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CANOEING IRELAND’S FIRST L2 COACHES QUALIFY<br />
MARATHON WORLD CUP • JUNIOR LIFFEY DESCENT<br />
IRISH CANOE SLALOM TEAM FOR 2019 ANNOUNCED • LAOIS KAYAK & CANOE CLUB - SPOTLIGHT<br />
FLOW<br />
ISSUE #5 JUNE 2019<br />
the official magazine of<br />
MATTHEW<br />
McCARTNEY<br />
on fire in Norway at<br />
Marathon World Cup<br />
Jenny Egan great start to Sprint<br />
season with silver and bronze medals
A MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD<br />
Welcome to the fifth edition of Flowstate showcasing the best of Irish paddlesport.<br />
The Board would firstly like to thank members who attended the 58th Annual General<br />
Meeting of Canoeing Ireland which took place on Sunday the 19th May 2019 at Sport HQ,<br />
Abbottstown. The meeting was well attended with club representations from across the<br />
country. Proceedings were positive with active engagement throughout from members and<br />
Board. The 2018 audited accounts were approved following the Board report which provided<br />
a strategic overview of activities throughout the year.<br />
The meeting was a poignant one as Paul Donnelly concluded his term as President of the<br />
organisation. Paul through his wealth of knowledge executed his duties with energy, passion<br />
and integrity. The members gave Paul a hearty round of applause as he signed off for the<br />
last time as President. Canoeing Ireland would like to recognise Paul’s leadership and<br />
guidance during his term and we wish him well. Brian Ogilvie succeeds Paul as President.<br />
Newly elected to the Board are Lynda Byron and Luke Logan as Executive Member and<br />
Non-Olympic Representative respectively. Aisling Conlan was re-elected as Honorary<br />
Treasurer along with Leigh Blackmore as Executive Member. Bryan Fennell stays as Leinster<br />
Representative. Ciaran Farrell was thanked for his contribution to the Board during his term<br />
as Olympic Representative.<br />
The 58th AGM concluded after an insightful presentation from Canoeing Ireland’s<br />
insurance providers, O’Driscoll & O’Neil. This provided members with useful and new<br />
information on the extent of the insurance cover that a Canoeing Ireland member receives.<br />
The meeting closed with agreement on a positive future ahead.<br />
As we commence a new term, we are committed as a Board to continuous improvement and<br />
making Canoeing Ireland a National Governing Body which members and stakeholders can<br />
be proud of. The focus for the rest of 2019 remains on growing the organization through a<br />
three-pronged approach of enhancing Clubs, building Collaborations and enabling<br />
Competitors in line with the strategic plan 2017-2020. This will be done in a transparent and<br />
consultative process and we would ask that members and clubs engage and contribute<br />
their opinions to these initiatives. We are seeing positive change with good progress being<br />
acknowledged through additional funding following the implementation of<br />
additional resources and restructuring.<br />
The Board would like to commend all the athletes and their<br />
supporters who are competing, training and paddling all over<br />
the world. Some great results and moments have been<br />
accomplished so far this year and we’re sure that there are<br />
many more achievements to come.<br />
B Oе<br />
PRESIDENT<br />
CONTENTS<br />
ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT<br />
Junior Athlete Profile - Matthew McCartney 4<br />
Senior Athlete Profile - Caoimhe O’Ferrall 6<br />
Jenny Egan - Competition off to a Flying Start 7<br />
PADDLING NEWS<br />
Canoe Marathon World Cup - Trip Report 8<br />
Peruvian Lefts - The Journey from Portrush to Peru 10<br />
Irish Canoe Slalom Performance Team 2019 15<br />
Junior Liffey Descent Report 22<br />
Irish Canoe Polo Team Win at Hull 23<br />
THE MORE YOU KNOW<br />
Surfer’s (Kayaker’s) Ear 12<br />
Launch! Watersports Inclusion Games 2019 14<br />
Canoeing Ireland’s First L2 Coaches Qualify 18<br />
Canoeing Ireland’s First Athlete’s Conference 19<br />
Interview with Jon Mackey - High Performance Director 20<br />
FLOWSTATE FOCUS<br />
Devizes to Westminster - Two Men and a Boat 16<br />
Club Spotlight - Laois Kayak & Canoe Club 24<br />
ON THE COVER: Spotlight on Matthew McCartney - Full story on pg4<br />
Photo credit: Mick Feeney<br />
2<br />
3
JUNIOR ATHLETE PROFILE<br />
NAME: MATTHEW McCARTNEY<br />
CLUB:<br />
CELBRIDGE<br />
DISCIPLINE: CANOE MARATHON<br />
Photography: Mick Feeney<br />
Matthew, massive congratulations on your recent World Cup success.<br />
We’ve been following your achievements from home and you can be assured<br />
that the entire paddle-sport community in Ireland was very proud of you,<br />
how do you feel now that the dust has settled?<br />
Thanks a million, I'm delighted. If you told me last year that I would be on the<br />
podium with two bronze medals at the World Cup in Norway, I wouldn't have<br />
believed you. It really is a crazy feeling knowing that you’re up there with some<br />
very talented paddlers.<br />
Such an achievement doesn’t come easy, tell us a little bit about your<br />
preparations for the event.<br />
Tell us a little bit about your training<br />
schedule at the moment.<br />
I paddle most mornings at 6:30am with my<br />
coach Neil Fleming and my friend/training<br />
partner Alex O’Brien. On Weekday evenings<br />
we train at 7:00pm, either on the water or in<br />
the gym. On Thursdays I go to the Salmon<br />
Leap 10k events that run through the summer<br />
months which I would highly recommend to<br />
any standard of paddler in search of a good<br />
group session. At the weekend we train at<br />
9:00am often paddling a good 20k from<br />
Ardclough to Sallins and back on a Sunday.<br />
What are your interests outside of racing?<br />
I enjoy long distance running and take part in<br />
local and school competitions from time to<br />
time, I am also part of my school cross country<br />
team at Salesians College Celbridge. I enjoy<br />
the Outdoors in general and love spending<br />
time with my friends outside at the local park,<br />
Castletown.<br />
Which current international sporting<br />
athlete inspires you the most and why?<br />
I have to say the one current international<br />
athlete that has really inspired me is Ronan<br />
Foley. Ronan is an exceptional paddler with a<br />
fantastically tactical mind as well as an<br />
outstanding physical and mental endurance.<br />
It was an absolute pleasure paddling<br />
alongside him and paddling K2 together.<br />
Viewing and being present at Ronan’s<br />
international achievements last year really<br />
broke down a mental barrier for me that<br />
international medals were a far off and<br />
impossible thing to achieve. Ronan has been<br />
hugely inspiring character to me and should<br />
be an inspiration to any aspiring athletes<br />
inside and outside of canoeing.<br />
that I will go to China for World Marathon<br />
Championships. I also hope to compete in my<br />
very first Liffey Decent this year as I was<br />
unable to compete the last couple of years for<br />
various reasons.<br />
What is the best sporting advice you have<br />
received?<br />
Move the legs...<br />
What are your future goals for you and<br />
Marathon racing?<br />
As it is my last year as a Junior, I really would<br />
love to make the modt of it before I age out. It<br />
would be amazing if I could get another<br />
international medal before the end of the year.<br />
How do you wind down after a solid days<br />
training or competing?<br />
The first thing on my mind after a race is<br />
always food. I eat as soon as I can and as<br />
much as I can following a race. After, I<br />
take a hot shower and grab a quick nap<br />
while listening to some tunes before<br />
getting on with my normal day.<br />
Sometimes I find getting your<br />
schoolwork done after a race<br />
really snaps you back to<br />
reality from the canoeing<br />
life mindset. If it was a<br />
particularly tiring day I<br />
like to go out with my<br />
friends and relax.<br />
If you could offer advice to young aspiring<br />
flat water paddlers reading this, what would<br />
you tell them?<br />
My main pieces of advice would be to not give<br />
up on training and the sport and surround<br />
yourself with good people. Its difficult to<br />
motivate yourself to train when you are having<br />
a dry spell and may not be winning any races<br />
or not hitting any personal best times but it’s<br />
those times in a person’s career where<br />
champions are made, so don’t give up too<br />
easy. Also, training with people you love, can<br />
have a bit of fun with and support you is very<br />
important. It motivates you and at the end of<br />
the day, if you're not enjoying yourself, what's<br />
the point.<br />
There was some intense preparation for the World Cup. It's tough work and I<br />
really couldn't have done it without my Dad guiding me and keeping me on the<br />
rails the last couple of weeks. In the weeks leading to the competition, I really<br />
had to buckle down and focus on my training. In those weeks every training<br />
session is crucial and it's vital that you give it your all in every session. When in<br />
preparation for competition you also have to be careful of what you’re eating,<br />
that you’re eating enough and taking in enough fuel and staying away from<br />
junk food with no nutritional value whatsoever. It's definitely a challenge as a<br />
teenager, watching your friends stay out late, partying and eating what they<br />
like but its important to keep your eye on the ball.<br />
What are your plans for the rest of the year?<br />
I plan to compete at Nationals on the 22nd of<br />
June in the next couple of weeks. I have also<br />
made selection for the national Sprint team<br />
so I will be travelling to Czech Republic for<br />
European Sprint and shortly after that I will be<br />
going to France for the European Marathon<br />
Championships. Following that its a possibility<br />
So how did a lad like you get involved with canoe marathon racing in the<br />
first place?<br />
Well canoeing has always been a big deal with my family. My Dad, Austin<br />
McCartney, paddled Slalom in Lucan back in the 80s when he was my age.<br />
When my parents moved to Celbridge he quickly joined Celbridge Paddlers<br />
Canoe Club along the Grand Canal, so for as long as I can remember my family<br />
