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.