Rockville Centre's Gaelic football gals

Two local Rockville Centre 10-year-olds, Morgan McGuire and Isabel Schwagerl recently competed in the Continental Youth Gaelic Football Championships in Boston. The girls, both Watson Elementary School 5th graders, play for the Long Island Gaels, but were recruited to play with the Shannon Gaels (from Queens) for this tournament in which more than 200 teams from places as far away as San Francisco, Quebec and Ireland competed.

The Shannon Gaels made it all the way to the finals of the U-10 girls division. In the championship game, they played in pouring rain and were defeated by a strong team from Rockland, NY. Isabel and Morgan were high scorers on the tournament team with eight goals and 15 points between them.

Gaelic football is one of the most popular spectator sports in Ireland.  Teams of 15 play on a rectangular grass pitch with H-shaped goals at each end. The primary object is to score by kicking or striking the ball with the hand and getting it through the goals. The team with the highest score at the end of the match wins. Players advance the ball up the field by a combination of carrying, soloing (dropping and then toe-kicking the ball upward into the hands), kicking, and hand-passing to their team-mates. 

The Long Island Gaels are looking for more players to join their teams. If you know anyone between 6-16  who is interested, contact Jackie Kerr at 516-763-6725 or visit www.ligaelsminorboard.com.