up following the Junior side’s excellent league and cup run during the month of February. The club reached the last 16 of the Munster Junior Cup and the semi-final of the Premier Cup.
Open to all 700 clubs in Limerick City and County, the winners of the monthly award are decided by a committee made up of LSP staff and Fleming Medical staff. At the end of the year the monthly winners will be invited to the County Limerick Local Sports Partnership (CLLSP) annual awards ceremony where the sporting performance of the year will win an AED (provided by Fleming Medical) worth €2400, an AED training evening for 8 people worth €600 and a perpetual trophy.
According to CLLSP Coordinator, Phelim Macken: “The Performance in Sport Award recognises the valuable contribution made by sporting clubs and organisations to community life throughout Limerick. We feel that Ed Valetka is a thoroughly deserving first winner of the Award and his achievement has served as an immense source of inspiration and pride to his local community, athletics club and secondary school.”
Entries to the Performance in Sport Award must be forwarded by the clubs themselves by email to [email protected] before 1pm on the last Friday of each month before the results are published. A club can win the monthly award more than once but the overall award goes to the best sporting performance of the year and not the club who wins the most monthly awards. Winners will be published every month in the CLLSP & LCSP notes in the local media and through correspondence with Sports clubs.
For further information on the Monthly Performance in Sport Award visit www.cllsp.ie, www.limerickcitysports.ie, www.flemingmedical.ie, or email [email protected].