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Rowing news from across the country
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NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 5
OCTOBER 2014
2
ROWING IRELAND NEWLETTER
CONTENTS
The Rowing Ireland Newsletter is an official publication of Rowing Ireland.
The views expressed by the contributors within this publication are not
necessarily the views of Rowing Ireland.
Copyright © 2014
All rights reserved.
All feedback and contributions are welcome, please contact:
3 CEO Message
4 High Performance
6 Rio 2016
7 Safety
8 2014 Season
9 Umpires Exams
17 2014 Calendar
23 Around the Country
36 Spotlight on…Clubs
38 Spotlight on…Rowers
41 Spotlight on…Coaches
42 Spotlight on…RI Staff
43 Nutrition
48 Get Going...Get Rowing
50 Rowing for Everyone
56 Twitter Photos
57 Sponsors
Photo on front cover: Andrew Goff, who was part of the winning
MJ4x crew that won gold at the Coupe de la Jeunesse this year,
training at Waterford Boat Club in September.
2
CEO MESSAGE
3
Hamish Adams
CEO
Rowing Ireland
I am delighted to
introduce the latest copy
of the Rowing Ireland E-
Zine. This version
updates us on the
excellence we have all
achieved in 2014 from
the Irish Championships
to the World
Championships. Once
again the year has flown
by at high speed and as I
write this article crews
are preparing for the new
season’s High
Performance trials at the
NRC.
I would like to personally
congratulate our HP team
of Morten, Don, Mary,
John and Pat for their
outstanding development
and contribution to all our
HP athletes. Their work
has been reflected in the
greater quality and
quantity of athletes
involved. Of course this
success could not have
been achieved without
the huge voluntary
contribution of the many
coaches, administrators
and families supporting
our athletes in the
background.
We continue to strive to
improve all areas of our
business and this edition
includes informative
articles on our domestic
and international
competitions, coaching,
and club development.
The recent “Better
Coaching, Better Clubs”
Conference held in Dublin
was very well attended
and the feedback from
you on the day was
excellent, with
approximately 80 people
attending. We look
forward to seeing you all
again in two years time at
our 2016 conference and
we will be facilitating
provincial workshops in
2015 with world class
presenters as we did in
2013 with Peter
Shakespear.
I look forward to meeting
you all in our provincial
forums over the coming
weeks.
Hamish
HIGH PERFORMANCE
4
HIG
H P
ERFO
RM
AN
CE
Lightweight Men’s Camp
The lightweight men’s camp
was conducted on the 27th-
28th September at the
NRC. Twenty-six athletes
participated at the camp
and there were four coxed
fours and five doubles
training. On Saturday,
different combinations were
tried, while on Sunday,
three 2k tests were
conducted, again in
different combinations, to
look at strengths and
weaknesses in boat moving.
In U23 and senior ranks,
there are good prospects
for making international
crews and a schedule will
be made in order to get
crews together. Five
volunteer coaches attended
and Mick’s kitchen provided
lunches.
NRC
The World Championships
competitor group are back
in training at the NRC and
the group also contains
development athletes who
are training full-time. The
weather has been excellent
and has enabled a lot of
training on the water.
However the water level is
low and that causes some
problems, particularly at
the launch area, as well as
going up to the start. After
the theft of some of the
engines, additional cameras
and security have been set
up and launches/engines
are being taken off of the
water after each session.
Denis O’Regan is in charge
of the NRC accommodation
and €5 has to be paid to
avail of this facility.
Overnight accommodation
is only allowed for a short
period of time and has to
be booked in advance.
Maintenance and
refurbishment of changing
rooms etc, bays with more
trestles, and marking
equipment is ongoing.
Around the Country
In Galway the season has
started to build the new,
and sharpen the
experienced athletes. In
Limerick/Dublin the men’s
sculling group work has
found its feet and is
improving. In Cork/
Skibbereen athletes have
been training regularly. The
Belfast Talent Programme
has been reviewed and the
equipment evaluated. New
and experienced athletes
are on the move.
Physiotherapy
The Irish Institute of Sport
has set up service provision
at the NRC where Sinead
Murphy, physiotherapist,
will be in charge to help the
carded athletes.
A few athletes from other
sports on the IIS list in the
Cork area will be able to
avail of the service. The IIS
has issued an increased
service provision schedule
and hopefully funding will
be allocated towards this.
Para Rowing
The Para Rowing document
from the Ulster Branch has
been attached to the HP
section of the Rowing
Ireland website for those
interested. The capital
grant resource will be used
to purchase a safety
catamaran for camp and
training weekends as well
as two new boats for
ASM1x and TAmix2x and
oars.
Conferences
The Olympic Council of
Ireland conducted seminars
on the 9th-10th October for
all Olympic sports at
Malahide, for coaches and
performance directors/team
managers. Five people from
Rowing Ireland participated.
The Rowing Ireland
conference “Better
Coaching, Better Clubs”
was well attended with 80
coaches and club leaders,
and RI staff. An extensive
programme was presented
on the day. The evaluation
papers will illustrate any
improvements which should
be made.
Focus
The focus for the next ten
months will be getting
crews ready for Olympic
and Paralympic
qualification. Crews will be
formed early and training
schedules set up to get
the most effort and
preparation for August
2015. Depending on
funding, the target will be
longer camps and an early
international regatta in
Piediluco/Italy, European
Championships in Poznan/
Poland, World Cup 3 in
Lucerne/Switzerland and
finally the World
Championships in
Aiguebelette/France. Para
Rowing will have a different
plan, but also finishing at
the World Championships.
The U23 World Rowing
Championships will be in
Plovdiv/Bulgaria in July.
The juniors will have their
final trial in March and
crews will prepare for
European Championships in
Prague/CZE and the Coupe
in August in Szeged/
Hungary. Time will tell if
the juniors will go to Brazil
for the Junior World Rowing
Championships after
evaluation of the Junior
European Championships in
May. Pat McInerney will
schedule the next steps and
dates for the juniors.
5
Important Dates:
22nd Nov—2k concept2 compulsory
race at Irish Provinces IRC in UL
(or in a club supervised by a coach,
or at Ulster Indoors on 29th Nov)
20th-21st Dec—Assessment by
invitation for U23/Seniors at NRC
24th Jan—2k Concept2 compulsory
race at IIRC in UL
By: Morten Espersen, High Performance
Director, Rowing Ireland
OLYMPIC GAMES 2016
6
RIO
20
16
BO
AT
CLA
SS
CR
EWS
SAT
6T
H
AU
G
SUN
7T
H
AU
G
MO
N 8
TH
AU
G
TUES
9T
H
AU
G
WED
10
TH
AU
G
THU
RS
11
TH A
UG
FRI 1
2T
H
AU
G
SUN
14
TH
AU
G
SAT
13
TH
AU
G
M4
x 1
0
2 H
eats
1 R
ep
Fi
nal
s A
&B
W4
x 7
2
Hea
ts
1
Rep
Fin
al A
M2
- 1
3
3 H
eats
1
Rep
2 S
emis
A/B
Fin
als
A&
B
W2
x 1
3
3 H
eats
1
Rep
2 S
emis
A/B
Fin
als
A&
B
M2
x 1
3
3 H
eats
1
Rep
2 S
emis
A/B
Fin
als
A&
B
LM4
- 1
3
3 H
eats
1
Rep
2 S
emis
A/B
Fin
als
A&
B
LW2
x 2
0
4
Hea
ts
2 R
eps
(2 S
em
is C
/
D)
2 S
emis
A/B
Fi
nal
s C
&D
Fi
nal
s A
&B
LM2
x 2
0
4
Hea
ts
2 R
eps
(2 S
em
is C
/
D)
2 S
emis
A/B
Fi
nal
s C
&D
Fi
nal
s A
&B
W2
- 1
5
3
Hea
ts
1 R
ep
2
Sem
is A
/B
Fin
al C
Fi
nal
s A
&B
M4
- 1
3
3
Hea
ts
1 R
ep
2
Sem
is A
/B
Fi
nal
s A
&B
W8
+
7
2 H
eats
1 R
ep
Fin
al A
M1
x 3
2
6 H
eats
3
Rep
s (2
se
mis
E/
F)
4 Q
uar
ters
(2
se
mis
C/
D)
2 S
emis
A/B
Fi
nal
s E&
F Fi
nal
s A
, B,
C, D
W1
x 3
2
6 H
eats
3
Rep
s (2
se
mis
E/
F)
4 Q
uar
ters
(2
se
mis
C/
D)
2 S
emis
A/B
Fi
nal
s E&
F Fi
nal
s A
, B,
C, D
M8
+
7
2 H
eats
1 R
ep
Fin
al A
Rac
es
2
8 r
ace
s 2
4 r
ace
s 1
6 r
ace
s 2
0 r
ace
s 1
7 r
ace
s 1
7 r
ace
s 1
2 r
ace
s 1
0 r
ace
s
RESERVE DAY
Rio 2016 Provisional Olympic Regatta Racing Programme
7
LIFE-JACKETS
ANYONE? WHY
EVER NOT? By Joe Cantillon, Chairperson, Safety Committee
SAFETY
It's pretty simple really -
You'd be daft not to wear a Personal Flotation Device in
a launch. Of course rowers of all shapes, sizes and ages don't wear them, it is
part of our sport and is regularly debated but that's
where you come in - the safety launch. Your club might call it the coach’s
launch but it serves a vital safety role in getting to a
rower that capsizes or runs into difficulty. In fact, if you think about it, usually the
most likely time for a fully-clothed, boot-wearing adult
to fall overboard from a small craft while out
coaching rowing is when they are hunched over the side trying to get a rower
into the hard-shell of their launch. Are you always
accompanied? What happens if you or another coach falls overboard
without a life-jacket or PFD - who saves you? Even so,
could the other person in the launch handle two people in the drink? Too
many variables - wear a life
-jacket.
Statistically, the wearing of PFDs is on the wane. Whether less aware or less
clued-in, people are leaving them on the shore. The
Irish Water council note on their website that since
2008, life threatening and
drowning incidents without life-jackets being worn are
on the rise. Irish rowing is surging forward with clubs noting record interest and
recruitment; coaching has never been as well
coordinated as through the recent initiatives by Pat McInerney and the Rowing
Ireland Coaching development program.
Strength & Conditioning for rowing is leaner and more knowledgeable with
international assistance and World Wide Web knowledge
sharing. Oars and boats are designed by NASA. Coaches
and oarsmen alike can apply a wealth of support to any and every spin. Don't
forget the simple stuff - wear a functioning Life-
Jacket.
Remember there are many different types of PFD
available. Some are discrete and even integrate
into your water-proofs. However they don't have to cost the earth. A manual or
tablet gas cartridge version is in the region of €50 -
Your monthly SKY subscription probably costs more. Most clubs will have
a policy requiring their use and PFDs available, so next
time throw one over your shoulders and buckle up.
Take a look around and
consider that you wearing a lump of foam might just
save your life or that your example might prompt another coach or boat-user
to save their own skin by following your lead and
wearing one as well. The easiest thing to do is store the club life-jackets in the
boat they will be used in. If you have a personal PFD,
regularly ensure that it functions especially if you have loaned it out - gas
cartridges don't appear any different when empty and
young coxes don't always admit to inflating them in
case you lose the rag. RTFM - read the instructions, they are usually printed on the
mechanism. Finally a smaller 40N life jacket
won't provide much lift to a coach that likes their dinners; make sure your
jacket is designed for your
weight. Go Google it.
