IRISH CALL-UP FOR KERRI
SIXTEEN year old Kerri McDonald has been included in an Ireland U17 squad of 16 players taking part in the inaugral Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
Kerri, who plays for Dromore Ladies, currently represents Ireland and Ulster at U18 level.
She has been attending a series of 12 Training Camps from January to July, culminating in an assessment day for the Games squad at UCD Dublin. It included a training camp in Holland over Easter when the Irish U18 team played a number of games against a local Netherlands club.
She has also played in several U18 games - the three games against Belgium on June 28-30 and a series of matches against Scotland.
Kerri has just competed in the annual U18 Home Nations tournament against England, Scotland and Wales at Cork earlier this month where Ireland under 18 girls won the series.
During the games, which runs from August 9-24 August, Ireland will be playing against South Korea, New Zealand, Netherlands, South Africa and Argentina .
The intensity and discipline required by the girls in the selection process has been summarised by David Passmore, who is Irish Hockey's High Performance Director.
"This was an immensely difficult selection process that included trials and many hours of video reviews," he said.
"This young group has a lot of potential and the Youth Olympic tournament represents a superb stage for them to develop and perform. It will be a challenging event requiring high fitness levels.In addition , the intensity of play along with the varying playing styles we will encounter will make it even more demanding."
Kerri's success on the hockey field is a testament to the dedication and development policy of the coaching personnel within Dromore Ladies Hockey Club which has been responsible for a number of young players gaining places with Ulster teams over the recent years.
The opportunity to compete at the World Youth Olympic games in Singapore, which has been provided by the Olympic Council of Ireland, is the pinnacle of a successful number of years for Kerri.
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Weather for Banbridge
Friday 10 February 2012
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Light rain
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