Bright future as 2019 IronKids race draws banner field
LATEST STORIES Zedrick Borja ruled the 13 to 14-year-old boys’ division clocking in at 18:21.9, nearly 20 seconds faster than the silver medal winner, while Samantha Corpuz conquered the 13 to 14-year-old girls’ division, finishing the course at 19:01.4, more than three minutes ahead of the second-fastest female.Coach Ani De Leon-Brown, one of the organizers and pioneers of the sport, said seeing nearly a thousand kids get up before the crack of dawn and go through a physical adventure speaks volumes of what the future holds for the younger generation.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSPalace wants Cayetano’s PHISGOC Foundation probed over corruption chargesSPORTSSingapore latest to raise issue on SEA Games food, logisticsDe Leon-Brown said kids who started as early as possible in any sporting endeavor already set the foundation of a healthy lifestyle for years to come.“If you can encourage your kids, even if they’re not competitive, even if they’re not racing Ironkids for example, it’s really a good time to teach that skill [swimming]… it’s easier to establish that fitness routine because later on it would be harder to start,” said De Leon-Brown. “If they’re used to that, their bodies are used to activity, it’s a healthy habit they can take on to adulthood.”Setting children up for an early start in any sport could very well pave the way for a potential career especially in the current landscape of triathlon where the sport has fully entrenched itself in the public’s consciousness.The two-time World Championships qualifier said they didn’t have a role model in the Philippines but with so many other personalities thriving in the sport, she’s positive the younger athletes have someone to look up to.“Everyone has their own specific path but personally when I was starting we didn’t have that many role models,” said De Leon-Brown. “It’s really great that kids can realize ‘oh this is what we can become, we can be similar to that person.’”“They know what’s possible and that’s great.”ADVERTISEMENT Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Cayetano: Senate, Drilon to be blamed for SEA Games mess ‘Rebel attack’ no cause for concern-PNP, AFP The IronKids waiting for gunstart. Photos by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.netSUBIC, Zambales—The sun hadn’t fully risen yet on one Saturday morning here in Subic but a massive throng of young athletes had already converged at Remy Field.More than 800 kids aged six to 14-years-old participated in the annual Alaska IronKids swim/run race in this coastal city where a couple of up and coming young stars ruled the event.ADVERTISEMENT DA eyes importing ‘galunggong’ anew PDEA chief backs Robredo in revealing ‘discoveries’ on drug war
Ethel Booba twits Mocha over 2 toilets in one cubicle at SEA Games venue MOST READ Two-day strike in Bicol fails to cripple transport Private companies step in to help SEA Games hosting GALLERY: Young athletes show their mettle in IronKids swim-run race Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles00:45Onyok Velasco see bright future for PH boxing in Olympics00:59Sports venues to be ready in time for SEA Games02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games02:11Trump awards medals to Jon Voight, Alison Krauss Catholic schools seek legislated pay hike, too View comments
Mumbai, July 13 (PTI) Sports For All (SFA) announced a holistic scholarship programme for children here today, promising to take the multi-sports inter-school competition in Mumbai to the next level. “We have signed up training and development partners for all the 26 sporting disciplines that school kids will be competing in. The idea is to offer talented kids the best training facilities and coaching support so that they go on to become future champions,” Rishikesh Joshi, the founder of SFA, said at a press conference at the CCI. An avid sports lover and former sports administrator Rishikesh said that the second edition of the SFA will be grander and much more professional, with over 35,000 students expected to participate in 26 Olympic disciplines when the 15-day tournament gets under way on December 5. “We have full faith in the project and believe that this will nurture good future athletes. The entire tournament will be conducted in a highly professional manner. Every match will be video recorded and the scholarship will help our young stars get better, skillfully, physically, mentally and as a sports person,” Rishikesh added. PTI BS BS
UEFA Champions League Man City practising best football in Europe, claims Toure ahead of Champions League test Nicholas McGee Last updated 1 year ago 00:14 12/6/17 FacebookTwitterRedditcopy Comments(0) 