has been paddling recreationally up at CPCC. It was only about four years ago<br />
when we were on a family holiday in France that me and my older brother<br />
James had experienced kayaking for the first time in years on a river trip in the<br />
Ardeche. When we arrived home my brother began to train with a group of<br />
Juniors in K1 at CPCC being trained by Graham Buggy and Ciaran Flemming. In<br />
the following months I followed my brother into the sport and began training<br />
consistently. It just became such an average and daily part of my life that I<br />
never stopped. I always feel grateful that I'm in such a canoeing orientated<br />
family and that they understand the sport and support my athletic career.<br />
4 5
SENIOR ATHLETE PROFILE<br />
JENNY EGAN<br />
NAME:<br />
DISCIPLINE:<br />
CAOIMHE O’FERRALL<br />
CANOE SLALOM<br />
COMPETITION SEASON OFF TO FLYING START<br />
Egan wins Silver and Bronze medals at the International<br />
Canoe Federation Senior Canoe Sprint World Cup Series<br />
2019.<br />
Jenny Egan of Salmon Leap Canoe Club, Leixlip, started her<br />
competition season off on the right foot winning a silver medal<br />
in the K1 5000m race at the ICF Senior Canoe Sprint World<br />
Cup 1 in Poznan, Poland on Sunday the 25th of May 2019, and<br />
a bronze medal in the K1 5000m race at the ICF Senior Canoe<br />
Sprint World Cup 2 in Duisburg, German on Sunday the 2nd of<br />
June, 2019.<br />
When did you start paddling?<br />
I started paddling when I was 7 years old doing<br />
canoe polo in Kilcock canoe polo club with my<br />
brothers and my mother. I started paddling<br />
canoe slalom when I was around 14 years old.<br />
How did you get involved with Canoe<br />
Slalom?<br />
I got involved with canoe slalom when my<br />
brothers dragged me along to Wednesday<br />
night slalom sessions at wild water kayak club.<br />
But the first time my brothers and I tried<br />
canoe slalom was at Paddle Fest. A great<br />
event were kids can try out every discipline of<br />
canoeing. My brothers got hooked to it.<br />
What are your achievements to date?<br />
I have been the top C1 Woman in Ireland for<br />
the past 4 Years. I have multiple medals from<br />
ECA races across Europe in U18’s. I was<br />
Alsace Regional Champion in France in 2017.<br />
What are your interests outside of Canoe<br />
Slalom?<br />
Outside of canoeing I do art, biking, running,<br />
reading, horse riding the list goes on and on. I<br />
like to keep busy but rest too so Netflix and<br />
Amazon are some of my best friends.<br />
Which sporting athlete inspires you the<br />
most and why?<br />
To me a lot of athletes inspire me. It is not just<br />
one. All athletes have something about them<br />
that inspires you being it the manner, the<br />
approach to training, their attention to<br />
details in training the list goes on. It<br />
doesn’t matter what sport they do, it is<br />
all very similar in the end of the day.<br />
What is your current training schedule?<br />
At the moment I am racing so the quantity of<br />
sessions have decreased and you need to<br />
stayed well rested for race day. Saying that we<br />
still do two sessions a day and one can be very<br />
physical and the other is normally a lighter<br />
session.<br />
What is the best coaching advice you have<br />
received?<br />
Every session, race run can’t be perfect, so<br />
you got to be able to except in a run when a<br />
gate is to you only 7/8 out of ten and keep<br />
paddling as you never know what the time will<br />
be at the end or how other people’s runs have<br />
gone.<br />
What are your future goals for you and<br />
Canoe Slalom?<br />
Try to race in the Olympics and become one of<br />
the best C1 women in the world.<br />
How do you wind down after a solid days<br />
training or competing?<br />
I like to go for walks and listen to music.<br />
Sometimes a movie and stretching.<br />
If you could offer advice to young aspiring<br />
Canoe Slalom paddlers reading this, what<br />
would you tell them?<br />
You can’t become the best in a year it takes<br />
years to become the best slalom paddler in<br />
the world. But if you are patient and take the<br />
ups and downs of racing and training some<br />
day you will be.<br />
The course for both World Cups was one long lap of 2000m and<br />
four short laps of 750m. However, World Cup 1 also incorporated<br />
two portages on the first and second laps. At World Cup 1, the<br />
conditions were very challenging with strong winds and waves.<br />
Egan and Inna Hryshchun of the Ukraine broke away from the<br />
main group of competitors after the first portage. The two<br />
athletes stayed away from the rest of the field for the remainder<br />
of the race with the gold and silver medals being decided in a<br />
sprint finish for the line with Hryshchun just pipping Egan by<br />
just over half a second for the gold medal. The Slovakian<br />
Mariana Petrusova crossed the line in the bronze medal<br />
position.<br />
Egan said "I was delighted to win silver, it was the first time I<br />
have been on the podium in Poznan. Of course I would have<br />
loved to have won gold, but I was happy with how I raced. I love<br />
these moments, winning medals and being on the podium. The<br />
conditions were very tough, it was very windy and wavy and you<br />
had to be very careful at the turning points because the waves<br />
were coming at you sideways".<br />
The following weekend Egan competed in World Cup 2 in<br />
Duisburg, Germany. Egan won a second World Cup medal within<br />
the space of a week winning a bronze medal in the K1 5000m.<br />
Egan fought all the way to the finish line to claim the bronze<br />
medal behind Alyce Burnett and Alyssa Bull of Australia. Egan<br />
got a good start and positioned herself in the lead group by the<br />
top turn at the 1000m mark. It was difficult racing conditions<br />
with a temperature of 31 degrees C and a strong headwind off<br />
the start line. After the top turn Egan dropped slightly off the<br />
leading group but worked hard to get back in contention when<br />
the two Australians putting in another burn to try to put some<br />
more distance between themselves and the chasing pack. Egan<br />
was still in contention, and through to form caught the lead<br />
group with 2km remaining in the race. The race for the medals<br />
was all the way to the finish line with Alyce Burnett of Australia<br />
winning the gold, Alyssa Bull also of Australia winning silver and<br />
Egan winning bronze just ahead of the German Tabea Medert.<br />
Egan was less than 2 seconds off the gold medal and it is the<br />
first time Egan has broken 22 minutes clocking a time of 21<br />
minutes 47.336 seconds which is another personal best time<br />
for her for 5000m.<br />
Egan said "I knew going into this race that it was going to be<br />
very tough, as the field of 30 competitors on the start line and<br />
all the top nations competing. At World Cups you are allowed to<br />
have two athletes per nation per distance competing and I knew<br />
that the two Australian girls would work together for the whole<br />
race and would be the ones to beat. I am very happy with my<br />
bronze medal in such a strong world class field of competitors".<br />
6 7
SANDVIKA, BAERUM, NORWAY – TRIP REPORT<br />
CANOE MARATHON WORLD CUP<br />
Our small Irish team, comprised of junior athletes Alex O’Brien and Matthew McCartney, set off for<br />
Norway early on a Tuesday afternoon.<br />
Although racing wasn’t due to start until<br />
Friday evening, we were keen to make an early<br />
arrival - the race course, lying at the head of<br />
the 50km long Oslofjord, is technically<br />
seawater – a new experience for our paddlers<br />
that would require practice time. Our<br />
destination was the prosperous town of<br />
Sandvika lying about 12km west of Oslo,<br />
strung out along the edge of the sheltered<br />
fjord, the shelter increased by a series of<br />
near-shore islands running parallel to the<br />
coastline. The mainland shore consists of a<br />
broad, man-made peninsula. Overlooked by<br />
mansions on the steep slopes above, its<br />
foundations are constructed from the spoil of<br />
a motorway tunnel through the nearby<br />
mountains. It hosts two artificial beaches, a<br />
10m diving platform, café, showers, football<br />
pitches and park facility. The course runs in<br />
the calm waters between the islands and<br />
mainland, pinched into a double loop at the<br />
waist by the span of a footbridge which<br />
provides a view along the full length of the<br />
course.<br />
Across the footbridge, on the nature reserve<br />
of Kalvøya island, sits Baerum Kayak Club.<br />
The club has a long and distinguished history<br />
and, as I sat on the dock waiting for Alex and<br />
Matthew, I was approached by an older man<br />
who enquired if I was here for the competition.<br />
During the course of the conversation he<br />
Author: Austin McCartney<br />
confided that he didn’t paddle as much as he<br />
used to: I asked if he had focused on marathon<br />
or sprint, at which point he let slip that he had<br />
won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico Games.<br />
Norwegian modesty. Ten minutes later I was<br />
chatting with Per Blom, Olympian, and<br />
luminary in Norwegian canoeing circles, who<br />
reminisced about his stint as a medical<br />
student in Dublin, and the good times he had<br />
enjoyed at Salmon Leap in the early 1970’s.<br />
He stressed to me that his wife, also an<br />
Olympian, had been a far better paddler than<br />
he was. More Norwegian modesty, but<br />
Baerum KC definitely has pedigree.<br />
We quickly settled into a pre-competition<br />
rhythm of an early morning session, lunch at<br />
Baerum KC, a nap back at the hotel, shopping<br />
at Norway’s largest mall (right next to the<br />
hotel), finishing with a late afternoon session<br />
and dinner. Practise sessions focused on<br />
learning the distances between key race<br />
points and portaging.<br />
Portages, portages, portages. At this level, a<br />
less than perfect portage can lose you the<br />
race. World Cup format includes two K1 races,<br />
the short race of three 1.2 km laps separated<br />
by two portages for a total of about 3.6km. The<br />
long race, for juniors, is 6 larger laps, with a<br />
portage after all but the first, followed by a<br />
short lap for a total of 22.6km. To complicate<br />
