All national throws squads met in Tullamore on Saturday for the first of 5 squad training days before the 2013 season. The day provided athletes with some food for thought with some new initiatives announced along with a solid day of training.

National Throws Coordinator David Sweeney welcomed all the athletes for the new training year and introduced plans for the season. He stressed the importance of 2013 as a major development year for Irish throwing with the many International championships that Irish athletes can aim for:

European Winter Throws Cup - To be confirmed - March 2013 (TBC)

International Throws Festival - Sarnen, Switzerland - May 2013 (TBC)

European Team Championships - Dublin, Ireland - 22-23 June 2013

FISU World University Games - Kazan, Russia - 6-17 July 2013

IAAF World Youth Championships - Donetsk, Ukraine - 10-14 July 2013

European U/23 Championships - Tampere, Finland - 11-14 July 2013

European Youth Olympic Festival - Utrecht, Belgium - 14-19 July 2013

European Junior Championships - Rieti, Italy - 18-21 July 2013

IAAF World Championships - Moscow, Russia - 10-18 August 2013

The news that prosporteurope.com will support an elite ‘Pro Sport Europe Throws Squad’ in 2013 was warmly received. This will greatly assist our throwers in reaching their potential in some of the above competitions. Applications forms will be available immediately on AAI website for entry to this development squad.

The National coaches on the day, John Farrelly (Shot Put), Louis Wildenboer (Javelin), David Sweeney (Discus), Liam Hickey and Nicola Coffey (Hammer) all reported great enthusiasm and some promising potential from the athlete’s training.

The squad day included Day 1 of a Throws Specific Strength and Conditioning workshop. After monitoring all squads, S&C expert Laura Kerr gave athletes some technical homework to complete before the next squad session.

The next squad day will be held on December 8th at the same venue.