Rowing Ireland has a safety committee that is there to assist you with any of your
queries. Drop us a line if you have any questions or
wish to see other areas of interest discussed. Email
8
T he 2014 European
Rowing Championships
were held in Belgrade in
Serbia from the 30th May to
the 1st June. Sanita
Puspure (Old Collegians
BC) represented Ireland in
the women’s single sculls
event. After coming 2nd in
her heat, and winning her
repechage, she booked a
place in the semi-finals.
She went on to finish 2nd in
this race and in doing so,
made her way into the A
Final.
Sanita produced a strong
race in the final, and as
seen in the photo above,
just missed out on 2nd
place. In a time of
7:43.040 she finished 3rd.
The Women’s Pair crew of
Leonora Kennedy and Lisa
Dilleen came 2nd in their
heat, won their repechage
and finished in 4th position
in the A Final in a time of
7:12.420.
Monika Dukarska and
Eimear Moran took part in
the Women’s Double Sculls
race. They finished in 4th
position in the B Final, in a
time of 7:13.390, coming
10th overall.
Skibbereen rower Paul
O’Donovan took to the
water in the Lightweight
Men’s Single Sculls race
and finished 2nd in the C
Final.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 20
14
SEA
SON
(L-R) Chantal Achterberg (NED), Mirka
Knapkova (CZE), Sanita Puspure (Ire)
(L-R) Morten Espersen, Sanita Puspure &
Don McLachlan at the presentation of the
bronze medal picture to Sanita at the NRC
9
WORLD CUP II E very year there are three World Cup Regattas.
While no Irish rower travelled to the first round, the second round was well
attended. Aiguebelette in France was the venue from
the 19th to the 22nd June.
Sanita Puspure rowed in the Women’s Single Sculls race
and after booking a place in the A Final, she finished in
6th position, behind New Zealand, China, Austria, Czech Republic and USA, in
a time of 7:54.840.
Claire Lambe (Old
Collegians BC) and Denise
Walsh (Skibbereen RC) formed the Irish crew for
the Lightweight Women’s Double Sculls and came in 5th position in the B Final in
a time of 7:16.710,
finishing 11th overall.
The Women’s Pair team of Leonora Kennedy (Portora RC) and Lisa Dilleen
(Grainne Mhaol RC) finished 3rd in the B Final in a time
of 7:16.530.
Monika Dukarska (Killorglin RC) and Eimear Moran took
to the water in the Women’s Double Sculls
event, finishing 2nd in the C
Final.
Thomas Kelly came 4th in
the AS Men’s Single Sculls B Final, finishing the 1000m
course in 5:42.410.
Paul O’Donovan (UCD BC) won the B Final of the
Lightweight Men’s Single Sculls race, while Mark O’Donovan (University of
Limerick RC) won the C
Final.
John Keohane (Lee Valley RC) came 2nd in the D Final of the Men’s Single Sculls in
a time of 7:16.480.
WORLD CUP III From the 11th-13th July,
one Irish rower travelled to Lucerne in Switzerland
for the third round of the
World Rowing Cup. In the Women’s Single Sculls
event, Sanita Puspure
won the B Final in a time
of 7:51.380.
UMPIRES EXAMS At every Rowing Ireland
regatta you will see umpires. These are needed
to ensure that the competitors have a fair, but more importantly, safe
race. Without a large number of these volunteers
it would not be possible for most events on the Rowing Ireland calendar to take
place.
Each year the Umpires
Committee hold exams for new umpires throughout the country. The locations
are based on demand. If there are a half dozen or
more candidates in a particular location the
Committee will generally hold an exam. As the
concept of an umpires
exam can be daunting for new candidates, the
Umpires Committee are in the process of putting in place two trainers in each
province. These will provide training to candidates in
advance so they are prepared for the exams. The next set of exams will
take place in early 2015. Details of the exams and
training sessions will be posted on the Rowing Ireland website in the next
month or so.
As part of the exam, there
is a seminar for candidates and any renewing umpires.
The Umpires Committee would like to advise that
this free seminar is open to
all coaches or other interested parties who
would like to attend without
having to take the exam.
Further details of the
Rowing Ireland Umpires Exams may be found here:
http://www.rowingireland.ie/umpires/
If you have any queries
please contact [email protected]
Kieran Kerr
Chair – Umpires
Committee
IRISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
10
20
14
SEA
SON
F riday 11th July was
the first day of the Irish
Rowing Championships
which were held at the
National Rowing Centre,
Cork.
At 11am Mr Bernard Allen,
former TD for Cork North
Central and former
Minister of State at the
Department of Education
and the Environment, with
special responsibility for
Youth and Sport unveiled
a plaque dedicated to Mr.
Michael O’Callaghan (Lee
Valley Rowing Club) for
his work and dedication in
the building and
establishment of the
National Rowing Centre.
Perfect conditions awaited
the rowers and racing got
underway at 11.45am
with lots of exciting races
scheduled for the first
day. In the Men’s Senior
Coxless Four, a two boat
race between Grainne
Mhaol (Galway) and Old
Collegians (UCD), was a
tight race until the last
500m with Grainne Mhaol
ramping it up to win by
just over a length.
In the Men’s Intermediate
Coxed Four, Carlow
Rowing Club led up until
the 1700m with NUIG
putting in a push in the
last 300m to come home
with a win by a length.
IRISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
NUIG/Grainne Mhaol, winners of
the Men’s Senior Eight
11
T he Men’s Club Eight
from UCD led all the way to
a convincing finish with a
two length advantage over
Skibbereen. In the coveted
Men’s Junior Scull, David
O’Malley (St Michaels RC)
beat fellow city man Conor
Carmody of Shannon by
two lengths.
This was followed by the
Men’s Junior Coxed Eight
where Portora (Enniskillen)
had another tight race with
St. Joseph’s, who were
chasing their third
championship in a row.
Portora came through in the
end to beat St. Joseph’s by
over a length.
The final two races of the
day concluded with the
Men’s Lightweight Single
Scull where Justin Ryan
from UCC beat Skibbereen’s
Harnedy by five seconds.
The days racing finished at
16.45 with the Women’s
Intermediate Eight. In a
terrific race with a neck and
neck competition
throughout the full 2000m,
UCD came home to beat
NUIG in the final stages by
less than .60 of a second.
12
20
14
SEA
SON
IRISH CHAMPIONSHIPS
CONT.
D ay two was another
successful and exciting day
at the Irish Rowing
Championships. The day
started at 8.30am with
heats. The first final of the
day was at 11.30am with
the Men’s Senior Pair. UCD
came home to win ahead of
NUIG by just a length.
Following swiftly were the
Women’s Junior Single
Sculls, where Oisin Ford
from Cork Boat Club came
home to win the race ahead
of Jasmine English of
Belfast Boat Club.
The coveted Men’s Junior
Coxed Four was perhaps
one of the best races of the
day. Everyone, including
the commentator, was
unsure of who was ahead at
any given time. As soon as
one crew edged ahead,
another crew came back
and took the lead. There
was really never anything
in it with crews from
Portora, St Joseph’s, Cork,
Presentation and Bann
battling every step of the
way for the full 2000m. In
the end, Cork pulled
through. However it took a
photo finish to determine
the winner by a small
margin of .2 of a second.
The Women’s Lightweight
Single Scull was a battle
between Claire Lambe (Old
Collegians) and Siobhan
McCrohan (Tribesman).
Lambe pulled through to
win by two seconds. Cork
Boat Club held on in the
Junior Women’s Eights,
where they beat Portora of
Enniskillen.
13
S unday was the day
everyone was excited
about. The first final of the
day started at 11:00am
with the Women’s Junior 16
Quad Scull, followed swiftly
by the Women’s Junior Pair
which was won by the Ford
sisters from Cork BC.
The Men’s Scull was a great
race between UCD (Paul
O’Donovan) and Lee Valley
(John Keohane). In the final
250m Keohane pulled
through to win by 2
seconds. The Men’s
Intermediate Pair was
another photo finish race
with St. Michaels of
Limerick beating
Carlow in the last
250m of the race, by
only .6 of a second.
In the Women’s
Senior Sculls, Claire
Lambe won her second
championship of the event.
In the afternoon the rowing
continued with many fast
and tight races, and the sun
blazed down to add to the
excitement of the final few
races. The Men’s Junior Pair
went to Presentation, Cork
and the Women’s Junior
Quad to Skibbereen. The
composite of NUIG/Cork
stormed through to win the
Women’s Senior Eight.
The day finished with the
final everyone wished and
hoped for, it was always
going to be a tight one.
Trinity took off at the start
of the Men’s Senior Eight
with an initial lead over
NUIG/Grainne Mhaol
(Galway) with UCD in
third place. It was a
battle the whole way
down the course
between the crews
and even in the last
250m it was a difficult
one to call. In the end,
with the crowd
roaring, NUIG/Grainne
Mhaol rowed home to take
their third consecutive title.
A fitting end to a fantastic
weekend.
14
20
14
SEA
SON
WORLD U23
CHAMPIONSHIPS
T he 2014 World U23
Rowing Championships were
held from the 23rd-27th July
in Varese, Italy. Four crews
took to the water to
represent Ireland.
In the Lightweight Men’s
Single Sculls A Final, USA
stormed off the start,
leaving the other rowers
fighting for the minor
positions. Paul O'Donovan
(UCD BC) was neck and
neck with the Turkish and
Italian boats right up to the
half way mark but slipped
into fourth place in the last
500m. Finishing in a time of
7:02.320, he was beaten in
the end by two seconds.
The Lightweight Men’s
Double Scull crew of Shane
O’Driscoll and Gary
O’Donovan (both
Skibbereen RC) came forth
in their B Final, behind a
strong field of Ukraine,
Greece and New Zealand,
finishing 10th overall.
The Men's Coxless Four
of Fionnan McQuillan –
Tolan (Grainne Mhaol RC),
Richard Bennett (NUIG
BC), Robert O’Callaghan
(NUIG BC) and Kevin Neville
(NUIG BC) came 6th in the
B Final.
Unfortunately Denise Walsh
had to pull out of her race
due to illness.
Fantastic results from such
a young group of athletes.
15
HOME INTERNATIONAL
REGATTA
T he 2014 Home
International Regatta was
held on Saturday 26th July
at the National Rowing
Centre, Cork. With
representatives from
England, Ireland, Scotland
and Wales, over 500
participants took part in the
event with a large number
of cheering spectators there
to support the four
countries.
The day started off well
with Emma Desmond (Cork
Boat Club) winning the
Lightweight Women’s Sculls
with an impressive win over
England by ½ length. This
was followed by Niall
Duncan (Cork BC) winning
the Lightweight Men’s
Single Scull.
Only a few races later
Eimantas Grigalius (Three
Castles RC) won the Men’s
Single Scull. Shortly
afterward, the Carlow duo
of Niall Murphy and Alan
McKenna won the Men’s
Pair by over a length to
Scotland, with England and
Wales trailing behind by
over 25 seconds.
Just before lunch another
win came in for Ireland with
the Men’s Junior Double of
Shane Mulvaney (Neptune
RC) and Fintan McCarthy
(Skibbereen RC). The final
win of the day came in the
Men’s Four with a win by a
miniscule .20 of a second.
