Denver Gaels update: indoor hurling to kick off 2009
A New Year is upon us and with it a fresh season of change for the Denver Gaels, the rapscallion rebels of Irish origin and descent who take their sport and their culture quite seriously. 2009 quickly ushers in a modification to standard club activity. The Gaels have created an indoor hurling league. You heard me. Indoor hurling. Perhaps the thought of indoor hurling never crossed your mind or perhaps you merely never expected the day to come when the Gaels would move from the outdoor pitch to the indoor field. That time has arrived and the Gaels are asking for anyone interested in learning the sport to come out for a session.
The inaugural season of the Gaels indoor hurling league commences Sunday, January 4, 2009, in Parker, Colorado, at the Parker Fieldhouse, 18700 E. Plaza Drive. The league will play every Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for 10 weeks. The Gaels are excited to experiment with the new twist on the ancient game. There will of course be modified rules to accommodate the indoor atmosphere, but regardless, the sessions will be a great opportunity for players new and old to prepare and train for the Gaels Annual Spring Pub League at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, which will begin not long after the indoor session ends in March.
The excitement surrounding the coming 2009 season was celebrated by saying goodbye to 2008 at the Gaels Annual Christmas Party, December 13, 2008, at Scruffy Murphy's. The party went off successfully well into the night accompanied by the musical forte of SixtySix Days. A highlight video composed by new club secretary,
Adam O'Leary, streamed in the background as club awards were distributed to standout members in each respective sport. The biggest award of the night, Club Person of the Year, was awarded to none other than club president and chairman,
John Elliott, in recognition of his insuperable efforts and dedication to the club.
As Elliott took the microphone to a standing ovation, his graciousness rang through by saying the award did not belong to him, but rather it belonged to each and every member in the room who have made it possible for Denver to be a competitive national force in the North American Gaelic Athletic Association (NAGAA).
This sentiment was echoed by
Eamonn Ryan in presentation of 2008 hurling awards. Ryan attended the annual NAGAA summit in San Francisco a week prior. Ryan said that he was inundated with back slaps and compliments from other NAGAA clubs regarding the becoming conduct of the Denver Gaels at the NACB championship and for fielding two separate and full hurling teams after just four years of organizing the sport in Colorado, not to mention fielding the Gaels inaugural camogie team. While the Gaels walked away from 2008 without trophies to show for it, these notable accomplishments are far from ignored.
With new leadership at the helm and social events on the horizon, including the annual hooley of all hoolies, the Paddy Wagon Pub Crawl Saturday, February 28, 2009, the Gaels will hit the ground running and continue to develop membership, promote Irish culture and sport across the Front Range and contribute to the community in 2009.
For more information on these and other upcoming event s of the Denver Gaels (the indoor winter hurling league every Sunday in Parker or the Paddy Wagon Pub Crawl) please visit
www.denvergaels.com for updates or email them at denvergaels@yahoo.com. The Denver Gaels GAA club is non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and an official member of Ireland's Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the governing body of Irish sport.