The Regional Coaching Squads were re-vitalised this Autumn in a joint effort between the Regional Development Officers and the Regional Coaching Co-ordinators in each of five regions. Sessions were held in each region between September and Christmas 2007 and it is hoped to hold further sessions between January and May 2008. Medalists in the u/14 to u/18 age groups in each province were invited to attend these sessions and receive additional technical coaching in their chosen events. The numbers attending each session in each region were very encouraging and in each area there was a very busy, friendly atmosphere, with positive feedback from athletes and personal coaches alike. Munster Regional Coaching Squads The inaugural Munster Squad session was held at the University of Limerick on Saturday October 20th with over 130 athletes taking part. 
Coaching was given to athletes in Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hurdles, Sprints, High Jump, Long Jump, Middle Distance and Walks. The second Munster Squad session was held in Cork IT. Over 100 athletes from all parts of Munster attended the session. Coaching was given to athletes in Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hurdles, Sprints, High Jump, Long Jump, Middle Distance and Hammer. The Coaches delivering the sessions were very impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by all the athletes in attendance, and also the interest shown by personal coaches and parents who were observing different sessions. Theses sessions afford the athletes an opportunity to meet other people who take part in the same events as themselves in a less competitive environment, and also to ask questions of the Coaches present. The third Munster Squad session was divided between Castleisland (Throws & Middle Distance) on November 17th and Nenagh (Jumps, Sprints & Hurdles) on November 24th, whilst the young Walkers were invited to attend the National Walks Squads sessions for one of the days whilst they were in UL. Sessions held both indoors and outdoors due to the weather, were enjoyed by the 35 athletes in attendance at the Riocht Track and the local Community Centre. Whilst indoors in Nenagh, 54 athletes attended the session. Other athletes from Munster also trained with the National Combined Events group who joined forces with the Munster Squad sessions on the day in Nenagh. An additional aspect of the session in Castleisland was the element of sport conditioning. Each athlete was given a sheet of strengthening exercises designed to develop both Hip Mobility and Core Stability, two very important variables in young athletes. Thanks to all the coaches who helped out at the three sessions before Christmas and to all those Parents and Personal Coaches who attended also. Any athlete who received an invitation to attend the Squad Sessions and has not yet done so is still welcome to attend. It is planned to have some Guest Speakers as well as the practical training at the sessions after Christmas. 
Connacht Squad Sessions Close to one hundred of Connacht’s top young athletes came together in the facilities of IT Sligo on Sunday, October 14th, for the first get together of the recently formed Connacht Development Squad. Athletes in the u14 to u19 age bracket who have shown a high level of performance in the last 12 months or so were invited to attend along with their club or school coaches. Connacht Head Coach Mary Barrett had assembled an excellent team of event coaches to work with the athletes and all disciplines were catered for. There were also many club coaches and parents in attendance who made an invaluable contribution to the day. IT Sligo proved an excellent venue for the occasion with ideal facilities and extremely helpful staff. Eamon Harvey, Regional Development Officer for the Northwest, who has immense experience in the area of development squads, coaching juveniles, and team management, gave an excellent presentation to athletes, coaches and parents on the role of the club coach, the role of the squad, what athlete and coach must bring to the squad and how they can benefit. The presentation was also strongly motivational for all in attendance, focusing on the achievements of several local athletes, including Paul Hession, Colin Griffin and Olive Loughnane, and was very warmly received. 
The second get together of the Connacht Regional Squad took place in the Galway Regional Sports Centre on Sunday 18th December with another excellent turn out of athletes, their personal coaches and parents. Kevin Craddock, strength and conditioning advisor to Connacht Rugby, gave an excellent presentation on conditioning for the club athlete which was well received by all. This was followed by event specific coaching on the track, or on the grass for the middle distance group. Forty foot waves were predicted along the west coast on the afternoon of Saturday December 1st but for the athletes and coaches of the Connacht Regional squad the show must go on. The Galway Regional Sports Centre in Dangan was the venue for the third get-together of this talented group of athletes and the decision to push ahead despite some inclement weather was rewarded with an enjoyable and informative session to the benefit of all. 