matters, it’s impossible to paddle full gas for<br />
22km without exhausting the body’s energy supply – the<br />
athletes need to feed, and the options are to carry a heavy<br />
CamelBak the full distance or to re-supply on the run using<br />
smaller, lighter, neck-slung feedbags at the portages – the<br />
CamelBak is predictable but heavy, the feedbags lighter<br />
but riskier. We were using feedbags, so we portaged both<br />
sides, going both ways, feeding and not feeding, session<br />
after session, until we knew it as well as we were ever going<br />
to. As we practised, the tent village grew around us;<br />
suddenly it began to feel like an international competition.<br />
Friday arrived and, with it, the news that Junior Short<br />
Course would progress to a direct final on Saturday<br />
morning, skipping Friday’s heats – the guys had mixed<br />
feelings about the delay, but it was a done deal.<br />
Saturday: showtime for short course: we’re racing at 9:55<br />
so it’s an early breakfast and we make the course for 7:45.<br />
The guys are on the water for their wake-up session by 8am<br />
– nothing too energetic yet. Off the water at 8:30, change,<br />
boat numbers on, snack, change into racing gear, last<br />
minute check of boats and numbers. Then the long wait<br />
through raft marshalling – I sling their IDs around my neck<br />
and they’re off for their final warm up. The start itself is<br />
furious – everyone out there knows that a good start is half<br />
the battle so they go off at a pace that wouldn’t disgrace a<br />
200m in Nottingham. Matt is with the lead group, Alex<br />
tucked into the group behind, keeping his cool despite it<br />
being his first international. No problems on the portages.<br />
Matt turns the last bend in a lead group of three, and he’s<br />
closing in on second place, but he runs out of race – it’s a<br />
bronze. Alex stays the course to finish mid-pack – quality<br />
stuff in his first outing.<br />
Saturday evening: we’re buzzing, but we settle down to<br />
business – constructing feedbags, talking strategy. Alex<br />
has a hitlist of guys he thinks he can beat - we look them up<br />
and memorise their boat numbers. An early night.<br />
Sunday: long course - Saturday worked well, so we<br />
replicate the routine, but an hour earlier to account for<br />
today’s 9am start. We fill the feedbags. The Danes arrive.<br />
Our Australian tent-mate is nervous – he’s come a long way<br />
for this, and he wants a top-10 finish. We’re all nervous.<br />
Alex is prepared for the start-line mayhem and gets off<br />
better this time. Matt starts well with the lead group.<br />
Coming into the first portage Matt catches the nose of his<br />
boat in the soft sand of the feed lane – and the Danes are<br />
off; against this competition, you can expect to be<br />
punished for every tiny mistake. Matt eventually catches<br />
the Danish pair, towing a Hungarian but, during the ensuing<br />
lap of cat and mouse, the Hungarian fades and the Danes<br />
combine to drop Matt and the Hungarian. The Norwegian<br />
and Swedish paddlers that placed first and second on<br />
yesterday’s short course are closing in – Matt takes a quick<br />
decision to go on his own. Meanwhile, slightly further back,<br />
Alex is hanging in. The fast start has proven too much for<br />
some, and there are a few DNFs. Alex is stalking his hitlist,<br />
hanging washes and picking them off on the portages. It<br />
takes nearly two hours, but it feels like two minutes: Matt<br />
holds off the chasers and finishes alone, in bronze again,<br />
about a minute adrift of the Danish pair, who have worked<br />
together before duking it out on the final short lap. Alex has<br />
been grinding down the opposition in mid-field and<br />
improves his position to a very creditable 13th. Our<br />
Australian friend finishes in 7th, and we all go home happy<br />
men.<br />
So, will the Norwegians run a successful World<br />
Championships on this course in 2020? They’re probably<br />
too modest to say so, but I think it’s going to be great.<br />
8<br />
9
PERUVIAN LEFTS<br />
THE JOURNEY FROM PORTRUSH TO PERU.<br />
On Friday the 19th of July the World Surf<br />
kayaking championships will commence.<br />
The competition will take place in north Peru in a<br />
town called Huanchaco. 9,360 kilometres away<br />
from home. The Irish team will catch 3 flights,<br />
before they get their first glimpse of those<br />
famous Peruvian lefts. At the minute in Peru<br />
lowest temps are around 20 degrees in the water<br />
and air temperature 22 degrees, so it may take<br />
the team mates a few days to adjust.<br />
Canoeing Ireland’s Paddlesurf team consists of<br />
10 members who will compete in various<br />
categories in the competition. These categories<br />
are junior and senior, female and male, open,<br />
masters and grand masters. There will be two<br />
main boat categories during the event High<br />
Performance (short boat) then international<br />
class (long boats. The team are looking forward to<br />
dipping their toes and paddling into the warm<br />
waters of Peru having spent the last two years<br />
since 2017's comp in baltic Portrush planning<br />
and rigorously training for the event.<br />
The event will attract the World’s top surf<br />
kayakers from America, Argentina, Australia,<br />
England, Denmark, Basque country and France<br />
just to name a few. The competitors will go head<br />
to head over seven days on the Punta<br />
Huanchaco wave, this mellow breaking left will<br />
provide enough length for the athletes to display<br />
their skills. They will enjoy steep take offs along<br />
the endless shoulder with a few punchy hooks to<br />
really get them boats moving. Carving along the<br />
wave, throwing in some dynamic turns and<br />
cutbacks close to the breaking part of the wave<br />
will allow competitors to score high on the<br />
judging panel.<br />
Unfortunately due to the competition taking<br />
place on the other side of the world this year, a<br />
number of our key players won't be attending, I<br />
suppose this happens to teams every year and<br />
after such a fantastic turnout for Ireland at<br />
Portrush in 2019 we should be grateful, all the<br />
same, these members will be sorely missed, we'll<br />
try our best guys and bring home some medals for<br />
the country!<br />
Although we are missing some of our team, hope<br />
is certainly not gone after all it is the Irish team<br />
we are talking about, Ireland has many great left<br />
breaking waves it will feel like home out there. The<br />
only difference is for a lovely 7 days we will be<br />
wearing our shades and working on our tans<br />
rather than the usual wetsuits and still freeing<br />
the extremities of ourselves.<br />
Author: Jordan Collins<br />
10
Kр’s<br />
SURFER’S EAR<br />
well as athlete’s attitudes towards preventative measures<br />
such as wearing ear plugs. The ENT team held five “Surfer’s<br />
Ear Clinics” which examined almost 100 cold water<br />
athletes, concluding that 1 in 2 athletes had Surfer’s Ear. To<br />
investigate this further, the team also launched an online<br />
questionnaire which was shared nationally in association<br />
with national sporting bodies including Canoeing Ireland.<br />
Author: Dr Seamus Boyle ENT SpR and Rachel Keane Public Health Graduate<br />
Ever have problems with your ears? 83% of Irish Kayakers in a recent study<br />
by doctors at Sligo University Hospital have shown problems with their ears.<br />
Whether you are running the Flesk in Kerry, looping at the Tuam, playing<br />
polo in winter on the icy Royal Canal, racing Wildwater on the Avonmore,<br />
or doing your marathon sessions on a cold windy Leixlip lake, if cold water<br />
gets into your ears you are at risk of infection and long- term exostoses.<br />
If this is you, you should really listen up…<br />
Ever heard of Surfer’s Ear? Well it’s not just for surfers. In fact, all<br />
cold-water athletes are at risk of developing the condition. Surfer’s Ear is<br />
a medical condition clinically known as External Auditory Canal<br />
Exostoses (EACE) or Exostoses, which is caused by repeated exposure to<br />
cold water and wind.<br />
Exostoses is formed in response to a continuous change of temperature<br />
within the ear canal. As cold-water regularly swirls along the ear canal, the<br />
body responds by warming the affected area, this also stimulates bone<br />
producing cells within the ear canal, which cause the bone surrounding<br />
the ear to develop a bony growth.<br />
These benign bone growths can lead to infections, water trapping, hearing<br />
loss and complete closure of the ear canal if left untreated. Interestingly,<br />
water athletes are not the only mammals to develop auditory canal bone<br />
growths, Surfer’s Ear has also been documented in the ear canals of<br />
Hooded Seals.<br />
Upon Irish waters: In recent years there has been a dramatic rise in people<br />
taking part in paddling sports. Canoeing Ireland have reported an<br />
increase in membership numbers by as much as 15% in the last five years<br />
to 3432, yet many kayaking enthusiasts remain unaware of the condition.<br />
Why is this important? Leading the project, Dr Seamus<br />
Boyle of the ENT team explains “of the 150 kayakers<br />
surveyed, 15 had a diagnosis of kayaker’s (Surfer’s) Ear. 4<br />
kayakers have already had surgery to treat the condition”.<br />
These findings are not alone. Two previous studies looked<br />
into kayaker’s Ears and confirmed 70-79% had exostoses.<br />
A previous study examining the ears of Irish surfers, 66%<br />
had Surfer’s Ear, however, 88% were unaware. You could<br />
have it, and you may not know!<br />
So how do you protect your ears? Wear earplugs. The<br />
advice couldn’t be simpler, this truly is a practical and<br />
cost-effective way to reduce your risk of developing<br />
exostoses. Hearing loss associated with wearing earplugs<br />
was identified through our study as the main deterrent for<br />
athletes across all sporting disciplines. However, modern<br />
earplugs are not only discrete but also let sound in and<br />
keep water out. On colder days, neoprene skull caps also<br />
help prevent against the onset of exostoses.<br />
Treatment for Surfer’s Ear: The best treatment for<br />
exostoses is prevention. Gradual progression of the<br />
condition may lead to symptoms of hearing loss or ear<br />
fullness, in such cases, Surfer’s Ear is normally treated with<br />
