Last weekend I spent a day at the Community Games in Athlone as my brother was competing in the marathon (it's actually a 7km road race but they call it 'the marathon') but twelve years ago when I last attended and competed in the Community Games things were a bit different.
Firstly, the national finals were not held at the fantastic facilities of the Athlone Institute of Technology. They were held at the Mosney Holiday Centre in Meath. The athletics did not take place on a modern athletics track but on a bumpy, undulating field at the centre. Secondly, the majority of the competitors stayed together in the accommodation at Mosney, it was like a mini Olympic village. This does not happen in Athlone.
The Community Games were the epicentre of the summer when I was a teenager. It really meant something in every rural community to have someone to qualify for national finals, though no one ever referred to them as the national finals, it was just simply 'Mosney'.
As a competitor it was certainly about getting to compete with other athletes on a national level but the major reason that qualifying for Mosney was such a big deal was getting to stay in Mosney.
There was anticipation on the train from Tralee wondering who you would get to stay with and whether or not you would get a chalet with a TV and kitchen. What other county would we be near? For many it was their first experience of meeting people from strange places like Armagh and Leitrim.
And there were rumours that the girls from Galway were mad for the shift.
Mosney had a myriad of activities to keep energetic teenagers occupied.
Pool tables, bumpers, water bumpers, some big yellow wheel that I never understood, slot machines, video games (I used to kill it at NBA Jam), a swimming pool with a giant slide and mushrooms at the bottom of it (for reasons unknown), the wall of death and a bookies for enterprising young gamblers.
Chief among these activities though were the go-carting and the laserdome. I can distinctly remember several accidents involving Kerry athletes smashing into the back of a go-cart being driven by someone from Cork. It wasn't just competitive on the athletics track or football pitch. Looking back now, the laserdome was pretty uninspiring but when you're a teenager and from a village in rural Kerry, it was amazing. Getting to run around a neon-lit room like Steven Seagal pretending to shoot Dubs, it didn't get any better than that.
And of course there was the obligatory disco every night in the giant community-centre-esque hall where we tried to look cool while dancing to Robbie Williams' 'Rock DJ' (not possible).
The food was terrible though. If the chicken burgers had been a little bit larger then they would've been hard enough and durable enough to use as a discus.
I remember with pity the adults who volunteered to take care of us. Having to herd nearly 100 young culchies from Heuston to Connolly in order to get the train to Mosney. Staying up vigilantly every night to prevent the boys sneaking into the girl's chalet. And ensuring that every young person attended mass.
For young people at the present day version of the Community Games, it seems to be more about the competitions rather than the thrill of getting to visit Athlone. The only activities to keep athletes entertained in between competitions are a few Bird's Amusements rides.
The attendance last Sunday was pretty healthy though not massive. The most noticeable difference that I could see between Community Games in the 90's and the present is a new found diversity in competitors. Ireland has become a more multi-cultural society and the meshing of cultures was certainly visible in Athlone.
My brother finished 18th in the marathon, not bad for someone who only put down the hurley and took up running five weeks previous.
I really wish that he could've had a go on those go-carts though.