As thunder and lightning roared outside, dietician Aoife Hearne gave an excellent presentation on nutrition for the young athlete which was followed by a question and answers session with contributions from parents, coaches and athletes. Afterwards coaching was provided for middle-distance, walks, shot, discus, javelin, hammer, sprints, hurdles, long jump, triple jump and high jump. Connacht coach Mary Barrett led the coaching session with the assistance of her team of experienced event coaches. The squad also benefited from the presence of National walks coach Michael Lane who led the walks group. The three sessions to date have received excellent feedback and positive vibes from athletes, parents and coaches. Many thanks to the event coaches who have delivered on these sessions in 2007. Athletes will receive notification of squad dates for the New Year in the near future. Dublin and Leinster Coaching Squads There have been three regional squad sessions covering the Leinster and Dublin areas. The first squad session was divided between Santry Stadium and Tullamore on the 20th October. Over 170 young athletes attended the Squad sessions between the two venues with many personal coaches and parents also present. The reports after these sessions were very positive with many of the young people looking forward to the next training day. In Tullamore Mark Christie, Irish International athlete, spoke to the group about his life in athletics and answered some very good questions about training for a very attentive young audience. The athletes both in Dublin and Tullamore were coached and helped in their individual events by some very experienced coaches. 
The second squad day was in Santry on the 17th of November with young athletes coming from all over Leinster with their parents and club coaches. Almost 140 athletes attended on a very damp day. All events were covered on the day, except hammer with all the coaches having to keep an eye on the weather. Again everyone went home very happy with the session and already ready looking forward to the 1st December and the next session. Despite a very bad weather forecast, the third session in Santry was able to go ahead. A great list of young and not so young coaches lined up to coach about 120 athletes. It was great to see National Champions in hurdles, Ian McDonald, and in long jump, Eoin Hannon, giving their coaching advice to younger athletes in their events. Many other experienced coaches also helped on the day giving athletes different perspectives on their events. The middle distant runners benefited greatly by being able to use Santry Demesne to train in. Everyone worked very hard and went home happy and tired after another great days training. As one personal coach was overheard to say in the indoor centre while about 100 young people worked with medicine balls or doing circuit work " isn't this what Athletics is all about, work and enjoyment". When the session was finished some athletes wanted to continue to try out various events such as long and high jump which is very encouraging! Thank you to all the athletes who attended the sessions in Dublin and Tullamore, and to the many Coaches who gave of their time to ensure the success of the sessions. Ulster/NIAF Regional Development Squad Days One hundred and thirty of Ulster’s top young athletes came together on Sat 20th and Sun 21st Oct. for the first get together of the recently formed Ulster/N.I.A.F. Development Squad. Athletes in the u14 to u18 age bracket who had shown a high level of performance in the last 12 months were invited to attend along with their club or school coaches. On Saturday the Sth/South West Squad, drawn from counties Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Armagh assembled at Beechill College, Monaghan while the North West group drawn from counties Derry, Tyrone and Donegal came to the well appointed Finn Valley Centre in Stranorlar on Sunday. Welcoming seventy five athletes to the North West Squad day at the Finn Valley Centre Eamon Harvey again highlighted the aims of the Squad days ‘to compliment the coaching you are receiving within your schools/clubs and to help you and your coach achieve your short term goals’ He extended a special welcome to N.I.A.F. Development Officer Aileen Morrison, to all the event specific coaches –in particular Hammer Coach Paddy Kelly for traveling such a long distance to support the venture. 
In conclusion, International athlete, Emily Maher, in an inspirational talk outlined her introduction, development and competition background –from winning double gold at the Youth Olympics in Moscow to the Sydney Olympics of 2000, to her ambitions to compete in Beijing 2008. Olympic Team Manager Patsy McGonagle, Chaired this session which included lots of questions from the young athletes, parents and personal coaches. Shercock, Sat 1st Dec, and Finn Valley, Sun 2nd Dec were the venues for the 2nd series of Ulster/N.I.A.F. squad sessions. Fifty eight invited young athletes from Armagh, Fermanagh, Cavan and Monaghan assembled at Shercock Athletics Club well appointed facility on Saturday morning. The weather was kind for the event specific section when expert coaching was delivered in Sprints, Middle Distance, Walks, High and Long Jump and Javelin, Hammer and Shot. As the conditions deteriorated all moved inside and a specific conditioning session was explained and led by Coaches John McGeever, Hugh Fitzpatrick and Eamon Harvey. The importance and benefits of using Medicine Ball work, Hurdles Drills and Core work to supplement the overall training/conditioning programme of the young athlete was enthusiastically received by athletes, personal coaches [19 present] and parents. On Sunday sixty invited athletes from Derry, Tyrone and Donegal braved the storms, which had 20 meter waves recorded off the Donegal coast, to be present for a 10.30am start at the Finn Valley Centre. The weather dictated that the event specific coaching part of the day had to be cancelled. However plan B, thanks to the creativeness of the coaches and a spacious indoor facility, was well received by all. 