Getty Images UEFA Champions League Manchester City Shakhtar Donetsk v Manchester City Shakhtar Donetsk Guardiola Yaya Touré City are unbeaten in all competitions this season and the midfielder does not think anyone can match the football they are playing Yaya Toure believes Manchester City are “practising the best football in Europe” as they look to finish the Champions League group stage with a 100 per cent record.City visit Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday having taken five wins from five in Group F. Paris Saint Germain, who take on Bayern Munich on Tuesday, are the only other team in the competition yet to drop a point.But Toure feels the football City manager Pep Guardiola is employing is unparalleled across the continent. City are also unbeaten in the Premier League, having dropped just two points all season. Article continues below Editors’ Picks Lyon treble & England heartbreak: The full story behind Lucy Bronze’s dramatic 2019 Liverpool v Man City is now the league’s biggest rivalry and the bitterness is growing Megan Rapinoe: Born & brilliant in the U.S.A. A Liverpool legend in the making: Behind Virgil van Dijk’s remarkable rise to world’s best player And, speaking at a pre-match media conference in Ukraine, Toure – who also worked with Guardiola at Barcelona – said: “Our team is practising the best football in Europe but we want to play against the best teams to see where we are.”I think teams respect us. We are in a good moment. We are full of confidence. The way we control games is fantastic.”Though City are assured of top spot, the game is a pivotal one for their hosts, with Shakhtar needing a point to secure progression at the expense of Napoli, who face pointless Feyenoord in their final group game.#TOURE: Our team is practising the best football in Europe but we want to play against the best teams to see where we are! #fcsdvcity— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 5, 2017Toure added: “Shakhtar have a beautiful team, a great squad, a great coach. For us it is a big challenge to play against them.”
Since you’re here… Federer and Nadal renew old rivalry and serve up a contest for the ages Read more Share on LinkedIn Roger Federer In their pomp they met here three years in a row, Federer winning in 2006 and 2007, Nadal one of the greatest finals of all time, in 2008. And here they were, in their 40th contest, 15 years after their first, still arguing on court in the nicest possible way about who was the better, who was the best of them all.As Federer said after the 16th win of their rivalry: “Always cool to play Rafa here, especially after so long. It had everything. I’m glad the match is over. He’s serving bigger, so we have fewer rallies. He’s got such easy power, to kill any point. Everyone has less time on the ball these days. That’s been the big difference from 11 years ago.“It gave me a huge boost for the final. It will be down to who’s got more energy. There are no draws in our sport. It’s brutal at times. Age kicks in. I know it’s not over yet. One more.” Pinterest Tennis On a mild Friday afternoon, with a wisp of wind to soothe nervous brows (and that was just in the paid seats), Federer led them out to thunderous applause, each wearing a white bandana, like a pair of old hippies who might have been otherwise sitting in Hyde Park waiting for the arrival of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. They would make some sweet music of their own soon enough.Federer deserved his win. He out-served the Spaniard, with 14 aces to three, tucked him up on the baseline to stifle his attacking instincts and held him off in a stirring finish when Nadal saved four match points.That was one of two dramatic passages of the semi-final. The first was the inexplicable collapse by Federer in the second set, after he had hung on to win the first in a tie-break. In 37 minutes the Swiss looked every day of his 37 years and Nadal needed to do no more than stay focused to level at a set apiece.About the time Neil Young was warming up the oldsters in Hyde Park, with Dylan to come, Federer and Nadal settled down to play out their symphony of pain. Each Nadal hold felt like the last note of lament. Nearly three hours after they had started in sunshine, Federer served for the match in shadow, a metaphor for their careers.Federer clipped the line with an ace, leaving Nadal with one challenge. Federer lost his third and last challenge at 30-all. Federer made an utter mess of a back-pedalling smash and Nadal had break point – then dumped the simplest of backhands. Federer angled a backhand volley for a third match point – and, after an agonisingly long rally, Nadal kept it alive. Federer aced for a fourth match point, nicking the back line. Nadal hit crosscourt to extend the drama. Federer fashioned a fifth match point off a mishit return. Nadal’s last shot, a weary backhand long, brought it to a close, and the place went crazy, as it always does. … we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading and