News in Newry

What a busy weekend in Newry! The HP team has quietly gone about its business in Newry since our first long distance assessment in 2009 without much fanfare from the local community. We've never sought any local exposure, but all that changed this time. Newry & Mourne District Council have always been a great assistance in helping us with use of the canal and the boating area in St. Christopher's Park. However both Newry Maritime Association and the Inland Waterway's Association led a cleanup of the canal prior to our visit, and the canal was noticably tidier. Sadly, our waterways often act a conduit for litter and accumulated bottles and bags can be an eyesore as well as damaging to wildlife, aside from providing a shock to scullers and rowers who unexpectedly encounter an errant bottle or bag when they're not expecting it.

On Saturday morning, we got some airtime on the local station QRadio with interviewer Rowan Hand, a charming and knowledgable man who has worked for both RTE and BBC for many years. Rowan was one of the original presenters on RTE's Nationwide programme and a font of information on the history of the canal, and rowing on the canal. Newry has had a long association with rowing and whilst it has waxed and waned over the years, Rowan challenged the listeners to re-energise the sport once again in Newry.

Following up on Sunday morning we had a visit from the Lord Mayor of Newry, Charlie Casey, accompanied by representatives of the Inland Waterways Association and the Inland Waterways Association to see what goes on. All were very supportive of Rowing Ireland's activity on the canal and we look forward to their continued support for years to come.

Reflecting on the progress of our athletes, it's worth a look back through some of the previous results in Newry since 2009. It's difficult to compare water results for obvious reasons but the ergometer results tell their own story. In February 2009, lightweight men Michael Maher, Mark O'Donovan, Justin Ryan, and Niall Kenny filed 6:22, 6:36, 6:36, and 6:28 respectively. In 2012 the scores are 6:14, 6:20, 6:17, and 6:16. Over the same period, Lucerne medallist Siobhan McCrohan has moved from 7:42 to 7:09. UCD man David Neale has moved from 6:38 to 6:05. In 2009 we had one Junior girl under 7:10. In 2012 we have four girls breaking that mark. All in all, there has been a significant shift forward in terms of better times, and more athletes achieving them.

There are a number of learnings from this simple analysis. First of all, athletes and coaches have gone after the higher standards and raised their game - remember, you get what you measure. If you set realistic but ambitious targets in both training and selection, athletes will chase them down. Next, it takes time. It won't happen overnight and persistence is one of the key qualities of resilient athletes and coaches. Finally, it's often said that ergs don't float, but there has been a strong correlation between the erg scores and the ranking in the water assessments. Ergs don't float, but efficiently applied power will always trump an inefficient or underpowered system.

Well done to all this weekend, athletes and coaches, and thanks too to all parents for your unstinting help. It's great to see people pitching in to make it a rewarding and satisfying event. Building our international teams at all levels is a relentless task. It's not always forward motion, sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back, but all of us in the HP team are pleased with the outcome of this weekend. It's still early days for the 2012 season, with plenty of opportunity to improve the base of endurance and strength even further. Endurance, strength, and effective technique underpin boat speed. Top end speed will come quite easily to those who have laid effective foundations. Plan well, train well, race well.

Where the Mountains of Mourne Sweep down to the Sea

It's that time again, back in Newry for the final long distance assessment of the 2011-2012 season. It look's like we've escaped the bad weather that has rolled in over England and Scotland from Siberia bringing some very low temperatures. So far the forecast is good for the weekend. After a camp in Greece for a small group of athletes where we experienced windchill of -12C and more days on the ergometer than than even the most hardened athlete wishes to endure, Ireland feels postively tropical (for February that is). Cork has been basking in 8-10C temperatures for the past few weeks.

All in all, the number of people suffering any winter ills prior to the assessment is small. Sanita is suffering from a winter bug, but as anyone who has young kids knows, that's one of the risks of parenthood so whilst she has to sit out this weekend she'll be back shortly. As usual, Newry is an ergometer assessment followed by a water assessment and I look forward to seeing the results of athletes' training over the winter. There's still a big chunk of strength and endurance training to be done before we get too concerned about the speed work leading into the regatta season, but this assessment provides a measure of progress in the investment made over the winter.

Closing the gap on world class standards of performance is no easy feat. First of all, those leading the way do not stand still and wait to be be caught. Additionally, those seeking to close the gap have to push themselves right to the edge to make progress. It sounds quite simple, it is anything but. Pushing right to the edge is more difficult than it sounds. It's relentless, and one of the big dangers is not going over the edge. Once over the edge, it can be very difficult to recover the gains that were so hard fought for. All our athletes and programmes are young. Our senior athletes are young senior athletes, and programmes like our junior programme are just developing but from my perspective there has been very definite progress. I'm seeing our young senior athletes pushing harder now that they've seen the standard and understand what's required. Over the past three years the performance and training numbers of our junior athletes have jumped forward. The bar has been raised and athletes have responded. As a support system (club & HP), all we can do is provide guidance and support, athletes have to have a real hunger to succeed, and I see that desire fermenting in our athletes.

We have a final Olympic qualifying chance in May, and I know that our athletes are giving it their all, but none of us are being unrealistically overoptimistic. We know what the standards are, and we'll do our utmost to give our athletes their best chance, but in an evolving system success cannot and should not be measured by qualification alone. Putting that expectation on a young group of athletes does not help. We have some great young athletes at all levels; junior, under 23, and senior. It's essential that we create pathways where these athletes can develop and move from one level to the next, serving their time, building their skills and physical capabilities, and finally standing on the top step where all of us would wish to see them. I've been down this road before and I know just how difficult it is. It's not the beautiful vision of a postcard perfect lake at sunrise or sunset, it's the endless hours of paddling, erging and gym work, seemingly a million miles from the beautiful lakes of europe, that make the difference. 

