The Atlanta Clan na nGael camogie team travelled to Charleston and Augusta over the weekend of July 13th-14th to play games against men’s teams from each of the local clubs. Following their victory in the Peach Cup in June, this weekend proved to be fantastic preparation for the National Championships to be held in Cleveland over Labor Day weekend. This will be the first time that a camogie club has entered the the National Championships from the Southeast. As the culmination of the season gets closer, the commitment from this team has been awesome with 20+ girls attending practice games in recent weeks. Coaches Kevin Quinn and Paddy Lynch have matched that effort to ensure the team is ready for their first round clash against Seattle Gaels in Cleveland.
The girls showed great dedication to leave Atlanta at 5.30 am on Saturday morning to arrive in time to play Charleston. Following practice drills organized by Charleston, the team played two games against the lads over three hours. Having won the Tartan Day South tournament and made the Peach Cup final already in 2013, Charleston have showed the progress they have made in the short history of this club. The opportunity to play competitive hurling against this caliber of opposition will stand to Atlanta later in the summer. Afterwards the entire squad spent the afternoon on the beach for some well deserved rest and relaxation while a great time was had by all in Molly Darcy’s pub to close out the evening.
On route back to Atlanta on Sunday, the team stopped in Augusta to play a game against our rivals in the Peach State. In spite of wet conditions, both teams played the game with great spirit. The Atlanta girls displayed tremendous teamwork which stemmed from the confidence gained from their play the day before in Charleston.
More photos can be seen here with the complete squad from the weekend below:
Amanda DuShane, Jolene Glenn, Sarah Spiller, Jordan Ciciliano, Jennifer Beato, Zoe Beato, Fiona O’Donoghue, Kirsten Bendik, Rosa Manning, Bregeen Campbell, Kristin Cardell, Joy Quinn, Sinead O’Leary, Ashley Harmon, Amy Sparks, Cathi Dugger
Thanks again to our gracious neighbors in Charleston and Augusta for a great trip!