supporting The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism than ever before. And unlike many new organisations, we have chosen an approach that allows us to keep our journalism accessible to all, regardless of where they live or what they can afford. But we need your ongoing support to keep working as we do.The Guardian will engage with the most critical issues of our time – from the escalating climate catastrophe to widespread inequality to the influence of big tech on our lives. At a time when factual information is a necessity, we believe that each of us, around the world, deserves access to accurate reporting with integrity at its heart.Our editorial independence means we set our own agenda and voice our own opinions. Guardian journalism is free from commercial and political bias and not influenced by billionaire owners or shareholders. This means we can give a voice to those less heard, explore where others turn away, and rigorously challenge those in power.We need your support to keep delivering quality journalism, to maintain our openness and to protect our precious independence. Every reader contribution, big or small, is so valuable. Support The Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. Rafael Nadal Twitter Sign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks. Support The Guardian match reports Share on Pinterest Reuse this content When Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic step on to Centre Court on Sunday to contest the Wimbledon men’s singles final for the third time in six years two Spaniards back in the Balearics will pause to wonder might have been.Although there was little in the end that Roberto Bautista Agut – late for his stag party in Ibiza – could have done to stop the Djokovic train in the first semi-final on Friday, he did take a set off the world No 1, just as his compatriot from Mallorca briefly had Federer in his tight grip.As Nadal said after Federer had won 7-6 (3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-4, “I had my chances. He played little bit better than me. Probably I didn’t play as good as I did in the previous rounds, so he deserves it.” Share on WhatsApp The key at the start was the tie-break. It was Federer’s sixth shootout win over Nadal from seven on Centre Court. “It came from a good game plan,” Federer said. “I served well on top of it.”It was the 40th match of their 15-year rivalry and the first here since 2008, when Nadal won a final that scaled the heights of greatness. This did not match that. How could it? They are 11 years older, with a combined age of 70, and there is a limit to how much even these very special players can stretch their genius.As Nadal said of Federer: “He is always able to do the most difficult things easy. He’s able to move inside the court quicker than anyone. He puts pressure on the opponent all the time because he has the ability to take the ball earlier than anybody else.”As for their special relationship, he thinks there is life in it yet. “We are not done, so … things continue. Of course we know that every time there are fewer chances to play against each other in these important matches. I am sad to lose because that was another opportunity. But I have to accept it was not my day. And I know chances are not forever. Last year I had chances here [in the semi-final against Djokovic]. I had another one today and I was not able to convert.”Even diminished by age, however, they still are better than the young contenders who fell like leaves from a tree in the first week, and all the others who clung to their dreams in the second. It is fitting Djokovic stood with them in the last four. Between them they have not only won the last 11 majors, but 15 of the last 17 Wimbledon titles and 50 of the last 58 grand slam titles. It is always mind-boggling to comprehend that dominance. Rafael Nadal roared through the second set before Roger Federer took the match away from him in the third and fourth sets. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian Share on Twitter Wimbledon Topics Share on Messenger Wimbledon 2019 Share via Email Facebook Share on Facebook
Trevon GrimesOhio State is the football program five-star wide receiver Trevon Grimes should commit to, according to his Twitter followers. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound prospect out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. has a final six of: Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Miami and Ohio State. The No. 5 WR in the 2017 class took to Twitter late Wednesday evening to ask his followers which of the schools he should commit to. The results:— GrimeTime™ (@TrevonGrimes7) June 16, 2016 pt 2— GrimeTime™ (@TrevonGrimes7) June 16, 2016Grimes, the No. 29 player in the class, will be committing in August. Ohio State is believed to be the favorite to land the St. Thomas Aquinas product.
