Dust down the passports and start saving the euros – for the club are hopefully heading off to Glasgow again next February for what has become almost an annual event. In the next month or so, Scottish Athletics will decide on the date for the Scottish Indoors 2016. It will most likely be in the middle of February, hopefully just after the mock exams in secondary school. Last year we had a fantastic weekend over there, thoroughly enjoyed by the group of 28 who travelled over.

Most  of the group who travelled in 2015: Back: Seamie Lawless, Maggie Vahey, Mary Milton, Maureen Keary, Joe Delaney, Pat Surlis, Oisin Lyons, Patricia Cosgrove, Tiernan Burke, Ben Vahey. Middle: Lisa Thomas, Martha Haskett, Lorraine Delaney, Laura Cunningham, Liam Moran, Caoilin Milton, Michelle Duggan, Aoife Walshe. Front: Jerry Keary, Daniel Callanan-Forde, Siona Lawless, Shauna Tobin, Ellie Cronin, Garvin Surlis.

Each year we leave it a little late to organise with the result that flights are more expensive than they should be. So this year I’d like to start planning early. Can folks consider whether or not they’d be interested in going and provisionally let me know your plans. Then once Scottish Athletics confirm a date we can move quickly. You could even encourage your athlete to set aside some money each week to cover their costs.

Competition age groups are U13, U15, U17 and U20 with cut-off date of 1 Sept, so someone who turns 13 on or after 1 Sept 2016 is U13 for this event. Normally it’s just secondary school athletes that travel as it’s a nice incentive to stick at sport. And normally a parent travels with the athlete but in the past we have been able to accommodate some older athletes travelling without a parent depending on what other parents and coaches are travelling, how well they know the athlete, how well behaved the athlete is at training, whether they train consistently etc..

Last year, the flights varied from €71 per person to €105 per person while the hotel worked out at €107 per person for 2 nights. If we know the group size in plenty of time, we may be able to get a better price on the hotel. But the Sterling rates are worse this year so it will likely come in around the same.

You can read up on previous years’ trips below if you want to get more info on the trip:-

• 2015
• 2013
• 2012 (2)
• 2010
• 2009
• 2008 (1, 2, 3)