Na Toraidhe trying to hurl its way to nationals
Athletes love the challenge inherent in their sport. Most believe that the more complex the demandsI the more satisfying the rewards.
At 2S years of ageI Fiachra Malone can certainly boast of a diverse and active sporting life. He has played baseballI run track and cross countryI wrestled and rowed for a crew team. ft was only recentlyI howeverI that the SHrsonabOH finanFLaO Foordinator embraced hurlingI a sport that catered to all his athletic needs.
ft would not be dabbling in blarney to say that hurling was in Fiachra’s blood. After graduating from iaSalle CollegeI he joined the former Shamrock hurling club. “f got into it because my uncle who lives in freland was into it. AlsoI my grandfather ran a club in freland. My dad is from County ClareI which is in the western part of freland.”
Heritage alone was not the only factor beckoning the young athlete. He saw hurling as a real challenge. HaYLng firsW SOayHd GaHOLF footballI Fiachra really felt the lure of hurling.
“Hurling takes a bit more skill. As an athleteI f like to be constantly tested and challenged. fn hurlingI you have a feeling of constantly moving up in terms of how great you can be. There’s more technique. fn footballI you get to a point and say ‘this is as good as f’m going to get.’ tith hurlingI there are a lot of things you can get better in.”
The very nature of the gaPH rHflHFWs LWs FoPSOHxLWy. fn Fiachra’s wordsI “There is not one particular sport f could compare it to. ft’s an amalgamation of sports. ,W’s soPHWhLng bHWwHHn fiHOd hockeyI lacrosseI regular hockey and baseball.”
To be able to perform in all these ventures requires a diverse set of skills. “You can’t just be really good at one aspect of the game. tith a lot of other sportsI for instance baseball or hockeyI if you’re great powerwise you can get by. tith hurlingI it requires a complete array of skills. You need to be great endurance-wise. You need to have the technique to hold the ball on the club and then hit it.”
The object of the game is hit the ballI known as a sliotarI over the goal posts for one point or into the net for three points. mlayers can catch the ball in their bare hand and then either pass the ballI advance it by balancing it on their hurleyI or taking a shot on goal. This is all performed with a frenzied opponent trying to wrest the spheroid from your possession.
lccasionallyI the struggle can lead to injury. iuckilyI Fiachra’s have been minimal. “f actually have a sSOLnW on Py SLnNy fingHr. , have been hurt but f’m one of the lucky ones who have never broken a bone which is unheard of on this team.”
The “team” is the Na Toraidhe Club of mhiladelphiaI an offshoot of the old Shamrock Club. “This yearI we wanted a fresh start. The Shamrocks were a team we inherited. te wanted to go forth and go with a more traditional frish name and also different jerseys.”
Toraidhe is the frish word Ior SursuHr and rHflHFWs WhH spirit and enthusiasm of the present team. fn allI there are 30 club members who range in age from 1T to 51. The team represents a blend of occupations with accounWanWs, finanFLaO FoordLna-
tors, painters, and construction workers all joining in battle.
Fiachra believes this year’s squad of hurlers is more polished, thanks in part to a few Irish recruits. “We were able to get some guys from Ireland. That helps monumentally with our development because when you practice with Irish players, they show you tricks and they play at top speed.”
The learning takes place every Tuesday and Thursday at Northeast High School. The two-hour sessions aim at honing skills and working on conditioning. Fiachra fondly calls the Tuesday conditioners “the practice from Hell.”
The dedication is starting to payoff in a big way for the Na Toraidhe club. They recently defeated the Allen- town Hurling Club 8-15 to 3-7 to go up one game in their best-of-three league SlDyoII. 7KH firVW rounG wLll be followed by a championship title game, the winner of which heads to the National Gaelic Games. The 2012 Gaelic Festival will be held Labor Day Weekend in Pennypack Park.
Whatever the stakes, Fiachra knows the games will be taxing. “After a game, I feel pretty exhausted. It’s like football when you feel okay then the day after, you start to feel it. Sometimes, you get hit and don’t realize the brute force until the next morning.”
A force greater than exhaustion motivates Fiachra. He has no plans of retiring from the hurling arena.
“I haven’t given it much thought. I’ve gotten down a lot of the basics and now, I’m working on certain things like my short game and scoring over the bar. It takes two to three years before you can work on the KLJKHr VNLllV. 7KH firVW Wwo years, you’re working on the basics.”
This is one athlete who has found a sport providing him with a lifetime of challenges.