Pararower Katie O’ Brien
(Tribesman RC) added
another win for Ireland in
the Trunk and Arms Single
Sculls race. She was the
fasted sculler in a time of
4:51.98.
With Scotland winning the
Men’s and Women’s Senior
races and England winning
both the Men’s and
Women’s Junior, an
eventful and successful day
was had by all.
COUPE DE LA JEUNESSE
16
20
14
SEA
SON
F ounded in 1985, the
Coupe is an international
regatta, rowed over a
2000m course. 17 rowers
were chosen to represent
Ireland at the regatta which
was held in Libourne, just
outside Bordeaux in France,
from the 1st-3rd August.
Each category is raced both
on the first and second day
of the regatta, allowing
different winners to be
crowned each day.
Eimear Lambe (Commercial
RC) and Jasmine English
(Belfast BC) rowed in the
Women’s Junior Double
Scull race, finishing 3rd in
the A Final on the first day
of the regatta and 4th on
the second day.
The Women’s Junior
Coxless Quadruple Scull
crew of Emily Hegarty
(Skibbereen RC), Aoife
O’Keeffe (Cork BC), Claire
Beechinor (Cork BC) and
Kirsty Turner (Belfast BC)
finished 1st and 2nd in the B
Final on the first and
second days respectively.
Erin Barry (Bann RC) took
to the water in the
Women’s Junior Single Scull
race and came in 3rd
position in the B Final on
the first day.
The Women’s Junior Pair
team of Oisin and Dervla
Forde, both of Cork BC,
finished 2nd both days in the
A Final.
David O’Malley (St Michael’s
RC) and Connor Carmody
(Shannon RC) came in 2nd
position both days in the A
Final of the Men’s Junior
Double Scull race.
The Men’s Junior Coxless
Quad crew of Colm
Hennessy (Shandon BC),
Eoghan White
(Castleconnell BC), Patrick
Munnelly (Athlone BC) and
Andrew Goff (Waterford BC)
won the A Final on both
days.
Finally the Men’s Junior Pair
team of Brian and David
Keohane (both of
Presentation RC) finished
3rd in the A Final on the first
day of the regatta and 4th
on the second day.
Well done everyone!
COUPE DE LA JEUNESSE YOUTH OLYMPIC
GAMES REGATTA
17
N anjing in China was
the location for the 2014
Youth Olympic Games
Regatta, which was held
from the 17th-20th August.
One rower was chosen to
represent Ireland.
Seventeen year old Eimear
Lambe of Commercial
Rowing Club took to the
water in the Junior
Women’s Single Scull
against some world class
opposition. Eimear made it
into the B Final where she
finished the 1000m course
in 5th place in a time of
4:03.820, behind Norway,
UK, Zimbabwe and Czech
Republic. This means that
Eimear ranks 11th overall.
2014 CALENDAR November Event December Event
1st Castleconnell HOR 6th Muckross HOR
8th Neptune HOR 6th Head of Shannon
15th Bann HOR 20th-21st High Performance Trials
22nd Irish Provinces IRC
29th Ulster IRC
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
18
20
14
SEA
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A team of 14 athletes in
seven boats were selected
to represent Ireland at the
2014 World Rowing
Championships, which were
held in Amsterdam from
the 24th to the 31st August.
Racing took place over
eight days and athletes
performed extremely well,
with all boats finishing in
the top 14 in the world.
Women’s Single Scull –
Sanita Puspure (Old
Collegians RC) who
performed extremely well
all year, missed out on a
medal by 1.17 seconds,
finishing in 4th position in
the A Final. Impressively,
she had the fastest last
500m of the race. She is
one to watch in 2015.
Women’s Double Scull –
Monika Dukarska (Killorglin
RC) & Helen Walshe (Three
Castles RC), who only had
six weeks to train together,
finished in 5th position in
the B Final, ranking 11th
overall in the world.
Women’s Pair – Lisa Dilleen
(Grainne Mhaol RC) &
Leonora Kennedy (Portora
BC) made it into the B Final
after just four months of
training together, and
finished in 2nd position,
ranking them 8th overall.
Women’s Lightweight
Double Scull – Denise
Walsh (Skibbereen RC) &
Claire Lambe (Old
Collegians BC) finished 2nd
after a hard fought race
with the Russians and
Swiss in the C Final,
ranking them 14th overall.
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
19
Women’s Four – Barbara
O’Brien (NUIG BC), Aifric
Keogh (NUIG BC), Emily
Tormey (NUIG BC) & Marie
O’Neill (Cork BC) were 4th
off the start of the B Final
and held this position
throughout the race,
ranking them 10th overall.
Men’s Lightweight Single
Scull – Paul O’Donovan
(UCD BC) was the second
Irish athlete to make it into
an A Final. He was sixth off
the start but by the halfway
mark he had edged his way
up to fifth position. By
1500m, Paul had moved up
into fourth place and held
this until the end. While he
did just miss out on a
medal, he did row a
personal best time of
6:53.28.
Men’s Lightweight Pair –
Niall Kenny (UCD BC) &
Mark O’Donovan (UL BC)
made it into the B Final of
their category. After going
off the start in fourth
position, they slipped back
into fifth but upped the
pace for the last 500m and
finished 4th, ranking them
10th overall.
After this set of results, the
future certainly looks bright
for Irish rowing. Well done
to everyone involved.
World University
Championships
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20
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T he Irish flag was
proudly flying in the French
wind in Gravelines from the
12th-14th September for the
World University Rowing
Championships. A team of
11 Irish athletes, competing
in six boats, took to the
water to represent
themselves, their colleges
and their country. Under
the watchful eye of Team
Manager Andrew Coleman
from Dublin University
Ladies Boat Club, the crews
performed extremely well in
some tough conditions, with
all finishing within the top
ten in their category.
On Friday morning the
crews took to the water to
compete in the first of the
heats and all finished
strongly to gain a place in
their respective repechages.
Two crews had to go back
on the water Friday evening
for their repechages, while
the other crews had a well-
deserved break for the
evening.
Both the Lightweight Men’s
Single Scull (LM1x) rower
and the Lightweight Men’s
Double Scull (LM2x) crew
were very successful to gain
a place in the semi-finals in
both of their categories.
Saturday morning saw the
remainder of the Irish crews
take to the water for their
respective repechages. The
Lightweight Women’s Single
Scull (LW1x) finished 6th to
gain a place in the B Final;
the Lightweight Women’s
Double Sculls (LW2x) crew
won their repechage to
book a place in the A Final;
the Men’s Single Scull
(M1x) rower came 4th to go
straight into the B Final;
and the Women’s Coxless
Four (W4-) crew came 6th
to book a place in the B
Final.
21
The two crews that gained
a place in the semi-finals on
Friday evening took to the
water again on Saturday
evening. Both finished
strongly to book a place in
the B and A Finals
respectively.
Sunday was the big day as
all crews had their final race
of the Championships. Four
crews competed in the B
Finals on Sunday morning,
while two competed in the
A Finals on Sunday
evening.
A sincere amount of
gratitude must be paid to
Andrew Coleman who
managed the crews in the
run-up to the event as well
as over the whole weekend.
Many thanks also to
Student Sport Ireland for
their support and dedication
to Team Ireland and the
World University Rowing
Championships.
OVERALL RESULTS from the World University Championships
B Finals
LW1x 4th Sinead Dolan (Dublin University Ladies Boat Club) – 10th overall
LM1x 3rd Chris Beck (Queens University Belfast Boat Club) – 9th overall
M1x 3rd Turlough Hughes (University College Dublin Boat Club) – 9th
overall
W4- 3rd Natalie Long (University of London Boat Club), Orla Finnegan &
Grace Collins (University College Dublin Boat Club) & Shelly Dineen
(Dublin City University Boat Club) – 9th overall
A Finals
LW2x 4th overall - Ruth Morris (Dublin University Ladies Boat Club) & Orla
Hayes (University of London Boat Club)
LM2x 6th overall - Shane O'Driscoll & Gary O'Donovan (Cork Institute of
Technology)
After enjoying a short
break after a busy season,
the High Performance and
Development athletes
started back to training at
the National Rowing Centre
at the end of September.
Focus now turns to the
2015 World Championships
where the top 11 boats in
the relevant categories will
qualify for the 2016
Olympic Games in Rio. The
future certainly looks bright
for Irish Rowing thanks to
the performances of all
rowers throughout the
2014 season.
22
20
14
SEA
SON
Head of Charles E uropean bronze
medallist Sanita Puspure
traded her sculls for a
sweep blade a few weeks
ago and took on the world’s
fastest eight at The Head of
the Charles Regatta in
Boston, Massachusetts.
Flying the Irish flag in an
international eight made of
up her sculling rivals,
Puspure and her crew beat
the American Olympic and
World Champions, who are
also the current world
record holders.
Sanita was invited to be in
the eight by Genevra Stone,
the American sculler, who
stroked the winning crew.
Other crew members
included the Czeck Olympic
Champion Mirka Knapkova,
Lithuanian 2013 World
Champion Donata
Vistatairte, Canadian quad
sculler Carling Zeeman,
2014 silver medallist Kim
Crow from Australia,
European silver medallist
Chantal Achterberg from the
Netherlands and Magdalena
Lobnig from Austria. The
crew was expertly coxed by
the American Erin Driscoll.
The crew also split into
small boats for the Saturday
of the two day event and
Sanita was teamed up with
Zeeman in a double. They
had an eventful race with a
time penalty for missing a
buoy and also had a crash
under one of the bridges but
despite this they finished
fourth. The winning crew
was the Dutch double who
came 8th at the London
Games, with Knapkova and
Vistatairte second and
another Dutch double
coming third.
After the eights race,
Puspure said: “It was really
exciting to race in an eight
for a change, especially as it
was with the girls that I
normally line up against. It
was an honour to be asked
to take part and I was
proud to be representing
Ireland and my club Old
Collegians at such a
prestigious event.”
Sanita came home to
prepare for the Rowing
Ireland High Performance
trials where she won her
event, fighting off an
excellent challenge from
Lisa Dilleen.
(L-R)
Sanita Puspure
(Ire), Mirka
Knapkova (Cze),
Donata Vistatairte
(Lith), Chantal
Achterberg (Nth),
Erin Driscoll (US-
Cox), Carling
Zeeman (Can),
Magdekena Lobnig
(Austria), Kim Crow
(Aus), Genevra
Stone (US)
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LIFFEY
DESCENT
July 2014
Photos: Gráinne Mhaol Rowing Club
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CORK SCULLING
LADDER
Above: Karen Dunne McCarthy,
Captain Cork Boat Club, Shane O’
Connell, Cork Boat Club, Claire
Synnott, Lee Rowing Club, Daniel O’
Sullivan, Lee Rowing Club, Stewart
Davis, Captain, Lee Rowing Club
Above: Pat Hickey, Cork Sculling
Ladder, with joint-winner of the
time trial, Shane O’Connell of
Cork Boat Club—06:54
Left: Pat Hickey,
Cork Sculling
Ladder, with
joint-winner of
the time trial,
Daniel O’Sullivan
of Lee Rowing
Club—06:54
Above: Pat Hickey,
Cork Sculling
Ladder, with the
women’s winner of
the time trial, Claire
Synnott, Lee
Rowing Club—07:43
43rd Cork Sculling Ladder
Sunday 5th October
147 entries
Joint winners
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49th Dublin
Sculling Ladder
Saturday 11th
October
Founded in 1965
by Michael
Johnston
1850 meter
opening time-trial
David Neale—winner senior
men’s section –06:48:22—
Old Collegians
Shane Mulvaney—winner
men’s junior section —
07:16:54—UCD
Ruth Morris—
winner senior
women’s
section—07:39:56
-DULBC
Eimear Lambe—
winner women’s
junior section—
08:50:30—
Commercial BC
DUBLIN SCULLING
LADDER
25
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AR
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Ireland By Gordon Reid, Club & Coach Development Officer, Northern Ireland
A plan for Club & Coach
Development (NI) to 2017
has been prepared, and
agreed by the Ulster
Branch. It fits with the
Rowing Ireland Strategic
and Operational plans, and
allows us to check on
progress.