surgery. Dr Seamus Boyle explains “for the majority of<br />
water athletes, prevention is enough, keeping the ears dry<br />
is key”.<br />
Become Aware: Following on from the study, the Surfer’s<br />
Ear project team have developed and launched an<br />
awareness video ‘Surfer’s Ear Clinic Ireland’ on YouTube.<br />
The video complements the study’s public awareness<br />
campaign which strives to inform and promote awareness<br />
among all cold-water athletes. Dr Boyle adds “throughout<br />
the summer months the low temperature of Irish waters<br />
continues to pose a risk”, therefore, the ENT team at SUH<br />
have identified the necessity to promote the use of ear<br />
protection for all cold-water athletes.<br />
EAR ADVICE!<br />
If you are concerned about the<br />
health of your own ears, attend<br />
your GP. Remember, regardless<br />
of your paddling discipline,<br />
protect your ears and add ear<br />
plugs to your equipment<br />
checklist.<br />
Listening to the sound of Irish waters: A team of consultants, doctors and<br />
staff from the the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) department at Sligo<br />
University Hospital (SUH) have conducted a yearlong project to examine<br />
Irish cold-water athlete’s awareness and understanding of exostoses as<br />
Acknowledgements: Mr Marcus Choo ENT Consultant, University Hospital Sligo ENT team , Vicki Guy of Canoeing Ireland, Aisling Griffin,<br />
Sean and Kevin Cahill, Sean McIntyre, Mike Barry, Tom Brennan, Andrew Regan and Barry Loughnane of Galwayfest. Sligo, UCC,<br />
UL Canoe Clubs.<br />
12 13
LAUNCH!<br />
WATERSPORTS INCLUSION<br />
GAMES 2019<br />
IRISH CANOE SLALOM<br />
PERFORMANCE TEAM 2019<br />
INTRODUCTION TO THE IRISH CANOE<br />
SLALOM PERFORMANCE TEAM FOR 2019<br />
2019 is a very important year for the canoe slalom<br />
performance team because in September 2019, the<br />
first of the Olympic qualifiers will take place in La Seu<br />
d'Urgell in Spain at the Senior World Championships.<br />
For these athletes , every day can be accounted for, eat ,<br />
train, sleep , repeat is the mantra , training 2-3 times a day<br />
when they are not racing with one rest day a week.<br />
Hannah Craig, K1- Women, our 2012 Olympian in London<br />
has seen many changes since her debut in London and<br />
now is the mother of 2 young boys. She juggles family life<br />
with training on a daily basis.<br />
Caoimhe O’Ferrall<br />
Jake Cochrane<br />
CEO of Canoeing Ireland Moira Aston and CEO of Irish Sailing Harry Hermon pictured with 11 time sailing Paralympian John Twomey,<br />
World Kayak medalist Oisin Feery, Paralympic sailor Georgina Griffin and Irish Sailing's Ciarán Murphy<br />
Minister for State Jim Daly launches Watersports Inclusion Games 2019 in Kinsale with 11 time<br />
Paralympian John Twomey and Bryan Dobson of RTÉ.<br />
On Friday 17th May 2019, Minister for State at<br />
the Department of Health Jim Daly launched<br />
the Watersports Inclusion Games 2019 at<br />
Kinsale Yacht Club. The event, set to take<br />
place in Kinsale harbour and environs on<br />
24thand 25thAugust, is a landmark event<br />
celebrating watersports for people of all<br />
abilities from the physical, sensory,<br />
intellectual and learning spectrums, and of all<br />
ages and demographics. The games were<br />
launched with Bryan Dobson of RTE as<br />
Master of Ceremonies together with Event<br />
Ambassadors; 11 time Paralympian Sailor<br />
John Twomey, World Para-Sailor Gina Griffin,<br />
along with Special Olympian Kayaker Oisin<br />
Feery.<br />
Following the overwhelming success of the<br />
event in Dun Laoghaire 2017 and Galway<br />
2018 (scooping Project of the Year at the<br />
2018 CARA National Inclusion Awards), this<br />
year’s event, hosted by Kinsale Yacht Club,<br />
will take place at several locations around<br />
Kinsale including the main harbour and<br />
marina, Castlepark beach and Garretstown<br />
beach. There will be sailing, kayaking,<br />
canoeing, rowing, surfing, water skiing and<br />
fast boat rides on offer and 200+<br />
participants are expected to take part across<br />
the weekend.<br />
This is a national event which aims to<br />
showcase the best of Irish inclusive<br />
watersports practice and facilitation, and is<br />
organised by Irish Sailing in association with<br />
Canoeing Ireland, Rowing Ireland and Cork<br />
Local Sports Partnership along with Kinsale<br />
Yacht Club Sailability and Kinsale Outdoor<br />
Education Centre. The event is supported<br />
with activities by Spinal Injuries Ireland, Irish<br />
Waterski and Wakeboard Federation and Surf<br />
2 Heal, in addition to those of the National<br />
Governing Bodies involved. Offering further<br />
support are numerous local and national<br />
organisations including Sailing into Wellness,<br />
Sail Training Ireland, Special Olympics<br />
Ireland, and clubs and training centres from<br />
around the country who will support the event<br />
with resources, volunteers, instructors and<br />
facilitators.<br />
The games, as a landmark occasion rounding<br />
up the summer watersports calendar, is the<br />
product of ongoing inclusion trainings and<br />
awareness drives being activated by the<br />
organising bodies in line with Sport Ireland’s<br />
Policy on Participation in sport by People<br />
with Disabilities and are enabled by grant<br />
funding from Sport Ireland Dormant Accounts<br />
Sports Inclusion Fund.<br />
Speaking at the launch, 11 time Paralympian<br />
John Twomey said:<br />
’I am delighted to be here to help launch the<br />
third annual Watersports Inclusion Games. It<br />
is events such as this that will help to inspire<br />
people of all abilities to take part in<br />
watersports activity and perhaps even one<br />
day compete for Ireland in Paralympic sport.’<br />
Harry Hermon, Chief Executive of Irish Sailing<br />
spoke at the launch, stating:<br />
‘Now in its third year, the Inclusion Games is<br />
already becoming an annual landmark<br />
occasion, celebrating inclusive watersports<br />
activity. By raising national awareness of<br />
inclusive opportunities, and encouraging<br />
more watersports providers to adopt an<br />
equal-access approach to watersports<br />
delivery, we aim to perpetuate a culture of<br />
inclusive best-practice throughout<br />
watersports.’<br />
This is most definitely the youngest team of athletes that<br />
will represent Ireland at the Olympic qualifiers with<br />
Caoimhe O'Ferrall in C1W and Robert Hendrick C1M, both<br />
only 21 and racing in U23 and Senior categories for the<br />
2019 season ahead. Liam Jegou, C1M, at 23 years old<br />
narrowly missed out on a place in the qualifiers for the<br />
Olympics in Rio in 2015, and has his eyes set firmly on the<br />
Senior World Championships in September. He is really<br />
showing form already this season at both the international<br />
races he competed in. Jake Cochrane is the 3rd member<br />
of the C1M team and at 24, he just completed his BSc in<br />
Sports Science and Maths at Nottingham Trent<br />
University.<br />
Sam Curtis at 25 is the oldest member of the K1M team<br />
with Eoin and Oisin both being 22 years old. Eoin was<br />
based in Nottingham up until 2018 and trained at HPP. He<br />
graduated from University in 2018 and move to Pau for the<br />
last year, where his teammate Liam was based. Pau has<br />
excellent facilities along with having a constant peer<br />
group to train with and proximity to La Seu for regular<br />
training camps.<br />
The performance athletes in C1M are Liam Jegou<br />
originally from County Clare and has been based in France<br />
for many years, Jake Cochrane is from Country Antrim and<br />
Robert Hendrick from County Kildare. The performance<br />
women in C1W are Caoimhe O'Ferrall who hails from<br />
County Meath and in K1W Hannah Craig is from County<br />
Down. In the K1M class , Eoin Teague hails from County<br />
Down, Sam Curtis from County Meath and Oisin Farrell<br />
from County Kildare.<br />
The athletes have a busy season ahead of them with<br />
racing in both U23 category (Liam, Robert, Caoimhe, Eoin<br />
and Oisin) in the European & World Championships in<br />
Liptovsky and Krakow in July and in senior category at<br />
World cup races before they race in the Olympic qualifier in<br />
September.<br />
Robert Hendrick<br />
Liam Jegou<br />
Oisin Farrell<br />
Sam Curtis<br />
Hannah Craig<br />
Eoin Teague<br />
14 15
DEVIZES TO WESTMINSTER<br />
On March 17th 2016 I told Niall Power that<br />
I would enter the Devizes to Westminster<br />
International Canoe Race with him. What<br />
is the Devizes to Westminster? That’s a<br />
question I probably should have asked<br />
Niall before so readily agreeing to enter;<br />
but “It’ll be grand” he said, and he was<br />
right – eventually.<br />
The DW, as it is known, is a 200km race from<br />
Devizes in Wiltshire, along the Kennet and<br />
Avon Canal for 87km, joining the Thames at<br />
Reading for another 87km to reach the tidal<br />
section of the Thames at Teddington and then<br />
the final 26km to the finish line at<br />
Westminster Bridge. The race takes place<br />
every Easter weekend since 1948. Each of<br />
150 pairs of paddlers in a canoe or kayak must<br />
choose their start time on Easter Saturday so<br />
as to reach the tidal section at Teddington<br />
within a 4-hour window on Easter Sunday<br />
morning or a 2-hour window on Easter Sunday<br />
evening. Along the way there are 77 locks to<br />
be portaged. Our 2 support crews would take<br />
turns meeting us 38 times during the race to<br />
feed and water us, give us dry clothes, provide<br />
first-aid, and generally encourage us with<br />
updates on how we were doing against our<br />
plan.<br />
TWO MEN AND A BOAT<br />
So we borrowed a club K2 and began training<br />
in January 2017. After a couple of training<br />
runs averaging 8.5km per hour we decided to<br />
buy a faster boat. We had to buy a second<br />
boat after dropping the first one off the car on<br />
the M50 during a storm. This one was<br />
supposed to be slightly faster again but was<br />
also less stable. We got lots of tips and<br />
information from people who had entered the<br />
race previously, or had done support crew<br />
duty, and were always generous and happy to<br />
share their knowledge and experience. By<br />
March we had increased our distance to<br />
60km averaging 9.5km per hour and we<br />
