McElroy awaits funding approval for programme

ROWING:HE'S WON Britain's top award for a coach, the Mussabini medal, and guided a Britain eight to an Olympic gold, but right now the performance director for rowing in Ireland, Martin McElroy, is playing the waiting game.

Applications for the five coaching jobs are being processed by Rowing Ireland, but until the Sports Council knows the full extent of its own funding, McElroy cannot definitively plan his programme or employ staff.

The Galway man, despite having spent much of his life outside Ireland, knows the Taoiseach. Both went to the Cistercian College in Roscrea. However, McElroy is not about to lift the phone to an old school-mate. “I think he might have other things to think about,” he quipped.

Today is the closing day for submission of applications for the athlete carding schemes. It is understood Sinead Jennings should be on board. She has been linked with a move to cycling under the talent transfer scheme.

McElroy is the star attraction of Sunday’s coaching conference at the Red Cow, which looks set to draw a full house. The programme of talks begin at 9.15am.

The recent five-kilometre ergometer test confirmed the potential of Lisa Dilleen, but also 17-year-old Mike McEnry of Muckross. Sanita Puspure was the fastest woman, but the Latvian is not qualified to row for Ireland.

The Dublin Head of the River has been set for February 14th.

The crew of La Mondiale, the rowing boat which had to abandon its Atlantic crossing last week, reached dry land on Wednesday. A launch took the crew from the Island Ranger, the ship which picked them up en route to Italy, to Algeciras in Spain.