Aisling Andrews: There is one woman that comes to mind for me when I think of women in sport and that person is Pamela Cooper. I joined Clonliffe over 10 years ago. My dad had passed away in 2010 and I was
absolutely heartbroken. I needed to put my energy into something and I began running. Pam was
the first person that I met when I arrived up at the Clonliffe clubhouse. I instantly loved her, with her
no sh*t approach and her extremely quick wit. At the beginning I would do ok at the training
sessions but I was not mentally tough enough when it came to racing and would give up quite easily.
Pam would always say that I could have ran better. That was what I admire most about Pam, her
honesty.
She has played a huge role in inspiring me to push on and be better. Within our group, she has
created the most beautiful dynamic, where we all have great laughs but most importantly, we get
the best out of each other. Unbelievably she always manages to keep us messers in check, (not
mentioning any names Shane Rooney) and with Ben and Kev by her side sessions always run so
smoothly.
In particular, I noticed throughout my years in Clonliffe the hard work and dedication that Pam put
into the ladies section during her tenure as Ladies Captain. No longer does the male section
dominate when it comes to medals and accolades. A huge part of that is thanks to Pam. The ladies
section of the club would not be where it is today without Pam. I have seen her in action over the
years and she has been the most amazing advocate for women in the club and to me she is an
inspiration.
Nil Desperandum.