In this episode we meet the Jackson family. Marloes, a native of The Netherlands, is an administrator of the club’s vibrant younger-ages juvenile squad. Her children Isabella and Luuk are two very promising young club athletes, whilst her husband Stephen takes a break from coaching at Coolmine Rugby Club to run the occasional marathon. This interview indicates that Donore Harriers has a bright future thanks to the commitment of people like Marloes and her family
STANDARD QUESTIONS
PLACE AND YEAR OF BIRTH? ISABELLA? LUUK? Isabella in September 2007 and Luuk in July 2009, both were born in Holles Street Hospital, Dublin
WHERE ARE ISABELLA AND LUUK BEING EDUCATED? Currently, Isabella is in 6th class and Luuk in 4th class of St. Brigid’s NS Castleknock. Isabella will be going to Mount Sackville Secondary School in September
MARLOES, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR CAREER PATH? After receiving my Master’s in Law from the University of Amsterdam in 1997 I moved to Ireland for an internship at the Embassy of The Netherlands in Dublin 4. After the internship I decided to stay on in Ireland for a while but never moved back to The Netherlands! I worked in a few different jobs but eventually ended up back in the Embassy in 2003 where I am now the Operations Manager
IN WHAT YEAR DID ISABELLA AND LUUK JOIN DONORE HARRIERS? Isabella joined in June 2017 after winning a silver medal in the 200m sprint at the Dublin Community Games, which got her excited about athletics! Luuk then joined in September 2017
WHY DID THE FAMILY CHOOSE DONORE HARRIERS? We asked a few friends what athletics club we should join, and Donore Harriers was recommended by most! Donore has such a great history and is also known as a very friendly and welcoming club. Luuk already had a few friends who were in the juvenile group, so it was an easy decision in the end
DID ANY MEMBER OF THE FAMILY BELONG TO ANOTHER CLUB BEFORE JOINING DONORE HARRIERS? No.
DO ISABELLA AND LUUK PARTICIPATE IN ANY OTHER SPORTS? Isabella plays hockey and until last year also did competitive diving. The diving training sessions clashed with athletics and ultimately, she chose athletics. Luuk plays GAA (football and hurling) and rugby
DOES STEPHEN PARTICIPATE IN SPORT? He is a coach of Luuk’s rugby team at Coolmine Rugby Club. He runs socially and has completed a few marathons over the years
MARLOES, WHAT IS YOUR PRESENT ROLE(S) AT THE CLUB? Administrator of the juvenile group (ages 9 to 13)
LUUK, WHO ARE YOUR SPORTING INSPIRATIONS/INFLUENCES? Brian O’Driscoll and Wayde van Niekerk <South African, he is the current world and olympic record holder and olympc champion at 400m. Also competes over 200m>
SOCIAL QUESTIONS
WHAT WAS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
MARLOES? “The Choice” by Edith Eger
STEPHEN? “Shoe” Dog by Phil Knight
WHAT WAS THE LAST CONCERT YOU BOTH ATTENDED? Isabella and Marloes went to see Ariana Grande in September 2019
WHAT ARE YOUR 3 FAVOURITE FILMS TO WATCH AS A FAMILY?
1. Johnny English
2. Paddington
3. Elf
FAVOURITE COUNTRY VISITED AS FAMILY? The Netherlands (of course!)
FAVOURITE FAMILY MEAL? Spaghetti with Meatballs (with lots of parmesan cheese)
MARLOES, WHAT ARE YOUR OTHER INTERESTS AWAY FROM ATHLETICS/SPORT? Cooking, travelling and fitness
IF DISERT ISLAND DISCS ASKED YOU TO PLAY 4 SONGS, WHAT WOULD THEY BE – ONE EACH?
1. MARLOES = Prince – 1999
2. STEPHEN = Luke Kelly – On Raglan Road
3. ISABELLA = Ariana Granda – 7 rings
4. LUUK = Drake – Toosie Slide
ATHLETICS QUESTIONS
WHO COACHES ISABELLA AND LUUK AT THE CLUB? Isabella is coached by Paul Clarkin and John Geoghegan. Luuk’s coaches are Niall Lynch and Dianne Nunan
LUUK, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE YOUR BEST ATHLETICS ACHIEVEMENT? Silver medal at the 2019 Dublin Outdoor Championships
LUUK, WHAT ARE LUUK BEST TIMES/MARKS (PBs)?
60m – 8.81
600m – 1:46.82
1,500m – 5:20
ISABELLA, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COACHED SESSION? Acceleration sprint session
LUUK, DESCRIBE THE MOST DIFFICULT SESSION THAT YOU HAVE DONE? The under 11 team had qualified for the National cross-country in December 2019. It was agreed that the team do a combined session with the Academy Squad. We had to do laps that included a 200 metres steep hill at Waterstown Park. It was really tough! I realized how hard the older boys train after that
MARLOES, WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF SUPPORTING YOUNG ATHLETES? I mainly do the admin for the juvenile group and help out at various competitions. For me, it is most rewarding to see the confidence levels of younger athletes getting a boost when they have finished a race at a competition or completed a time trial during training. Even more so for the athletes who are at first more reluctant to compete
LUUK, WHAT IS YOUR TYPICAL WEEKLY SPORTS ACTIVITY (pre-covid)?
Monday –GAA
Tuesday – Athletics
Thursday – Athletics
Friday – GAA
Saturday – Rugby training, GAA match (football or hurling)
Sunday- Rugby training or match
STEPHEN, DO YOU HAVE A UNIQUE OR FUNNY STORY RELATED TO SPORT? Not really funny, but I used to bring the oranges out to the Irish rugby team at half time in Lansdowne Road… It was back in the day when the teams would stay on the pitch in a huddle at half time!!
MARLOES, WHAT ONE CHANGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE AT DONORE HARRIERS? I would love to see more parents of juveniles get involved in the club. The current juvenile numbers are really high and the waiting list to join continues to grow. In order to develop the juvenile section at Donore Harriers further, the support of parents is key
STEPHEN, WHO ARE YOUR TOP 3 IRISH SPORTSPERSONS OF ALL TIME (all sports)?
1. Brian O’Driscoll
2. Eamonn Coughlan
3. Keith Wood
SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
ISABELLA, WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE ATHLETICS EVENTS? (EG. HIGH JUMP, 200M) – 200m
LUUK, WHAT ATHLETICS EVENT DO YOU HOPE TO CONCENTRATE ON IN THE FUTURE? 400m
ISABELLA, WHICH DO YOU PREFER – CROSS-COUNTRY OR TRACK? Track
STEPHEN, WE’VE BEEN TOLD THAT YOU RUN MARATHONS, WHAT WAS YOUR BEST MARATHON PERFORMANCE? I ran the Rotterdam Marathon in 3hours and 28 minutes
MARLOES, WHAT DO YOU FEEL ARE THE BENEFITS OF ATHLETICS TO YOUR CHILDREN? From a fitness point of view: they build up their endurance, speed and agility. From a social point of view: it is a sport where boys and girls of all ages train together and support each other at sessions and at competitions, which I think is great for their social development. It’s lovely to see the camaraderie between the club athletes at competitions
