ROWING: MARTIN McELROY, who will be the new performance director for Irish rowing, last night outlined an ambitious programme for the sport to The Irish Times.
"A big part of the role is to get out of the boom and bust to create something sustainable," he said. "My aim is Irish athletes on podiums, coached by Irish coaches."
McElroy (45), will take up his four-year contract in January.
Brought up in Eyrecourt, Co Galway, he studied engineering and rowed at UCD in the early 1980s, before moving to Britain, where he took up coaching. His stand-out achievement was guiding the British men's eight to Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000.
Since then, McElroy, who has a masters in Business Administration from Imperial College, has been involved in executive coaching and coach education. He worked with UK Sport's elite coach education policy, which brought athletes such as cyclist Chris Boardman and rower Tim Foster into the coaching side of sport.
McElroy is keen to stress he comes to his new post with the aim of building a system rather than tutoring crews. "My main role in Ireland is not to coach. If I get dragged into the coaching side of things, in a way I've failed."
His aim of building a sustainable system means that when he goes the structure should last.
"You want something that doesn't depend on the people in it."
He hopes he will be involved for longer than the four years he is taking on; while 2012 is a priority, the people who are going to represent Ireland in London are already in the system, and his remit goes beyond them, to finding the coaches who will be guiding athletes even further into the future.
"I want Irish coaches to see that there is a career path in coaching in Ireland," McElroy says.
The British system, so comprehensive that it covers everything from talent identification among non-rowers to conditions for elite athletes, impresses McElroy.
"There are no holds barred," he says, "a very high level of investment of time, money and energy is accepted.
"You can't buy gold medals, but you have to pay for them."
McElroy's alma mater, UCD, could have a good day at the huge Neptune Head of the River at Blessington tomorrow. The venue is in the midst of a revamp, and may be sorely tested by the huge numbers set to take part - 212 entries in the first head and 134 in the second.
UCD could have the fastest boat home in both time-trial events. Their senior eight in the first head is a composite with Old Collegians, and features Seán Jacob, Eoghan Garvey and Damir Rasidovic, who will stroke the crew. James Wall, who will divide his season between UCD and NUIG, is also a part of this unit.
A crew of UCD students go off second in the second head, and could be the fastest crew of the day.
Neptune hope to have their own upswing this season and their eights go off first in both heads. Former international Brendan Dolan has returned to coach the seniors alongside Barry Currivan and Jim Cassidy, and they have entered two senior eights in both heads.
The number of entries in the single sculls events is stunning and the quality is also impressive: Sam Lynch, Rory O'Connor, Albert Maher, Marc Stephens and Peter Hanily are all in the senior single.