Coaches Michael Black and Tony Robinson explained and led an extensive dynamic 30 minutes warm up which was followed by event specific conditioning group work which included Medicine Ball work, Hurdle Drills, Plyometrics and Core work. The young athletes spent 20 minutes in each group and all expressed satisfaction at the conclusion. Dates and venues for the 2008 sessions will be announced shortly and the athletes and their personal coaches notified. A sincere thanks to athletes, coaches and clubs/schools for enthusiastically embracing and supporting the 2007 sessions and to the squad coaches for insuring that the coaching content and delivery was so well received.
Coaching was given to athletes in Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hurdles, Sprints, High Jump, Long Jump, Middle Distance and Walks. The second Munster Squad session was held in Cork IT. Over 100 athletes from all parts of Munster attended the session. Coaching was given to athletes in Shot Putt, Discus, Javelin, Hurdles, Sprints, High Jump, Long Jump, Middle Distance and Hammer. The Coaches delivering the sessions were very impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by all the athletes in attendance, and also the interest shown by personal coaches and parents who were observing different sessions. Theses sessions afford the athletes an opportunity to meet other people who take part in the same events as themselves in a less competitive environment, and also to ask questions of the Coaches present. The third Munster Squad session was divided between Castleisland (Throws & Middle Distance) on November 17th and Nenagh (Jumps, Sprints & Hurdles) on November 24th, whilst the young Walkers were invited to attend the National Walks Squads sessions for one of the days whilst they were in UL. Sessions held both indoors and outdoors due to the weather, were enjoyed by the 35 athletes in attendance at the Riocht Track and the local Community Centre. Whilst indoors in Nenagh, 54 athletes attended the session. Other athletes from Munster also trained with the National Combined Events group who joined forces with the Munster Squad sessions on the day in Nenagh. An additional aspect of the session in Castleisland was the element of sport conditioning. Each athlete was given a sheet of strengthening exercises designed to develop both Hip Mobility and Core Stability, two very important variables in young athletes. Thanks to all the coaches who helped out at the three sessions before Christmas and to all those Parents and Personal Coaches who attended also. Any athlete who received an invitation to attend the Squad Sessions and has not yet done so is still welcome to attend. It is planned to have some Guest Speakers as well as the practical training at the sessions after Christmas. Connacht Squad Sessions Close to one hundred of Connacht’s top young athletes came together in the facilities of IT Sligo on Sunday, October 14th, for the first get together of the recently formed Connacht Development Squad. Athletes in the u14 to u19 age bracket who have shown a high level of performance in the last 12 months or so were invited to attend along with their club or school coaches. Connacht Head Coach Mary Barrett had assembled an excellent team of event coaches to work with the athletes and all disciplines were catered for. There were also many club coaches and parents in attendance who made an invaluable contribution to the day. IT Sligo proved an excellent venue for the occasion with ideal facilities and extremely helpful staff. Eamon Harvey, Regional Development Officer for the Northwest, who has immense experience in the area of development squads, coaching juveniles, and team management, gave an excellent presentation to athletes, coaches and parents on the role of the club coach, the role of the squad, what athlete and coach must bring to the squad and how they can benefit. The presentation was also strongly motivational for all in attendance, focusing on the achievements of several local athletes, including Paul Hession, Colin Griffin and Olive Loughnane, and was very warmly received. The second get together of the Connacht Regional Squad took place in the Galway Regional Sports Centre on Sunday 18th December with another excellent turn out of athletes, their personal coaches and parents. Kevin Craddock, strength and conditioning advisor to Connacht Rugby, gave an excellent presentation on conditioning for the club athlete which was well received by all. This was followed by event specific coaching on the track, or on the grass for the middle distance group. Forty foot waves were predicted along the west coast on the afternoon of Saturday December 1st but for the athletes and coaches of the Connacht Regional squad the show must go on. The Galway Regional Sports Centre in Dangan was the venue for the third get-together of this talented group of athletes and the decision to push ahead despite some inclement weather was rewarded with an enjoyable and informative session to the benefit of all. As thunder and lightning roared outside, dietician Aoife Hearne gave an excellent presentation on nutrition for the young athlete which was followed by a question and answers session with contributions from parents, coaches and athletes. Afterwards coaching was provided for middle-distance, walks, shot, discus, javelin, hammer, sprints, hurdles, long jump, triple jump and high jump. Connacht coach Mary Barrett led the coaching session with the assistance of her team of experienced event coaches. The squad also benefited from the presence of National walks coach Michael Lane who led the walks group. The three sessions to date have received excellent feedback and positive vibes from athletes, parents and coaches. Many thanks to the event coaches who have delivered on these sessions in 2007. Athletes will receive notification of squad dates for the New Year