submitted our entry and recruited the 4<br />
members of our support crews.<br />
On March 26th we left Devizes Wharf at<br />
9:36am (50 minutes later than planned)<br />
wondering what exactly we were in for. After<br />
paddling through the night for 20 hours and<br />
40 minutes and covering 140km we reached<br />
Windsor at 6:16am just after dawn and<br />
decided to retire as we were going to miss the<br />
first tide window which closed at 10am at<br />
Teddington. We took comfort from having<br />
paddled more than twice as far as we ever had<br />
before and being the 3rd last pair to retire.<br />
Author: Paul Kerr<br />
Our 2017 attempt taught us 3 key things:<br />
1. We had to get faster at getting in and out<br />
of the boat<br />
2. We needed a better diet plan to replace<br />
the 300+ calories per hour we were using<br />
3. The 200km distance wasn’t the biggest<br />
challenge in this race<br />
We decided against entering in 2018 as we<br />
hadn’t enough training done. Easter 2019<br />
was later in the year and offered better<br />
weather and an earlier morning tide window<br />
that promised less traffic on the Thames tidal<br />
section (we had heard the last 26km can be<br />
extremely challenging). We also had the more<br />
stable boat back after a fantastic repair job by<br />
D Wall Racing Boat Repairs in Clonmel. So we<br />
again began the long hours of training,<br />
dodging swans and fishermen along the<br />
Grand Canal between Clondalkin and<br />
Robertstown, taking refuge in the Hazel<br />
Hatch Pub when snow stopped us getting<br />
back to Clondalkin one Sunday, getting<br />
sun-burnt the following Sunday. Then on<br />
March 18th the boat was damaged again;<br />
Brendan Wall in Clonmel promised us he<br />
could have it repaired before Easter so we<br />
kept on training. By the beginning of April<br />
2019 we felt better prepared than we had<br />
been in 2017 so we recruited another 4<br />
members for our support crews and submitted<br />
our second entry.<br />
We left Dublin on Holy Thursday headed for<br />
Holyhead and on to Wiltshire with one of our<br />
support crew driving. We spent Good Friday<br />
scouting a couple of the portages on the<br />
Thames and letting Cathy get an idea of what<br />
she’d have to do as our support crew leader.<br />
On the way back we stopped in Sainsburys<br />
and bought 50 litres of water. Then back to<br />
the hotel for dinner and to wait for the rest of<br />
the support crew who arrived in just before<br />
midnight.<br />
On Saturday April 20th we were up shortly<br />
after 5am to get the 2 cars packed with the<br />
food, water, changes of clothes, first-aid kits,<br />
tools, and spares that we would need for the<br />
race. We turned up early at Devizes Wharf<br />
with our newly repaired K2, a detailed plan for<br />
each of our 38 support crew stops, and full of<br />
confidence that we could make it to<br />
Westminster. We got underway at 7:06am,<br />
just 6 minutes behind our plan. We were<br />
among the earliest starters and were in the<br />
leading 10 boats on the water for the first few<br />
hours (the faster boats still hadn’t left<br />
Devizes and would overtake us during the<br />
night).<br />
By 11am we had come through the 500m<br />
Savernake Tunnel, completed 30km, and<br />
portaged around 13 locks (including a 1.7km<br />
run carrying the boat past the 9 locks at<br />
Crofton). We were averaging 9.25km per hour<br />
and our portage times were averaging 1.5<br />
minutes – we were holding to our plan despite<br />
the 24o temperatures and a bit of a head wind;<br />
we were feeling confident. We reached<br />
Hungerford for a 10-minute lunch at 12:23pm<br />
(tuna and rice for me, baked beans for Niall);<br />
42 km done – just over 20% of the total and<br />
just 18 minutes behind our plan.<br />
We arrived in Sheffield around 5:30pm for<br />
some more hot food, pot noodles this time. At<br />
70km we had over a third of the distance<br />
covered and with 50 locks behind us over two<br />
thirds of the portages – probably just as well<br />
as our portage times were now averaging 2<br />
minutes.<br />
By 6:53pm we had made it to Reading after 11<br />
hours and 47 minutes, leaving the Kennet and<br />
Avon Canal behind us and joining the Thames<br />
at last. We were now 28 minutes behind our<br />
plan but we hoped to pick up some speed from<br />
the current – sadly there was very little flow<br />
on the river this year. Most paddlers take a<br />
longer stop at Reading and get ready for the<br />
night with a change of clothes and adding<br />
lights to the boat and the paddlers. We had<br />
decided to change clothes at Marsh Lock<br />
instead as we had spent over half an hour in<br />
the carnival atmosphere of Reading in 2017<br />
with hundreds of paddlers and support crews<br />
milling about making it easy to lose focus on<br />
the race that is still not even half done. As a<br />
result we were one of the few boats going<br />
straight through Reading and there was a<br />
flurry of marshals clearing a path for us along<br />
the portage and reminding us to get our lights<br />
on before 8pm.<br />
When we reached Marsh Lock it was 8:23pm<br />
– not quite dark yet so we didn’t get into<br />
trouble for not having our lights on earlier.<br />
98km done, practically half-way and not too<br />
far off the plan – we were still feeling<br />
confident. The stop at Marsh was 22 minutes,<br />
better than the Reading stop in 2017 but still<br />
15 minutes longer than planned – this was<br />
going to become a theme for the night time<br />
meetings with our support crews.<br />
It was dark as we set off from Marsh Lock to<br />
find our way along the meandering course of<br />
the river, avoiding the many marinas and side<br />
channels, and finding the correct route to the<br />
more complicated portages around the locks<br />
at each of the 20 weirs between Reading and<br />
Teddington. As the guy in front doing the<br />
steering I found this quite stressful when my<br />
body was telling me I should be in bed asleep –<br />
Niall had to put up with more than a few short<br />
comments when he tried to offer advice and<br />
keep us motivated. The lights of the other<br />
boats in front were useful for navigating by<br />
and the lock-keepers and marshals also had<br />
lights to guide us in to the portages and we<br />
soon settled into our task.<br />
We reached Windsor at 2:33am in good shape,<br />
albeit 1 hour and 20 minutes behind our plan.<br />
We had just equalled our previous 140km<br />
achievement, in 19 hours and 27 minutes – 1<br />
hour and 13 minutes faster than in 2017. More<br />
importantly we still had 5 hours and 45<br />
minutes to cover the next 33.5km and 7 locks<br />
and reach Teddington before the morning tide<br />
window closed. Our speed was averaging<br />
8.5km per hour but our portages were now<br />
much slower at 9.5 minutes on average, it was<br />
going to be tight but we had about 30 minutes<br />
to spare.<br />
Leaving Windsor behind us we were entering<br />
new territory with every kilometre adding to<br />
the longest distance we’d ever paddled and<br />
taking us closer to our goal. Then at 148km we<br />
had our first significant set-back at 3:15am.<br />
We had pulled into the bank to stretch a<br />
cramped muscle and as we pushed off again<br />
we just didn’t focus on coordinating and had<br />
our first swim of the race. It took 20 minutes<br />
to empty the boat and get back in after a quick<br />
call to the support crews to meet us at Penton<br />
Hook Lock with dry clothes.<br />
By 4:15am we were back in dry clothes, 75% of<br />
the distance covered but 25km and 3 locks to<br />
portage to reach Teddington. We had 4 hours<br />
until the morning tide window would close and<br />
it was going to take at least 3.5 hours. If we<br />
went for it and missed it, we’d have to wait 12<br />
hours at Teddington without support (support<br />
crews aren’t allowed in to Teddington and we<br />
wouldn’t be allowed to leave and come back).<br />
We made the decision to grab some sleep on<br />
the bank and work our way down to<br />
Teddington in daylight. By 5am we were in a<br />
pop-up tent and out for the count after being<br />
awake for 24 hours. Meanwhile the support<br />
crews had informed race control that we’d be<br />
stopping for a few hours and then tried to get<br />
some sleep in the cars.<br />
We were up again at 9am to a glorious Easter<br />
Sunday morning and set off shortly after<br />
10am to cover the 6.5 km to Shepperton Lock,<br />
the last of the race’s 10 check-points before<br />
Teddington, which we had to reach within 29.5<br />
hours of our start time. We arrived at 11:21am<br />
and spent a while in the sun watching the<br />
individual race competitors go by (this being<br />
their 3rd of 4 x 50km legs done on Friday,<br />
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday). There were a<br />
16<br />
17
L2 COACH<br />
ASSESSMENT<br />
CANOEING IRELAND’S FIRST<br />
L2 COACHES QUALIFY<br />
Canoeing Ireland would like to extend<br />
congratulations to the new crop of L2<br />
coaches who recently passed their<br />
assessment. Michelle Power (Polo), Jon<br />
Simmons (Sprint) and Jim Healy (Marathon)<br />
were all successful in their assessment which<br />
was overseen by Sport Ireland coach<br />
assessor Jeff Cochrane. Michelle, Jon and<br />
Jim are the first L2 coaches to be qualified<br />
within Canoeing Ireland’s coach education<br />
system. Canoeing Ireland will be re-launching<br />
the coach developer training sessions<br />
towards the end of the year after a review of<br />
the coaching awards and syllabus takes<br />
place.<br />
Michelle Power<br />
Jon Simmons<br />
Jim Healy<br />
few other paddlers aiming for the evening tide<br />
window and we exchanged stories with them<br />
while having a late breakfast in the warm<br />
sunshine.<br />
Leaving Shepperton at 12:30pm there was a<br />
lot more traffic on the river. Coming into<br />
Richmond at 3:15pm we had our first<br />
encounter with the wake from a London River<br />
Bus and narrowly avoided a swim. We met the<br />
support crews shortly afterwards and took a<br />
break for 30 minutes to psyche ourselves up<br />
for what was shortly to become one of the<br />
scariest things I’ve ever done in a kayak. After<br />
getting back on we hugged the bank for<br />
another 4km and finally reached Teddington<br />
at 4:11pm and joined about a dozen boats<br />
