8th March 2010

Great weekends rugby with good games away to Lisburn and Bangor played in sunshine (I repeat sunshine!) and we also had a very successful press launch for our upcoming festival - please make sure you all buy Tuesday's News Letter as we will be in the Total Rugby section of the paper.
 
Looking ahead to this Saturday we have a blitz with Ballynahinch and Cooke with the U7's, U11's and U12's at Belmont and the U10's, U9's and U8's at Shaw's Bridge. Please arrive at your venue by 10.00am for a 10.15am start. Leave plenty of time if you need to get parked at Shaw's Bridge!
 
Finally could I also ask all mini rugby parents that if they have any old clothes, shoes etc then please drop them around to CI from 9.00 am this Saturday morning or to one of the P7 coaches during the week. I am happy to take bin bags full of old clothes anytime this week so please email me to arrange a suitable drop off time. This is to help with the P7 tour fund raising while also raising money for charity.
 
Details are :

CIYMS get �4.50 per 10 kilo bag with 50p to NI Children Cancer Charity.

They will take bags consisting of the following:-

  • clothes
  • coats
  • duvet covers
  • pillow cases
  • curtains
  • towels
  • belts
  • shoes
  • bags


They will not take cushions and duvets


Thanks

Keith O'Donnell

 

Opening Message from new CIYMS Mini Rugby Convenor for 2009

At the mini rugby committee meeting on Wednesday 21 October 2009 I was elected as mini rugby convenor for the current season.

I am delighted and honoured to take up the post and am only sorry that due to unforeseen circumstances I could not begin office at the start of the season in September 2009 but I intend to make up for that lost time as quickly as possible.

May I first of all both on behalf of the committee and on a personal level pay tribute to David Peden who was our magnificent convenor for three years in succession from 2005 to 2007 and also to Ian Nelson who had the unenviable task of taking up the reins from David last year and did a great job including presiding over our first ever festival which was a resounding success.

At the meeting we welcomed three new members to the committee namely Paul Campbell, Michael Stafford and Ian McGonigle and hope to confirm a fourth new member to cover catering/hospitality ( better known to you all as “the Latte Ladies” ) in the very near future.

The full committee including the age group they coach(where appropriate), and their specific roles( if more than a general role ) and their contact details are in true X Factor style “in no particular order …….”   :

  1. Keith O’Donnell (head coach U12’s)  - Convenor (mobile 07751 723868 or email kod234@hotmail.com)
  2. Ian McGonigle – Child Protection Officer (mobile 07971031985 or email iain.mcgonigle@harrisonsni.com)
  3. David Peden (coach U11) – Kitman (mobile 07710020533 or email pedends@aol.co.uk)
  4. Alastair McCrossan (coach U12) – Treasurer & Subscriptions (mobile 07826525847 or email alastair.mccrossan@ntlworld.com)
  5. Neil McConkey (coach U11) – (mobile 07540469834 or email neil.mcconkey@ntlworld.com)
  6. Stuart McKnight       (head coach U10) – Website (mobile 07771837515 or email stuart.mcknight@ntlworld.com)
  7. Adrian Eagleson (head coach U9) – (mobile 07734057353 or email adrian@perspectivecoaching.com)
  8. Steve Rooney       (coach U9) – Fixture Secretary (mobile 07875201159 or email stephenjrooney@yahoo.co.uk)
  9. Michael Stafford (head coach U8) – (07789450169 or email michael.stafford@ntlworld.com)
  10. Ricky Drain (coach U7) –  (07802 684861 or email rjdrain@btinternet.com)
  11.  Denise McGahan – Catering/Hospitality (07737286020 or email denise@creative.co.uk)

May I take this opportunity to welcome all returning players, coaches, parents and supporters and in particular all new comers to this wonderful mini rugby community at Belmont.

For seven years now I have been saying “ I am an Instonian but…….” And I think it is now wearing a bit thin. Effectively I have two clubs close to my heart Instonians and CIYMS.

Having spent seven years coaching mini rugby here and serving on the committee I think I am best placed to say that in my opinion we have a mini rugby section here that is second to none. I am not measuring this in terms of success on the pitches(though that is not to say we do not perform well in that area as last year’s P6 side can vouch for and come to think of it….. can David Peden please remind me did we win the Cooke P7 tournament in 2006 ?) but rather on the following :

·         Our ethos – please refer to our mission statement on the website Click here.

·         Our coaches – both in number, coaching credentials and behaviour.

·         Our all inclusive approach – all players get equal attention and opportunity.

·         Our committee – in terms of commitment to the mini section..

·         Our Latte Ladies –  a brand we could make global !

·         Our social calendar – quiz, dinner, barbeque, Xmas Party, club lunches.

·         Our kids – their behaviour, their sense of fun and their ability to lose games with dignity.