From the training returns across all our squads, I know our momentum is building, step by step. To our athletes, believe in yourself, keep pushing. Fortune favours the brave.

Matthew Pinsent talks about what it takes to win at an Olympic level

Gaps in the Wind

The weather has huffed and puffed over the past few weeks. Some nights you'd wonder what the impact of a night's storm was going to be when you left the house in the morning. All of us in the HP team were a bit apprehensive about last weekend. We had a development camp scheduled for our top Junior, Under 23 and Senior athletes but ironically, in spite of all the bad weather, we had a great weekend. Take a look at the pictures on our Facebook page. It was cold but we had little rain or wind.

Looking at the juniors, boys and girls, sculling and rowing over the weekend, it's very clear that there is an incremental improvement year on year in terms of the numbers that are achieving higher standards. I've no doubt that the results achieved by Holly, Paul, and the other junior athletes over the past few years are inspiring younger athletes in clubs around the country to set about achieving their own dreams. Increasingly, we're seeing more clubs contributing athletes and more coaches getting involved. Last weekend we saw Cathal Moynihan and Sean Casey, both previous Olympians, getting involved in coaching young athletes. There was a really good atmosphere amongst athletes and coaches and a nice mix of performance measurement through timed pieces segued with coaching opportunties and video sessions.

There was also a group of under 23 athletes attending and it was very encouraging to see some crew boats containing some big guys out on the lake. The HP coaching team is a small team including Adrian, Rob, Derek, and Nathan. We've spent a lot of time to put some clear frameworks in place and it never feels anything but busy, but there is now a clear sense of being able to involve more people and expand some of our programmes. We have a long, long way to go and I'm sure we'll meet many challenges along the way, but weekends like last weekend give a real sense of encouragement and optimism.

Time to reflect

It's been a busy few weeks since the assessments in Newry. First there was the trip to Galway to spend some time with coaches discussing a range of coaching interests, and then the unplanned return to attend the funeral of Tom Tuohy.

Tom was a coach who wore his heart on his sleeve and it was quite clear that those athletes that worked with Tom were infused with the same passion and commitment that Tom showed. I deeply believe that the true mark of a coach is shown in the respect afforded by the athletes that have worked with that coach. Nowhere was that more clear than at Tom's funeral mass. The numbers attending that day and the sheer diversity of the mourners was a powerful reminder of the impact that a coach can have. Tom wasn't just a sports coach, he was a coach of men in the widest sense. 

Tom disliked bureaucracy and fiercely defended his charges. Tom's crews were always full on, never gave up, and would take on anyone. I knew Tom for a long time and we enjoyed the occasional catch up where we discussed the challenges facing our sport. Tom was both critical and supportive, and I always felt refreshed after an hour with him. Thanks Tom, we'll all miss you.

Newry

A week after the assessments in Newry, I find myself in Galway with Adrian to spend some time with coaches to discuss the perennial questions of training and technique. One hundred and ninety three people from 37 clubs entered the assessment in Newry. After Saturday's ergometer test, one hundred and twenty proceeded to the water assessment.

It was greatly encouraging to see so many juniors with the aspiration to be part of the national team, and to see that there is a rising standard in terms of ergometer performance. At this time of year, the ergometer performances provide validation of the winter training up to this point. Staying well and training effectively over the next four months are the key to having a productive racing season later on. Derek Holland provides valuable leadership in the junior programme by sending out well designed training programmes to all subscribing clubs. These clubs submit training scores across a number of programme elements, and receive back a national summary that motivates athletes to set ever increasingly ambitious goals. Looking across the years that Derek has implemented this process, we see continuous improvement in the training numbers and in the performances in assessments such as Newry.

Amongst the group training at the NRC there were some very encouraging improvements; Sanita's score of 6:37 was a six second improvement on her previous best and a truly world class score, Mark O'Donovan made a six second improvement on his previous best along with a number of the other athletes who pushed their markers forward. At this time of year this is very encouraging for the athletes and coaches. Kate O'Brien was impressive amongst the junior girls in breaking the seven mintue marker, and last year's single sculler Paul O'Donovan laid down a solid marker dipping under the 6:20 mark.

With such a large entry we took a decision to split the water assessment into two divisions. We were also mindful of feedback from last year where athletes were sitting on the water for some time in cold conditions. Overall the two division approach seemed to work well, although we're always open to feedback and improvement. A big thanks must go to those coaches, parents and supporters who willingly give their time to assist in running the event. Time and time again these people offer their help and it is truly appreciated. It would not be possible to run the event without this generosity and support.

In the first division, the junior men were led home by Paul O'Donovan, a quiet, well organised young man who will no doubt be keen to demonstrate his class in his final year of junior competition. Hilary Shinnick from Fermoy lead home the junior girls section with close attention from a number of other young girls from around the country. Mark O'Donovan was fastest male overall, with Sanita taking the female honours. Overall, it was an encouraging weekend at all levels. There's still a good opportunity to get some good training blocks in during the winter phase, so stay well and keep working is the key message to all.

Moving on to Galway, we're spending a weekend at the disposal of the coaches from clubs in the town. We've had some interesting conversations today around technique and training. We were keen to spend time with the coaches so that we could explore different aspects of the rowing stroke. Rather than just have us coach crews, we find it more useful to put time aside to discuss challenges involved in observation, feedback, and ultimately changing the way in which athletes row. I personally really enjoyed the interaction with a keen, curious, and commited group of coaches, encouragingly including a number of young coaches. It was a very positive discussion not just about technique and training, but one that also helps us understand how Rowing Ireland may be able to help coaches with their further development. It's been a very busy spell recently, but very encouraging to see the commitment and enthusiasm of athletes and coaches alike.