ROWING 2004 review: We will have to wait. The year 2004 looked like the one: the structures were in place, the athletes were primed - an Olympic medal was on the way. But it didn't work out like that. Rowing emerges from the year with its head held high - an Olympic finalist, an Irish coach who guided Greece to an Olympic medal - but we can be forgiven if we remain wistful.

Weight. We have to deal with it. What did happen the Irish lightweight double before the Olympic semi-final? One of our best hopes for gold failed to make the final. However, what looks like two different stories - they were overweight; they were the victims of a malfunction of the weighing scales - can be synthesised easily enough.

Lightweight rowers taper before races, and Sam Lynch, who is naturally a big man, has had ongoing difficulties since he formed a double with Gearóid Towey. The Irish were a small amount overweight when they first weighed in for the semi. Cue an urgent push to lose this. When they feel they are ready, the official machine will not issue the required finding. Panic stations.

Their coach, Thor Nilsen, who was on duty elsewhere, felt after the race the eternal battle with weight had defeated his charges.

It was not the only ill-fortune for the Irish double: a bout of shingles had laid Towey low for the Lucerne World Cup and when they got to Athens Lynch had first cut his hand and then been thrown back in the boat by an oar which broke in practice. In Greece we should have seen the signs: the gods were not smiling on our favourites.

The lightweight four saved the day. Three men in their mid 20s (Richard Archibald, Eugene Coakley and Paul Griffin) were joined by an old hand in Niall O'Toole. They made the Olympic final and gave it a real lash before fading back and finishing sixth.

After the final O'Toole was very critical of the Irish effort this year at the World Under-23 Regatta, which has been a key stepping stone for virtually all the current crop of Olympians. In a similarly critical vein, John Holland, who has not got the credit he deserves for coaching the Greek lightweight double to a bronze medal, did not even apply for the position of Irish head coach, opting for the position of UCD coach.

If not everybody is certain those in charge will bring out the best in Irish rowing as we look to Beijing 2008, there is at least the certainty that change is afoot. New national coach Harald Jahrling will soon arrive, and he will be based in Ireland - where is another day's debate. The IARU have also parted with Richard Parr, the first to hold the position of high performance director.

The programme for some recent Olympians for the season ahead may pack a few surprises, but next year's World Championships in Japan could see a number of other Irish athletes make a bold strike for medals.

One to watch may be Sinead Jennings. She just missed out on an Olympic place in the lightweight double, but came within 10 strokes of gold in the lightweight single scull at the World Championships in Banyoles.

The World University Championships also showed there is ground for hope. Ireland's heavyweight coxless four of Cormac Folan, Marc Stephens, Paul Giblin and Alan Martin won silver for Ireland.

Heavyweight single sculler Seán Casey may have no funding but could be the first since Seán Drea to give Ireland a profile in one of the biggest events.

At junior level the rise of Orla Hayes continues. She won gold on both days of the Coupe de la Jeunesse, a European Junior Championship, this year - and for good measure the men's coxed four won gold and silver.

There is, then, every reason for hope when we look at the top of the pyramid. However, the sport will thrive only if the base is widened. Where, apart from the work being done in Galway, are the rowing schools? Is there a way of bringing more volunteers into the clubs? Can the spectator aspect be catered for - especially at the National Rowing Centre, which failed in that aspect at this year's National Championships? Those championships proved NUIG are the club masters - but they lost to Commercial in the race of the event, the men's senior eight.

Six Irish crews made the semi-finals of Henley, but Commercial's quadruple scull were the only finalists. They just failed in their attempt to defend their title.