The emphasis on the Club
Development side has been to develop a set of templates and guidance
documents for the benefit of all clubs, and these can
be found on the RI website under a new Club Development area under
‘clubs’ at http://www.rowingireland.ie/club-
development/ along with details of support available.
A lot of work has been involved in developing the
RI Safeguarding Policy and related documents, and making these suitable not
only for safeguarding young people (under 18),
but also vulnerable persons, who are aged 18 or over. This includes older
people, people with a learning, physical or
sensory disability and people with mental illness or dementia. It also
includes informal carers, who provide personal
assistance on an unpaid basis. For this there is
another area on the website under ‘clubs’ at http://
www.rowingireland.ie/
safeguarding-in-rowing/ Thanks are due to Paul
Stephenson (NSPCC) and Bernie Priestly (ISC) for their input.
An Ulster Branch Junior
Development Day was held
in Belfast and whilst not
well attended it provided a
useful model for giving
juniors of a particular age
(J15 & 16 for 2015) an
experience of coaching and
learning outside the
normal club situation, and
provided baseline
measurements and
performance information
for coaches and athletes.
Many thanks to Methodist
College RC and the
coaches who assisted.
I also attended a similar
venture by Methody
themselves to assess and
recognise their own
athletes.
Meetings have been held
with several NI clubs with
the main points of interest
being around employment
of coaches, Strategic
Planning, and setting up a
hub for Para Rowing in NI.
Coach development
efforts have been around
hosting Introductory
courses at Queens and
Portora, and encouraging
six Ulster candidates to
complete Level 3 training.
The challenge remains for
us to get these people to
use their qualifications as
active coaches within
clubs.
I have supported three
coaches to train and
qualify as Tutors for
Safeguarding Awareness
Courses in NI, and four
have been trained as
mentors with help from
SINI.
27
A review of Coach
Education effectiveness is
taking us towards licensing
and ongoing assessment of
coaches, and the training
mentioned above will
assist us with making all of
this happen in a supported
way.
Ongoing work involves
finding a suitable way to
network with active Ulster
coaches, and to allow them
to track their own progress
for the benefit of clubs.
In recent weeks a lot of
time has been spent
planning the ‘Better Clubs,
Better Coaching’
Conference, held in Dublin.
Eighty three attended and
feedback was generally
positive with the most
popular sessions being Don
McLachlan’s Ergometer
drills demo and water drills
video, along with Frank
Coghlan’s practical
implementation a club
development plan and Joe
Schmidt’s entertaining
insights from Irish Rugby.
We are grateful to all our
presenters and I
appreciate the help of
Hamish Adams and Pat
McInerney as organisers.
Presentations are available
on the website.
The Ulster Indoor
Rowing Champs take
place on 29 November at
Queens PE centre and will
incorporate the BUCS
Indoor Rowing Series and
will allow athletes to record
times for RI High
Performance selection.
Details of this event are on
the website.
News from Ulster clubs
includes new coaching at
University of Ulster
Coleraine, good activity at
City of Derry with grant aid
and with Gaetano
completing the Tour Du
Leman 160k longest
rowing race without stops
in a closed basin
worldwide. Belfast BC are
well advanced with a
Strategic Plan, as are
Belfast RC. Portadown held
their Head recently and
clubs are dealing with
healthy intakes for the new
season. Donegal Bay RC
are seeking to develop
sliding/sculling activity at a
new venue and are looking
for assistance and boats.
Coastal clubs have been
formed around Co Down
under the banner of Down
Coastal Rowing Club, and a
successful
Narrows
Challenge event
has been held.
All in Ulster
Rowing were
saddened to
learn of the
deaths of
Stephen
Chambers and Susan
Dickson in recent weeks.
Our thoughts are with their
families.
I look forward to sharing
more updates with you and
am happy to answer
queries.
28
An artist’s impression of the new boathouse in Tralee
TRALEE RC
T ralee Rowing Club
recently turned the sod on
their new boathouse. This
is a huge step forward for
the club as their boats have
resided in cramped
containers until now.
Tralee Rowing Club was
founded in 2005 after an
initiative was set-up by
Rowing Ireland to develop
more rowing clubs across
Ireland. The then
chairperson of Rowing
Ireland, Frank Durkin,
approached the Kerry Local
Sports Partnership about
holding an open day on the
Ship Canal to see if there
would be much interest in
the sport. Thanks to the
interest that was shown
that day, a committee was
eventually formed, headed
up by Mary Boner.
The club used facilities at
the shipyard at Blennerville
from the time it first
launched a boat on the
canal in spring 2005, and
by the time the autumn
came, the club had
obtained planning
permission to erect a
container to store more
boats, which was going to
allow the club to increase
its membership. The
container arrived in March
2006 and after some very
clever renovations, the
container could hold up to
ten boats.
As the club was gaining in
popularity, it got to a point
that this container was
restricting any further
growth. Hence the need for
a boathouse. So while
Tralee Rowing Club has, for
the past eight years,
operated out of a 44ft
container which has served
them very well, it is now
time to turn attention to
the new boathouse.
Minister Jimmy Deenihan
was one of the local people
who helped secure funding
for this project and the club
is very grateful for his
support and for the support
from everyone else who
has helped out along the
way including sponsors and
members of the public.
Members of Tralee Rowing Club
at the turning of the sod
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A perfect Autumn day
heralded the 2nd SMRC
Urban Run in Limerick City
on Sunday 5th October, at
which there were nearly
500 participants.
Neil Cusack, the only Irish
winner of the Boston City
Marathon, blew the whistle
to start this event.
Results from the 10K event
were fast again this year,
with a great turn out of
very high quality runners.
For the 2nd year, the first
in the Men's went to Julio
Cesar Castro of Kilmurry
Ibrickane in 32.40. Second
place went to Matthew
Horrigan, Rathfarnham AC,
and third to Keith Lynch,
BMOH.
The 10K Women's event
was won by Orla Drumm of
Crusaders in 35.48. Second
place went to Sinead
Jennings, SMRC, and third
to Tracey Johnson,
Dooneen AC.
The addition of the team
runners in the 5K gave this
event a more personal feel.
Custom t-shirt wearers and
mascot bearers were
cheered along the route by
friends and family. Teams
from Laurel Hill Colaiste,
Glenstal Abbey School, St.
Augustines School, Grow,
CSPP & Action Breast
Cancer did themselves
proud. The winners in this
event were Ger Bowen,
Stephen O'Donovan & Paul
Strachwitz in the Men's
category; Roisin Ni Iomhair,
Emer Conroy Donovan &
Luci Lane in the Women's
category.
The run was held as part of
Limerick’s Mental Health
Awareness Week and funds
were raised on
the day for
Corbett Suicide
Prevention
Watch, the Irish
Cancer Society,
and the rowing
club’s Youth
Training Programme.
St. Michael's Rowing Club
would like to
sincerely thank
sponsors and
contributors for
enabling this
event to take place. Also
thanks to the people and
organisations who made
this a safe and very
enjoyable
day out for
everyone.
SMRC Urban Run
Moses Kispirs (centre) at the launch of the run, with President
SMRC, Austin Leddin, and co-ordinator of the run, Antoinette Ahern.
Participants at the start line of the run
30
CIRC CELEBRATES 80
YEARS OF ROWING Pictured above is the first Jes crew from 1934; from left, Bertie Kavanagh (cox), Bill Donovan,
Gerry Colgan, John Keogh and Austin Caulfield.
C olaiste Iognaid (Jes)
Rowing Club was founded
in October 1934 and so this
year marks the 80th
anniversary of rowing at
the school. To celebrate
this significant occasion and
the proud Jes rowing
tradition, the club held a
series of events on
Saturday, October 18th.
The Jes Rowing Club has
enjoyed success at home
and abroad over the last
eight decades, winning 18
national championships.
Its most recent success on
the international stage was
at the prestigious Ghent
Regatta in May of this year
when it won the junior
coxed four event. The club
has also produced a
remarkable number of 63
rowers who have
represented Ireland at
junior level, with several of
these going on to later row
internationally at senior
level.
The highlight of the
commemorations was a
dinner in the Ardilaun Hotel
on the evening of October
18th. The club also
prepared a history of
rowing at Colaiste Iognaid
down through the
generations. This book was
launched at the dinner by
journalist, broadcaster and
former Jes rower, Sean
O’Rourke.
There was also a re-
dedication ceremony for the
Jes clubhouse. The driving
force behind rowing in the
school for fifty years was
Fr. Eddie Diffely, S.J.,
beginning when he was a
student in the school in the
early 1930s. To mark his
enormous contributions,
the clubhouse is now
named the Fr. Eddie Diffely
clubhouse in his honour.
This ceremony also took
place on October 18th as
part of the celebrations.
Congratulations to all
involved and best wishes to
the club for the future.
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CITY OF DERRY BC
T he City of Derry
Boating Club has had a
busy year, despite many of
the Head of Rivers being
cancelled due to bad
weather. That didn’t stop
the Northern Irish rowers
taking to the water,
however, in various events.
In May, the club held a
sponsored row, raising over
£2,500. The funds were
split equally between the
club and the Merryn Lacy
Foundation. Merryn is a five
-year-old girl who was
diagnosed with
Neuroblastoma (an
aggressive childhood
cancer of the nervous
system), when she was just
four. Monies raised for this
fund go towards her
treatment and towards
children’s cancer research.
The Mayor presented the
cheque to the participants.
The club also had the
honour of taking part in the
Commonwealth Baton
Relay in May, by rowing the
baton from the pontoon in
Derry to Prehan boathouse.
The club is having a lot of
interest from older people
who are interested in
learning to row. They are
always happy for
newcomers to come
along and try it out so
pop along if you are ever
in the area.
They finished their season
with some whacky races
and a BBQ for members!
32
NEW ROSS BOAT CLUB GREAT
BARROW CHALLENGE
T his year’s rowing event
from St. Mullins to New Ross
attracted an even bigger
entry than other years with
72 crews attempting to post
the fastest time over the
18km river course. This was
done by the Eight from
Commercial / Old
Collegians Boat Club from
Dublin in a time of 58
minutes and 39 seconds
while the Neptune Four, also
from the Liffey, finished
second overall. The
organising and home club,
New Ross Boat Club, had its
biggest entry with five Fours
completing the course and
the New Ross Men’s club
4X+ finished in the top 10
fastest times with a time of
71 minutes and 36 seconds.
Close neighbours
Graiguenamanagh had three
crews rowing, their Men’s
J18 2x putting in an
impressive time of 68
minutes and 28 seconds.
