The inaugural Marion Lane Short Course swimming Gala was held 16/17th June to celebrate the life and legacy of Tallaght Swim Team coach Marion who sadly passed away on the 23rd March 2017. The gala held at Tallaght Community School Sports Complex attracted 20 teams, 278 swimmers, 978 individual entries and 32 relay entries in 40 different events. The competitive, but friendly spirit in which the event took pace was exactly the ethos Marion instilled in the thousands of swimmers she taught over 35 years.
Tallaght Swim Team prides itself on innovation. This year, in a first for a club gala in Ireland, the event was streamed live over YouTube, with the feed restricted to parents of swimmers taking part in the event. Two cameras captured the action and scoreboards, and 135 parents registered to view the races.
The first ever Marion Lane Memorial trophy race was for Girls aged 9-12 in 200m medley relay, which was won by Tallaght Swim Team. Overall Tallaght Swim Team won 80 medals, with 41 golds, 25 silver, and 14 bronze. More importantly, the swim team achieved 73 seasons’ best performances.
Tallaght News was one of the gala sponsors, Anthony Russell Sales Director at Newsgroup added “We at Tallaght News were delighted to support Tallaght Swim Team and their annual gala, it is a fantastic celebration of Marion and her legacy. Well done to Tallaght Swim Team, the committee, Tallaght Sports Complex and of course the visiting teams!”
Andrew Auld (Club’s Childrens Officer ) said “It’s great that so many companies sponsored the gala. Without the income from the Gala, Tallaght Swim Team couldn’t continue.”
Next years Gala is already in the planning stages, and is provisionally taking place on in June 2019.
If you would like to become a member of the Tallaght Swim Team or would like more information please contact Elaine on 0874110802
