©Photograph: John Reidy 8-12-2006
It was a press release that PRO Liz Galwey admitted to breaking her heart to have to write and send forth.
The postponement of the annual, written in stone, Christmas time basketball blitz is yet another cruel blow to the population of hill and valley here and well beyond.
Responsible and all as it was, it must have been just as Ms. Galwey described it.,
‘The Blitz’ has survived every kind of pestilence that came its way over the past half century – but not this one.
Much Discussion And Debate
“After much discussion and debate, the committee of St. Mary’s Basketball Club has decided that the 51st blitz will be temporarily postponed. The decision was made at a recent club meeting,” said Liz in her opening lines.
Over the past few months a number of options were discussed and the club held off for as long as possible before coming to the decision to cancel due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Responsible Decision
It was felt that this is the responsible decision to make as the safety of participants could not be guaranteed.
The club celebrated 50 years of the event last December, the first event was held in 1970 with just two competitions running over two days, over the years it grew and last year 169 games were played over the five days.
The Right Call to Make
Club chairman Eamon Egan said that while the decision was not easy, it is the right call to make. “We did not make the decision to cancel this year’s Blitz easily, it will be a huge loss to families locally and to everyone in the basketball community.
“We feel that we have no option and that it is the responsible decision to make.”
Mr. Egan added that while there will not be a blitz this year it is most definitely not the end and the event will be back bigger and better than ever in 2021.
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