waiting for the tide to turn.<br />
The marshals allowed us back on at 4:45pm<br />
and so we set off on the last 26km not sure if<br />
we could stay in the boat for that distance. 45<br />
minutes later we met Cathy and Fiona at<br />
Richmond Canoe Club for our 2nd last and<br />
their last stop before Westminster. They had<br />
to wade through the high tide waters to reach<br />
us and gave us great encouragement to keep<br />
going for the final 21km. Our speed was<br />
averaging 6.5km as the tide had not quite<br />
turned yet, it was however about to get a lot<br />
more interesting.<br />
Leaving Richmond our speed picked up to an<br />
average 9.5km per hour with high points over<br />
12km at times. At 182km the wake from a River<br />
Bus coming up behind us treated us to our<br />
second swim. Another K2 stopped to make<br />
sure we were OK and 10 minutes later, at<br />
6:10pm, we were underway again. The wakes<br />
from passing boats seemed to be more severe<br />
near the bank where they bounced off and<br />
came back at you but the prospect of<br />
swimming in the middle of the busy river was<br />
scarier. For the next River Bus we decided to<br />
paddle out and meet the wake head on and we<br />
just about survived but ended up on the other<br />
side of the river and had to quickly come back<br />
to the right-hand side which was the side<br />
designated for race entrants. We took the<br />
same approach for the next River Bus but on<br />
the way back a secondary wake picked up the<br />
boat and sent us hurtling towards the sloping<br />
concrete bank. I knew I had to turn before<br />
hitting the bank and breaking the boat but I<br />
also knew that as soon as I turned the boat we<br />
would capsize again. At the last moment I<br />
spotted a lump of metal sticking out of the<br />
concrete and as I turned I managed to grab it<br />
with both hands and held on for dear life as<br />
the waves washed over the deck. We took a<br />
few minutes to steady ourselves and then<br />
headed off yet again.<br />
We kept going, knowing that another swim<br />
would put an end to our race; it was still too far<br />
to walk along the bank with the boat even if we<br />
managed to get it out of the river and at this<br />
point we were both wondering what we were<br />
doing and wishing it was over. By now neither<br />
of us could sit up in the boat and this was<br />
making it harder to keep the boat upright. The<br />
pain killers we’d been taking every 4 hours<br />
were no longer having any effect. We stopped<br />
twice for 5 minutes to try stretching and on<br />
the second stop we had the bright idea to use<br />
the 2 airbags from the back of the boat as<br />
lumbar supports so we tied them to our<br />
buoyancy aids and struggled on.<br />
We were now averaging 10.5km per hour as<br />
the tide pulled us toward Westminster. At<br />
7:13pm, with 190km done, the battery on our<br />
tracker finally gave up; we missed the 0.5km<br />
updates that had punctuated our journey so<br />
far with the distance we had left to go and<br />
what speed we were doing. Shortly afterwards<br />
we reached our last crew stop at Putney Pier<br />
and Aido and Jacob plied us with Red Bull and<br />
adjusted our airbag lumbar support systems<br />
before telling us they’d see us at Westminster.<br />
We had completed 192km and had just over<br />
8km left to do – we started to believe again<br />
that we could finish.<br />
The approach into Central London was dotted<br />
with buildings that we started to recognise<br />
and bridges that we counted down (even<br />
though we weren’t sure exactly how many<br />
bridges there should be before Westminster).<br />
There was still one other K2 that we could see<br />
ahead of us and we followed their lead to<br />
avoid taking a wrong turn into a side channel<br />
our getting disqualified for using the wrong<br />
arch under a bridge. The outgoing tide was<br />
putting up bow waves on the huge barges<br />
anchored in the river and we had to work hard<br />
to avoid getting pinned on one or 2 of them;<br />
thankfully motor boat traffic had eased off<br />
and we only had to deal with one or two<br />
smaller wakes.<br />
Finally we saw a DW support boat just above<br />
Lambeth Bridge and we knew that we had just<br />
800m and one last bridge to go; it couldn’t<br />
come soon enough but we were going to make<br />
it – we could swim from here. We paddled right<br />
into the steps where the safety crew grabbed<br />
our boat and helped us out. At 8:35pm boat<br />
number 427 had completed the race in a time<br />
of 37 hours 28 minutes and 30 seconds. We<br />
finished 112th out of 114 with 33 boats having<br />
retired before the finish. As we climbed the<br />
steps at Westminster we were presented with<br />
our coveted finishers medals and were then<br />
greeted by our triumphant and over-joyed<br />
support crew. The sense of achievement was<br />
indescribable. It had been over 3-years since<br />
we decided to set-off on the journey and only<br />
in the last 90 minutes had we realised we<br />
were going to finally succeed.<br />
We couldn’t have done it without the support<br />
crews, Liz, Ginnine, Emma, and Ray from 2017<br />
who gave us the belief that we would succeed<br />
next time and Cathy, Fiona, Aido, and Jacob in<br />
2019 who stuck with us for 40 hours never<br />
giving up on us. Thanks to all of you.<br />
CANOEING IRELAND’S FIRST<br />
ATHLETE’S CONFERENCE<br />
The last 18 months have seen many ‘firsts’ in the history of Canoeing Ireland.<br />
This first event however was somewhat special as it was the first time that<br />
athletes from all of the competitive disciplines were invited together to attend a<br />
conference and work shop purely dedicated to hearing their views.<br />
The Athlete’s Conference was organised by the new Canoeing Ireland High<br />
Performance Unit and ran on the weekend of February 9th at the Canoeing<br />
Ireland Training Centre at the Strawberry Beds.<br />
The event was very well attended with a number of athletes from all 7<br />
competitive disciplines attending. The day kicked off with an educational<br />
module that focused on Anti-Doping. Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Unit were very<br />
kind in delivering this module which was very well received. The module<br />
prompted an interesting questions and answers session as Rachel Maguire<br />
from Sport Ireland provided some very useful information.<br />
The second module focused on a feedback session which was facilitated by<br />
Ciaran ‘Kipper’ Maguire and Lynda Byron, both members of the Canoeing Ireland<br />
High Performance Unit. This module enabled the gathered athletes to let<br />
Canoeing Ireland know how they felt and where the support for them fell short of<br />
what should be expected of a successful NGB. The athletes were broken into<br />
groups as they set about creating a list of their thoughts to feed back to the<br />
organisation. This workshop session was key to the success of the day as for the<br />
first time athletes felt that they were being listened to. The suggestions<br />
provided to the High Performance Unit were very thoughtful, useful and needed.<br />
The last module of the day was facilitated by coaching legend Liam Moggan.<br />
Liam who is formerly of Coaching Ireland delivered a very memorable talk to the<br />
athletes who were fully engaged in his stories, opinion and craic! His module<br />
focused on ‘Developing a High Performance Mind-set’ and he didn’t disappoint.<br />
Canoeing Ireland would like to thank Liam for taking time out of his very busy<br />
schedule to come and visit the Athlete Conference and deliver a wonderful talk<br />
to the athletes. The module was wrapped up with a rousing rendition of Molly<br />
Malone lead by Freestyle legend Tom Dunphy which was directed by Liam<br />
Moggan himself.<br />
This conference was one of a number of conferences being organised by the<br />
Canoeing Ireland High Performance Unit. The next one is in the pipe line! Stay<br />
tuned.<br />
Thanks to all the athletes who participated on the day, we hope you enjoyed the<br />
goody bag and the Performance Team sweatshirts. We’ll see you again soon!<br />
18 19
Jon Mackey with World Cup Sprint medalist Jenny Egan and Canoeing Ireland CEO Moira Aston<br />
The High Performance Director for Canoeing Ireland is now 8 months into the role. We catch up with Jon<br />
Mackey to chat about present and future plans for HP in Canoeing Ireland.<br />
Jon celebrating a world championship<br />
win with one his athletes in 2016<br />
INTERVIEW WITH<br />
JON MACKEY<br />
Jon Mackey is no stranger to performance sports. A former Taekwondo<br />
international competitor and international kickboxing coach, the inner<br />
city native turned to kayaking on retirement from competition in 2009.<br />
Eight months in, we catch up with Jon to find out what’s been happening.<br />
Hi Jon, thanks for taking sometime to chat with us here today. You<br />
started paddling in 2009, how did that come about?<br />
Hi, no problem. I started at Wild Water Kayak Club after I had finished<br />
competing in combat sports. A good friend of mine from Wild Water<br />
encouraged me to come down to the club for a splash about on one of the<br />
evenings and I did, it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I fell in love<br />
with paddling and haven’t looked back.<br />
When you started paddling did you ever envisage you would be working<br />
so heavily within the sport?<br />
No not at all, I was busy running my own performance gym and I was<br />
coaching the national kickboxing team. When a position came up at<br />
Canoeing Ireland I thought I’d really like to get involved with an NGB in a<br />
professional capacity and work at that level of sport administration, so I<br />
gave it a pop and lo-and-behold I was successful. I’ve really enjoyed being<br />
a part of the team at CI.<br />
How did you feel coming from a different sporting background into<br />
Canoeing Ireland?<br />
From a performance point of view? I didn’t worry too much. Performance is<br />
performance no matter what the sport, the mechanics are similar<br />
regardless of the function. The High Performance Director role is very<br />
much about creating pathways for athletes and coaches, removing<br />
barriers to future success and providing the support that they need in<br />
order to achieve on the world stage. It’s not uncommon for people of<br />
