Credit where credit is due

The Trinity Sports Scholarship Awards, took place in the Dining Hall on Thursday 19th January, an evening of recognition for Trinity’s best sportsmen and women

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The award of the Trinity Sports Scholarship took place in the Dining Hall last Thursday evening, recognising some of the hardest-working and most talented sportspeople the college has to offer. The 66 sports scholarship recipients, family members and coaches filled the dining hall in what was an excellent evening, with excitement and enthusiasm surrounding the event.

The first part of the evening was taken up by College Communications staff taking pictures of each of the athletes, dressed the part in respective club or college kit. Trinity Sport were very active on social media on the night, as they filled Twitter and Snapchat with images of the athletes enjoying the awards. Following the photos, the scholars and others in attendance were welcomed into the hall itself for the awards ceremony.  The hall was wonderfully decorated, and, with the exceptional food and  wine to indulge in, there was a fine ambiance as those present milled about chatting for about an hour before being seated for the ceremony.

Matthew Dossett, College’s deputy head of sport, kicked off the hosting duties for the formal portion of the evening, before welcoming Michelle Tanner, head of sport, onto the stage. Tanner’s spoke mostly of praise for the recipients of the scholarships, her appreciation of their hard work and how well they represented the college, and acknowledgement of the self-discipline and motivation required to reach the level of performance expected of a sports scholar.

Heather McArdle, Manager of Bank of Ireland’s College branch,afterwards gave a speech of similar praise and appreciation. There as the representative of Trinity Sport’s primary sponsor, McArdle is a prominent athlete in her own right, and offered an insider’s perspective on the work required to maintain one’s high standards.

Dossett then invited each recipient to the podium to receive a customised sports scholar t-shirt in recognition of their achievements, in conjunction with the recipients of the Trevor West Scholarship. This particular scholarship is awarded to several students for their outstanding contributions to sport in the college, both in their performance and their work for promotion of sport in college and is in memory of Trinity sporting legend Timothy Trevor West, who died  in 2012.

The t-shirts were presented individually on stage by Tanner and McArdle, and after each recipient was photographed showing off their printed name on the t-shirt. Despite a few typos, this was marked by much applause and was followed by the guest speaker, Moira O’Brien. O’Brien is a leading figure in osteoporosis treatment and was medical officer to the Irish Olympic Team at the Moscow, Los Angeles and Seoul Olympics, having been extremely involved in sport during her many years working in College.

O’Brien spoke insightfully, offering advice to the athletes in attendance and placing emphasis on the particulars required for success. O’Brien acknowledged the fantastic work done by College in providing resources for the each recipient to achieve the greatest level of performance at their sport.

The evening was wrapped up by Tanner who wished to express her gratitude to all those in attendance, as well as those who work so hard to provide for the college and its athletes. This marked the end of the ceremony and the crowd dispersed to enjoy the last of the refreshment and to pose for a final few photographs before the hall emptied. It was another year of the sports scholarships awards, an exceptional evening for the college, and a well-earned night of recognition for some of College’s top sportspeople.