Carrickfergus Knights
American Football Club.
Knights Supporting CRY
It was early in 3rd quarter of the semi-final when Knights wide receiver Gary ‘Potter’ McElkerney sustained a serious injury. Gary has been diagnosed with a serious cardiac condition and is currently waiting treatment but is still fighting strong and is thankful he is still with us all !
Gary first found out about CRY a while back while planning some fund raising for a house mate " and in a strange twist of fait " has become even more dedicated and the good news is that all of us at the Knights are 100% behind him.
Here is some information on the charity CRY from Ben Robinson Fund raising Assistant:
“CRY was founded in May 1995 to raise awareness of young sudden cardiac death (YSCD). As well as campaigning and lobbying and the provision of its subsidized cardiac screening programme for young people (35 and under), the charity also provides counselling and support to bereaved families as well as young individuals who may be diagnosed.
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is an umbrella term for a number of different heart conditions that affect fit and healthy people which, if untreated, can result in a dramatic and or spontaneous death. In about 1 in 20 cases of sudden cardiac death, no recognized cause can be found – even after post-mortem. This is then called sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS). Many experts are now claiming that the actual number of deaths recorded could just be ‘the tip of the iceberg’ with many causes being wrongly recorded at post mortem as asthma, epilepsy or even drowning.
Your support will help raise funds to support a range of projects including:
Developing the CRY Bereavement Support service providing counselling and support to affected families
Developing the CRY Centre for Cardiac Pathology at Royal Brompton Hospital
Subsidizing and expanding CRY's national screening programme
Supporting medical research into young sudden cardiac death
Developing the CRY Surgery Supporters Network - providing peer support, counselling and meetings for young people with cardiac conditions
CRY also requires funding for its education programme and its campaign for ECG testing of the nation's youth. CRY's aim is to make cardiac screening accessible to all young people aged between 14 and 35.
With your help we can make a difference and ultimately save lives.”
So what is Gary and the Knights going to do to try and help ??
Gary has worked very hard and had designed and printed T-shirts that he is selling for £15 all the money we can raise together will help all young people that has suffered or is suffering with a cardiac condition.
If you would like to support CRY and purchase a T-Shirt please contact garymcelkerney@hotmail.com for more information .
Thank you for all your support .
Knights to start a junior team
The Knights ran a junior team 2 or 3 years ago, but it stopped when the majority of players became 18 and moved on to senior football. This year we will restart the junior team, with training starting sometime in November.
The junior team will train on a Sunday morning, from about 12pm – 1.30pm at Carrickfergus Rugby Club (The senior team training starts at 1.30pm on Sundays). The junior team would play 5v5 Flag Football, which is a non-tackle, non-kitted version of the game. It involves the players wearing a belt with 2 detachable flags on it, and when the ball-carrier has a flag pulled off, he is considered to have been ‘tackled’. It is a kin to Touch Rugby. It is obviously a much safer version of the game, and is ideal for introducing youngsters to the game of American Football. Whilst the contact elements are removed, much of the skill elements remain and it is a great way to learn the skills of the Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Running back and Defensive Back positions. Flag football is also suitable for players of different ages to play together. So far, the majority of interest has been from players in the 13-16 age range. Anyone under 18 is welcome to come along.
There are several other junior flag teams on the island, but our nearest is currently Craigavon. There are occasional tournament days at different venues, north and south of the border, although most tend to be in the Dublin region as it is more central. These tournament days typically incur an extra cost to cover transport etc.
The Knighst have 7 coaches at the club (5 players and 2 ex-players), 4 with Level 2 coaching qualifications and 3 with Level 1 coaching qualifications. All 7 coaches also have Child Protection Awareness certificates, and 1 coach has a Child Protection Officer certificate.
If you are interested in joining our junior team, please contact us through the Want2Play page.
Knights at QUB freshers bazaar
On Wednesday September 30th, several Knights players attended the Queens University Freshers Bazaar to recruit new players. The Freshers Bazaar is a major annual event at the university with a multitude of clubs and societies having stalls and a stampede of new students looking for ways to spend their free time. The Knights have several current and ex QUB students on the team and if the level of interest is anything to go by this year, we are likely to have a lot more.
The Knights players at the event were highly visible in their game jerseys, with one or two brave souls going the full hog in shoulder pads and helmet!
If you were a student who showed interest on the day, please leave your details through the Want2Play page and we will be back in touch with more details on the club. We are due to start pre-season training on Sunday 8th November and everyone is welcome to attend.
Upcoming Events
Next Fixture...
Knights v Belfast Trojans
14th March 2010
