The Last Point: A weekend full of emotion

Emotion is the word that most readily comes to mind when I reflect on another hectic weekend of sporting action with all its inevitable highs and lows that draw us so inexorably to the excitement and heartbreak that routinely makes a sporting weekend.

For a weekend dominated by the spectacle of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas and without an outing for the county men's football team, there was still much to digest, be it the glamour and glitz of the Leitrim Sports Star Awards on Saturday  to the disappointments suffered by our Ladies football team, the county hurlers and Carrick-on-Shannon Community School  in vital contests.

But I start with an event that only parents and a few diehard athletics officials witnessed and that was the madness of the Leitrim Indoor Athletics Finals last Sunday in Carrick Sports Complex - the competitors  ranged from about seven or eight years old to 13, only starting out on whatever sporting journey they take, but their enthusiasm, excitement and even a few tears reinforced  just what sport is at its most fundamental level as the noise levels threatened  to bring the Complex roof down a few times.

It gets much more serious as we get older and I've no doubt what answer I'd get if I told the slightly older footballers of Carrick Community School, albeit still youngsters themselves, to just enjoy the occasion after their disappointment of losing the Connacht PPS Senior B Final last Saturday,  but sometimes, we forget the simple joy that drives us to participate in any kind of sport.

We all want to be winners but unfortunately, even in the Complex last Sunday, there are only so many gold medals. It didn't diminish the  joy those youngsters derived from their action-packed day and losing to an excellent Dunmore CS side shouldn't diminish what Carrick CS footballers achieved in reaching Saturday's Final.

Did they play as well as they could or hoped? No, but there is no shame when you come up against a Dunmore team who did much the same to a star-studded Ballinamore CS team last year in the C grade final and sometimes we get wrapped up so much in the result, we forget that even reaching the final is an achievement in itself.

THE LAST POINT: WHEN WINNING ISN'T ENOUGH

The bald fact of the matter is that Carrick, or any Leitrim school, haven't reached a final since 2011 and no Leitrim school has  won the title - it is of little consolation to a group of footballers who are driven and ambitious but in the years to come, they'll remember with pride that they played in a Connacht Schools Final - they don't come around too often.

As an aside, if the final revealed anything, it revealed what we learned from the Leitrim Schools experiment - the players of this county's schools have the physicality and technical ability to compete but what they lack is in the intensity and ability to play at a higher pace. Solve that problem and things are looking up.

For Leitrim's ladies and hurlers, it was a tough weekend. After the positivity of a draw over in Birmingham a week before, a young hurling side were brought crashing back down to earth by an outstanding Fermanagh team. The defeat is hard enough to take for a team shorn of many experienced players of recent years but with all the drama over the efforts to remove a few counties from League hurling, this has got to hurt.

That's a lot to put on the shoulders of young men starting out on their inter-county career and while some will tut and feel vindicated in their desire to cull the Leitrim hurlers by the 21 point loss, I don't recall similar sentiments when the footballers lost to New York and London in recent years!

I wasn't at the Ladies game  but even a cursory glance at the game's highlights show this one could easily have gone Leitrim's way - Leah Fox, Laura O'Dowd and Ailbhe Clancy all denied goals in key moments. With four teams to reach the semi finals, a loss may not actually hurt Leitrim long term although they'll be smarting from it but Fermanagh were a big step up from their first three games and if they learn the lessons they need to from the  1-9 to 0-9 defeat, maybe it will have served a greater purpose in the long term.

Those were the highs and lows of the weekend but I can't go without reflecting on the Leitrim Sports Star Awards - by definition, anyone nominated for an award is already a winner and we tend to forget that when we hand out prizes. To even be listed in some of these categories is an honour in itself and a reminder of the extraordinary sports people this county is producing.

I know for a fact that the deliberations of the judges were onerous as the quality and achievements of those nominated has never been higher. Some will say, just as with all those games over the weekend, that it is all about winning but Saturday's event in the Lough Rynn Castle Estate & Gardens Hotel was an opportunity to recognise those who give so much in a setting outside their own sport, to acknowledge what they've achieved and say well done regardless of who gets the gongs.

Two things stood out on the night - the utter silence and complete attention devoted to John Lynch's interview with Hall of Fame winner Declan Darcy reflected the impact of the Leitrim and Dublin legend's words, his message of self-belief, focusing on the process and resilience no doubt resonating with all those listening. It was mesmerising stuff!

THE LAST POINT: ANOTHER VENUE TICKED OFF THE LIST

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, was the sheer variety of sports represented and the scale of achievements garnered by our small county. Rugby, soccer, Gaelic games, running,  rowing, darts, showjumping and boxing, not forgetting the impact of the St Mary's All Star programme and Special Olympics. Leitrim is still dominated by the GAA but the county is definitely spreading its wings and doing so very successfully.

It was striking to see the joy on the faces of those who did win, many not expecting to do so against such quality nominees and that brings home just what these awards can mean. Congratulations to everyone who was nominated, it is a marvellous achievement and special congratulations to those who won awards. And congrats to the Leitrim Sports Partnership for organising such a wonderful event.