This year saw the
reappearance of the
international entries with
Exeter, Dart Totnes from
England competing against
crews from Derry, Belfast
and clubs from all over
Ireland. The last time the
Barrow saw so many visiting
clubs was in the 80’s when
the race was held in
February as the Head of
River Race.
13th Septem-
ber
St. Mullins to
New Ross
18km
Winners: 8+ Commercial/Old Collegians BC—58
minutes, 39 seconds
New Ross Men’s 4x+ - Top 10—71 minutes, 36
seconds
International Entries
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The most competitive
grouping was from the ever
increasing coastal rowing
clubs, with Vartry Men’s
Universal crew finishing at
79 minutes and 9 seconds.
There was little or nothing
between competing
Wexford cots crews from
St. Kearns, Edermine and
Killurin.
As with any event, but
especially water based
events, safety is
paramount, and 28 safety
boats lined the 18km
course, made up of
Wexford and Kilkenny Civil
Defence, Kilkenny and
Hook Sub Aqua Clubs and
motor boats and cruisers all
manned voluntarily on the
day. First aid and
ambulance cover was
provided by Wexford Civil
Defence.
Club Captain, John Dimond,
said that “it’s great that our
weeks of planning and a
long days hard work on
Saturday - with the
cooperation of everyone:
visiting clubs, safety boats,
and club members, up to
500 people in all working
and pulling together –
has resulted in a most
enjoyable event.”
A selection of the rowers and crews that took part in the New Ross Boat Club Great Barrow
Challenge
34
Tribesmen Rowing Club
participated in a Tour Row
in Moissac France in
September 2014. A group
of twenty-eight rowers
aged between thirty and
seventy took part in the
event. The majority of the
group were from Tribesmen
but some friends from
Dublin Commercial and
Belfast Boat Club
accompanied us.
Most of the rowers
departed Dublin airport on
Friday 26 September 2014
and arrived in Toulouse
airport. From there we got
a bus to Moissac which is
about 60 kilometres north
of Toulouse. Our
accommodation was hostel
style twin rooms in a
former Carmelite convent,
breakfast was continental
style. On Friday night we
adjourned to the taverns in
the mediaeval town square
of Moissac, a five minute
walk from our
accommodation.
On Saturday morning we
walked the ten minutes to
Moissac boat club where we
were assigned our ‘Tour
Boats’ but before we
launched another breakfast
of Danish pastries,
croissants, coffee and local
fruits was served. Each of
the Tribesmen five crews
took possession of their
assigned tour boats and
launched onto the river Le
Tarn, a beautiful, wide,
slow moving river. The
weather was brilliant
sunshine, 30 degrees
centigrade. About thirty
crews rowed up Le Tarn
until we entered Le
Garonne River, after about
twenty kilometres we pulled
into a sailing club and took
a short walk across a park
into a wooded area where
the tables were set for a
five course lunch which
included as much wine as
one wanted. In true French
fashion the lunch break
lasted two and a half hours.
The French participants
were abstemious with the
wine and sat in the shade
of the trees and were
amused to see the Irish
sitting out in the midday
sun having a good lash at
the wine. The French
understand the concept of
moderation in relation to
wine consumption but some
of the Tribesmen didn’t. We
headed home by a slightly
different route which was
still some twenty kilometres
and some of the Tribesmen
were a little the worst for
wear in the 30 degree
sunshine. We placed the
boats on the racks and
went back to our
accommodation for a
shower and siesta. At 7pm
we were picked up by a bus
and brought to a farm
about ten kilometres from
Moissac for the gala dinner.
MOISSAC TOUR ROW
FRANCE 26-29 SEPT 2014
THE TRIBESMEN EXPERIENCE
AR
OU
ND
TH
E C
OU
NTR
Y
35
We were greeted with the
sight of a pig and a lamb
roasting on a spit when we
arrived. Aperitifs were
served and we sat down in
a long wooden cabin for the
gala dinner which lasted
until the early hours of the
morning. Traditional French
music was played
throughout the evening and
needless to say the
Tribesmen and women
gave several renditions of
Irish ballads and were
horrified when the French
identified the ‘Fields of
Athenry’ as the Munster
Rugby Song. Our French
speakers gave a geography
lesson to our French hosts
as to the whereabouts of
Athenry.
Next morning after
breakfast we headed down
Le Tarn for ten kilometres
through vineyards to a
chateaux overlooking a
weir. We turned there and
returned to Moissac, de-
rigged our boats and placed
them on a French Rowing
Federation trailer, which to
our amazement had the
capacity to carry eighteen
tour boats. Another
sumptuous five course
lunch followed through
which a jazz band played.
In the afternoon most of
the tribesmen and women
hired bicycles and cycled
along the tow-path of a
canal as far as a nuclear
power station. Reenergised
we returned to Moissac and
had a meal in a restaurant
in the town square.
Next day, Monday 29
September we spent the
morning visiting the shops
in Moissac and at midday
our bus collected us and
brought us to Toulouse
airport. Most headed home
but some had arranged to
extend their holiday. We
arrived back in Dublin
airport at four-thirty in the
afternoon.
The cost of the return
flights to Toulouse from
Dublin varied between
€100 and €130 depending
on when one booked. The
Moissac organisers charged
€206 per person and this
included the hire of the
boats for the three rows,
three nights B&B, 2
lunches, and the Gala
dinner. Wine, aperitifs, soft
drinks throughout the
weekend and bottled water
for the rows was included.
Photographs of the event can be viewed at: https://
picasaweb.google.com/104362729719789240597/RandoChasselasMoissacSep
tembre2014?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1s
RgCMHXnP-TjNaBIg&feat=directlink
Eamonn Colclough
Tribesmen Rowing Club
36
SPO
TLIG
HT
ON
…C
LUB
S CORK BC
CORK BOAT CLUB
R ecent years have
proved very exciting for the
members of Cork Boat Club
based on the Marina in
Cork City, both on and off
the water. Founded in
1899, the club has been
going from strength to
strength thanks to a large
team of dedicated and
passionate coaches, an
active Club Committee and
tremendous support from
parents and local agencies.
The club now has a rowing
membership of over 200,
and a hands-on coaching
staff of 25.
“We have been very lucky
over the years with the
amount of former members
who have kept their links
with Boat Club, and stayed
on to coach the next
generations of our rowers.
Many of our coaches have
also coached at
International level and they
pass on a wealth of
experience to our Juniors”,
said newly elected Club
Captain Karen McCarthy.
The club has achieved a
great deal of rowing
success lately, and for the
past two years has been
the club with the highest
level of representation in
the International squad
selections, having had 14
members selected for
Ireland in each of the past
two years.
This culminated in great
wins for Ireland in the
Men’s and Women’s
Lightweight Sculls at the
Home Internationals at the
NRC this year for Boat Club
members Niall Duncan and
Emma Desmond. Club
member Marie O’Neill, who
has herself won seven Irish
National Championships
during her rowing career,
was also selected to row in
the Women’s Four at the
World Championships held
in Amsterdam in August.
LEFT: Winners Women’s Junior 8+ 2014 Irish
Championships: Claire Beechinor, Aoibhe Luke, Laura
Kilbane, Oisin Forde, Niamh O’Sullivan (Cox), Dervla
Forde, Aoife O’Keeffe, Amy Mason, Megan
McLaughlin
ABOVE: Winners Men’s Junior 4+ 2014 Irish
Championships: Shane O’Connell, Stephen Murphy,
Conor Twohig (Cox) Seán Dennehy, Thomas Higgins
37
Off the water, the club has
undergone an extensive
programme of
transformation and
investment in every aspect
of its building and grounds.
This has been driven by a
very active Club Committee
and has been achieved
through new partnerships
with the local community,
businesses and civil groups.
This has included the
addition of a second
launching slip, the painting
of the clubhouse inside and
out, a major overhaul of
the electric wiring in the
club, the opening of new
ladies and gents
bathrooms, a complete
renovation of the women’s
changing rooms with new
showers, a makeover of the
Club Bar and its historical
photographs, and finally the
addition of an eight metre
flagpole which has the Boat
Club flag flying proudly at
the Blackrock end of the
Marina!
One of the successful
initiatives of recent years
has been the establishment
of a Club Café which is
open every Saturday and
Sunday morning at the
Club.
“It is run by a great group
of parents and apart from
being a valuable source of
funds for the Club, it
provides an opportunity for
all club members young
and not so young to gather,
share a story and simply
get to know each other. It
has proven to be an
extremely important way of
generating and fostering
club spirit and gets new
parents quickly involved in
the Club”, said Club
President, Emmett Walsh.
The Club Café is also where
the Club History Sub-
Committee meets every
Sunday morning. This
group was led by Ger Healy
- oarsman, coach, Club
Historian and one of Boat
Club’s finest sons who
unfortunately passed away
in July, a huge loss to his
family and the club. As Club
Historian, Ger was in the
process of writing the
history of Cork Boat Club
and the History Sub-
Committee is already
working on finishing the
tremendous work that Ger
had started.
Like many clubs around the
country, Cork Boat Club has
benefited from the National
Sports Capital Grants
programme in recent years
- “As a result of the Sports
Capital Grant we received
last year, we were able to
add a lot of new boats to
the club which was well
overdue. We had not been
in a position to acquire new
boats for many years
before that. The benefits
that these new boats have
brought to the club is
immeasurable.” added
Karen.
“This year we have been
granted funding to put
toward the development of
our Clubhouse. Through
volunteer parents who have
professional experience as
architects and engineers,
we have drawn up plans
that will use this funding to
go a long way toward
implementing our Club
Development Plan. It is
very exciting to see these
initiatives, and the real
difference that a
Government programme
like this can bring at a local
level.”
As the year moves on, the
highlight of the Club’s social
calendar will take place in
November with its annual
Victory Dinner Dance.
“It’s a long-standing
tradition going back to the
1950s. This is our annual
opportunity to celebrate all
our successes big and
small, and to acknowledge
the hard work that the
rowers, their coaches, and
all our volunteers undertake
to make the club what it is.
Most importantly, we will
take the time to remember
the giants of the Club who
have gone before and
remember their tireless
work in building a Club that
we are all so proud of.”
concluded Emmett.
38
SPO
TLIG
HT
ON
…R
OW
ERS
MONIKA DUKARSKA
“What am I doing here? I
wouldn’t mind being the
spectator. Am I feeling ok?
Am I ready?” These were
just some of the thoughts
that ran through Monika
Dukarska’s mind as she
lined up at the start of her
final at the World
Championships. These
thoughts soon turned to
“you can do this, you have
trained hard to be here,
just go for it!”, and the
minute she took the first
stroke all these thoughts
disappeared and the focus
went on each stroke at a
time. “The two minute
waiting period before the
start of the race and the
role call are the most
stressful moments. We are
all lined up, in silence,
ready to blow ourselves to
pieces for our country, for
our team, and we know it
will hurt.”
The last few months have
been hectic for Kerry rower
Monika Dukarska, but she
wouldn’t change any of it.
While she was completing a
Research Masters at IT
Tralee, she was also chosen
to represent Ireland at the
2014 World Rowing
Championships, which were
held in Amsterdam in
August.
Born in Poland, Monika
moved to Ireland in 2006.
Before coming here she
never participated in rowing
and instead was more
interested in basketball.
However as soon as she
saw the beautiful Kerry
coastline, she couldn’t
resist getting out on the
water. She joined Killorglin
Rowing Club and the rest is
history. Monika says that
getting involved in rowing
really helped her to
“become part of the Irish
community”, thanks to the
team spirit that goes with
the sport, while it also
helped her to learn English.
Just a mere six weeks
before the World
Championships, Monika was
paired with Wicklow rower,
Helen Walshe, to form the
Women's Double Scull
crew. Because of the short
time period involved,
training in the run-up to the
event was intense. “We
trained two to three times a
day, every day. The
sessions varied from rowing
itself to bike, ergometer or
weight sessions.”
A lot of time was spent on
technical work in order to
allow the two females to
move exactly the same
during the rowing stroke.
39
For a crew that had only six
weeks to get in rhythm with
each other, they performed
exceptionally well, finishing
11th overall, proving that
this combination has a lot
of potential to go forward.
If they perform the same
next year, they will qualify
for the 2016 Rio Olympics
as it is the top 11 boats in
each category that qualify.
However there is huge hope
that they could place even
better than this year.
According to Monika,
rowing in a crew is not as
easy as it may seem. Two
(or more) people must
become one in order to
move the boat as efficiently
and as fast as possible.
“Two people have to be
able to adjust to one
another, feel the boat,
know exactly what the
other person is doing.” Not
all partnerships work
together but if they do,
Monika describes it as
“magical”.
Many Irish supporters
travelled to Amsterdam and
Monika, and all the
rowers who were
representing Ireland,
appreciated the support. “It
was great to see familiar
faces and hear them
shouting for us while
racing.” While only three
rowers travelled to Chung-
ju in South Korea last year
for the same event, a
strong team of 14 made
their way to Amsterdam to
represent Ireland so Monika
thinks this added to the
atmosphere and excitement
at the Championships.
23-year-old Monika was, up
to recently, a scholarship
student at IT Tralee and
was conferred with a
Masters after she
researched “Becoming an
Entrepreneur: Researching
the Role of Mentors in
Identity Construction”.
Before this, she also
completed her Honours
Degree in Business Studies
in Management there and
received a well-deserved
first class honours. While
rowing is where her
immediate future lies, in
time Monika hopes to do a
PhD in the area of
mentorship and
entrepreneurship. Dr
Monika Dukarska – it
certainly has a ring to it!
The future does indeed look
bright for Monika. Right
now her focus is on
qualifying for the Rio
Olympics in 2016, and after
that she would like to go on
and compete for medals at
the Tokyo Olympics in
2020. “I wish to make
rowing my full-time job for
the next four Olympic
cycles if possible.”
Monika enjoyed a break
after the World
Championships, and spent
her time catching up on
socialising, shopping and
spending time with her
family. However now it’s
back to training for Monika
& all the High-Performance
athletes at Rowing Ireland.
Monika Dukarska & Helen
Walshe competing at the
World Championships 2014
By: Niamh Hayes
40
SPO
TLIG
HT
ON
…R
OW
ERS
For the next while the focus
is on developing good
physiology & strength
through weights sessions,
ergometer (rowing
machine) work and water
sessions.
At times, especially during
the winter months when
training gets monotonous
and hard, Monika feels like
she might be missing out
on being normal, but as
soon as she has a day off
and doesn’t know what to
do with herself, she realises
that she wouldn’t have her
life any other way. “It is
something that I love,
therefore it is not as hard a
job as one would imagine.”
Monika’s family and friends
have been a great support
to her, and she is especially
grateful for their kindness
and support when things
don’t always work out. “The
first two events of the
season were not as
successful. Their support
was really needed at that
time.” She believes that the
voice of encouragement has
the potential to create
miracles.
While she may only be in
Ireland with eight years,
she certainly has made an
impact both in the sporting
and academic world since
her move. As she says
herself, “rowing has
become part of who I am”.
The future certainly looks
bright for this young
oarsperson and we look
forward to seeing her
achieve much more in the
coming years.
Team Ireland, World Rowing Championships 2014
41
MARY MCLACHLAN
How did you first get
involved in rowing? I was 12 when someone I
knew from the local rowing club asked me to go and cox his J16 four. I did that
for two years and then realised I wanted to have a
go myself and started sculling. It was just a little local club near Cambridge
in England but there were a handful of good athletes
there who trained hard so I got schooled in how to nail it from a young age.
When and where did you start coaching?
My first real coaching job was at the Lady Eleanor
Holles School for girls in England. My boss was ex-Olympic sculler Beryl
Crockford who’d been formidable in the seventies
and eighties. She really valued her coaching team and backed us to the hilt,
but made sure we learnt from our mistakes. It was
there that I learnt how a good boss operated. I coached the J13s and 14s
for two years. The school was very successful at that
time with a young and ambitious coaching staff and I learnt a huge amount
from the other coaches and the girls.
How difficult was the transition from rower to coach?
I thought that my knowledge of the sport as
an athlete would stand me in good stead for my coaching but I found out
that was nonsense. It’s not a transferable set of skills.
In fact, leaning on your own
experiences as an athlete can sometimes cloud your
judgement of a coaching situation in a negative way. Some of the world’s best
coaches have never even rowed and some of the
world’s best rowers make terrible coaches! What attracted you to
coaching? I very rarely had good
coaching in my years in the sport and on the rare occasions that I did it was
such a life-changing, revelatory experience that I
wanted to see if I could provide that positive
experience to others. How have you managed to stay coaching for so
long? I’ve never, in twenty years,
felt bored by the job or not wanted to jump out of bed and get on with the day. I
feel so lucky to do something that I love so
much. Also, for every athlete you coach you have an entirely different
experience, so it never gets old.
What are the top three attributes of a successful coach in your opinion?
Patience, because technique and physiology evolve
slowly, as do people’s faith in you and understanding of what you’re trying to do.
Vision, in that you need to know what you want and
you need to consistently work towards that. And an enthusiastic tenacity,
because you have to relentlessly drive forwards
even
when it
sometimes feels like the changes that you want aren’t happening and if you
get disillusioned in any way then your programme will
suffer. Do you have any particular attributes that
you look for in a developing athlete?
Attitude is altitude. Okay, if you’re small and weak you’re probably going to
struggle to make the top end of the sport, but if
someone can match my commitment, then they get
my attention. Also, smartness. Anyone can be hard, but to be hard and
smart, knowing when to push and when to be
relaxed in a confident way, that’s real talent. What is the best
coaching book that you have ever read or that
you would strongly recommend to another coach?
I love The Joy of Sculling by Jimmy Joy, which is all
about the search for mental stillness and mastery in the heat of battle. The Big Miss
by Hank Haney is also excellent. It’s about the guy
who changed Tiger Wood’s swing. It was so exciting for Haney to work with the
world’s most talented golfer but in the end his coaching
principles meant more to him than being associated with Woods and they parted
ways.
SPO
TLIGH
T ON
…C
OA
CH
ES Mary is a High Performance Coach and is based at the National Rowing Centre
42
SPO
TLIG
HT
ON
…R
I STA
FF NIAMH HAYES
Niamh joined the team at
the start of September after
completing her Masters in
Journalism with New Media.
Here Niamh tells us about
herself and how she is
finding the role so far…
Welcome to the team
Niamh. How are you
finding it?
Thank you! It’s great so far.
The people are nice, I’m
enjoying the work and the
lunchtime walks in Farren
Wood are an added bonus.
Can you tell us a little bit
about yourself?
I’m from the little village of
Rathbarry in West Cork.
When I was 8 I started
coastal rowing with my
local club Galley Flash.
Despite a break last year, I
have rowed every year
since. I have competed in
many All-Ireland
Championships and have
won the under 14 girls,
under 21 ladies, Cork Yawl
ladies and just this year,
the junior ladies race. I also
have many 2nds and 3rds,
including coming 3rd in the
All-Ireland senior ladies
race in 2012. I am heavily
involved in coxing and
coaching other crews in my
club, particularly the men’s
crews.
I am also an avid
weightlifter. In the past I
was a competitive
powerlifter whereas now I
prefer bodybuilding.
I spent six years in
college—three years
completing my degree in
Early Years Education, two
years as Vice-President
Welfare Officer of CIT
Students’ Union and one
year working under the
Registrar of CIT while also
completing my Masters.
Why did you apply for
the role?
When I saw the job
advertised it was as if my
two passions collided—
rowing and the media. I
hope that through my role I
can pull my experiences in
both areas together in
order to build the profile of
rowing in Ireland. Rowing is
a fantastic sport and
everyone should know
about it!
To contact Niamh, email
In a new section of the newsletter, we want
you to get to know the staff of Rowing
Ireland. In this issue we are introducing one
of the newest members of the team—Niamh
Hayes who is the new Communications &
Administrative Officer.
43
WHAT’S
ALL
THE FUSS
ABOUT?
Photo: Activz.com
By Laura Mahony, Performance Nutritionist, SINI
T here are a number of reasons why you might
want to take an interest in your nutrition now that the new rowing season has
commenced. Firstly, you need to remember that
just like a car needs petrol to run, your body also needs fuel to function
properly. This fuel comes from the food that you eat,
so as you can imagine, there is a huge variety in the quality of the fuel that
you can give to your body. If you are looking to train
at your best, you need to put the best fuel into your
‘engine’ - this article will give you a few tips on how
to achieve this.
There are a number of different food sources of
energy. The main ones that we are going to talk about are carbohydrates,
protein and fat. Alongside these, the body also needs
smaller amounts of what we call essential minerals and vitamins. Their role is
very varied and includes allowing the cells to
release the energy that is contained in food, maintaining a good
immune system, building
strong bones and teeth,
and controlling body fluids
inside and outside cells.
We cannot forget about the importance of fluid either when we talk about
nutrition – did you know that about 60% of your
body is made up of water? Did you also know that if you are dehydrated this
can affect your level of concentration? As
technique is critical to boat speed on the water you want to ensure that you
can concentrate fully on maintaining this right
throughout your session.
How much of each
nutrient do I need to
eat?
The ratio of your
carbohydrate to protein to fat intake will vary as the
year progresses. As you will now be in a general preparation phase where
training is likely to focus on high volume/low
intensity, with an emphasis on aerobic development, the nutrition
goals would tend to focus on providing a high calorie
intake to support the training and facilitate adequate recovery, and
also to support desired
changes in bodyweight if applicable. You can see
from the table (overleaf) what this means in terms of actual grams of
carbohydrate, fat and protein for your
bodyweight.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are stored
in the body (as glycogen) and are the best source of
fuel for high intensity exercise. Glycogen stores in the body are limited
however, so if you are training more than once
per day it is essential that you replenish or restock in
order to have enough fuel on board for your second training session of the day.
The amount of carbohydrate you will need
to eat will depend on a number of things such as your age, your body size,
your gender and the amount and intensity of
exercise you are doing. If you know your weight in kilograms you can work
out on average how much carbohydrate you need per
day based on Table 1
(overleaf).
NU
TRITIO
N
44
NU
TRIT
ION
There are 2 types of
carbohydrate – sugary carbs (sugar, jam, fruit
juice, honey), and complex, or starchy carbs, (bread, rice, potatoes,
cereal, pasta, fruit,
vegetables).
The majority of your energy should be coming from your complex carbs
and you can do this by
basing each meal around this food group, so for
example having cereal or toast for breakfast, a sandwich or pitta bread or
couscous with a salad at lunch, potatoes/pasta or
rice with dinner. Some rowers may need to include more of the sugary
carbs around their training
times simply to get enough
energy to sustain their training loads (eg
heavyweight males), whereas some rowers (eg lightweights) may need to
carefully monitor how much of these they include
in their daily diet in order to help them with their
weight management.
Nutrient Phase of Training
Nutrient Range 60kg female lightweight rower might need….
90kg male heavyweight rower might need….
Carbohydrate Moderate exercise programme (1 hr / day)
5 -7 g Carbohydrate per kilogram bodyweight per
day
300g carbohydrate per day
630g carbohydrate per day
High intensity programme ( 1-3 hr / day)
6 – 10 g Carbohydrate per kilogram bodyweight per
day
360g carbohydrate per day*
900g carbohydrate per day
Protein General Prep (High training volume 5-12+hr /week)
1.5-1.7g protein per kilogram bodyweight per day
90g protein per day
135 – 153g protein per day
Fat General Prep (High training volume 5-12+hr /week)
1.5-2g fat per kilogram bodyweight per day
No > 90g fat per day*
135 – 180g fat per day
Table 1— Guidelines for nutrient intake during General Prep Phase of Rowing Season (Adapted from Burke et al 2011 and Stellingwerff et al 2011)
*Depending on body composition, for lightweights these figures may need adjustment
Starchy Carbs (eat more of these) Sugary Carbs (limit your intake of these)
High Fibre breakfast cereals such as porridge / Weetabix / shredded wheat
Sugar coated breakfast cereals
Breads – including pitta / wraps Fizzy drinks / Sweetened fruit juices
Potatoes, pasta, rice, noodles, couscous Jam, honey, marmalade
Vegetables such as sweetcorn, beans, peas, lentils, carrots
Sweets, cakes, jellies
Fruit – all types (fresh, tinned, dried) Sweet desserts such as jelly, meringues, ice-cream
Crackers / Crisp breads Sports Energy Drinks
Table 2 – Sources of Carbohydrates
Protein
Protein is another essential nutrient that the body needs.
It is essential for growth and repair of damaged cells, eg muscle tissue. When protein
is digested, it is broken down
into amino acids. These are
the building blocks that are used to repair the different
cells of the body. There are 20 different amino acids all with different roles, so it is
essential that you eat a mix of protein sources in order to
get the full variety (the body
can produce about half of these amino acids itself, but
the others must come from your diet and are called essential amino acids). See
table (right) for your sources
of protein.
The body can best utilise
protein if it gets regular small amounts throughout
the day, so instead of only having protein at 2 meals a day (eg lunch and dinner),
try to make sure you have four protein based meals
per day. For example this
could mean having scrambled eggs in the
morning, (or if you are having toast, add a glass of milk or a carton of yogurt),
lunch might include chicken, tuna, eggs or ham,
dinner might also include a
meat or some beans, and a bedtime snack could be a
small bowl of cereal with milk. In terms of how many grams of protein this
means for you, you can
work this out from table 1.
Animal Protein Sources Vegetable Protein Sources*
Red meat eg beef, pork, lamb Beans eg kidney beans, baked beans
White meat eg chicken, turkey Lentils
Fish (white + oily + shellfish) Peas
Eggs Nuts + Seeds
Cheese Soya Protein eg tofu
Milk / Yogurt Quorn
Table 3 (above) - Sources of protein. *Vegetable sources of protein do not have as good a mix of amino acids in them, so vegetarians need to ensure they include a wide variety of sources of protein in their diet.
Fat
A certain amount of fat in our diets is essential in
order to stay healthy. Fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K are all found in sources of
fat. The important thing to remember when looking at
your fat intake is to make sure you are eating the ‘healthy’ fats. These are
found in nuts, avocados,
oily fish (salmon, sardines and mackerel are all
excellent sources of Omega 3), and vegetable oils. The less-healthy fats are found
in foods such as crisps, pastries, pies and deep-
fried foods. If there is too much fat in your diet it may impact on your body
composition in a negative
way, but similarly, if there is too little fat in your diet,
you might not be able to give your body the energy
it needs for training.
Again you can work out your own requirements
based on table 1 and what your current targets are in
terms of body composition.
45
Photo: IRFU
46
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So if you were to follow the
guidelines in table 1 here is what a days intake might
look like for our 2 rowers,
assuming they are in a general preparation phase
and are undertaking a high
volume of training of about
10-12hrs per week:
60kg Female Lightweight Rower
90kg Heavyweight Rower Key notes
Breakfast 1 glass orange juice
1 sachet quick cook porridge + skimmed milk + blueberries
1 slice wholemeal toast with low fat spread + jam
Tea + Water
Large smoothie made with yogurt (full fat), orange juice, banana, blueberries, oats
If you don’t like eating a big breakfast first thing in the morning a smoothie can be a good option
90 min paddle Water Homemade sports drink (fruit diluted squash + water + ¼ teaspoon salt)
Sports drink may not be necessary if duration is less than 90mins – depends on intensity and sweat rate
Post paddle snack
Low fat yogurt + Granola
Banana
Water
Scrambled eggs (2) + Toast x 2 with butter + glass orange juice + fruit corner yogurt
Ensure recovery meal contains a mix of carbohydrate + protein
Lunch Chicken + Vegetable Soup
2 slices brown soda bread with low fat spread
1 glass skimmed milk
Wholegrain chicken baguette with salad, coleslaw + portion oven baked wedges
Pint diluted fruit squash
Afternoon/ Pre training snacks
60-75 minute Strength + Conditioning
Handful of mixed nuts + raisins
½ pint semi-skimmed milk
Rice Cakes + Peanut Butter
Cereal bar + handful nuts/raisins
Apple
Pint diluted fruit squash
Examples of different snacks
Dinner 2 x beef fajitas with mixed veg + salad
Pasta + tuna in cream cheese sauce with mixed veg
Ice-cream, Jelly + Fruit cocktail
Pint diluted fruit squash
Bedtime Snack Small bowl cereal + skimmed milk
Toast x 2 with butter + jam
½ pint semi-skimmed milk
Nutritional content
Energy - 2200kcal Energy - 4800kcal
In summary, just as you
spend time preparing your boat and equipment or
planning your training schedule, you also need to spend time planning your
food intake. Eating the right
foods at the right times will help you to train harder and
longer, and more importantly will allow you to recover fully to ensure
your next session is just as
good as your previous one.
See right for handy protein
and carbohydrate sources/
measurements/calories.
47
Carbohydrate Source Calories
50g Sources
2 slices bread + 1 teaspoon jam/honey 230kcal
2 medium-large bananas 200kcal
1 medium baked potato 220kcal
150g (cooked) pasta 250kcal
160g (cooked) rice 225kcal
Protein Source
Calories Handy Measure
20g Protein Sources
Chicken 110 1 small fillet (75g)
Beef/Lamb/Pork
160 2 medium slices (75g)
Salmon 170 1 small fillet (80g)
Tinned Tuna in Oil
130 Half tin (70g)
Eggs 240 3 medium eggs
10g Protein Sources
Milk (Semi-Skimmed)
130 ½ pint
Cheddar Cheese
165 2 matchbox size pieces (40g)
Mozzarella Cheese
125 4 medium slices (50g)
Cottage Cheese
80
2 table-spoons (80g)
Yogurt (Natural)
150 1 ½ car-tons (170g)
Nuts 305 1 small packet (50g)
Baked Beans
165 Half large tin (195g)
Bread 230-280 3-4 slices (100-130g)
Peanut Butter
310 1 ½ table-spoons (50g)
Handy protein (left) & carbohydrate
(below) sources/measurements/
calories
48
GET
GO
ING
...G
ET R
OW
ING
GET GOING...GET ROWING
T he Get Going...Get
rowing initiative started in
schools in the beginning of
March 2014. It has
commenced as a pilot
scheme in the Leinster area
and its aim is to get kids
rowing in schools with the
eventual goal to get them
on the water and joining
clubs.
To date the project has had
huge success with fifteen
secondary schools and four
primary schools across the
Dublin area rowing. It was
initially thought that over
2000 kids would be targeted
in the first year of the
project but to date the
initiative has exceeded all
expectations with nearly
double that working out on
rowing machines as part of
their regular PE programme.
The project started with
secondary schools in March
but due to the two short
school terms, it extended to
some primary schools also
for the month of June.
Over the Summer, the
scheme ran a Get
Going...Get Rowing camp
for kids with Dyspraxia in
conjunction with the
Dyspraxia Association of
Ireland. This included two
days on the ergometer and
a further two days on the
river at Islandbridge. The
camps were also facilitated
by Dublin Municipal Rowing
Club. Dyspraxia tends to
affect gross motor skills and
therefore rowing is the
perfect movement for kids
who suffer from the
disability as it is a repetitive
movement that increases
proprioception abilities and
strengthens poor muscle
tone which is classic with
Dyspraxia.
In September the project
really got off the ground
with most of the schools
continuing from the last
years two short terms
before the summer break.
In the run-up to the
Halloween mid-term seven
schools are rowing in the
Dublin area as part of their
PE programme. Most classes
have a six week course of
indoor rowing as the
curriculum limits activities to
a six week block and the
students are really enjoying
the variety and the
opportunity to take part in a
sport which they may never
thought of before. All in all
the Get Going…Get Rowing
project is held in between
25-30 classes a week in
schools around Dublin.
49
The project has also
partnered with Carlow Youth
Services to develop a
programme for transition
year students in Carlow,
whereby the students are
trained up in introductory
coaching specific to Indoor
Rowing. Once qualified the
students will then roll out
the project to the first years
in their schools. On the 23rd
September 35 transition
year students par-took in
the first course and the
following week they were
qualified to give the classes
in their schools.
Over the next few weeks
nearly 500 first year
students in schools in
Carlow and Borris (feeder
school for Graignamanagh)
will take part in the initiative
and they will be then
encouraged to join their
local clubs. In addition to
this the clubs will benefit by
having their juniors (17
years and older) trained
already in introductory
coaching. A win-win
situation for everyone.
In Caritas College,
Ballyfermot in West Dublin,
the PE teacher Mary Ryan
has dedicated a specific
room for the ergometers.
The school did not have
resources for flooring in the
room, having previously
taken up a carpet and the
floor still had remaining glue
on it. Ms.Ryan visited all the
local builder providers and
eventually a local company
from Palmerstown put
flooring down free of
charge. FISA development
officer Sheila Stephen
facilitated the project in
sending a box of goodies
including a very colourful
flag from the 2006 Asian
Games in Doha which now
decorates the wall. The
room still needs new
windows but the school
have to wait for the shutters
to be installed so that the
windows can be fixed.
Typically Ballyfermot has
been a stronghold of rowing
in the Dublin clubs with
many members of Neptune
and Commercial originating
from Ballyfermot. Now with
the opening of the official
rowing room not only the
students are rowing but the
teachers now have a
Tuesday afternoon club, the
mothers row on a Monday
morning and the students
have also a supplementary
Wednesday afternoon club.
On the 22nd October the
first Get Going…Get Rowing
schools fun indoor and
outdoor regatta was held in
Islandbridge. With over 180
students taking part, it gave
kids the opportunity to
compete in an indoor
competition and on the
water. A great time was had
by all the students and
teachers involved. Many
pupils who have taken part
in the indoor event are now
eager to join clubs and get
on the water to experience
the “real thing”. For the
students that are rowing
already, it has given them
the opportunity to race
against schools of a similar
level to them and has given
them a sense of comradery
and participation.
The Get Going…Get Rowing
project has now another
new member of staff on
board with Jen Cunningham,
Connaught Development
Officer, joining the Rowing
Ireland team. It is hoped
that in the next year
students from Connaught
and Leinster will be able to
compete against each other
virtually through Rowpro
software, thus making the
project more interactive for
students and teachers alike.
Both projects are still in
their infancy and it will take
another term or two of
rowing before the clubs will
see the benefits of kids
rowing on the water.
If you require more
information on the Get
Going…Get Rowing project
in Leinster, please do not
hesitate to contact Michelle
Carpenter [email protected]
NG
By: Michelle Carpenter Leinster Women’s Development Officer
IRISH PROVINCES INDOOR ROWING
COMPETITION 2014
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R OWfit are hosting an
Indoor Rowing Competition
with a difference on
November 22nd 2014. It’s
an indoor rowing
competition but not as you
know it.
As part of the IIRC Race
series the ‘PROVINCES IRC’
will be a pre-Christmas race
to whet the appetite for the
Irish Indoor Rowing
Championships in January
2015. Instead of 1st, 2nd &
3rd prizes per category, the
top scores from each
province per category will
receive the glory, adulation
and of course the shiny
medals. Best of these four
will also receive a tech tee
shirt.
It’s a concept designed to
develop inter-provincial
indoor rowing and a means
whereby other inter-
provincial racing can be
developed. For example,
concept 2 linked erg pairs
on slides will feature as an
invitation inter-provincial
race at the event. If your
club is interested in fielding
a crew to represent your
province then Joe is waiting
for your email. ROWfit will
lend you the slides if you
don’t already have them in
order that you might fully
prepare – you owe them a
crew (or crews) on the day
and it’s hoped that clubs will
begin to see the benefit of
using the slides in training,
as an excellent simulator for
on-the-water training. It’s
hoped to relocate the event
annually so that it really
does take in all the
provinces.
All the usual age and weight
categories will feature and
with 80+ of those
categories there’s surely
something to suit everyone.
IRISH PROVINCES INDOOR ROWING
COMPETITION 2014
51
We drew the line however
at a ‘Coaches Race’ as the
poor coaches have enough
to be doing on the day
anyway – and it might
scare them away!
As ever the IIRC Race
series supports the Rowing
Ireland Trialling Process.
This year we are re-
introducing the original free
-drag and free-rate rule in
accordance with
international Indoor Rowing
standards. The High
Performance Director
Morten Espersen has
created a detailed
document with his
requirements for HP
Athletes that intend
trialling. If you intend to
submit a time from the
PROVINCES please review
this document available on
the Rowing Ireland website.
ROWfit recently sprung for
a fancy new website
www.iirc.ie where you can
find schedules, info
documents, Frequently-
asked-questions (and some
answers), form, prices and
most importantly where
you can REGISTER. All
clubs should have received
some posters by now (if
not get in contact) and
discounts apply to group
entries. Entries close on
November 12th and must be
made via the online
registration system on
www.iirc.ie or make contact
with [email protected] if you or
your club wish to make
other arrangements.
We look forward to seeing
you all.
Joe Cantillon
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2014 was another hugely
successful year for coastal rowing in Ireland. Clubs
from Cork, Kerry, Wicklow, Wexford, Dublin, Antrim and Donegal held their
Championship regattas throughout the summer
months and the season ended with the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing
Championships in Waterville, Co. Kerry from
the 15th-17th August, jointly hosted by all clubs of the Kerry Coastal Rowing
Association. Over 2,700 rowers took part in the
races over the weekend, as well as many others
coaching, coxing, volunteering, spectating and supporting the event. See
results overleaf. The 2015 All-Ireland Coastal Rowing
Championships will return to Waterville in August next year.
The World Rowing Coastal
Championships took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, from the 16th-19th October. 11
rowers and two coxes made up the five crews that
represented Ireland at the event with rowers travelling from Cork and Arklow.
Crews had to row a 4km course which included five
turns.
Heats for the Irish crews were held on Friday the
17th where calm conditions and 20 degree heat
welcomed the rowers.
Courtmacsherry Rowing
Club, which is based in West Cork, had two crews at the
Championships. The first of these and the first Irish crew to take to the water
were the rowers from the Senior Men’s silver medallist
crew from the All-Ireland Coastal Rowing Championships. Joe
O’Leary, Denis Griffin, Daniel Whelton and Damien
O’Leary, coxed by Brian Whelton, swapped their usual sweep oars for a set
of sculls to take to the water in the Men’s Coxed
Quadruple. They rowed in the first of two heats where
they came 10th in a time of 17:30:13, booking a place
in the B Final.
The club’s under 21 crew of Alan Creedon, James
Holland, Andrew Flynn and Gerard Sexton, coxed by Fiona Hurley, competed in
the second heat of the Men’s Coxed Quadruple
race. They finished in 12th place to also book a place in
the B Final.
Arklow Rowing Club’s Cormac Kelly represented
Ireland in the first heat of the Men’s Single Sculls race. He came 11th in a time of
21:34:87 to secure a place
in the B Final.
Kilmacsimon Rowing Club, which is also based in West Cork, had two rowers taking
part in the Championships. The first of these, John
Keohane, rowed in the
second heat of the Men’s Single Sculls race. He
finished in a very strong second place in a time of 19:24:17. This meant that
John was the only Irish rower to book a place in an
A Final.
Laura O’Neill of Kilmacsimon Rowing Club
was the final Irish rower to take to the water on Friday.
She rowed in the second heat of the Women’s Single Sculls race and finished 7th
in a time of 23:20:78, just missing out on a place in
the A Final, but making it
into the B Final.
Saturday was the day for finals for the Irish rowers. After experiencing such nice
conditions in their heats the day before, the weather had
changed for the worse overnight and rowers were met with much choppier
waters on Saturday. This impacted the rowers
greatly, with only two crews
finishing their races.
The Men’s Coxed Quadruple
B Final was the first race of the day. With two strong
crews in this race, Courtmacsherry were looking to perform well. The
Senior Men’s crew were doing very well, coming in
third position but unfortunately they had to abandon the race after an
oar lock broke.
COASTAL ROWING Irish Coastal Rowing
Federation—the
Coastal Division of
Rowing Ireland
53
RACE 1ST 2ND 3RD
FISA Singles Ladies Kilmacsimon Arklow (A) Arklow (B)
FISA Singles Men Arklow (A) Kilmacsimon (A) Kilmacsimon (B)
Seine Boats Valentia (A) Knockeen Sneem
Open Classic Ladies Myross Cairndhu Castletownbere
Open Classic Men Myross Castletownbere Carnlough
Cork Yawl Ladies Whitegate Galley Flash Kilmacsimon
Cork Yawl Men Whitegate Ring Rushbrooke
Heritage Race Ladies Sneem Killurin St. Kearns (A)
Heritage Race Men St. Patricks (A) Cahersiveen St.Michaels
Masters Ladies Kilmacsimon Galley Flash Callinafercy
Masters Men Templenoe Myross Cairndhu
Veteran Ladies Whitegate Callinafercy (A) Myross
Mixed Veterans Portmagee Myross Templenoe (B)
Veteran Men Portmagee Myross Passage West
U12 Girls Portmagee Passage West Sive
U12s Courtmacsherry (A) Passage West (B) Myross
U14 Girls Whitegate (A) Ring (A) Templenoe (B) - joint 2nd
U14 Cairndhu (A) Courtmacsherry (A) Killorglin
U16 Girls Kilmacsimon Myross Caherdaniel
U16 Killorglin Kilmacsimon (A) Sive
U18 Ladies Sneem Fossa Valentia
U18 Passage West Killorglin Galley Flash
U21 Ladies Killorglin Ring Fossa
U21 Whitegate Templenoe Galley Flash
Pre-Vet Ladies Arklow Myross Workmens
Pre-Vet Men Killorglin (B) Courtmacsherry Whitegate
Pre-Vet Mixed Portmagee Passage West Galley Flash
Senior Mixed Killorglin Kilmacsimon Courtmacsherry
Intermediate Ladies Passage West Whitegate East Ferry
Intermediate Men Cahersiveen Whitegate Arklow
Junior Ladies Galley Flash Arklow Courtmacsherry
Junior Men Ring Passage West Kilmacsimon
Senior Ladies Killorglin Sneem Arklow
Senior Men Killorglin Courtmacsherry Kilmacsimon
The under 21 crew
continued to battle the elements however, and
finished in 12th position in a time of 28:08:91. Cormac Kelly of Arklow was up next
in the B Final of the Men’s Single Sculls. In a time of
34:35:69, he finished the race in a strong 6th position,
leaving two boats behind
him.
As conditions started to
deteriorate even further, the Women’s Single Sculls B Final was up next. After
capsizing twice before the start line, Laura O’Neill
made the sensible decision to not start the race. John
Keohane followed suit in the
Men’s Single Sculls A Final and chose not to risk the
conditions.
Although the weather and other factors did go against
some of the Irish rowers and crews, they should all
be very proud of their
achievements.
Results of the
2014 All-Ireland
Coastal Rowing
Championships
54
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Saturday 30th May 2015, Cork Harbour, Ireland
Hello from the Ocean to City team,
The season is slowly coming to its end and many boaties are
already packing up the oars and paddles for winter. Some of
you however are hardy folk and insist on training throughout
the cold and dark winter months... whichever way works for
you, here at Ocean to City HQ, plans are already in motion for
next summer's Rás Mór. As many of you know, our 2014 race
broke all the records... and, call us crazy, but we'd like to do
the same again in 2015!
There are many reasons why next year should be an even
bigger happening. For one, Cork will celebrate its 10th
anniversary since our designation as European Capital of
Culture (2005) and Ocean to City, as one of its very few
legacy events, will fly the flag! Secondly, we have now
officially entered into our second decade of existence and are
going from strength to strength. But ultimately, isn't it all just
about getting as many people on the water as possible and
having a hoolie?
Ok, (soppy-alert) call us nuts but we believe that rowers and
paddlers (yes, you) can make this world a better place. Not
only because you positively interact with our waterways and
help to keep our martime culture alive, but also because you
do what you love and inspire others around you to engage
with the outdoors; our rivers, coastal areas and the
environment. Maith thú!
So... next year's Ocean to City - An Rás Mór is taking place on
Saturday 30th May 2015 and we would LOVE for you to join
us.
OCEAN TO CITY
AN RÁS MÓR 2015
55
Long courses, shorter courses, relays, big boats, small
boats, hundreds of other participants... it's all part of Ocean
to City! To find out more about the race see
www.oceantocity.com. As usual we will publish details of
our early bird registration offer, transport and
accommodation deals at the start of the New Year.
For now, we would be delighted if you could pencil Saturday
30th May 2015 into your calendar and tell all of those
around you. For any further information, please don't
hesitate to contact us.
We hope you can join us in Cork next year and look forward
to seeing you then.
www.oceantocity.com [email protected]
56
TWIT
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57
THANK YOU TO ROWING
IRELAND SPONSORS
Special thank you for support
at the Irish Championships
Special thank you to Tony Dooley
of Filippi for Grand League prizes
SPO
NSO
RS
53
Rowing Ireland
National Rowing Centre
Farran Wood
Ovens
Co. Cork
T: +353 21 743 4044
F: +353 21 743 4045
W: www.rowingireland.ie
Rowing Ireland
@RowingIreland