GAELS NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS – January 2020
Happy 2020! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season and had an opportunity to spend some quality time with family and friends.
What a busy and fun month the Ottawa Gaels just had! Five new Foundation Level Certified Camogie Coaches, our Youth Awards Evening, some members from the Executive attended the O’Neills CGAA Development Day & AGM in Montreal and our Christmas Social. Thank you to all our volunteers who contributed to making all the events so successful!
A special thank you to all of Santa’s little helpers who donated or volunteered in assembling the shoeboxes at the Christmas Social and for the donations to the Food Bank. St. Mary’s was delighted to receive six boxes from the Ottawa Gaels. This is the first year they have organized shoeboxes for the men at the home and they were overjoyed to receive the boxes to hand out at Christmas.
A little story about the shoeboxes:
I was carrying a bunch of the shoeboxes from my car and stopped off in the drugstore in my office building to pick up additional items for the boxes. The cashier had a huge smile on her face when I walked in and asked me if the shoeboxes were for the shoebox project. I answered that they were and she had tears in her eyes. She went on to say that three years ago she was in a women’s shelter in Ottawa and had received one of the shoeboxes on Christmas morning. I obviously was in tears at this point. She expressed that receiving such a gift on Christmas morning from complete strangers made her feel so much appreciation and gratitude for the kindness in the world that she couldn’t even describe it. She said that all of the women in the shelter were overjoyed by the thoughtfulness of the shoebox project. She was now crying and I obviously was a teary mess asking for tissues.
All this to say, every little bit counts in this world. The Ottawa Gaels are a giving group, so let’s keep it going for 2020. What we do for our community is significant and it makes a difference. As my kids like to tell me… being “kind is kool”.
Lastly, a mention of congratulations to Michelle Wright who was married on December 18, 2019 and Lisa Wright who just recently got engaged. All the best to you both!
Upcoming Events & Activities for Ottawa Gaels
Free Introductory Gaelic Football Skills Sessions
Come one, come all!!! On January 26, February 2nd and February 9th from 6pm – 7pm, the Ottawa Gaels will host free Introductory Skills Sessions at La Fonderie Centre Multisport (211 Rue Montcalm, Gatineau).
These Intro sessions are open to all ladies & men and will focus on learning how to play Gaelic Football and developing the skills associated with it. If you know anyone that may be interested in participating, please encourage them to come out & get involved! For further information, please e-mail coaching@ottawagaels.ca.
Senior Men’s Winter Sessions
Senior Men’s Winter training just started on Thursday, January 9th, and will continue until the first week of May. Sessions will be held every Thursday (with the exception of March 19th) at D. Roy Kennedy Public School (919 Woodroffe Ave) from 7:45pm -9:15pm.
The sessions will consist of fitness and core work, gaelic skills and games. The cost for 17 weeks will cost $50 or $5 for drop in. If you are interested in participating or would like further information, please contact mensfootball@ottawagaels.ca
Senior Ladies Winter Sessions
Over the Winter, our Senior Ladies will be holding a Superleague which will begin on Sunday February 16h and will continue every Sunday until April 5th inclusive. The games will be held at La Fonderie Centre Multisport (211 Rue Montcalm, Gatineau) from 6pm – 7pm (except on March 15th & 29th where games will be from 3pm – 4pm). The cost for 8 weeks is $65. For further information or to sign up, please contact ladiesfootball@ottawagaels.ca.
During the off season, our ladies will also continue their workouts at Final Round Boxing Gym (2487 Kaladar Ave). Our boxing classes are a great workout and a fantastic way to keep fit. Fun is always guaranteed! We are currently recruiting new participants! Everyone is welcome – senior ladies & men, youth parents, alumni, friends, etc. Classes are on Mondays from 7pm – 8pm and will begin on January 13. If you are interested in joining in, please contact vicechairperson@ottawagaels.ca.
Youth Program
A multi sports program is in the works to run at Naismith MPS in Almonte on Mondays commencing on January 20thto March 10th, 2020. Sports to include Gaelic, hurling/camogie, floor hockey, volleyball and basketball. Ideally, we are looking to run two groups (grades 3-5 & grades 6-9). The cost will be $50 per child. For more details, please contact Almonte@ottawagaels.ca.
More details to follow for winter training for the youth. Stay tuned.
Alumni Event
New, old or never played, doesn’t matter! On Saturday, January 18th at 7pm at the Heart & Crown on Preston, come out for a fun social evening with the Ottawa Gaels. Guest appearance by Sean Harte, our very own Canadian Gaelic Athletic Association (CGAA) Chairperson. Sean is in town for the evening and would love to share a pint with you and chat about the CGAA. Hope to see you there!
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Ottawa Gaels Blood Donation Day
Mark your calendars for Saturday, February 1st & rally your family and friends for the Ottawa Gaels blood donation day! Our goal is to have 15 donors. We will start the day with breakfast at the Heart & Crown (353 Preston Street) and then make our way over to the Ottawa Donor Centre (1575 Carling Avenue). Donation time slots range from 12:05pm – 12:30pm in 5 minute intervals. Even if you don’t want to or can’t donate, you’re encouraged to come entertain those who are!
Eligibility requirements for donating blood can be found here: https://blood.ca/en/blood/am-i-eligible. (**Also see below). Some who aren’t eligible to donate blood due to recent travel may be eligible to donate plasma instead.
If you are interested in signing up or participating, please e-mail ladiesfootball@ottawagaels.ca.
Save the Date – Roast for Pat Kelly’s 70th Birthday
When: Saturday, April 11th 2020 from 7:00 to 10:00 pm
Where: Heart & Crown downtown (Mother McGintey’s)
Why: ‘Cuz it’s Pat and he can handle a few jokes
Cost: TBD – Funds raised will be forthe Ottawa Gaels Youth Program
More details to follow.
Community Partner Events
Referee Certification Course in Montreal – Jan 17/18
Our friends at Montreal Shamrocks will be hosting a refereeing certification course for Gaelic Football and Hurling/Camogie at the Irish Studies Department in Concordia. They have extended an invite to any of our members, youth parents or alumni who would like to attend. The Referee training course will run over two days – Friday January 17th (Hurling/Camogie) and Saturday January 18th (Men’s/Ladies football). If anyone is interested in further information or would like to participate, please contact secretary.ottawagaels.ca@gaa.ie.
St. Brigid’s Pancake Breakfast
Join us for a lively morning of music, fun and breakfast on Sunday January 12th from 10am to 12pm in the Kildare Room at St. Brigids Irish Cultural Centre (310 St. Patrick Street). An affordable breakfast (Adults $6 & Children $4) and music by some of our dedicated volunteer musicians. Food served will include Pancakes, Ham, Sausages, Home Fries, Fruit, Juice, Tea/Coffee.
The Ottawa Gaels wish you all the best for 2020! We look forward to an exciting year ahead in our club.
Cheers,
Lisa Langevin
Chairperson, Ottawa Gaels
