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Contents

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Welcome to our Christmas e-zine copy and thank you to all our contributors. We hope the articles contained within this e-zine will not only update you on some of the excellence being delivered at all levels of our sport but will also inspire you to contribute further to the rowing community. As we come to the close of a busy and challenging year, I would like to pay particular thanks to our Board and all our team at Rowing Ireland for their efforts in providing the highest-quality programmes and support to our membership throughout the year. Many members may never know how hard our staff work on their behalf, but I have no doubt that they appreciate the professionalism and care everyone brings to their efforts in helping you to become the best rower, coach, administrator or supporter that you can be. I would like to personally thank all our staff for their commitment and loyalty to Rowing Ireland. We are so fortunate to have such a great team helping the organisation and its members to make their mark on the rowing landscape. In 2015 success has been illustrated in several ways; from the participation of over 8000 students in indoor rowing, Gold medals at the Coupe, fifteen athletes competing at the World Championships, growth in commercial income, new educational opportunities, the largest ever Irish Championships, enhanced media presence and of course the qualification of the LW & LM Doubles for Rio. All these factors illustrate the state of growing health of our sport. However, we also face many challenges; specifically around adult retention, continued growth of our sport and the integration of the high performance and domestic calendar. We are aware of these challenges and continue to develop strategies to manage them. Rowing Ireland continues to deliver enjoyment and participation opportunities to thousands of people, we do face financial and resource pressures, coupled with the requirement that the sports sector is a very dynamic environment, however, I now firmly believe that as an organisation we are well placed to generate continued improvement and success for our membership into the future. I finally wish to acknowledge the value and contribution of YOU the volunteers working tirelessly for rowing in Ireland without which we simply could not function. You are delivering enjoyment and participation to thousands and for that I thank you. Wishing All a very Merry Christmas. Hamish Adams

Chief Executive Officer’s Update

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World Rowing Championships & Olympic Qualification

Following the WRC, the athletes have started training for the coming season with the Olympic Games,

Olympic qualification, WRC or U23 WRC in their sights. The weather started out with excellent conditions,

however towards the end of the year it was beginning to get windier. The October assessment took place

in good conditions and provided some exciting racing. The next step was the November assessments on

the ergometers, where great progress was delivered especially in women and men’s lightweight

categories. The results have been published on the website and sent to coaches. The Provinces Indoor

Rowing Championships, Ulster Indoor Rowing Championships and Leinster Indoor Competition

produced many exciting results in U23 and junior categories.

Planning & reporting

September to December are the months for planning for

funding and service provision with ISC/IIS and SNI/SINI, as

Olympic preparations begin to take place on a team level

for the Rio Olympic Games. For the coming year, eight

athletes can apply for carding; Sinead Jennings, Claire

Lambe, Denise Walsh, Sanita Puspure, Paul O’Donovan,

Gary O’Donovan, Mark O’Donovan and Shane O’Driscoll.

The equipment has been updated with two matched

Olympic doubles, a single scull and oars together with the

new towing truck in blue and green.

Seville camps

LW2x, LM2x & W1x (Sinead Jennings, Claire Lambe, Paul

O’Donovan, Gary O’Donovan, Sanita Puspure) were

invited to a 14-day camp together with Dominic Casey and

Don McLachlan coaching. No wind or rain, nice water,

sunshine and a few clouds with pleasant summer

temperatures, were just the right conditions for a camp.

The crews did 24-28 spins and sessions with quality 400 -

450+ km in the boats were achieved. An Angolan team and

a large German team who had been using the Andalucian

Rowing Centre were watching too. Later on in the season

more camps will be conducted, as the boats are stored in

Seville. Several video analysis sessions were conducted,

with the main themes being; miles, team work, boat speed,

stroke length, body swing and connections,

synchronization, good parts and error corrections at catch,

drive, finish and recovery with clean and smooth

performances.

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Lightweight project, HP development and

Limerick Academy

In regards to U23s, David Mannion, James Mangan and John

Armstrong have been nominated as coaches, to pick up athletes for

crews to contest for selection together with the Lead Coach and HP

Director. The Lightweight project will operate out of St. Michael’s RC

with Pat McInerney having the overview. In the junior division, a

regional assessment will take place with coaches, having hands on

the different performance groups in sculling and sweep. To pick up

talented athletes for the future HPP, the Limerick Rowing Academy

is being implemented. In the coming year the World Championships will be held in Rotterdam, the

Netherlands, as a combined Senior, U23 and Junior Regatta. The Coupe will be in Poznan, Poland and

the Home Internationals will be in Wales.

Olympic pathway

The Olympic Council of Ireland is conducting team meetings and seminars with staff and athletes, and the

Irish Institute of Sport has visited the NRC conducting clinics preparing for the run up to the games, as

well as the transition after the games. A list of possible athletes and staff has been submitted on request,

along with guidelines and policies in relation to intent to represent, selection and appeal procedures,

fitness to perform, medical protocols, etc.

There have been several media articles suggesting challenges with the water quality in the Rio Lagoa

venue, however FISA has clearly indicated that there is no health issues and will continue to monitor. The

boats will leave Europe in May after the qualifying regatta. The High Performance Program is looking

towards a Women’s 1x, Women’s 2-, and Lightweight Men’s 4- for the qualifying regatta, depending on

performances. Before qualification, the European Championships in Germany and World Cup Regattas in

Italy will take place.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Morten Espersen, HPD.

It’s an Olympic year, Rio is looming, there’s burgeoning U23 & High Performance programs, Olympic qualifications are underway and a sense of purpose for Irish Rowers is evident – IIRC 2016 is set to be a good one!

In the last year we've seen more indoor rowing competitions get started with bigger attendances and an overall increase in people stepping onto ergs throughout Ireland. ROWfit are back with 80+ categories of race. We are also set to introduce an Inter-provincial element to the IIRC in 2016 with some top end teams being fielded by each Provincial Branch in the J13-J18 men’s & women’s categories - which Province will take this inaugural event?

We hope to bring a new element to the IIRC in a Best Club prize with one club taking the title via a points tally derived from the medallists of each event. So, have a read through the necessary documentation on the website, check out the FAQ before asking the Q and get set for January 23rd here in Limerick, back in the UL Arena for some serious fun!

ROWfit continues to support the Rowing Ireland Trialling Process maintaining the standard of brand-new ergs on which to trial along with the ‘free-drag and free-rate rule’ in accordance with international Indoor Rowing standards. The Irish 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 IIRC 2016 please review this document available on the Rowing Ireland website.

Keep your eyes peeled – there will be Olympians about..

