The DC Gaels held their annual Awards Night last weekend to wrap up the 2019 season and get the 2020 season kicked off. Many congrats to the winners of the Players of the Year and our Club Person of the Year! Read on to see the winners!
We started out with the Player of the Year for the intermediate hurling squad. The intermediate hurlers had a strong 2019 season, winning their division and getting to final at the USGAA Finals in Leesburg. The winner has been at almost every match the team played and is usually good for ten odd points or so, if not more. But more than that, he's always a proper team man, taking time to show newer players the ropes and always being good craic. Although he wasn't present to accept his trophy, the intermediate hurling player of the year is Shane Feehan!
Next up was the Junior C hurling squad. Having two full squads of hurlers was a welcome change and helped all new players get some playing time to go along with the hard work they put in at training. The winner is in the first year with the club. Besides being a strong player on the field, he’s also a regular fixture in training and always there for a good word and some positive attitude to keep people going on. The Junior C hurling player of the year is Brendan O’Leary!
Then it was onto camogie! A somewhat recent transplant to the DC area, this player has also made an outsize impact on their squad. She’s at almost every game, almost every training, and at plenty of the extra puckarounds as well! Never afraid to put in the shoulder and lay into a challenge, the camogie Player of the Year is Sophie Friedl!
Onto the football, then, first up was men's footballer of the year. After a few difficult injuries, this player came back and still played an essential role in his squad, as a player and in a leadership position. The men's football Player of the Year is Glenn Cryan!
Next up was ladies' football. This player stepped into a leadership role this year, helping to run training sessions when the usual coaches were busy planning nationals. The ladies' football Player of the Year was Summar Corley! She wasn't there to accept the trophy, so fellow footballer Christina took it on her behalf.
Last, but certainly not least was the Club Person of the Year Award. This player has always been an integral part of our club, showing up early to training to get everything set up, coaching new players, and being an all around proper club man. The Club Person of the Year is Patrick McCabe!
Many thanks to the Four Courts in Arlington for hosting us, to Kevin Kingston for taking photos on the night, and to John Blackburn for shooting the video.
The audio isn't exceptional, but you can watch the whole proceeding below: