On camp at the Curragh
Successful Leinster Junior Endurance Performance Squad Camp held at the Curragh Camp
A very successful Leinster Junior Endurance Performance Squad camp was held at the Curragh Camp over the weekend. Despite the recent 'anti athlete friendly' weather the athletes met in the Curragh camp for the 1st Leinster squad camp of 2016. After checking into the camp accommodation all athletes had the added benefit of a catered dinner in the army dining hall, thereby enjoying a break from previous squad cooking! Throughout the entire weekend both athletes and coaches relished the hot nutritious meals which were served to us by the helpful Curragh canteen staff. On Friday night all involved enjoyed a sports psychology lecture by Brendan Hackett where they were reminded of the importance of the 4 C's in their approach to their training and competition. The areas of Confidence, Commitment , Control and Concentration were looked at and a very interesting discussion took place! A short session of Active Isolated Stretching by coach Annette Quegan brought the night to a close and all athletes retired the warmth of the army dorms for some relaxation time followed by a good night’s sleep!
Saturday morning was a cold but beautiful morning which saw everyone up early. Following a light breakfast the athletes got ready and headed to the remarkable Curragh plains landscape for the morning session. We were all given strict instructions with regard to the rather large flock sheep .... No one was to chase them! With instructions respectfully adhered to, on we went with our session. This was a moderate pyramid style workout of various timed distances followed by half the recovery and repeated twice. The session was completed following a set of strides when the focus was on correct mechanics. Following lunch, an important S&C session took place under the guidance of Kilkenny based physio and lecturer Dr. Claire Lodge . Here, all athletes learned and some further developed the important movement exercises and the importance of maintaining the programme at least twice per week. Throughout the afternoon all athletes benefited greatly from a recovery post workout massage from visiting physical therapist Sinead Enright. Many thanks to Sinead for the much appreciated Physio assistance.
Saturday night was time to relax, so following an early dinner and team meeting the athletes were invited to share their thoughts and present some of their ideas of what they would like to have more of in our squad weekends. This led to some lively discussion and some more very interesting Q&A . As there was restrictive access outside the camp for the weekend, the athletes enjoyed a treat from the local pizzeria which really proved a welcome hit as the chat and team bonding continued!
On Sunday morning everyone was greatly relieved that the previous night’s torrential rain had stopped. Athletes had an early light breakfast and at 10am following a group photo, set off on their easy Sunday run which was of various distances. The group were joined by some local visiting athletes who showed the way across the Curragh plains. While the area was soft underfoot all athletes enjoyed the run in the bright sunshine.
Following lunch and the necessary housekeeping chores, a short team debrief included an outline of the upcoming calendar of events and a recap on the important points from the weekend. All athletes were commended for their cooperation and commitment to the programme. By 1.30pm everyone departed from the Curragh following a successful camp where everyone had adjusted very well to a different and interesting environment!
Many thanks to lead coaches Annette Queegan, Geraldine Nolan, Joe Ryan, Brian Dowling and Fintan Reilly for their work and input in organising and delivering this Leinster Junior Performance Squad programme. A sincere thanks also to the Curragh camp for their cooperation and providing the facilities necessary to run this camp. The next camp date is provisionally set for April 8th-10th.