You can find schedules, info documents, Frequently-asked-questions (and some answers), forms, prices and most importantly where you can REGISTER on the IIRC website. Online Registrations are for single entrants (up to two races) whereas if you or your club intend entering two or more entrants you ought to use the ‘Group Entry Form’ available on www.iirc.ie. All clubs should have received posters (if not get in contact) and discounts apply to group entries. Entries close on January 13thth. If you have any queries, please email Joe Cantillon at: info@rowfit.ie

2015 Results:

Provinces Indoor Rowing Competition 2015

Leinster Indoor Rowing Competition 2015

Ulster Indoor Rowing Competition

Indoor Rowing

2015/2016

Be part of the Olympic

journey—Race against

Ireland’s BEST!

IIRC 2016 Information available at

www.iirc.ie

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Coach Education/Junior Rowing

Pat McInerney

Coach Education

Well done to all who attended coach education sessions during 2015 and to all the tutors and coaches

who helped deliver them. A new Level 3 class started in October. This is the third class at this level and

they will finish in January. Our seventh Level 2 group also came through in November as well as five

groups of Level 1 and Introductory courses over the year. It was a big year for the school transition year

programme with six different groups completing their Introduction to Rowing Leadership Skills award in

Carlow, Dublin, Offaly, Limerick and Galway. A great addition to the programmes during 2015 was the

strength training workshops delivered by International lightweight rower and sport scientist, Mark O’

Donovan. These sessions proved very useful throughout all the 15 groups and clubs who have attended

so far. Let us know if you would like to have one of these sessions in your area as Mark will be getting

busier with his own rowing, therefore these need to be booked in advance. Overall, 2015 saw a new

wave of coaches engaging with education and development opportunities which will bear fruit in the years

to come. Thanks to all who developed and delivered the courses in any way, they are too numerous to

mention but a significant new development this year was that some of the Level 3 coaches helped with

course delivery and mentoring younger coaches. Keep it up and have a good rest, more to come.

Junior Rowing:

A final congratulations to all the juniors who raced hard and learned a lot this season, keep that going as

you enter your club or college intermediate or senior groups, or try out for u23 squads. There is a step up

required so keep the consistency of your effort and develop a little bit every session. The monthly

monitoring is going well since September and we are starting to see some steady improvements. There

will be a compulsory 2k at the IIRC on 23rd January and two regional trials on 13th Feb in singles and

pairs. These trials will be in Lough Rynn and at the NRC so a lot to look forward to there. The top

performers will be invited to the March trial and then to an Easter camp to determine who will have the

honour of representing their country at the Home Internationals, Coupe, Europeans or Worlds. Normally

those who hold consistency over the Christmas holidays end up making the gains in Jan-Feb, so enjoy

the turkey but also enjoy gaining a fitness and technical edge over the next few weeks. Monitoring scores

and training programme guidelines have been sent to all clubs, if in doubt about anything just ask

(pat.mcinerney@rowingireland.ie). There will be four separate junior development camps over two

weekends, 2nd - 3rd Jan and 9th - 10th Jan. The camp locations will be Cork twice, Galway and Belfast.

Invitations and further details will be sent out to coaches.

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Rowing Ireland invited Simon Dickie of British Rowing to present two workshops and we were

delighted with the engagement of those who attended. It is hard to find dates and venues to suit

everyone, so here is a summary of the presentations, and the input from both evenings. Some

clubs had prepared and brought a club Strategic Plan or a Local Agency plan with them to share

with others.

The outcomes set for each workshop were:

1. To have a greater understanding of the types of people who want to go rowing and their

motivations (i.e. existing and potential “customers”)

2. Club / School / Universities to have a basic grasp of the process needed to research, write and

implement an appropriate 5-10 year strategic plan

3. Clubs, schools and universities to understand the support that they may be able to receive

from within their club, Rowing Ireland and other local agencies

Other outcomes were added by those attending, and these were achieved. Hamish Adams

introduced Simon and referred to the RI Strategic Vision highlighting the importance of active

progressive clubs. Gordon Reid outlined the importance of understanding needs of rowers, the

local community, and networking with local ‘sponsors’ and with members, clubs, and community.

Simon took us through four recent surveys covering what attracts the public, why rowers leave,

and how young people spend their time. He then described the purpose and responsibilities for

Strategy and Delivery within clubs, showing that we are already good at delivery but not so good

at setting strategies.

Club Development Workshops October 2015

Good to Great by Planning Strategically

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Gordon Reid showed some objectives and the content of a plan being delivered (both by

clubs). Simon then steered us through the stages of writing and implementing a

plan. Working in groups we each developed a strategic plan and made a 1 minute

presentation to the workshop.

Michelle Carpenter illustrated the importance of partnership working, using Carlow Youth

Service as an example. (Slides available here) Lists for further support and information

generally, were made available to clubs.

Simon summarised the learning and was then thanked for his input. He was keen to offer

further support.

Please bring this information back to your clubs and if you have not done so already get

the conversation started on long term planning. If we can start looking to the longer term

as opposed to just the coming season we can build much stronger and healthier clubs.

This just not only means buildings and boats, it also means retaining members for longer.

Retention as we know is not easy so we have to work at being sure we are giving

members what they are looking for.

One key point from last night was that retention of a member or attracting back a lapsed

member is far more cost effective than starting a new one so looking after what we have

must be considered. We currently have 30% turn over every year in racing registrations.

This is very similar in a lot of other sports including GB rowing as Simon mentioned so

understanding this is the first step to trying to solve it.

Any club requiring further assistance with developing plans should come back and talk to

gordon.reid@rowingireland.ie

Some useful links:

PowerPoint Presentation available here

Flipcharts available here

RI Agencies List here

NI sources for further info here

A video of the majority of the workshops is now also available. View it HERE.

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We have been “busy oars” at Get Going…Get Rowing over the

last few months with eight more TrY rowing programmes taking

place in various schools and clubs across Leinster.

Carlow and Graiguenamanagh

We are thrilled to announce that we will be once again working

with Kathryn Wall and Angela Keogh of Carlow Youth services.

Together with rowing stalwarts Anthony Dooley and Peadar Doyle from Carlow Rowing Club &

Brian Roberts and his team from Graiguenamanagh Rowing Club, they will support the students

in Carlow Schools that have recently upskilled as TrY Rowing coaches and Leaders.

With new schools such as Presentation Carlow &

Presentation/De La Salle, Bagenalstown joining the

programme, we hope that we will continue to see huge

progression in new members both on and off the water in

the Carlow/Kilkenny area. Last year both Carlow and

Graiguenamanagh rowing clubs jointly benefited from 30

new members with a retention of two thirds of these due

to the Schools programme.

“The Rowing Room” @ Caritas College

Ballyfermot

You may remember from one of our previous updates

that Caritas College in Ballyfermot have their very own

rowing room. Teacher Mary Ryan was so impressed with the opportunity of having a dedicated

rowing room that she secured an empty class room and floor covering, compliments of a local

builder supplier. Get Going…Get Rowing had secured some posters from Sheila Stephens at

World Rowing. Ms Ryan was still determined to brighten up the room (as the windows were still

all boarded up). Recently she had the above picture taken of first year students rowing. The

communications team at World Rowing were so inspired by this that they have contacted us to

know could it be used in a photo competition run by the UN on the power of Sport values. We are

impressed and inspired by it. Are you?

#Blitzit2015 The inaugural indoor schools Get Going…Get Rowing blitz started after many long days and

nights of preparation. The draw had been published on the Get Going…Get Rowing website, and

the products from Vithit and Manhattan popcorn had been delivered to College Green to ensure

that there was “one for everyone in the audience”. Medals and trophies had been ordered thanks

to the support of the Leinster Branch. The team worked until late the night before in Trinity setting

up ergometers, testing the newly acquired software and ensuring that every last detail was right.

Get Going...Get Rowing

Leinster and

Beyond

Michelle Carpenter, Leinster Women’s Development Officer

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Preparation had started months before with the upskilling

and mentoring of rowers in Neptune and Commercial.

Sixteen TY students of the Islandbridge clubs completed the

TrY Rowing course and were primed for the day with

organisation and leadership skills.

When Friday 13th arrived, we were glad it was not a regatta

that we had chosen to organise – the wind was howling and

it was bitterly cold.

We were honoured to have Con Cronin, President of Rowing Ireland, arrive to open the event.

Hamish Adams (CEO Rowing Ireland) and Gerry Farrell (Leinster Vice President) also attended

to show their support.

Racing started with U/14 girls and the winners, Laurel Hill in Limerick,

who only started rowing in the summer for Castleconnell Boat Club,

travelled to Dublin especially for the event. The remainder of the races

followed and ran very smoothly. Schools travelled from Presentation

Cork, Carlow and Borris as well as two full buses from Galway. Over ten

Dublin Schools also travelled to the city centre in order to compete.

Throughout the day, these new recruits received motivational talks from

inspiring personalities from Irish Rowing. Dr. Fiona Wilson (Assistant

Professor in Physiotherapy at Trinity College Dublin) gave a talk on

fitness and the importance of posture. Niall O’Toole spoke about his Olympic experience, and

Neville Maxwell spoke about Atlanta and Sydney and even brought his Olympic blazers for

everyone to try on and aspire to achieve one of their own. #starsofthefuture

The highlight of the day for many was the filming of the event by RTÉ News2day.

Gill Stedman gave the event a glowing report and underlined the importance of

bringing rowing into schools and giving students the opportunity to try something

new and different.

Many schools were thrilled to have access to Trinity College and the ladies from DULBC, led

by Sally O’Brien, kindly gave many potential future members a tour of the campus and its

wonderful facilities. The day could not have been run without the partnership of Trinity College,

DULBC and DUBC, their coaches and members.

Progression was ensured with the winners of each section receiving complimentary invites to

the Irish Indoor Rowing Championships thanks to Joe Cantillon and his team.

Check out the full list of results here on our website: http://www.getgoinggetrowing.com/indoor-schools-blitz/u13-girls.php

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What’s next for Get Going...Get Rowing?

You may think it all stops there and we will rest our oars on the water for a while.

But we at Get Going…Get Rowing will continue our conquest to get more

students rowing both on and off the water. We are preparing for another indoor

event in March where we will partner with our long term colleagues at Dublin City

Council, when we will bring the programme to primary and secondary schools for

a period of 4-6 weeks in the New Year. This will culminate in another event in the

prestigious Dublin City Hall. This event was run last year and proved so success-

ful that the partnership is being expanded to more schools in 2016.

We are now going into new and exciting times for Get Going…Get Rowing in 2016, with numbers hitting 10,000 on

ergometers in schools across Ireland, as well as many TrY rowing coaches now leading their programmes in

schools across Leinster and Connaught. We are thrilled to look forward to not only increasing those numbers in

schools and on land but also on the water with an Interprovincial Schools Beginner’s Regatta in the early summer.

The programme will also shortly launch a “Connect Programme” that will encourage parents, particularly mothers

who come down with their son/daughter, to also try the experience of rowing through either “erging” or an “on the

water” experience.

Actively engaged with 8 of the city secondary schools (Taylors Hill, Salerno, Coláiste na Coiribe, Coláiste

Iognáid, St. Josephs, Coláiste Éinde, Mercy and Presentation).

Currently conducting approximately 7 to 10 indoor erg classes a week in NUIGBC and in schools during the

school term, i.e. coaching approximately 160 students a week over 6 week cycles.

Provided a second TrY Training Day in September. The previous TY group in May assisted with a week of

learning to row on the water by helping with providing tuition to over 200 students. The TY group in

September are currently busy rolling out training sessions on ergs within their own schools.

Get Going... Get rowing has allocated 10 x Rowing Ireland Ergometers to over 4 schools/clubs who attended

the TY Training in May in order to kick start Get Going... Get Rowing within their own school.

Get Going... Get Rowing recently received sponsorship from NUI Galway to transport 80 x students and

respective teachers from 5 city schools to the Indoor Schools Blitz in Trinity College Dublin. These students

were specifically trained up for the event and it was deemed a huge success by the Galway city schools that

attended. Connacht brought home several silver medals from this event. The Connacht Branch kindly

sponsored fruit and snacks and Clada Water provided drinks for the day.

2016 will commence with the programme expanding outside of Galway City and another TrY Training Day will

be offered to Athlone and Carrick schools.

Get Going… Get Rowing will launch an inaugural Summer Sprint Regatta in May/June 2016. This may well

be held in conjunction with an existing event and will offer students who are new to the sport the opportunity

to race in a fun environment with crews of a similar standard in a sprint setting.

In addition to the indoor erg classes, Get Going… Get Rowing offers students a campus tour at the end of

each programme cycle and an NUI Galway Open Day will be on offer to students at least once a semester.

Finally Get Going… Get Rowing caters for open visits from Primary Schools to NUIG Boat Club during Active

Schools Week in order to provide an early taster to the future cohort of students.

Here is the link to photos of Galway Schools at the Trinity Indoor Blitz: Photos

Should you want more information on the Get Going…Get Rowing programme log on to our website:

www.getgoinggetrowing.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Programme in Connacht since September 2015:

Jen Cunningham Connacht Development Officer - Email: jen.cunningham@rowingireland.ie / Mob: 0877660818

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On Friday 13th November 2015, the National Bravery Awards ceremony took place in Farmleigh

House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. Award Recipients received their medals and certificates from

the Ceann Comhairle, Mr. Seán Barrett, T.D.

Eli Brace and Joe Cantillon

Award No. 15

On 1st March 2014, a woman entered the River Shannon at Thomond Bridge, Thomondgate,

Limerick. The water level at this part of the River Shannon was high at the time and there was a

strong current flowing. Having entered the water, the woman was swept down the river. Once it

became apparent that there was a person in the water, the relevant emergency services were

requested and the Irish Coastguard was redeployed, but was unable to affect a rescue as she

rapidly approached Sarsfield Bridge. At this time, Mr. Joe Cantillon was on duty on the river as a

coach with St. Michael’s Rowing Club. On seeing the helicopter he assumed that it was an

exercise and proceeded to Sarsfield bridge in a flat-bottomed boat to observe the event. It should

be noted that his boat was light and not designed for rescue. Simultaneously, Limerick City Fire

Service, an ambulance and An Garda Síochána arrived at the bridge. Realising that this was not

an exercise and observing the woman in the water, Mr. Cantillon set about rescuing her from the

water. As he approached her, Firefighter Eli Brace jumped into the water to assist. Together,

Mr. Cantillon and Firefighter Eli Brace helped the woman from the water and placed her into the

boat. After being taken ashore, she was brought to University Hospital Limerick where she

made a full recovery.

There is no doubt but for the swift actions and considerable courage of Firefighter Eli Brace and

Joe Cantillon that the incident may have resulted in loss of life.

For their efforts, Firefighter Eli Brace and Joe Cantillon are each awarded a Bronze Medal and

Certificate of Bravery.

Rowing Ireland wish to sincerely congratulate Joe on receiving his award.

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Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that naturally occurs in very few foods, and performs many

essential roles within the human body. It plays a major role in bone health by helping to maintain

skeletal calcium balance in bone tissue. It has been suggested that insufficient Vitamin D status

is related to increased risk for many chronic diseases including hypertension, cardiovascular

disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and cancer. Athletes in particular may be predisposed to Vitamin

D insufficiency.

Vitamin D – Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA)

The vast majority of the population’s diets contain little Vitamin D

unless they routinely consume fish, cod liver oil, liver or egg

yolks. The RDA of Vitamin D for healthy adults has been

suggested as 5mcg/day. However, it has been suggested that the

RDA of Vitamin D for healthy adults should be increased to 15mcg/day. Due to potential toxicity

the tolerable upper limit for Vitamin D consumption has been established and ranges from

25mcg/day to 100mcg/day, depending on age.

Sources of Vitamin D

Certain foods such as breakfast cereal, milk, yoghurt, margarine

and orange juice are available in forms that are fortified with

Vitamin D. The amount of Vitamin D present in the fish will depend

on preparation, e.g. smoked herring contains approximately 4mcg

per 100g, while raw herring contains 40mcg per 100g. There is

consensus that athletes may require a higher dietary intake to

ensure adequate Vitamin D levels for muscle metabolism and

exercise performance. Dietary sources of Vitamin D are limited,

therefore for the majority of people, it is mainly obtained through

sun exposure, as Vitamin D is synthesised when the skin is

exposed to ultraviolet rays. Vitamin D production in the human

body is affected by factors such as latitude, season, time of day,

melanin content of the skin, use of sunscreen, age and clothing.

Obviously here in Ireland the amount of sunlight exposure is

limited, particularly at this time of year!

Nutrition

Insufficient Vitamin D status – how might exercise

performance be affected?

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Supplementation

Vitamin D supplements are available in two forms Vitamin D2 and

Vitamin D3. However, it must be noted that the protective effect

observed may be only attributable to Vitamin D3. Vitamin D

supplements are generally available in doses of

1,000IU – 2,000IU.

Vitamin D insufficiency and exercise performance

Vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with muscle weakness and reduced muscle function

and therefore impaired exercise performance. Supplementation of Vitamin D has been shown to

significantly improve sprint speed and vertical jump height in athletes. Muscle biopsies performed

in adults with Vitamin D deficiency highlighted type II fibre atrophy (wastage) which would result

in impaired performance of athletes who compete in events where strength and speed are

required e.g. sprinters, weightlifters and short distance swimmers.

Vitamin D is involved in the regulation of bone remodelling and Vitamin D status is involved in the

development of rickets, osteomalacia and stress fractures. Stress fractures are a common injury

among the athletic population and can be defined as partial or complete fracture of bone,

resulting from repeated application of stress at lower levels than that required fracturing the bone

in a single loading incident. It has been suggested that Vitamin D insufficiency during childhood

may hinder peak bone mass formation, thus leaving an athlete predisposed to skeletal

pathologies such as stress fractures and osteomalacia during adulthood which would adversely

affect performance.

Conclusion

Unless an athlete regularly con-

sumes oily fish, it is very difficult to

obtain substantial amounts of

Vitamin D from dietary sources.

Winter time supplementation of

Vitamin D may be an appropriate

strategy to improve Vitamin D

status.

Rónán Doherty, Nutritionist to the Rowing Ireland HP team.

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St. Michaels was founded in 1901 and caters

for oarsmen and oarswomen from Junior 12

up to experienced Masters. Our current

membership consists of 150 active members,

including approx. 80 juniors, plus seniors,

masters and recreational rowers. We pride

ourselves on the structures that are in place

for the strategic and day to day management

of the club. We are very fortunate to have

such a dedicated committee and coaching

team (12 coaches), supported by our club’s

first female Captain.

The clubhouse is situated on the river

Shannon in the city, and it’s from here our

Junior, Recreational and Master squads row,

rotating boats as per the weekly boat

schedule. Crews can row 1500m down to the

pier and back, this provides a safe

environment for coaching beginners.

Whereas, more experienced crews can row

further downstream for another 12km.

We are very fortunate to have a modern fleet of racing

boats which includes 5 eights, 6 coxed fours/quads, 4

coxless fours/quads, a touring coxed quad, 8 pairs/

doubles and 12 sculls. Land based facilities include a

modern gymnasium and weights room, soon to be

fitted out with 2 new double bay rigs. The club also has

20 Concept 2 Model ’D’ Ergs.

SMRC has a great volunteer system comprised of

parents and members, who contribute so much of their

personal time to the club’s ongoing fundraising efforts

and we thank each and every one of them. We

undertake many fundraisers during the year, including

our Summer Coffee Morn, Event Catering and The

Urban Run. The run is the club’s biggest fundraiser to

date. Because it’s a community and not just a club

based event, it is going from strength to strength each

year and attracts entrants both from the Athletic and

Rowing communities!

St. Michael’s Rowing Club

Limerick

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The club is currently embarking on a major

project, and that is the construction of our new

slipway in town. Our current slip needs to be

upgraded to a more modern, safer and larger

one with greater capacity for our growing

membership. So, to help us raise funds for this

project, we launched our online lotto 18

months ago and it runs on a weekly basis @ €2

a line. We appreciate everyone’s continued

support to help us finance this much needed

upgrade.

St. Michaels are very proud to be the host club

for the Rowing Ireland’s Lightweight Men’s

Project and look forward to working with all

those involved in supporting the high

performance programme.

We are also looking forward to working with the

Limerick Rowing Academy to support their

efforts in creating a high performance

environment in the Limerick region.

This year we saw two new initiatives introduced

to our club by one of our parents; the Club

Newsletter and the Student Leadership

Challenge Programme (pilot). Each is proving to

be successful with our rowers and readers.

Each year, the commitment and achievements

of our Rowers and Coaches bring great pride to

our club. And this year was a very special year

On 5th Sept, Sinead Jennings and Claire Lambe

qualified the Lightweight Women’s Double

Scull for the Rio Olympics by finishing 9th at the

World Championships in France. This fantastic

achievement was celebrated by all, both at

home and abroad. Sinead is an inspiration to

all our rowers, coaches and committee

members. Her commitment and dedication to

training and her passion for the sport proves

what can be achieved if you stay focused and

follow your dream. In her own words ‘Rowing

is my life’. This year, Sinead was awarded the

athletes’ Captain’s Prize.

We wish only the best for both Sinead and

Claire on their journey to Rio.

SMRC celebrate the start of each New Year with

the Robert Manning/Brennie Murphy Sculling

Challenge; in remembrance of two of our rowers

who will always have a special place in the

hearts of our members.

SMRC wish all our members and the Irish Rowing

Community, a very Happy Xmas and here’s to a

new season of competition in 2016.

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SMRC launches new Club Development

Initiatives for 2015

SMRC has been busy again this year - and

not just in terms of rowing.

2015 saw the launch of the first annual

newsletter - to engage the local membership

and the wider community. It also saw the

launch of the Student Leadership Challenge

programme - to engage with Junior Crews in

TY year in local schools.

SLC Programme Outline

Student Leadership Challenge is a new

sports club/school programme designed to

provide students with a 'real-life' opportunity

to show leadership in the community.

This tailored mentor assisted programme

aims to connect Transition Year Students

with their local rowing club so that students

can get involved in their sport at a

community level.

The pilot programme, which started in

September 2015, is currently based on 5

modules which are run in the SMRC

Clubhouse and on the water.

There were a number of reasons behind the

development of the Student Leadership

Challenge …

Junior Rowers

To involve Junior rowers in the various

aspects of Sports Leadership

To benefit SMRC students in their TY

assessment

To work in with other TY programmes i.e.

An Gaisce where coaching is a module

To expand the Junior rowers' experience

in their sporting club

Clubs

To benefit sporting clubs by way of

volunteering

To imbue a sense of belonging among

younger members and to give them a

sense of 'club membership' which will stay

with them through life

Schools

To benefit schools by launching an

extracurricular leadership programme for

TY students

To link schools with clubs as the SLC

programme completion certificate and the

RI Introductory Coaching Course

certificate of attendance will form part of

the school TY year assessment portfolio

Rowing Ireland

To benefit Rowing Ireland by creating a

leadership base at Junior level which will

stay with them into adult life

To promote the sport of rowing

The primary outcome of the programme

is that the group grow and learn through

fun participation.

With club wide support from everyone in

St. Michael's Rowing Club, training and

guidance from Rowing Ireland, great

parental encouragement and an amazing

group of committed students - this

programme is showing successful results

and we look forward to 2016.

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by Tom McKeon, SLC group member and SMRC Junior Crew

My name is Tom McKeon. I row for St. Michael’s Rowing Club in Limerick. I am currently involved in the Student

Leadership Challenge programme along with eleven of my friends. As part of this programme, we are tasked with

helping out in our clubs many events, make a video for Rowing Ireland to recruit new rowers and introduce them

to our wonderful sport, to learn about coaching and how to teach the sport in the correct manner.

We have helped out in the smooth running of the SMRC Urban Run. This is a 5

kilometre and a 10 kilometre run in the surrounding area of St. Michael’s. The

other transition year students and I helped out by handing out flyers and

notices to the local residents. I really enjoyed helping out because I got to give

back to SMRC, a club that has given me so much. However, I noticed how

difficult and stressful it is to run a successful event like the Urban Run.

After attempting to make a video for Rowing Ireland, with its aim to promote our club and the sport, we have

realised how tough it is to create a video like some of the videos on YouTube. However, we are all really enjoying

the challenge and the video is coming along nicely.

I have also gotten a good insight into how our club runs on a weekly basis. It is extremely expensive and time

consuming to run a big club like St. Michael’s while also looking for new pieces of equipment. No matter what

position the club is in financially, I have learned that it never loses its friendly atmosphere. That is something I have

only noticed from being a part of the programme and it’s very good to see.

Personally, I think the biggest benefit of this programme is getting to work with people that I wouldn’t usually get

the opportunity to work with. For instance, at the RI Introductory Coaching Course held in September we learned

about the skills needed to be a good coach. There were people there from other clubs - and it was great to get all

the different views on technique, water safety and teaching. Now I have completed this course I can move on to do

the Level 1 coaching course.

We also had the chance to attend the Club Development Workshop in October with Simon Dickie, GB Rowing and

Pat McInerney, Rowing Ireland. During the workshop, we broke out into discussion groups. Our group formed a

'new' rowing club and discussed goals as part of a 5 year strategy e.g. finances, membership and equipment.

Hamish Adams, Rowing Ireland, was in my group and it was really interesting to hear his views.

If I got the opportunity to do this programme again -

I would definitely do it. It has opened my eyes to

more aspects of the club. It also helps you improve

on areas that you may not have as much confidence

in, for example public speaking. I have also made

better friendships by working as a close knit group. I

would recommend this great programme to any

Transition Year student who is looking to get

involved in his/her club and who wants to help their

club in any way possible.

A better understanding for one’s club and sport

means a more efficient rowing stroke at the end of

the day.

Student Leadership Challenge, SMRC 2015

Back L to R : Grace Galvin, Mary O'Connor, Tom McKeon, Peter Furey,

John Christie, Dylan O'Byrne, Sean Murphy

Front L to R : Matthew Beegan, Diarmuid O'Hanlon, Ned Murphy, Eoin

Corcoran

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Tell me a bit about yourself...

Been very active all my life, always known to be an outdoor person.

When did you take up rowing?

Started rowing at the age of 14 and became addicted to it from the first day. At the time, my best friend got me into it, then when I started beating his scores on the erg, he quit. Poor guy.

Are you happy with your performances during the past season?

University rowing wise, I reached all the top standards. Internationally, I gained a lot of valuable experience and that has fuelled me to push on.

What does your current training consist of?

Many, many hours of hard graft!

What about your nutrition? Is your diet strict?

I am in more of a routine and structure now with my nutrition, so it is second nature. Yes, my diet will have to become very strict over the Christmas period!

What are your hopes for the future, rowing wise?

To qualify this lightweight men’s 4- for Rio.

If you were not a rower, what would you think you would be doing?

Probably booking to go on a ski holiday in January with the lads!

How do you wind down?

Go and see friends (non-rower friends) and family.

Because you are rowing full-time, do you feel you are missing out on things?

Yes of course. But that’s just the simple sacrifices that have to be made. There will always be another time to party or go on holidays, but for now, rowing is the number one focus.

What do your friends/family make of your rowing commitment?

They are proud I guess!

Lloyd Seaman

Portora Boat Club

U23 HP Rower 2015

World U23 Championships 2015

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John Armstrong

Belfast Boat Club

Talent Development

Coach NI

How did you first get involved in rowing? My father had all these little silver cups at home when I was small and I was fascinated by them. My mother was not as fascinated as she ended up cleaning them! The stories associated with the cups were often repeated over the years. Stories of rowing for Queens in the late 1950’s, tours round Ireland and further afield in various and precarious forms of transport, often begged and borrowed from unsuspecting friends and relatives to tow boat trailers. The stories often included as much about the mechanical repairs to one vehicle or another, (cars and engines were another of my father’s hobbies, which might seem a strange pastime for an obstetrician), as about the rowing and racing. He also raced for N. Ireland at the 1958 Empire (now Commonwealth) Games in Cardiff, which seemed to me quite a cool thing to have done. I think that this was the reason why, when offered a choice at the age of 13 as to which school I would attend, I chose Portora, mainly so I could row. I obviously had some romantic notion as to what rowing was about never having been closer to a rowing boat than I was the moment I drove through the Portora gates on my first day. I was, in coaching terms ‘unconsciously incompetent’. I clearly remember the first day at Portora boat club. 5’ tall, skinny legs sticking out of these absurd looking white shorts and 4 wooden, clinker built sculls waiting for us.

Wooden oars with leather sleeves and brass collars. It took two us to lift the boat onto the water. Some minimal instruction was given and we were pushed out with a final warning, if you fall in don’t let go of the boat and don’t go past the Round ‘O’ jetty. I was hooked, it was easier than it looked too, and ignoring instruction and my own safety, which was never high on my priority list as a youngster, I proceeded through the West Bridge and round the Island. I don’t remember the telling off when I got back but I do remember the sense of accomplishment and thinking I had found something I could be good at. And as they say, the rest is history. When did you start coaching and where? I was still rowing internationally and was probably starting to think that my shelf life as an international oarsman was starting to expire. As it happened I managed to get another 10 years out of it and some good successes in the late 1990’s helped rejuvenate me. I had sort of dabbled in coaching other scullers from the single before, however this time in Sept 1995, I had sort of committed myself to putting a toe into the coaching waters with the Queens University Intermediate Women. We had quite a successful year and it was probably a good level to start to experiment as a coach. They were good enough not to be too negatively affected by any of my mistakes and yet open enough to learn from any of my better interventions. If any of them read this, and they know who they are, I hope they feel the same. I quickly realised that you could get a similar buzz from coaching as you could from rowing.

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How difficult was the transition from rower to coach? The way it worked out for me it was in fact quite easy. It was a long transition. As I said I first started coaching around 1996, in what I would call a more formal coach/athlete relationship, but didn’t stop rowing until 2006. All that time I was coaching and developing my coaching skills and working with different ages, abilities and in roles with different levels of responsibility. I think one of the key turning points as a coach was when I realised that rather than trying to coach how I rowed, I needed to look at what I could have done better as an athlete and then try and coach with that in mind and then row what I coached. There was no point in allowing known errors to persist. That approach meant that my rowing actually got better, which it needed to as my physical progression slowed as I passed 40, and my coaching was more effective.

What attracted you to coaching? Initially I think it was mainly a desire to remain involved in a sport that I loved rather than any massive altruistic motive to ‘give back’. I was also pretty sure that, at that point anyway, I had no desire to row at Masters level. As I kept coaching and had different roles and responsibilities and some successes, I revised that view, and realised that I loved the challenges, the achievements, the problem solving - in fact all of the same things that I loved about being an athlete. Often I have reflected on my rowing career and thought I wished I knew at the start, what I knew at the end. It is the same with coaching. I wish I knew in 1996, what I know now, but that is all part of any journey I suppose. How have you managed to stay coaching for so long? In some respect I don’t feel that I have been coaching for that long, and in many ways it is for exactly the same reasons that I stayed rowing and training at a high level for so long. I like the challenges, the buzz when an athlete has success and then picking yourself up when things hit a low point and turning it around. I suppose you could call it an adrenaline roller coaster. I really enjoy being on the water with an athlete and seeing them making a change that you have guided them towards. Seeing them have that lightbulb moment after weeks of trying to make sense of what they have been doing.

That moment when you have exhausted your arsenal of drills and ways of explaining something, and you have to really think outside the box to find the one thing that makes it understandable for that athlete, and the good feeling inside when it works. As I alluded to above it is a journey. I see 20 years of coaching as 20 different years and not one year repeated 20 times. That keeps it interesting and there are always new things to discover, new knowledge to gain and new things to find out about yourself. What are the top three attributes of a successful coach in your opinion? There are so many things that can make a coach successful and I think that it would be difficult to select only 3. I think it can also depend on the level the coach is working at. A successful novice coach probably has significantly different strengths to a coach working successfully with Olympic level athletes, but both are successful at what they do. I do think it’s important to have a clear philosophy of why you coach and use that to evaluate your coaching practice. Being self-aware and having some emotional intelligence help too. Also key would be having a good support network around you and a “go to” person for those times when it seems like you are trying to push water uphill, which does happen from time to time. Above all, be curious and keep asking the question - “I wonder what would happen if…” I suppose if I was pushed I would have to say that, in no particular order: Adaptability: I have been on a few courses recently where the topic of leadership came up, and in particular a phrase that seems to be trendy at the moment- “situational leadership”. Basically this means adapting a leadership style to the circumstances, the individual, and the desired outcome. I think for a coach the ability to be adaptable is important for the same reasons. There are times that an athlete needs or wants to be told what to do, there are other times that a better outcome will be achieved by fully involving an athlete in a discussion about how best to achieve that outcome. Deciding when to be what sort of coach and having the ability to be more than one dimensional is a skill that cant really be taught, but it is acquired with time.

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My own experience suggests that this is a skill that you will only learn by trial and error, and sometimes those errors will be etched on your memory and causes cringes of embarrassment when you think, ‘did I really just say that’. I once told a girl who had trouble steering her single in the middle of the lane, that she had a fatal attraction for buoys. Possibly not the right comment at the right time! A thirst for knowledge: As I have alluded to before, coaching, like life is a journey. You can make a choice to make it boring and repeat the same thing every year, or much more exciting by seeking out new answers to old problems, creating a better understanding of something, taking risks, experimenting, being curious, and generally being prepared to make a fool of yourself and having the odd failure. It is definitely a better journey to have travelled for 20 years rather than repeating a one year journey 20 times. Patience: Possibly the most important. You have to have the patience to spend hours and hours watching rowing, enjoying it and not getting bored or distracted. You have to be patient to wait for an instruction you have given to be processed and acted upon and resist the urge to jump in and issue a follow up or a new instruction. You have to be patient with an athlete’s development, they are not all the same, they will develop differently and one rule does not fit all. You have to be patient when athletes make the inevitable mistakes, doubt their ability and lose their motivation. You have to be patient when athletes are injured or sick. You have to be patient with yourself as you develop as a coach. It is unlikely you will set the world on fire the day after you jump in a coaching launch. Do you have any particular characteristics that you look for in a developing rower? Outside of the obvious physical ones, two of the attributes would be similar to those of a coach, ‘A Thirst for Knowledge’ and ‘Patience’. You have to want to learn and have the patience to allow it to happen. Being a well organised person would also be a big one. It takes good organisation skills to manage other aspects of your life, be they academic or work, or relationships, with a high volume train-ing program and getting enough recovery. Mental toughness could be in there as well. I heard recently a phrase used in relation to talent development. “Talent development is chaotic, messy, challenging and non linear.” It takes a degree of mental

toughness to deal with the inevitable failures, the roller coaster of ups and downs, the chaotic nature of learning new skills and training in what is not always a very hospitable natural environment in an Irish winter. Pretty useful to have a sense of humour as well. You are not going to last long if you take exception to your peers having a good laugh at you when you forget that the last step is actually the river and you are standing up to your waist in stinking black mud holding a boat.

What is the best coaching book that you have ever read or that you would strongly recommend to another coach? I would find it difficult to identify a best coaching book that I have read. One that is certainly a worthwhile read is Sir Clive Woodward’s book about his time at England Rugby. It has some good messages about the culture of the group and how he changed it in the run in to the 2003 World Cup. There are also some insights into his leadership style. Most of my reading on coaching would be to take bits out of many different books in the form of references and articles. It is certainly worthwhile following various coaching and rowing groups on social media and sites such as LinkedIn. You can find some interesting read-ing if you follow some of the links. As long as you are open minded there is lots of good ‘coaching’ material in books on a huge range of other topics, from business to comedy to the military, if you read between the lines. Some would say you ‘can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ but I would prescribe to the philosophy that ‘you can learn something new every day.’

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Tell us a little bit about yourself...

My name is Michelle Mc Elligott Carpenter. I started rowing at the age of 13 and was one of the first women members of Shannon Rowing Club in Limerick. When I first rowed with Shannon we had to train in secret as women weren’t allowed to row there! I also rowed with Commercial Rowing Club in Dublin. I spent a number of years in Europe where I also rowed in Strasbourg and Frankfurt. I have four children under 13 and my eldest daughter now has the rowing bug and is becoming a fairly nifty little cox.

What is your role within Rowing Ireland?

I am Leinster Women’s Development Officer and have developed the “Get Going...Get Rowing” programme and TrY rowing programme for students. By developing and managing the programme, students have been able to row in schools through a fun and interactive programme (www.getgoinggetrowing.com) on the ergometer. Additionally, TY students are also trained to become indoor rowing coaches. Overall, my aim is get girls rowing and active, together with bringing them to their local clubs to experience the merits of getting out on the water.

What motivates you to do your best?

In this job it’s easy as rowing has always been my passion, and I believe in what I do. My ambition is to show the greater public what a wonderful sport rowing is and to give as many people as possible in Ireland the opportunity to try it.

What challenges have you faced in your job?

I guess the opposite to the former question, working for a sport or hobby sometimes entails long hours and it is difficult to switch off.

What have you learned from your role so far?

I have been really lucky in that I am at grass roots level and seeing results with thousands rowing. One thing is that students love the ergometer! (Something we rowers are not familiar with) & it is not that difficult to make it fun and interactive for them. Another thing I have learned is that many people don’t know what rowing is, and even with the success of our World Champions and Olympians still think it is canoeing or kayaking, to which I reply “Rowing is to canoeing as rugby is to football – the only things you have in common are boats and water or balls and pitches.”

Michelle Carpenter

Rowing Ireland

Leinster Women’s Development Officer

Michelle chats to RTE during the Indoor Schools

Blitz in Trinity College Dublin.

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What is your most memorable moment? Gosh can I only pick one! The indoor blitz in Trinity College a few weeks ago was fantastic, in particular the coverage there from RTE. Students that we had introduced in schools winning indoor provincials and individual challenges. Girls that we have taught to row in schools join clubs and win at regattas. And Finally (I know that’s four!) Being mentioned in Dublin castle at the Women in Sport seminar by Dr. Una May as one of the most successful (it was top of the list!) Women in Sport programmes in the country. I was jumping up and down (figuratively) and there was no one beside me that I could say… hey that’s my programme!

What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?

I have four children (is there time for anything else!). I like to bake, I am trying to find the time to make my usual Cranberry studded and Frangipane mince pies at the moment.

What are your goals for the future?

To develop and manage opportunities that will introduce and encourage participation in the sport for all levels of rowers but in particular women. To be part of a team that will develop rowing in Ireland to become world class.

While growing up, what was your dream job and why?

If I remember rightly I wanted to row all the time! And since sports science wasn’t developed at the time my goal was to be a PE teacher. I got the points but not the interview, which at the time I was gutted about. Therefore it is remarkable to look at what I am doing now. I also loved working on the PR campaign for the launch of the Euro, with the ECB. Consequently, all in all I think the combination of rowing and communications in my present role means I can definitely say it is the perfect role for me!

Who has been the biggest role model in your life? Why?

That has to be my Dad who is 85, he is one of my best friends, and he has always taught me to try to always do the right thing and work hard.

Arthur O’Brien, one of my first coaches, who was also instrumental in getting women accepted in Shannon Rowing club was also a great role model – he used to say “perfect practice makes perfect.” He unfortunately died tragically last year.

With the Coupe de la Jeunesse 2015 Rowing Ireland team and coaches.