·         Our commitment to the codes of conduct – see codes on the website Click here.

·         Our support to the Ulster branch – such as mini coaching course and workshop attendance and participation and following guidelines, rules and regulations even if we do not always agree with them.

·         Our community – it is like a family here at Belmont or rather family life with all the ups and very few of the downs ! 

Can I please thank all the players, coaches , parents and supporters who travelled to Ballynahinch yesterday to brave the elements. After much discussion with their Convenor we decided to give it a go but to keep an eye on the kids and to stop or cut matches short if they did not look happy. I hope the kids enjoyed the day despite the conditions because their comfort is our primary concern.

For the record I phoned Ballynahinch at 8.30 a.m on Saturday morning to check whether we were still on and for your information we will restore our cancellation policy to the website ASAP and email it out through your head coaches.

You will also see on the website a superb set of fixtures for this year organised by our esteemed fixture secretary(one of his many roles) but as we need as much coaching as possible to maintain our position as one of the premier mini rugby sections in Ulster, and no doubt Ireland as well, we have decided to coach this Saturday 31 October 2009. If you are away for Halloween do not worry but those who are still here then please get to Belmont for the normal time and make use of our experienced and qualified coaching staff(we have 33 of our 35 coaches who have either completed the mini rugby coaching course or who are booked in to go on one).

Please save our website www.ciymsminis.com as a favourite and keep logging on to keep abreast of upcoming games, coaching, events, fixtures and the recently restored match summaries from the previous weekend games which we aim to post every Sunday night for the week ahead.

Finally to all those who are just embarking on their journey with this wonderful community which is CI minis then I would say if  you enjoy it half as much as I have over the last 7 years then you will be a very lucky person. 

Keith O’Donnell

Mini Rugby Convenor

CIYMS


24th October 2009

Despite the best efforts of the weather, we were as always made to feel very welcome by Ballynahinch both on and off the pitch. Defying the wind and rain, some great running rugby was played with most age groups winning more games than they lost, Indeed several teams kept their try line intact for the whole morning. But what was more important was that the fixture was played in a great spirit, with the players probably enjoying the rain more than the coaches! Though the plentiful supplies of juice, coffee and hotdogs in the clubhouse afterwards helped everyone dry out a bit!

Here’s hoping for better weather next weekend, when all age groups have coaching at CI, starting at 10.00am.

The Latte Ladies will be providing hot drinks and snacks throughout the morning. All proceeds from this go directly to the CIYMS Minis, so please support it. They also still need some volunteers on an occasional basis, so if you think you can help out the odd Saturday morning, please contact David Peden (pedends@aol.co.uk).

Finally, in recent years, particularly inclement winter weather has caused the calling off of a significant number of Mini Rugby fixtures, both home and away.

We realise this is frustrating for players, parents, coaches and supporters and we want to minimise this by making the communication process for cancellations as clear as possible:

CANCELLATION POLICY HOME GAMES/COACHING

1. When bad weather is anticipated - or already underway- we will update the website with a message reminding people of the process below and including mobile numbers of head coaches of each age group

2. Head coaches will be placed on stand-by the night before, to allow fast communication of the pitch inspection outcome, as will the visiting team.

3. A pitch inspection will be carried out by the Convenor and at least one other coach no later than 8.30am, and a decision taken on whether or not to proceed

4. As soon as the decision is taken, the Convenor or his deputy will let the head coaches know and they will cascade this message on to all parents by email/text/telephone, as well as the visiting team

5. The website will be updated by 9.00am with the outcome of the pitch inspection

 

CANCELLATION POLICY AWAY GAMES

1. We will arrange with the coaching team of the home club to have the pitch inspected as early as possible on the morning of the game, if not the night before.

2. As soon we know the outcome, the above process will kick in as per home games/coaching arrangements

3. Anyone planning to travel direct to the away game should check with the website/appropriate head coach before setting out.

27th September 2009

To all CI Minis Parents and Supporters

With two or three fun Saturday mornings already under our belts, CI Minis are well and truly back in action. But something's missing...........

Anyone who was around for the last few years will remember fondly the buzz created around the Latte Ladies Coffee Stand at the corner of the clubhouse..........tea, coffee, juice, crisps and biccies were all available from a dedicated team  who came to be known as the Latte Ladies despite not having that particular product on their menu. The Lattes were a vital asset to the Minis, raising thousands of pounds over the years and providing top notch hospitality for our own and visiting players supporters.

Sadly many of the girls have now moved on and we are searching for the Next Generation to take on the mantle.

If anyone would like to volunteer to help relaunch the Lattes - and feel free to re-brand them if you want - please contact David Peden (pedends@aol.com) who will co-ordinate the relaunch.

David Peden

077100 20533