130 of Ulster’s top young athletes came together on Saturday and Sunday last, October 20th and 21st 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 South/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/L/Derry, Tyrone and Donegal came to the Finn Valley Centre. 
Athletics Ireland Regional Development Officer, Eamon Harvey, at the opening of the Monaghan session indicated that "Squad days are intended to bring athletes and their coaches together with their peers in a squad environment, to provide a focus for the athletes as they progress through the age groups, to supplement their existing club/school training programs, and offer coach and athlete alike the opportunity to benefit from the differing experiences and knowledge of a variety of established coaches." 
Monaghan - Saturday October 20th Following brief introductions the fifty five young athletes selected a specific event and worked with the following experienced coaches for ninety minutes -- Paul McNamara, Middle Distance; Francis Shaw, Sprints; David Doherty, High Jump; John McKeever, Long Jump; Hugh Fitzpatrick, Throws and Eamon Harvey, Hurdles. Personal coaches also assisted. The day concluded with a presentation/Q and A session led by Eamon Harvey on the importance of the club/school coach in the ongoing development of the young athlete. 
Finn Valley - Sunday October 21st 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 complement 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 who traveled such a long distance. 
The event specific sessions were very well received. Following this, 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 and from personal coaches. 
Initial feedback from athletes, coaches and parents in attendance in Monaghan and Finn valley has been very positive which is highly encouraging for the future and ongoing success of these Regional Squads. The next Ulster/N.I.A.F. Regional Dev Squad days will be held in Shercock on Saturday 1st Dec -10.30am -1.30pm; Templemore, Derry on Sunday 18th Nov. 2-4pm; and Letterkenny New Track Sunday 2nd Dec 10.30am -1.30pm. Details of all Squads www.athleticsireland.ie. Details of Ulster/NIAF Squads www.niathletics.orgwww.ulsterathletics.com Eamon Harvey, Athletics Ireland RDO: eamon@athleticsireland.ie Jackie McKernan, N.I.A.F. Coaching and Development: jackie@niathletics.org
On Saturday the South/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/L/Derry, Tyrone and Donegal came to the Finn Valley Centre. Athletics Ireland Regional Development Officer, Eamon Harvey, at the opening of the Monaghan session indicated that "Squad days are intended to bring athletes and their coaches together with their peers in a squad environment, to provide a focus for the athletes as they progress through the age groups, to supplement their existing club/school training programs, and offer coach and athlete alike the opportunity to benefit from the differing experiences and knowledge of a variety of established coaches." Monaghan - Saturday October 20th Following brief introductions the fifty five young athletes selected a specific event and worked with the following experienced coaches for ninety minutes -- Paul McNamara, Middle Distance; Francis Shaw, Sprints; David Doherty, High Jump; John McKeever, Long Jump; Hugh Fitzpatrick, Throws and Eamon Harvey, Hurdles. Personal coaches also assisted. The day concluded with a presentation/Q and A session led by Eamon Harvey on the importance of the club/school coach in the ongoing development of the young athlete. Finn Valley - Sunday October 21st 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 complement 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 who traveled such a long distance. The event specific sessions were very well received. Following this, 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 and from personal coaches. Initial feedback from athletes, coaches and parents in attendance in Monaghan and Finn valley has been very positive which is highly encouraging for the future and ongoing success of these Regional Squads. The next Ulster/N.I.A.F. Regional Dev Squad days will be held in Shercock on Saturday 1st Dec -10.30am -1.30pm; Templemore, Derry on Sunday 18th Nov. 2-4pm; and Letterkenny New Track Sunday 2nd Dec 10.30am -1.30pm. Details of all Squads www.athleticsireland.ie. Details of Ulster/NIAF Squads www.niathletics.orgwww.ulsterathletics.com Eamon Harvey, Athletics Ireland RDO: eamon@athleticsireland.ie Jackie McKernan, N.I.A.F. Coaching and Development: jackie@niathletics.org 