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Rowing Tourism in Graiguenamanagh Tapping into a growing international trend Over the past three years a combination of unlikely circumstances have come together and led to the establishment of a growing niche business in tour rowing involving Graiguenamanagh Rowing Club and Waterside Guesthouse, owned by Graiguenamanagh Club captain Brian Roberts, founder of the Graiguenamanagh club in 2001. Graiguenamanagh is the only rowing club in County Kilkenny. The Tour Rowing initiative started with one Rowing Ireland Tour in 2013. In 2014 this grew to 4 tours and in 2015 there was a total of 10 rowing tours based in Graiguenamanagh. As Brian Roberts says himself, “ I have been involved in rowing on and off for the past 35 years, but it was never supposed to be part of the business. The rowing club was where I went to get away from the business!” But recently the club started investing in touring quads as the perfect vehicle to teach new people to row, and it wasn’t long before Michael O’Dwyer came a calling as he was collecting every tour boat in the country to facilitate the FISA World Tour on the Shannon that year. One thing led to another and a weekend tour of the Barrow and Nore was organised. Three boats participated and a good trip was had by all. People absolutely love the rowing tours here and a big part of that is the variety. Tours generally start right outside the door of Waterside Guesthouse and that means the first section includes negotiating a number of locks on the Barrow navigation. This is a completely new experience for many people and really adds to the trip. Then the lower Barrow and the Nore features some fabulous deep valley channels with incredible ancient deciduous forestry along the banks. After the first trip in 2013 the word was out and four Graiguenamanagh based tours took place in 2014. Everybody so far seems to have gone away happy and so 4 tours in 2014 grew to 10 tours in 2015 as word spread of what was on offer. And different markets led to different types of tour. So far the club have had visitors arriving from Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Canada, USA and Australia. The Irish Clubs that visit are looking for a weekend tour and the visitors from abroad are largely booking a 5 day tour. Five day tours require a lot of extra trailering and also requires that there is an expansion of venues to other rivers within reach. There have been outings to the Suir, the Blackwater, The Slaney and of course Blessington Lakes on the Liffey system. There has been a huge range of abilities when you finally end up getting boats on the water. This in general has not been an issue as in most cases all the participants are coming from the one club and are already well aware of the other people in their crew. But it is something that has to be carefully managed if you are putting together combinations that are meeting for the first time. From a business point of view the operation has been a win win for Graiguenamanagh Club as well as for Waterside Guesthouse and the local economy. The club gets a fee for providing the boats, and for providing lockkeepers on bikes to accompany the Boats on the Barrow. As well as that there is trailering to be organised, minibus transport, lunch venues, safety boats etc. A lot of club members put hours into making this work, but everyone is happier doing that than being out selling tickets, and the rowing tour income has largely done away with the club holding raffles etc. to fundraise. Waterside Guesthouse has benefited from improved room and restaurant occupancy and local cafes, shops and mini bus drivers all benefit. Needless to say the local pubs have also been frequented, and heard some great tales of epic journeys that would leave Shackleton in awe. A lot of logistics go into making each tour a success, right down to precision timing to ensure

tides are amenable. Waterways Ireland have been very supportive of the growth of this tourism

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trade and have done huge work to ensure the navigation is kept clear of weed as nearly 20 feet of clear channel is required in the canal sections approaching locks. Each tour is completely organised from start to finish by Brian Roberts. “ I guess the bottom line is that I was in a unique position in that I had all the tourism facilities at my own business and that I am so immersed in rowing here in Ireland. Even when groups come off the water they are returning to cosy lodging which is run by rowing people, and half the staff in the restaurant are rowers themselves having proven their appetite for hard work by doing endless hours on the erg at Graiguenamanagh Rowing Club!” The future of tour rowing in Graiguenamanagh is looking good with 6 tours already provisionally booked for 2016. So any clubs out there interested in leisurely swinging out of an oar while exploring the beautiful wooded river Barrow valley get in touch with Brian Roberts now and let Waterside and Graiguenamanagh sort your trip out.

Further information available from Brian Roberts Waterside , Graiguenamanagh Tel 00353-59-9724246 086-8234813 brian@watersideguesthouse.com

Negotiating a Barrow Lock

Clashganny Lock

Cosy room at Waterside Waterside Guesthouse

Early morning on the Barrow

Restaurant at Waterside

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Strength & Conditioning with Mark O’ Donovan

Dead Lift

Stimulation of overall strength increases

Increased ligament and tendon strength

Increased bone density

Development of strength in the movements involving the

trunk, lower back, hip and knee

Start position

Feet are flat on the floor, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart, with weight over the middle of the feet

Bar is close to the shins, above the first lace hole of the shoes

Knees are in front of the bar, hips higher than the knees

The back is flat, the head in neutral ‘chin tucked’. This means that forces can be efficiently transmitted from the knee and hip extensors

Shoulder blades are pulled back, the chest pushed through

Shoulders are in front of the bar

Hands should be spaced slightly wider than shoulder width apart

The bar is held with thumbs round the bar in a ‘claw’ grip or ideally with thumbs around the bar and tucked under the first two fingers in a ‘hooked’ grip

The arms are straight but relaxed, elbows pointing along the bar.

The Drive

Chest remains up, arms relaxed and shoulders pulled back

Pressure transfers from mid-foot to heel as the bar rises

The bar stays close to the body at all times

As the knees extend the chest rises into a standing vertical position

As the top point is reached the hips must be fully extended to finish the lift

The Decent

Resume to place the bar down in the opposite order from the drive, keeping chest elevated and core tight ‘braced’

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Bent Over Row

Aimed at strengthening the pulling part of the row

Development of this movement will promote resilience to injury and performance.

The Set Up

Set a bar up with appropriate loading on the ground with Olympic size discs

Taking a Clean width grip lift the bar from the floor by extending the knees and keeping a constant body angle relevant to the floor.

The Pull

Fix and brace your posture. Body angle should be just above parallel. Weight is in midfoot.

Keeping the body and knees at the same angle draw the bar back to touch the abdominal wall

At the top of the lift the athlete should squeeze the shoulder blades together.

The Decent

Holding your posture extend the arms and soften the knees until the bar touches the floor.

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Rowing Ireland HP athletes found some

time to do a bit of Christmas shopping in

sunny Seville during their training camp in

December

We were delighted to hear of HP rower Leonora

Kennedy’s engagement to Aidan McEvoy recently...at

none other than the NRC, which was also where they

first met! Congratulations to you both!

The canteen set up nicely for the NRC

Christmas lunch

Storm Desmond left us with a new water level to manage!

Our HP ladies Sanita and

Claire looking good posing for

the Pieta House Calendar

Carrick-On-Shannon was hit

hard by recent flooding, but

this swan didn’t seem too

bothered..

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