All Ireland Juvenile Indoor Championships

Congratulations to Brendan Solarin, who secured an impressive third place in the long jump at the recent All Ireland Juvenile Indoor Championships in Athlone. Brendan’s dedication and hard work have paid off, making him one of the top young athletes in the country. Despite only being involved in athletics for a few months, Brendan has already made remarkable progress. He recorded a jump of 6.15 meters in the long jump, ran 7.41 seconds in the 60 meters, and clocked an impressive 11.5 seconds in the 100 meters. Even with these outstanding achievements, Brendan remains determined to improve even further. To compete at such a high level in long jump, Brendan follows a rigorous training routine. He focuses on gym work, particularly plyometrics and particulary plyometrics and isometric work , a training method that enhances explosiveness and leg muscle, combined with weightlifting. On the track, he refines his run-up, take-off, leg shoot, high knees, and landing techniques. His precise approach includes a specific run-up of 93 baby steps with two skips, a method that helps him optimize his performance. Brendan’s recent success came with another pleasant surprise -  his performance was so strong that his score would have placed him second in the U19 category, effectively making him the second-best U19 long jumper in Ireland as well as the third-best U18 athlete. Brendan's recent accomplishments in track and field show that he is a true all-around athlete with a bright future ahead. Congratulations once again to Brendan on his fantastic achievement. We look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next!

Recommended Reading for Easter

Senior

• Adichie, N.C. – Americanah

• Barnes, Jennifer – The Naturals

• Barry, Sebastian – Days Without End

• Brooks, Nick – Promise Boys

• Clack, A.J. – Lie or Die

• Dawson, Juno – Proud

• Donoghue, Emma – Room

• Gautreaux, Tim – The Next Step in the Dance

• Herman, Charles – The Devouring Gray

• Jackson, Holly – A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

• Keegan, Claire – Foster

• Mathias, Tracey – Night of the Party

• Ness, Patrick – Monsters of Men

• Rawsthorne, Paul – The New Boy

• Ribay, Randy – Patron Saints of Nothing

• Ryan, Donal – The Spinning Heart

• Sharma, Nisha – My So-Called Bollywood Life

• Sheppard, Alexandra – Oh My Gods

• Talley, Robin – Pulp

• Thomas, Angie – On the Come Up

• Watson, R. & Hagan, E. – Watch Us Rise

• Young, Suzanne – Girls with Sharp Sticks

Junior

• Balen, Katya – The Space We’re In

• Black, Holly – The Prisoner’s Throne

• Christo, Alexander – Into the Crooked Place

• Clarkin, Amy – Who Watches This Place

• Cole, Steven – Shoot to Kill

• Collins, Meabh – Freya Harte is Not a Puzzle

• Crossan, Sarah – The Weight of Water

• Duggan, Helena – A Place Called Perfect

• Griffiths, Elly – A Girl Called Justice

• Higson, Charlie – By Royal Command

• Holland, Sara – Havenfall

• Hyder, Liz – Bearmouth

• Montgomery, L.M. – Anne of Green Gables

• Noelle, Marissa – The Unadjusteds

• O’Donoghue, Caroline – All Our Hidden Gifts

• Price, Tirzah – Pride and Premeditation

• Roumani, Rhonda – Tagging Freedom

• Rudden, Dave – Knights of the Borrowed Dark

• Siggins, Gerard – The “Rugby” Novels

• Tolkien, J.R.R. – The Hobbit

• Tweedie, Trudi – The Pure Heart

• Watson, Sarah – The Last Ones Left Alive