A great many thank yous are in order now that the dust has settled on an extraordinary weekend of international competition for 80 Irish rowers in three different countries at the U23 World Rowing Championships, Coupe de la Jeunesse, and the Home International Rowing Regatta.
Starting with the drivers who towed trailers to Duisburg, Lucerne, and London: John Armstrong, Rory O’Brien, Tom Lydon, Brendan and Edward Wall, Tony Penkert, and John Fitzpatrick hauled equipment across land and sea, safely and soundly, to ensure our rowers had their boats ready to race. Rowing Ireland is so grateful to them, and we feel very lucky to have them as part of our community.
The next big thank you goes to the great many families who hosted visiting rowers during training camps in Limerick, Cork, Athlone, and Galway. Some did it for a week, others for longer. All told there were upwards of 40 athletes training in these camps, staying with a few families in each city. It’s hard to imagine the sheer volume of food these good people made, served, and cleaned up from.
It takes a lot to bring an athlete—or three—into your home, alongside your own athlete, and ensure they feel comfortable and at ease, are fed well, get from home to camp and back again, and then from home to wherever the team is going to hang out and have fun together, and back again. We know that these experiences become life-long memories for these crews, and so the families who graciously stepped up this summer to make sure the training camps were every bit as fun and successful as you’d dream of, deserve our hearty thanks.
Derek Bowen and Tadhg Branagan acted as Team Managers for Coupe and Homes, respectively. This job is not for the faint-hearted, the responsibilities are immense and getting it wrong it can mean that athletes don’t race. They also have to know and do everything from Customs reports for the trailers to t-shirt sizes for the rowers, from accommodation at sites near the events to the food allergies of anyone traveling in the group. They deal with parents, coaches, clubs, event organizers, airlines, hotels, caterers, the regatta committee, the list goes on. We’re very grateful to Derek and Tadhg for doing such a fantastic job of it.
We also recognize Rowing Ireland’s Pat Kiely for the work he does as the Irish representative on the Homes General Management Committee, as well as Kyle Hanck and Lisa O’Callaghan, who were the Irish Umpires for Homes, and Seamus Scully, the Irish Umpire for Coupe.
Finally, our volunteer coaches.
What can you say about a group of people who give their time, from September through July, for as many as 12 sessions a week? Who give their weekends driving all over Ireland to stand on the banks of a river in the wind and rain, their evenings corresponding with parents about their rowers’ progress, and their spare time to come up with strength programmes and water sessions? All to help someone else’s child have some fun, make some friends, and do a sport a little better each time?
And what can you say about those who get to the end of the season, and sign on to do it for another stint with a group of athletes they won’t know for more than a week?
There really aren’t proper words for it. What we can say is this: Coaches, the gift of your time, your talent, your patience, expertise, good humour, and selflessness isn’t lost on anyone in the Irish rowing community. We are so grateful for all you give throughout the season, and we’re so grateful for what you gave these green jerseys over the last several weeks. Thank you.
Coupe de la Jeunesse Coaches
Chris Kirwan, University of Limerick RC
Fergus Hannon, Athlone BC
Derek Bowen, Castleconnell BC
Home International Rowing Regatta Coaches
Noel Stapleton and Tom Elwood, Galway RC
David O’Donovan and Ross O’Donovan, Shandon BC
Michael O’Callaghan, Shannon RC
Cliodhna Nolan, University College Cork RC
Sharon Murphy, Skibbereen RC
Gary Neff, Cork BC
Lochlan Crooks, University of Galway BC
Joe Cunningham, Castleconnell BC
Rowing Ireland High Performance Coaches at World U23 Rowing Championships
Clara O’Brien
John Armstrong
Rebecca Edwards
Fionn McWey, Physio
#WeAreRowingIreland
Feature Photo by Michaél O’Mahony
Some of the coaches from Coupe and Homes