in the near future. Dublin and Leinster Coaching Squads There have been three regional squad sessions covering the Leinster and Dublin areas. The first squad session was divided between Santry Stadium and Tullamore on the 20th October. Over 170 young athletes attended the Squad sessions between the two venues with many personal coaches and parents also present. The reports after these sessions were very positive with many of the young people looking forward to the next training day. In Tullamore Mark Christie, Irish International athlete, spoke to the group about his life in athletics and answered some very good questions about training for a very attentive young audience. The athletes both in Dublin and Tullamore were coached and helped in their individual events by some very experienced coaches. The second squad day was in Santry on the 17th of November with young athletes coming from all over Leinster with their parents and club coaches. Almost 140 athletes attended on a very damp day. All events were covered on the day, except hammer with all the coaches having to keep an eye on the weather. Again everyone went home very happy with the session and already ready looking forward to the 1st December and the next session. Despite a very bad weather forecast, the third session in Santry was able to go ahead. A great list of young and not so young coaches lined up to coach about 120 athletes. It was great to see National Champions in hurdles, Ian McDonald, and in long jump, Eoin Hannon, giving their coaching advice to younger athletes in their events. Many other experienced coaches also helped on the day giving athletes different perspectives on their events. The middle distant runners benefited greatly by being able to use Santry Demesne to train in. Everyone worked very hard and went home happy and tired after another great days training. As one personal coach was overheard to say in the indoor centre while about 100 young people worked with medicine balls or doing circuit work " isn't this what Athletics is all about, work and enjoyment". When the session was finished some athletes wanted to continue to try out various events such as long and high jump which is very encouraging! Thank you to all the athletes who attended the sessions in Dublin and Tullamore, and to the many Coaches who gave of their time to ensure the success of the sessions. Ulster/NIAF Regional Development Squad Days One hundred and thirty of Ulster’s top young athletes came together on Sat 20th and Sun 21st Oct. for the first get together of the recently formed Ulster/N.I.A.F. Development Squad. Athletes in the u14 to u18 age bracket who had shown a high level of performance in the last 12 months were invited to attend along with their club or school coaches. On Saturday the Sth/South West Squad, drawn from counties Fermanagh, Monaghan, Cavan and Armagh assembled at Beechill College, Monaghan while the North West group drawn from counties Derry, Tyrone and Donegal came to the well appointed Finn Valley Centre in Stranorlar on Sunday. Welcoming seventy five athletes to the North West Squad day at the Finn Valley Centre Eamon Harvey again highlighted the aims of the Squad days ‘to compliment the coaching you are receiving within your schools/clubs and to help you and your coach achieve your short term goals’ He extended a special welcome to N.I.A.F. Development Officer Aileen Morrison, to all the event specific coaches –in particular Hammer Coach Paddy Kelly for traveling such a long distance to support the venture. In conclusion, International athlete, Emily Maher, in an inspirational talk outlined her introduction, development and competition background –from winning double gold at the Youth Olympics in Moscow to the Sydney Olympics of 2000, to her ambitions to compete in Beijing 2008. Olympic Team Manager Patsy McGonagle, Chaired this session which included lots of questions from the young athletes, parents and personal coaches. Shercock, Sat 1st Dec, and Finn Valley, Sun 2nd Dec were the venues for the 2nd series of Ulster/N.I.A.F. squad sessions. Fifty eight invited young athletes from Armagh, Fermanagh, Cavan and Monaghan assembled at Shercock Athletics Club well appointed facility on Saturday morning. The weather was kind for the event specific section when expert coaching was delivered in Sprints, Middle Distance, Walks, High and Long Jump and Javelin, Hammer and Shot. As the conditions deteriorated all moved inside and a specific conditioning session was explained and led by Coaches John McGeever, Hugh Fitzpatrick and Eamon Harvey. The importance and benefits of using Medicine Ball work, Hurdles Drills and Core work to supplement the overall training/conditioning programme of the young athlete was enthusiastically received by athletes, personal coaches [19 present] and parents. On Sunday sixty invited athletes from Derry, Tyrone and Donegal braved the storms, which had 20 meter waves recorded off the Donegal coast, to be present for a 10.30am start at the Finn Valley Centre. The weather dictated that the event specific coaching part of the day had to be cancelled. However plan B, thanks to the creativeness of the coaches and a spacious indoor facility, was well received by all. Coaches Michael Black and Tony Robinson explained and led an extensive dynamic 30 minutes warm up which was followed by event specific conditioning group work which included Medicine Ball work, Hurdle Drills, Plyometrics and Core work. The young athletes spent 20 minutes in each group and all expressed satisfaction at the conclusion. Dates and venues for the 2008 sessions will be announced shortly and the athletes and their personal coaches notified. A sincere thanks to athletes, coaches and clubs/schools for enthusiastically embracing and supporting the 2007 sessions and to the squad coaches for insuring that the coaching content and delivery was so well received. 