These developments are welcomed news for the Administration, in light of industry stakeholders’ concerns that unless visitor harassment is decisively addressed, it could potentially erode brand Jamaica’s renown as a highly sought after destination of choice for tourists, and overshadow the sector’s record visitor arrivals and foreign exchange earnings. Story Highlights Mr. Bartlett says the positive outcomes are evidenced in Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) visitor opinion surveys which show that 60 per cent of the tourists visiting Jamaica recently were satisfied with their experience. Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says anti-visitor harassment measures being implemented in resort areas are bearing fruit. Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says anti-visitor harassment measures being implemented in resort areas are bearing fruit.These include training programmes and sensitization workshops for frontline industry representatives interacting directly with visitors; and heightened vigilance and patrols by resort security officers.Mr. Bartlett says the positive outcomes are evidenced in Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) visitor opinion surveys which show that 60 per cent of the tourists visiting Jamaica recently were satisfied with their experience.“Also noteworthy is the fact that 42 per cent of our visitors are repeat guests. Our intention is for those numbers to be even higher as the visit should resonate so well with those who land on our soil, that they will unhesitatingly and consistently give us an A+ rating,” the Minister adds.The anti-visitor harassment measures are enabling guests to move around more freely, which contributed to Jamaica being recently voted the number one Caribbean destination and among the top 20 globally, by the highly respected American travel and restaurant website company, TripAdvisor, Inc.These developments are welcomed news for the Administration, in light of industry stakeholders’ concerns that unless visitor harassment is decisively addressed, it could potentially erode brand Jamaica’s renown as a highly sought after destination of choice for tourists, and overshadow the sector’s record visitor arrivals and foreign exchange earnings.While acknowledge the positive outturns emanating from the interventions, sector interests also urge that these be sustained and others introduced, so as to avoid the onset of complacency that could give rise to a resurgence in the prevalence of visitor harassment.It is a point which Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, emphasized while speaking with stakeholders during a recent tour of Falmouth, Trelawny.“A guest who doesn’t feel pressured is more likely to spend and interact. That guest is also more likely to come back with his or her family for a longer stay, which is a win-win (situation) for all of us,” he argued.Mr. Holness further emphasized the importance of training, noting that those who interact daily with visitors should be cognizant that “what we deem as normal” is not necessarily something that visitors are comfortable with.Training and certification are being facilitated by the Government through the newly established Jamaica Centre of Tourism.Additionally, the Falmouth Tour Guide Programme provides training designed to equip persons, deemed informal guides, with the skills and inputs that reposition them as official industry ambassadors.“It all boils down to the knowledge that the guest must at all times feel free to walk the streets without feeling pressured to buy anything. A happy guest will always be willing to spend and, most importantly, will go back and spread the good word (about their experience),” Mr. Holness stated.National Security Minister, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, who also toured Falmouth recently, has high praises for persons trained under the Tour Guide Programme.“They are now some of our best guides (and) are positively contributing to our tourism product. This is the kind of transformation we need to see in all our resort towns,” he adds.Meanwhile, Minister Bartlett is emphasizing that destination assurance, resulting from the creation of a safe and comfortable environment for visitors, is crucial to the tourism industry’s ongoing expansion.He points out that Jamaica can proudly boast that tourism contributes to approximately 10 per cent of the national gross domestic product (GDP), and impacts sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, construction and entertainment.The Minister says most respondents to the JTB’s visitor opinion survey highlight Jamaica’s beauty and indicate that they are pleased with the facilities at their disposal.He, however, notes their discomfort with the assertive approach displayed towards them by persons with whom they interact while walking on the streets, arguing that with the threat of harassment, visitor spending decreases, “and so do our earnings.”“It is our goal (to ensure) that visitors who step on our soil will feel a sense of peace of mind. This will allow them to traverse the nooks and crannies of the island and experience the rich taste of our culture and the many unique and diverse offerings,” Mr. Bartlett says.
