Rower's death should make safety first concern

ROWING: Rowing people will have felt a shiver in recent days, and not just because of the cold winds. The death of a young rower in Reading in England arouses feelings of sympathy for those close to him, but also prompts everyone in the sport to question the systems and procedures at their own club or rowing event.

It is not a requirement that every club have a safety officer, but should it be? Does every participant, no matter how young, know instinctively that the first thought on a capsize should be to stay with the boat? How many have access to training boats before they step into racing craft? And isn't it odd that the very exposed banks of many rowing rivers, including the Liffey at Islandbridge, do not have huge signs laying down basic safety requirements and good practice?

The Irish Amateur Rowing Union has run some courses on safety but they have not been well supported. Work in this area will not grab headlines or provoke much comment, but it is more vital than a lot of the more eye-catching aspects of the sport.

There will be comment aplenty about some of the other aspects of the sport here which are emerging just now. In the run-up to tomorrow week's e.g.m. of the IARU, which will likely give approval to a club levy which is almost twice the present figure (€500 as opposed to €254), it has emerged that the IARU spent €27,000 (gross) on last year's National Championships - and that its annual payment to Coillte just to gain admittance to the National Rowing Centre is 13,000.

Such figures have caused rumbles of discontent at club level, not least in Dublin, where many see the National Rowing Centre as not worth the cost. "It's a white elephant," says Mick Desmond, the captain of Commercial.

Desmond is highly critical of the IARU, and says it is "ridiculous" to be expecting clubs to "bail out" the union given some of the costs incurred.

Frank Durkin, the president of the IARU, says that the union has actually budgeted to avoid big debts in the year just past, raising more from athletes at international events, for example.

At the NRC the plan is to open a separate entrance, which should get around the strange situation where spectators at a sporting event pay (the already well-funded) Coillte. "Then we'll be able to set our own charges!" adds Durkin.

Clubs expect services from the union, yet these can only be provided if the base - the club - is prepared to provide funds, Durkin says.

Even without the issue of funding, the e.g.m. will provide plenty of gristle to chew on. Some of the rule changes will come into play immediately, but since the season has already begun, new rules which pertain to competition will generally apply from the beginning of next year.

The e.g.m. will also feature the annual awards, which will be presented this year by John Treacy of the Irish Sports Council. The recipients are - Senior Men: the Ireland lightweight four which reached the Olympic final; Senior Women: Sinéad Jennings, fourth in a World Championship final; Junior Men: The coxed four which won gold and silver at the Coupe de la Jeunesse; Junior Women: Orla Hayes, who won two golds at the Coupe. Veteran: John O'Keeffe, World Veteran champion. Coach of the Year: Tom Tuohy of NUIG, the dominant club domestically.

There will also be a president's award and provincial council presentations.

The new Ireland head coach, Harald Jahrling, will be a well-travelled man over the next few days. He is set to meet some of the country's top juniors at a camp in Galway today, which due to the wind looks likely to be an indoor event.

Tomorrow brings a meeting in Dublin with the board of the IARU, and on Monday and Tuesday he will be in Cork, where he will visit the National Rowing Centre.