Originally posted by northie
View Post
Trust me, you're not going to loose out by not being an ex minor footballer or hurler. I was never any good at either and sometimes that would be picked as a soft option for sports on a Wednesday afternoon. What the staff were looking for is that you got stuck in, tried your best and got physical without loosing the rag altogether. It was a great way of giving some of your classmates a bit of a clatter which you need to to do when you're living in each others pockets in a pressure environment.
They is a slight preference towards those in team sports at interview, but it can be any sport. There are plenty of individualists who get in too; swimmers, boxers, cyclists, kayakers, sailors, orienteering etc.
There used to be two weeks adventure training in Tralee. Then there was 'tri angular tournament' with Clongowes and Newbridge College which had a lot of athletics and baseketball I think. Ironically it didn't involve rugby but I think that was on account of the physicality rather than the rugby skills of the Cadets.
In fact, when I think of our Cadet Captains and Mess Presidents (the best Cadets in the class) and those in the classes directly ahead and behind us there weren't too many 'jocks'. I can remember one orienteerer and another who was a sailor (as in dinghy) and another who wasn't really sporty at all.
You'll be grand. I thought the original question was about being able to keep up your outside sport when you're in the Cadets. There are a lot of GAA and Rugby types who think they can walk on water because they've been looked after in school etc and get a bit of a fright in the Curragh. Many are looked after post commissioning, but everyone is treated fairly equally in the Cadet School.
Comment