different sporting background to be involved with NGB’s of different<br />
sports. Canoeing Ireland’s previous CEO<br />
came from Sailing, the current Hockey Ireland<br />
performance director came from Rugby. One<br />
of my greatest inspirations in high<br />
performance is Gary Keegan. Gary<br />
established the first high performance<br />
structure with Irish Boxing back in 1999, Gary<br />
never boxed in his life – high performance is a<br />
structure grounded in culture, it’s a process<br />
of building and improving our organisational<br />
capacity to compete on the international<br />
stage. That’s something I’ve been involved<br />
with for some time now, to bring my knowledge<br />
to Canoe Sport is an exciting challenge.<br />
What has been going in the world of HP over<br />
the past eight months?<br />
There’s a lot going on behind the scenes. One<br />
of my first tasks was to establish good<br />
working relationships with Sport Ireland, the<br />
Sport Ireland Institute and the Olympic<br />
Federation. As Canoeing Ireland has never<br />
had a professional high performance<br />
structure in the past I had to meet with our<br />
stakeholders and present our plans to them. I<br />
think our stakeholders and funders are<br />
optimistic, they’ve been very helpful in<br />
providing direction and advice. We’ve had a<br />
successful athlete’s conference where we got<br />
to meet some of the current international<br />
paddlers as well as some of the young up and<br />
coming stars. We got to listen to their voice<br />
for an afternoon and provide them with some<br />
workshops, including Sport Ireland<br />
Anti-Doing educational module. We have a<br />
second conference planned for August. We’ve<br />
also just recently entered into a partnership<br />
with the UCD High Performance Gym and the<br />
Human Performance Laboratory where<br />
athletes entering into the new Canoeing<br />
Ireland high performance programme will gain<br />
access to testing facilities, including gas<br />
analysis, blood lactate monitoring, Dexa<br />
scanning and force-velocity profiling.<br />
All of this day to day work is important, but our<br />
focus is on developing our performance<br />
systems for the future. Every decision we are<br />
making in high performance has an eye to the<br />
future. In order to be successful in the future<br />
we need to take stock of where we are now,<br />
and to be honest we are weak in terms of<br />
development programmes across our<br />
competitive disciplines. There is some really<br />
wonderful work being done locally at club<br />
level, but we need to have a joined up<br />
approach to development, starting with the<br />
end in mind and putting in the systems that<br />
will populate our competitive disciplines with<br />
future performers. Key to all of this is funding,<br />
Canoeing Ireland have been at the bottom tier<br />
in relation to high performance grant funding<br />
since 2012. Incredibly, in 2007 an investment<br />
of €410,000 was made into canoe sport from<br />
Sport Ireland, five years later and in 2012 we<br />
were at the bottom of the tier system<br />
struggling to make ends meet on €40,000.<br />
There are lessons to be learned from this. We<br />
must invest in performance structures,<br />
systems and programmes that are<br />
transparent, accountable and functional.<br />
What we are doing now is key to laying the<br />
foundations for the next Olympic cycle and<br />
the one after that.<br />
Jon Mackey with Dr Domineco Crognale Exercise<br />
Physiologist at the UCD Human Performance Laboratory<br />
There has been some unease around the<br />
selection decision for the European Games,<br />
what are your thoughts on this?<br />
Yes there has. Discretionary selection<br />
processes are never easy. It’s totally<br />
understandable for an athlete to feel<br />
aggrieved when they don’t make selection.<br />
The fact is the selected athlete met the<br />
criteria that was laid out and agreed to by all<br />
concerned in the selection policy. An appeal<br />
hearing was had and the process and<br />
selection were deemed to be in good<br />
standing. There is no expectation being<br />
applied to the selected athlete to bring home<br />
medals, he is a fine young man with two<br />
Olympic cycles ahead of him to enjoy. Like I<br />
said previously, we are in phase of<br />
foundation-laying for the future and this<br />
selection is part of that thinking. The selected<br />
athlete will be representing his country and<br />
his sport and he deserves the support of our<br />
community.<br />
What current projects are you working on?<br />
The big piece of work for this year is the<br />
development of a high performance strategy<br />
for Canoeing Ireland. This strategy will be<br />
crucial on a number of levels; (i) it defines our<br />
high performance pathway as we move<br />
towards a culture of consolidation and<br />
growth, (ii) it shows our funders that we are<br />
committed to functional performance and<br />
development systems that are grounded in<br />
clear measurable and functional modalities<br />
and most importantly (iii) it will define good<br />
governance within high performance in<br />
Canoeing Ireland. A silo mentality has<br />
hampered our ability to make an impact with<br />
our stakeholders and funders, until this is<br />
corrected we will continue to receive tier four<br />
funding –our athletes deserve better.<br />
Cruickshank and Collins (2012) stated “that<br />
leading and managing elite sport teams is a<br />
multifaceted phenomenon involving the<br />
development of a vision”. The success of our<br />
future high performance structures rely on<br />
this vision being a shared one. This vision has<br />
to be very much about looking forward. We<br />
need to work together as one team to realise<br />
our potential for the future. Today it’s all about<br />
the juniors and u23 year olds sitting in boats<br />
training day-in and day-out to improve in their<br />
respective disciplines. If we as leaders and<br />
adults within the sport are not supporting<br />
these young athletes in every way we can well<br />
then we need to take a hard look at ourselves.<br />
Our mind-set needs to change, our culture<br />
needs to change.<br />
The first athlete conference was a great<br />
success, are there plans to have any more?<br />
Yes, it was a great day. A day where we got to<br />
meet some of the current performers and<br />
future stars of canoe sport. Kipper and Lynda<br />
from the HPU facilitated a great work shop<br />
where the athletes got the chance to say how<br />
they felt. I guess, if there was one word to sum<br />
up their response it would be ‘unsupported’.<br />
We acknowledged this and we made some<br />
pledges to change that. Canoeing Ireland is<br />
now working to ensure media coverage for all<br />
of our performance teams on our social media<br />
platforms, something that never happened<br />
before. We’ve been working on developing a<br />
unified team kit also, this will be available for<br />
the new season. Other requests from the<br />
athletes centre around Canoeing Ireland<br />
receiving an increase in our grant funding<br />
allocation, all of which is possible when we get<br />
our systems in place.<br />
We are organising our second conference<br />
which will be scheduled for early August,<br />
ideally timed just ahead of some important<br />
world championships and Olympic qualifiers.<br />
The theme will be focused on performance<br />
psychology and performance nutrition. We<br />
have booked our performance psychologist<br />
already, she’s an Olympian and member of the<br />
Sport Ireland Institute, all will be revealed<br />
soon!<br />
Outside of your day to day work with<br />
Canoeing Ireland what other projects are<br />
you involved in?<br />
I’m still very much involved in performance<br />
coaching with kickboxing. I have a team of 5<br />
athletes who have made the national junior<br />
team for this year’s European championships<br />
in Hungary. I’ve just returned from Tortona in<br />
Italy where one of our high performance<br />
athletes won a K1 pro league match. I will also<br />
be concluding my Master’s degree at UCD<br />
which is in Performance Science and<br />
Coaching. Apart from all of that I’m the dad to<br />
a very active little 9 month old who hasn’t<br />
decided whether he wants to kick box or<br />
paddle a kayak!<br />
Thanks for taking the time for taking some<br />
time to talk to Flow State and best of luck<br />
into the future.<br />
No worries and thanks.<br />
20 21
JUNIOR LIFFEY DESCENT<br />
REPORT<br />
Senan Forrestal of Thomastown Paddlers proved the class of the field at the<br />
Junior Liffey Descent last Saturday (May 18).<br />
Forrestal, winner of the junior race at the 59th Liffey Descent last<br />
September, negotiated the ten kilometre course from Leixlip to Strawberry<br />
Beds in a time of 51 mins 30secs. The course included a portage around the<br />
dam at Leixlip reservoir just ten minutes after the start and then the massive<br />
weirs at Lucan and Wren’s Nest before the finish at the Canoe Ireland<br />
Training Centre.<br />
Over a minute later for second place was pre-race favourite Matthew<br />
McCartney from Celbridge Paddlers in 52.54 McCartney had finished<br />
second behind European junior marathon champion Ronan Foley a year<br />
earlier. A close third was Eoin O’Toole of Salmon Leap Canoe Club in 53.27.<br />
Winning the U15 boys class in 56.42 was Paul Donnellan with his Salmon<br />
Leap club mate Ruairi Bray less than a minute behind.<br />
Fastest girl was Eabha O Drisceoil of Salmon Leap CC, winner of the U15 age<br />
group for a second year. Despite a wobble at Lucan Weir, O Drisceoil<br />
recovered quickly and went on to clock a time of 60.41 – the fastest girls’<br />
time of the day.<br />
Not too far behind was Aine White of Celbridge Paddlers who was first of the<br />
U18 age group in a solid time of 1:03:30. Second was Roisin Hannon of Moy<br />
CC in Ballina who had moved up from the U15 class and finished in 1:08.06.<br />
Paddlers had travelled from all over Ireland for the race and winning the open<br />
white water class in 1:02.32 was Simon Kenny of the Phoenix club in Cork.<br />
In the B class races, Gael Castillo of Salmon Leap clocked a respectable time<br />
of 1:04.38 to finish best in the U18 age group. Sean King of Celbridge<br />
Paddlers won a closely contested U15 boys race in 1:09.34, with Salmon<br />
