Libraries NI 2010 Young Sports Journalist Competition!

Posted on Monday, November 1st, 2010 at 10:25 am

Majella McParland, aged 16 from Newry, took the top prize in the contest, which saw 3 finalists reporting on a dramatic Belfast Giants ice hockey game. Majella has won work experience at the Belfast Telegraph for one week and the opportunity to see her work in print.

The competition, part of the All Our Saturdays project, was launched in June 2010 when 15 – 17 year olds were asked to prepare a short piece about a memorable sporting moment in Northern Ireland’s history. Entries were narrowed down to three finalists who attended, and reported on, the Belfast Giants ice hockey game against the Cardiff Devils on Saturday 9 October at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast. Runners up were Ben Wylie, aged 16 from Belfast and Rebecca McTier, aged 15 from Lisburn. All three were treated to a VIP tour of the Odyssey before quizzing Belfast Giants head coach Doug Christiansen about members of the team and the impending game. The young people then headed to Pizza Hut for complimentary bite to eat before taking their seats in a private box to view and make notes on the match.

Jim Gracey, Sports Editor of Belfast Telegraph, and Irene Knox, Chief Executive of Libraries NI joined the teens in the box and were amazed by the amount of research the three had undertaken and the level of professionalism they displayed.

“We were deeply impressed by the quality of all the entries received for this competition. This made our work much harder but at the same time immensely pleasurable. I think we have discovered real talent in our three finalists and they all show great promise,” said Jim.