HANTS COUNTY: Rines Bridge The Rines Bridge in East Hants will be closed for repairs between7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 11 and Thursday, Aug. 12.Mosher Road from Route 215 to the bridge will also be closed. -30- Local area office: 902-758-3009 Fax: 902-758-1776
Kolkata: The West Bengal Central School Service Commission will start counseling for recruitment of headmasters /headmistresses in government aided and sponsored secondary and higher secondary schools across the state from June 27.A notification undersigned by SSC chairman Soumitra Sarkar was released in the Commission’s website on Tuesday. ” We will make the detailed counselling programme available in the SSC website on June 26,” Sarkar said. This counselling will not involve the Hill regions of the state. The move on the part of SSC came soon after Calcutta High Court lifted the interim stay in connection with recruitment of 2,243 heads of institutions. The examination for recruitment of headmasters/ headmistress was conducted in 2017 and 2,243 were empaneled. A good number of candidates are also in the waiting list. It may be mentioned that some writ petitions were filed at the Calcutta High Court after a notification regarding recruitment of teachers was brought out by SSC in January 2017. Also Read – City bids adieu to Goddess DurgaMore than seven such petitions were pending before the court. The state government had notified that those who have secured 50 percent or more in graduation will only be eligible for the Headmaster/ Headmistress post. This was 45 percent earlier. The main petition was filed challenging this notification of the state government. “A number of schools are being run with teacher- in charges at the helm because of this problem. With the HC’s order we will be able to recruit suitable candidates,” an official in the Education department said.
New Delhi: The Rs 20,000 crore fund created by the government may help in completion of up to 2.5 lakh housing units across seven major cities, property consultant Anarock on Tuesday said. Last week, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government will set up a special window to provide last-mile funding for housing projects which are non-NPAs and non-NCLT in the affordable and middle income category. In the fund, Rs 10,000 crore will be contributed by the central government and roughly the same amount will come from outside investors. The government had said that this fund will help complete an estimated 3.5 lakh units across the country. Also Read – Thermal coal import may surpass 200 MT this fiscal”After considering these caveats, nearly 2.5 lakh units…can avail relief from the government’s aid in the top 7 cities alone. However, since data for projects under NPAs is not available, there could be a further dip in these numbers,” Anarock Chairman Anuj Puri said. The seven cities include four metros as well as Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. Puri hailed the move to create stressed asset fund but said there was a need to change the government’s definition of affordable’ housing. Also Read – Food grain output seen at 140.57 mt in current fiscal on monsoon boost”As it stands today, the government labels a metro-based home as affordable if it admeasures 60 sq mt or less in carpet area and is priced within Rs 45 lakh. This price tag is far too low in cities such as Delhi-NCR and Mumbai. Moreover, the price definition of mid-segment homes is also not clear,” he added. Anarock said a total of 4 lakh units in projects launched in 2013 or before are stuck or delayed across various segments, excluding NCLT projects. Of this, only those that fall under the affordable or mid categories – 2.5 lakh units – can legitimately avail of the government’s new provisions. “This can be further narrowed down when the nominated professionals from the real estate and banking fraternity select the projects to be given government aid. As of now, 2.5 lakh units can at least hope to be rescued under this provision. Only time will reveal the final numbers,” he added. Anarock said there are a total of 5.76 lakh units (launched in 2013 or before) across budget segments that are stuck in various stages of non-completion in the top seven cities alone. These also include units falling under NPAs or NCLT. On Monday, real estate data and analytic firm PropEquity founder Samir Jasuja said Rs 90,000 crore fund would be required for a total of 7.4 lakh units that fall under stressed category.
