ROWING: AS THE magnificent, still weather offers plenty of opportunities for rowers to practise on the water, there are also big decisions being made off it.
The incoming performance director, Martin McElroy, has been settling into his post. His stirring image of the future of the sport here - Irish athletes on the podium coached by Irish coaches - has struck a chord. The Sports Council is a crucial part of the picture, and there will be much interest as it announces governing body grants this month and high-performance funding next month.
The next three weekends will also provide plenty to chew on for those interested in the organisation of the sport. A meeting on the strategic plan will be held tomorrow in Dublin, while the shape of domestic rowing for the next four years will be laid down at an extraordinary general meeting to discuss rule changes tomorrow week in the capital.
The thinkfest will be rounded off with a prestigious coaches conference on Sunday, January 25th. The speakers should not disappoint. McElroy should be the star turn, and John Holland and Thor Nilsen also provide access to a wealth of experience as coaches. The British system is the envy of other countries, and Simon Dickie of the Amateur Rowing Association - an Enniskillen man - will give his thoughts on initiatives to increase participation and development.
Other speakers include Richard Archibald, who will talk about the arc from junior to Olympic oarsman; physiologist Giles Warrington on training, nutrition and rest; Joe Cunningham of Castleconnell on adaptive rowing; and David Ashley of DCU with a practical training demonstration.
Back on the water, this month is bookended with action in the midwest. Last weekend a junior camp in Castleconnell drew 14 athletes, while St Michael's stage their head of the river on January 31st.
Further west, and a great deal further south, the rowing boat La Mondiale had covered 606 kilometres of its Atlantic Row by midday yesterday, its fourth day at sea.
The crew, which includes five Irishmen, hope to become the first to row the Atlantic in under a month.
