‘Comeback kid’ motivated by family and children

Life is all about perspective for Kelley Hopkins.

Camogie, and fitness in general, have been cornerstones of her “healthy mind, healthy body” mantra.

For years, she was at the coalface for her club and county. There were great expectations, which procured some great days and disappointment along the way.

She hasn’t exactly taken a back seat in recent years but becoming a mother to her two sons and daughter — Iarlaith, Setanta and Étaín — has shifted the goalposts.

“I’ve been playing camogie since I was four of five years of age. I remember my brother Howard and Mervyn Connaughton at the back of the church in Athleague hitting balls up in the air, and they’d give me a fiver if I could catch them. It’s just in my blood. I always bring my kids to the games because I want it to be in their blood too,” she revealed.

The arrival of her children has meant that she has been “in and out” of the Athleague set-up in recent years. But the desire to wear the “blue and white” again never left her. After giving birth to her third child just last January, she was eager to return and create more memories.

“I always had a burning ambition to come back. I missed the camaraderie, the fitness and, I suppose, just the fun of it. I decided that I wouldn’t play the league but that I’d come back and do a bit of training for the championship, just to be part of the panel. It grew from there really,” she outlined.

With the full support of her family, including her husband Richie (Feeney), who runs RF Fitness/Crossfit, just outside Roscommon Town, Kelley became reaccustomed to the ritual of packing her gearbag for training and matches once more. But there was one final piece of the jigsaw missing — a close friend who had soldiered in the trenches with her throughout their decorated careers.

“Having the likes of Annette (McDermott, née McGeeney) back really helped me. I gave her a call or a text before I came back, wondering was there any chance she would come back with me as well? She wasn’t sure but I gave her until after the weekend. She came back to me and said she was in, which actually gave me the shivers.

“It was an amazing feeling because Annette has always been a role model for me. To be back in the Athleague jersey with her, preparing for an All-Ireland final, is just beyond my wildest dreams. I’m loving every minute of it,” she highlighted.

Her return to the club jersey has coincided with a number of eyecatching performances around the middle of the park. But for someone who prides herself on fitness and being the best she can be, it’s no surprise that the transition has been seamless.

“When I was pregnant, and even after I had the kids each time, I’d always be in Richie’s gym. The first question I’d be asking the doctors after my post-natal check would be when I could go back to the gym or when I could get back to fitness. As soon as I felt my body was right, I was back at it.

“I’d always be out the back tipping the hurl with the kids or going for a walk with them. I’d always be active. I just don’t have time for television. Sport and exercise are just in me, and I live for that.

“I’m either all into something, or I’m not. I’ve given it everything. 

I haven’t missed many training sessions. You just have to try and make everything work. It’s not easy but it’s worth it when you’re preparing for an All-Ireland final.

“Camogie and sport in general, especially team sport, helps you grow as a person. No more so than anybody else’s house, I’ve endured some life experiences and sport has definitely brought me through them all. Without camogie, I don’t think I’d be the person I am today,” she explained.

With sport holding such a special meaning in her life, Kelley’s determination to balance a busy family life with camogie is understandable.

“It’s quite hectic alright. I have a really good husband who manages to help me out a lot. We try and sit down on a Sunday evening and figure out the week. His Mum comes over one evening a week, usually the evening I’d be training. My own family, including my Mum, are also very good and help us out when they can.” 

 Now that she’s immersed in her club’s journey to make up for the disappointment of the 2015 final against Johnstownbridge, Kelley is hoping that the encouragement from manager Liam Gordon, who has “put His heart and soul” into Athleague camogie, and her team-mates can finally rewrite the history books.

“It has been like an inverted pyramid for us this season. If you brought us back to the start of the championship, we weren’t winning games. The Oran game in Ballyforan was a turning point. We just drove on from there.

“It's every young person’s dream — to, firstly, start out playing with your club because, realistically, that’s where you’ll finish your career. Four Roads were able to win an All-Ireland title (in 2010), so it would be great for Athleague to match that. Everything I do right now, I do for my family and my kids,” she concluded.

As always, they’ll be proud and willing Kelley Hopkins to do well when she lines out for her latest tilt at national glory on Saturday afternoon.