OTTAWA — A pair of federal cabinet ministers have been called on to testify before a parliamentary committee on China’s move to reject canola shipments from one of Canada’s largest grain producers.The House of Commons trade committee voted today to hear from Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and International Trade Minister Jim Carr on the Canada-China canola issue during the week of April 1.Beijing recently suspended canola imports from Richardson International Ltd. for what one Chinese official alleged was the detection of hazardous organisms in the company’s product.In an interview last week, Carr said Canada is pushing to solve the economically important matter — but he added that China had yet to provide evidence to back up the claims.China’s decision to block shipments of one of Canada’s key exports comes with the two countries locked in a diplomatic dispute related to the December arrest of Huawei senior executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver — where she’s now fighting extradition to the United States.China has since arrested Canadian citizens Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor on allegations of engaging in activities that have endangered Chinese national security — moves viewed as an effort to pressure Canada into releasing Meng.The Canadian Press
Advertisement LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Lane Merrifield and Vincenzo Guzzo will join the Dragons’ Den lineup for Season 13, premiering fall 2018 on CBC.Merrifield and Guzzo bring a wealth of knowledge and skill to the show with firsthand experience establishing and growing multi-million dollar businesses. These two new Dragon investors will join Arlene Dickinson, Jim Treliving, Michele Romanow and Manjit Minhas, as financier Michael Wekerle and fashion icon Joe Mimran depart the series. Wekerle is leaving to focus on the re-opening of Toronto’s iconic live music venue, the El Mocambo, while Mimran will continue to devote his time to Gibraltar Ventures and its invested companies and will also be working on two large-scale projects, one for a large U.S. public company food retailer and the second initiative in the U.S. and Canada that has yet to be announced.“I am happy to welcome two very impressive new Dragons to the team this season,” said Jennifer Dettman, executive director of Unscripted Content at CBC. “With their extensive experience launching innovative and game-changing businesses, Lane and Vincenzo will bring fresh vision and energy to the Den. We thank Michael and Joe for their commitment to the series and developing Canadian entrepreneurs over the past several years. They will always be a part of the Dragons’ Den family, and we wish them continued success with their new ventures.” Advertisement Advertisement Facebook Login/Register With: Cinemas Guzzo head Vincenzo Guzzo, left, and tech entrepreneur Lane Merrifield are joining CBC-TV’s Dragons’ Den for its upcoming 13th season this fall. (CBC) Twitter
The festive season is just around the corner, and busy singletons facing the prospect of spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve solo are rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in to potential opportunities of meeting someone special. But just how easy is it to find your ideal partner? Professional matchmaker Rena Maycock delivers a few home truths…DATING IN IRELAND has become a tricky business. The landscape has changed and singletons seem drowned in opportunities to meet their true love by going online dating (where multiple choice rather than quality seems to be the order of the day); braving the many speed-dating events or propping up the bar at the hippest late night hotspot.Old-fashioned matchmaking in Ireland has made a comeback with companies taking the responsibility for making relationship choices on behalf of their clients, organising each introduction and taking feedback afterwards. However, it’s not the romance fest you might think it is.The hardest part of being a matchmaker is trying to manage expectations. Each client comes in for a consultation and tells us what kinds of qualities they want in a partner and it’s our job to go and come as close as possible to meeting those criteria, while also meeting the criteria of that selected match.You see, there can be a propensity to treat the service like one would a car dealership. If one were ordering a Mercedes for instance one could order metallic paint, alloy wheels and an MP3 jack and receive a delivery date. It’s easy to forget that matchmakers are dealing with human beings, none of whom are perfect. And unlike my car analogy, we are not building matches from the ground up.The ‘C’ wordThe most difficult of criteria we find is achieving like for like counterparts in terms of education and profession – or as most feel but are unprepared to utter aloud: class.The disparity between men and women that eventually manifests in that “class” imbalance begins with education. Naturally people would assume that they will be coupled with a match of comparable standing, however this is a