Eimear Ryan: From camogie field to Tokyo pool, sport is a life of rituals

Even though Olympians operate at a much higher level, the lives of sportspeople still have common touch points across the board

A general view of the Women's 200m Freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics. Picture: INPHO/Photosport/Steve McArthur

In camogie training sessions up and down the country, we’re trying to unlearn our old ways.

It happens at least once a session: a girl will get bottled up, or will be through on goal, and she’ll drop the hurley to give the sliotar a big, walloping, football-style handpass. The rest of us will admonish her: You can’t do that anymore! But we all have the old muscle memory inside us. Any of us could easily be the next to slip up.