Divisions cost all sides dearly

ROWINGDEEP IN the blizzard of paper circulated at last weekend's agm of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union is the report of Ireland team manager Mike Heskin. And close to the end of that report is an analysis which cuts to the very heart of the season, and indeed the Olympiad just finished: the two Ireland crews at the Olympic Games "needed to be quicker out of the start".

The heavyweight and lightweight fours could have sharpened their starting speed had they competed against each other in training during the season. But it never happened. Heskin tried and failed to bring the crews together in training. The team was divided between head coach Harald Jahrling and lightweight coach John Holland, and no agreement could be reached.

Why did such a sharp division arise? The camp who support Jahrling say he was given the job of head coach but his authority was undermined when his superiors sided with the athletes rather than the man they put in charge; the camp who oppose this view say Jahrling has a dictatorial style not suited to the Irish system, and changes had to be made.

All this is of more than historical significance, because as the sport moves into the new Olympiad, those in key positions need to do everything possible to avoid the recurrence of damaging divisions.

Four years ago, those in power chose to move from one extreme to the other. In coaching terms the athlete-centered era headed up (recurringly) by Thor Nilsen gave way to the coach-driven style of Jahrling. It was a jarring change and one which, ultimately, foundered.

Today is the closing day for applications for the post of performance director. The new woman or man will carry big expectations. The base of the pyramid which carries the international system must be broadened - yet while this is the work of a decade or more, expectations for London 2012 will be enormous.

The person chosen must be confident they will be judged not by their ability to please athletes, committees or coaches but on their performance in their role.

In his report, Heskin speaks of one of sucesses of the year being the avoidance of all-out conflict: "We did not have a melt down, which was a possibility at times". It is crucial the sport is not there again any time soon.

On the water, the annual Sculling Challenge in Cork tomorrow pits representatives of the Cork, Dublin and Belfast sculling ladders against each other. Caroline Ryan of the Garda club in Dublin looks set to end a sparkling season with victory in the women's competition, while Daniel Murphy of Cork Boat Club may lift the men's title.