Name: Elaine Aylward
Club: Mullinavat
County: Kilkenny
Occupation: Bank Official
Honours with camogie: Senior National League, Ashbourne Cup, All Ireland Junior, U16 & U18 Leinster titles, Senior Leinster title, 2 Gael Linn. All Star 2009.
Favourite sporting moment: Winning last years Senior Co final with Mullinavat, (after a long time trying) was unforgettable. Winning the National League in ’08 was also a great feeling, as it was our first big success as a Senior panel.
Worst sporting moment: The 2009 All Ireland final defeat to Cork is a day I’d like to be able to forget
Favourite camogie player: Anne Downey!!!!!!
Favourite sports star: I loved watching Seanie McMahon with Clare in the 90s.
Biggest sporting influence: Definitely my parents, they put my first hurl in my hand when I could hardly walk and have driven and followed me around the country ever since.
Do you have any pre-match rituals before big games- I always pack my gear bag the night before any game. I don’t think there’s any particular reason for it or if it makes any difference but I have to do it.
Last book you read: Steven Gerrard’s autobiography after being in Anfield earlier in the year.
Last film you watched: The Fast & The Furious was on last Saturday night so I watched that.
Favourite holiday destination: Anywhere with plenty of sunshine. I’ve never been to Australia or South Africa but both are on my list of places to get to when I finish playing Camogie
Best piece of sporting advice: Always have the hurl & ball in your hand & practise practise practise the basics as they are the skills you use most often.
Favourite music: Not a major music fan but I’l listen to whatever comes on the radio!
Pre match tune- Lately its Florence & the Machine- Dog Days but it varies depending on how I’m feeling.
If you did not play camogie, what other sport do you think you would play at a high level?:
I did a lot of Athletics when I was younger and still toy with the notion most years of going back to it. I actually have a few All Ireland medals from Cross Country & Track Field, so I’d like to think I might have been some use at that.
Top two things you would like to see changed in camogie:
I’d love to see the handpass goal done away with, I don’t think it does anything for the game and is a nightmare for most goalies & backs!. The playing of the hurl from behind is also a rule we could do without in my opinion. Overall, I think Camogie would benefit greatly by adapting the general playing rules of hurling.
Sports event you would most like to see: Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, I could take in the rugby and some of the sunshine!!
“
Our Sponsors
Our Partners
