The 1,003 athletes who competed yesterday at the Get Going Get Rowing Munster Blitz blew the roof off the venue with stellar performances throughout the day at the flagship event of the Get Going Get Rowing calendar.
A total of 20 races took place, including a record-breaking 61 athletes with additional needs competing across four races. Whatever the category, rowers left it all on the ergs, with each team producing impressive times that reflected their determination to perform at their very best.
Medal winners received their awards from members of Rowing Ireland’s High Performance programme, including Tiarnán O’Donnell and Sadhbh Ní Laoighre, as well as Under 19 World Champion Jack Rafferty, who also pulled double duty by competing in the TY-6 Boys Open race with his school. Jane Williams, President of Rowing Ireland, also joined the medals table during the day.
The Munster Blitz is the all-Ireland indoor rowing event for schools, where teams of five students compete in 2km relay races or individual timed races. Most participants are students who first experienced rowing through the Get Rowing school programmes, and for many the Munster Blitz represents their first opportunity to represent their school in an athletic competition.
For experienced rowers, the event brings a different kind of excitement. Instead of competing against classmates who may row for different clubs, students set aside their usual rivalries and compete together in their school colours, creating some particularly exciting races.
At the end of the day, two schools took home the Champions Cups. The young women from Castletroy College won the Ailish Sheehan Cup for best girls’ school, while the young men from CBC Monkstown Park won the Arthur O’Brien Cup for best boys’ school. Members of both families presented the trophies to the athletes, adding a meaningful conclusion to the event.
The event was organised by the Get Rowing team, supported by members of the Rowing Ireland staff and the Limerick-based Get Rowing TY Coaching programme.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered and helped make the day such a success. Congratulations to all the winners and to every student who participated.
