ROWING Rowing is indeed a countrywide sport, as developments over the next few weeks will attest. Tomorrow the Lagan head of the river in Belfast will see a record entry of 790 competitors take to the water while in the weeks ahead the ongoing work at the National Rowing Centre in Inniscarra in Cork is due to reach a crucial stage with work on the slips.
By Liam Gorman
"We would hope to have a full-time squad operating out of the rowing centre by mid-April," says Mick O'Callaghan, the international team manager. The executive of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union will vote on the nominee for chief coach next Thursday, and his activities should be based in Inniscarra.
The 5,000-metre trials last weekend, scheduled for the venue, were cancelled due to bad weather. Athletes wishing to be considered for international selection are being asked to compete at Cork head of the river next weekend or the Tribesmen head in Galway on March 16th.
Back in Belfast tomorrow a Lady Victoria/Queen's/Belfast RC composite, which could provide the genesis of a Northern Ireland crew for the Commonwealth Games in August, takes on two crews from Neptune, one each from Garda, Queen's and UCD and two Lady Elizabeth/Trinity composites.