lot trickier that you might think…To begin with, men leave school earlier and women are more qualified. The 2011 census shows that 28 per cent of women were third level graduates, compared with only 23 per cent of men. Of the total number of graduates (739,992) in April 2011, 413,257 (56%) were women while 326,735 (44%) were men.The fact that women stay longer in education and do better feeds through to occupations with nearly a quarter of women (23.7%) in employment being in professional occupations and just over a fifth (20.9%) in administrative and secretarial occupations. Nearly a quarter of men (24.7%) in employment in 2011 were in skilled trades occupations while just 15% of men were employed in professional occupations. So for every 1 professional man there are 1.6 professional women. You can see where this is going…Breaking the bad newsOperating as a matchmaker at the mercy of statistical imbalances like these makes it our job to break it to the well-educated/successful/professional woman, that unfortunately if she is looking for her mirror image – these men are far fewer and further between than her and her peers.It’s not only the educated ladies that are in for a shock however, that age-old stereotype of young women being happy to settle down with much older men has led to a desperately unrealistic expectation from a lot of men that, somehow, they are entitled to date women 15-20 years their junior. This leads to multiple sobering conversations daily with disappointed men who were looking forward to introductions with women young enough to be their daughter. Amazingly, they often can’t understand why this won’t be achievable.The balance of the sexesAlthough (adding insult to injury) there are statistically fewer men in Ireland today (42,854 more females than males in the State in April 11), this adds up to barely a 1% difference which seems to have been the result of a baby boy boom in the previous six years.There is also the thorny fact that divorced men often seem to pair off and marry single women quite quickly. In the 2011 census there were 88,918 separated or divorced men, but there were 115,046 women. Overall, men are more likely to re-marry with 39% of ever-divorced men re-married compared with only 28% of women. So there are c. 26,000 separated or divorced women in Ireland for whom a counterpart is no longer available.The key to success?We are asked often by new clients if we have a good success rate and yes, thankfully, we do. But we are quite honest in sharing what kind of client the service works for and why.We find that people that come to us with a positive attitude get results. This may seem like a woolly vagary but – at the risk of sounding patronising – we do find that those that can be pleased, will be. These clients are willing to blur the boundaries of their usual type because they recognise that their “type” hasn’t worked out for them so far.They’ll relax on previously held rigid ‘must-haves’ in order to widen the pool of possibilities. They may insist on one or two criteria being adhered to (non-smoker and non-controlling being most popular “must haves” for women and high-maintenance topping the “definitely not” list for the men). Excepting those small things, they keep an open mind and accept that nobody is perfect.They want to see the positives in their potential matches and make the effort on their dates to find a common ground, rather than digging around for reasons as to why this person is certainly not good enough for them. They realise that their mirror image doesn’t exist in a member of the opposite sex and form no judgements based on education, profession or age.The value systems we hold dear need to be changedThe people that certainly won’t find what they want are those that feel that their education or profession entitles them to a perceived standard of match. Those that stand on pedestals that reach dizzying heights because of their achievements in life create an aura of superiority that the most well-rounded PhDs would find nauseating. These people will not be pleased.Ireland has changed. In order for girl to meet boy and for both to be content, the value systems we hold dear need to be changed. Rather than relying on a partner to complement our acquired status in society, we should embrace what is different about them. While education and professions can be important, they do not the sum total of a human being make – nor does the lack of a Masters make someone incapable of intelligent conversation. The key to success is in compromise and realistic expectations.Rena Maycock is the founder of Intro matchmaking, a nationwide matchmaking service based at 39 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. They have five staff members and have arranged more than 3,000 matches to date. Phone 01 6777000 or log on to www.intro.ieWe’re interested in your ideas and opinions – do you have a story you would like to see featured in Opinion & Insight? Email opinions@thejournal.ieColumn: Is online dating keeping us from settling down?Read: 10 distinctly Irish relationship problems