Leap’s Christian O’Sullivan just twenty seconds behind him.<br />
By some way the biggest entry of the day came in the Under 15 C class race,<br />
with 64 entered and 59 finishing. The high entry is testament to a<br />
determined recruitment drive by clubs such as Salmon Leap, who put on<br />
regular sessions for novice paddlers in the younger age groups.<br />
Leading home the 55 finishers was Salmon Leap’s Conor Flanagan. His time<br />
of 1:10.13 put him almost five minutes ahead of the chasers led by Ciaran Ball<br />
of the 5th Port Dollymount Sea Scouts, longtime supporters of the race. In<br />
this class, finishing was an achievement and all were safely across the finish<br />
line in just over two hours. Fastest of the nine girls competing was Katie<br />
Woods from GOYA in 1:43.47, with her club mate Roisin Hannon less than a<br />
minute behind for second. GOYA (Get off Your Ass) had brought a team of 13<br />
– nine boys and four girls – to the race from their heartland in south Co<br />
Galway and north Co Clare.<br />
A further 23 had signed up for the U18 boys race, with Daniel Stratford, from<br />
Virginia Kayak in Co Cavan, leading them home in 1:07.22. Joanne Ball of the<br />
5th Port Dollymount Sea Scouts was first girl in 1:17.01, with 13 entered in this<br />
class – the largest girls’ class of the day. Emma Doyle from Go Paddle was<br />
second with Virginia Alexander of Virginia third.<br />
A total of five boats had entered the canoe doubles - big open boats,<br />
propelled by a single blade paddle - and first home in 1:26.59 were Kevin<br />
O’Connor and Kevin McGrath of Kilkenny Aqua. Ethan Dowling and Emma<br />
Fay, from the Ribbontail Canoe Club in Enfield, Co Meath, were first in the<br />
mixed class with a time of 1:30.36<br />
Full Results Document<br />
Results Junior Liffey Descent, Saturday May 19<br />
K1 Class A<br />
Boys:<br />
U18 -<br />
1. Senan Forristal (Thomastown Paddlers) 51 mins 30 secs;<br />
2. Matthew McCartney (Celbridge Paddlers) 52.54,<br />
3. Eoin O’Toole (Salmon Leap CC) 53.27.<br />
U15 -<br />
1. Paul Donnellan (Salmon Leap CC) 56.42;<br />
2. Ruairi Bray (Salmon Leap CC) 57.19;<br />
3. Adam Pender (Kilkenny Aqua) 1:13.35.<br />
U23 –<br />
James McCartney (Celbridge Paddlers) 1:00.32.<br />
WW Open Kayaks –<br />
1. Simon Kenny (Phoenix CC) 1:02.17;<br />
2. Ben Higgins (Salmon Leap CC) 66.43;<br />
3. Aoibhin Ni Bhroin (Galway KC) 68.31.<br />
Girls:<br />
U18 –<br />
1. Aine White (Celbridge Paddlers) 63.30;<br />
2. Roisin Hannon (Moy CC) 68.06.<br />
U15 –<br />
Eabha Ni Drisceoil (Salmon Leap CC) 60.25.<br />
K1 Class B<br />
Boys:<br />
U15 -<br />
1. Sean King (Celbridge Paddlers) 1:09.34;<br />
2. Christian O’Sullivan (Salmon Leap CC) 1:09.54;<br />
3. Jason O’Sullivan (Salmon Leap CC) 1:11.51.<br />
U18 -<br />
1. Gael Castillo (Salmon Leap CC) 63.53;<br />
2. Michael O’Herlihy (Wildwater KC) 70.03;<br />
3. Dan Lavelle (Salmon Leap CC) 71.08.<br />
K1 Class C<br />
Boys:<br />
U15 –<br />
1. Conor Flanagan (Salmon Leap CC) 1:10.13;<br />
2. Ciaran Ball (5th Port Dollymount SS) 1:15.03;<br />
3. Finn Grennan (Sligo Grammar) 1:17.03.<br />
U18 –<br />
1. Daniel Stratford (Virginia KC) 1:07.22;<br />
2. Barry Stratford (Virginia KC) 1:09.08;<br />
3. Luke Hodkinson (5th Port Dollymount SS) 1:12.25.<br />
U23 -<br />
1. David Doyle (Go Paddle) 1:14.08;<br />
2. Alex Russell (Canoeing Ireland) 1:14.48;<br />
3. Cian Brannigan (Canoeing Ireland) 1:19.53.<br />
Girls:<br />
U15 –<br />
1. Katie Woods (Goya Gang) 1:43.47;<br />
2. Roisin Bennett (Goya Gang) 1:44.27;<br />
3. Ruth McGrath (Kilkenny Aqua) 1:46.01.<br />
U18 –<br />
1. Joanne Ball (5th Port Dollymount SS) 1:17.01;<br />
2. Emma Doyle (Go Paddle) 1:17.52;<br />
3. Rachel Alexander (Virginia Kayak) 1:22.27.<br />
C2 Canoe Doubles<br />
Boys:<br />
Kevin O’Connor/Kevin McGrath (KilkennyAqua) 1:29.59.<br />
Girls:<br />
Phoebe Henderson/Sophie Henderson (Kilkenny Aqua) 1:50.07.<br />
Mixed:<br />
1. Emma Fay/Ethan Dowling (Ribbontail Paddlers) 1:30.36,<br />
2. Shaun Healy/ Conor Fanning (Barrowline CC) 1:33.25;<br />
3. Aoife Hamilton/Tom Morley (Ribbontail Paddlers) 1:46.10.<br />
22<br />
23
CLUB SPOTLIGHT<br />
LAOIS KAYAK &<br />
CANOE CLUB<br />
On the 6th May this year, Laois Kayak & Canoe Club opened its newly<br />
renovated club house on the banks of the River Erkina in Durrow, Co.<br />
Laois. Established in 2011 and now with over 80 members, Flow State met<br />
up with the club to get an insight into how it has developed over the years.<br />
How did the club start?<br />
Probably like most clubs where a group of us got to know each other<br />
through word of mouth and started to informally paddle together. As the<br />
numbers started to increase, we decided to form a club. That decision<br />
wasn’t made lightly as there was a debate around the advantages of not<br />
being a club and just continuing paddling together instead of taking on<br />
the responsibilities of running a club. But as we wanted to grow the sport<br />
in the area and there was no other alternative locally, Laois Kayak &<br />
Canoe Club was established. One of the first things we did as a club was<br />
to write a five-year strategy. With hind-sight, this was perhaps the most<br />
important element of starting a club as the document set out a<br />
year-by-year roadmap of what needed to be achieved particularly in terms<br />
of training, resourcing and embedding the club in the community. We also<br />
had a good committee made up of paddlers and non-paddlers which gave<br />
a more balanced approach to how the club was going to be developed.<br />
Where were pressure points at the start?<br />
As we were only a small group of paddlers, lack of boats and equipment<br />
became an initial constraint. Canoeing Ireland came to our assistance<br />
and this was pivotal in being able to grow into a sustainable club. Within a<br />
short time of putting a request into the Canoeing Ireland office, we were<br />
able to collect a fleet of kayaks, paddles, helmets, buoyancy aids and<br />
spray decks. Having this resource available to Laois Kayak meant that we<br />
were able to commence and structure our summer training schedule and<br />
could guarantee people who came along that they would be able to get on<br />
the water. We used Canoeing Ireland’s equipment loan scheme for two<br />
years and also availed of boats from the Canoe Polo and Canoe Marathon<br />
committees. We charge a nominal fee for members who need to use club<br />
gear. This income combined with a Sports Capital Grant allowed us to<br />
subsequently purchase our own equipment.<br />
What do you think is key to growing a young club?<br />
For us it’s having a continuous pool of our own club instructors. We<br />
see instructors as imperative to providing sound and structured<br />
training. It was always a decision of our club that members would be<br />
encouraged to go through the awards system. Being able to maintain<br />
a pipeline of members undertaking instructor training helps ensure<br />
we can do this.<br />
Another really important aspect of developing a club is to become<br />
part of the kayaking community both through involvement in the<br />
different disciplines and by association with other clubs. We have<br />
been fortunate in the latter with the more established neighbouring<br />
clubs allowing us to join in with their events, trips and training as well<br />
as borrowing equipment and gear. This genuine goodwill meant that<br />
our members could participate at events where as a club we would not<br />
have had sufficient numbers to participate on our own. Strong<br />
friendships have also been built.<br />
How did the clubhouse come about?<br />
For anyone who has not been to Durrow, the clubhouse is in an ideal<br />
location at the top of a slipway down to the River Erkina in the centre<br />
of the town. The Erkina then feeds into the River Nore about a<br />
kilometre downstream. Having a club house was the one piece of the<br />
club’s objectives (our fore mentioned five-year plan) which remained<br />
incomplete. We felt that we needed a permanent location as a<br />
tangible and focal point for attracting new members, enabling more<br />
kayaking events and increasing participation. We weren’t a club<br />
without a home.<br />
IRISH CANOE<br />
POLO TEAM<br />
WIN AT HULL<br />
Well done to the Irish Canoe Polo U21 men’s<br />
team who secured a great victory at the Hull<br />
International which took place over the<br />
weekend of 22nd and 23rd June. The team,<br />
coached by Shane Kinsella came first in what<br />
was a tough competitive event. Well done to<br />
Conor McLoughlin, Jake Searle, Darragh<br />
McConvey, Caleb Bowden, Kevin Quinn,<br />
Fergal McConvey, and Brendan Madden – all<br />
their hard work paying off!<br />
At that time, we had been making enquiries into a disused building<br />
which had been the old band room for the town. In its day, it had been<br />
a vibrant hub of activity for local musicians. Having been left<br />
neglected for some time, the club approached the remaining trustees<br />
with an offer to purchase. Eventually, a deal was done and we had our<br />
clubhouse. Funding awarded through the 2017 Sports Capital Grant<br />
then allowed us to undertake the necessary renovation of the building<br />
which was completed earlier this year. We were delighted with the big<br />
turnout at our official opening in May with the former President Paul<br />
Donnelly cutting the ribbon. It was a proud moment for the club and<br />
especially to see the support from other clubs, paddlers, the local<br />
community and politicians for our sport.<br />
What’s next for Laois Kayak & canoe Club?<br />
Becoming a more family centric club is our main focus. We only run<br />
adult training courses now. Once participants progress to becoming<br />
club members, we encourage them to bring their children along to our<br />
family sessions and polo evenings. The club’s instructors will then<br />
work with these kids through various skills awards in conjunction with<br />
external providers. This approach is attracting a more committed<br />
membership and is also resulting in more female participation which<br />
is great to see. We are also engaging with Laois Sports Partnership for<br />
women in sport initiatives to focus on encouraging skills progression<br />
amongst our female members.<br />
For further information, visit www.laoiskayak.com<br />
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WATCH THE<br />
VIDEO HERE!