Leinster and Dublin Development Squads Up and Running - Athletics Ireland
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Leinster and Dublin Development Squads Up and Running

24 October 2007

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Reports on Leinster and Dublin Regional Development Squads which had their first get together this past weekend in Tullamore and Santry respectively. Leinster Regional Squad The first gathering of the 2007-2008 Leinster Regional Squad took place on Saturday at the Tullamore Harriers stadium. This squad is made up of athletes who finished in the top three in their events in the Leinster club and school championships. This was attended by 82 enthusiastic athletes and a large number of parents and coaches came along to support them and observe the sessions. The good weather ensured that the activities were carried out in a very pleasant setting. DSC01904b.JPG Enda Fitzpatrick, the coaching co-ordinator, welcomed the group to Tullamore and introduced the coaches to the athletes. A very experienced squad of coaches was assembled and most events on the programme were catered for. The athletes then broke into the various groups and participated in some excellent coaching sessions. There was a lot of focus on technique and conditioning for this time of the year. DSC01907.JPG Following the lunch break Mark Christie spoke to the young athletes about his experiences and a very interesting questions and answers session took place. The athletes asked Mark about his career and how he dealt with many of the issues they now face as developing athletes. Mark was happy to offer advice and it proved very informative. DSC01905.JPG The technical event coaches then took their charges out for further instruction while the endurance athletes remained to discuss the coming season. Ann Keenan Buckley spoke to a number of athletes also about the Youth Achievers scheme and informed people about the standards that they need to achieve. DSC01909.JPG This was a very worthwhile event and initial feedback from both athletes and their coaches seemed to indicate that all were satisfied. The expert coaching should help the athletes as they prepare for upcoming competitions and a lot of the young athletes enjoyed the opportunity to meet up with friends and rivals in a non competitive environment. The next gathering for these athletes will be on November 17th in Morton Stadium, Santry. Dublin Regional Squad A successful Dublin Regional Squad Day with 96 athletes attending out of an invited list of 203 was held in Santry Stadium on Saturday October 20th. They were made up of this year’s under 14 to under 18 age group. DSC01911.JPG The day began with an explanation of the squad system and an introduction of the coaches. This was followed by a coaching session until 1pm. The athletes were then given a break of 30 mins. A second session was held until 3pm. This varied from group to group with some continuing with the coaching while other groups did some event specific conditioning. DSC01913.JPG There was an excellent group of coaches involved with a good mix of experienced and emerging coaches. Many of the latter were former and current athletes. There will be two further Dublin Regional Squad days before Christmas - the first on 17th November and the second on 1st December.

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