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Galway's Rowing Glory!

TEAMS and players who enjoy major success on a regular basis would appear to have it all, but one thing they can never appreciate is the sheer euphoria attached to a club winning something which they have strived for decades to achieve.

It was apparent when the Republic of Ireland qualified for the World Cup, when Galway hurlers won the All-Ireland in 1980 and when Galway United won the FAI Cup two years ago.

The ecstasy associated with such successes is one of the greatest joys in sport and so it was at the weekend when Galway Rowing Club captured the Irish Senior Championship for the first time since the club was formed in 1910.

It was an achievement which the club have been striving for over eighty years to attain and one which, apart from a close effort in 1974, was always outside their scope.

But this season was different. Five oarsmen - Luke Nolan, Tom Elwwod, Kevin Garvey, Sean Heaney and Malcolm Hosty - joined the club having tasted senior glory with UCG in 1991 with Nolan, Garvey and Hosty having also been on the victorious UCG '88 crew.

The Elite crew was completed by Adrian McCallion, Conor Moloney, Vincent Breen and cox Martin Forde. They were the nine chosen during the season after the club had initially put two eights crews on the water.

Training under the guidance of Mike Hackett and his assistant Myley McGrath began in October and from then to last weekend's finals the crew trained over 300 times.

Over 300 training sessions for a race that lasted little over five minutes clearly puts into perspective the amount of dedication required to succeed at the highest level in Irish rowing.

The crew trained five nights a week in the gym for the first four months and took to the water twice on Saturdays and once on Sundays.

The early season training centred around weights training in the gym and long-distance running... usually about an hour a night...as well as gruelling hill running.

Towards the end of January the crew were able to take to the water for short periods in the evenings (with the help of a bicycle light on the front of the boat!) before the Head season began.

By April it was time for speed work in the water with the crew usually putting in around eight training sessions a week.
"We were improving all year. We were getting faster all the time. We rowed well in Henley without winning and we went into the finals knowing we had a great chance.
"But while the training deserved success, you don't win unless you perform on the day. When we won it was a case of relief first before the elation took over. We have now broken the barrier," said coach Mike Hackett.

GRC went into the National Championships as favourites to win the Elite V111, a tag which was earned after several splendid regatta performances around the country all season.

But it was also apparent from the outset that this was going to be one of the most open finals in years with Neptune, Belfast, Trinity and a composite from Cork/Clonmel/Shannon all in line for the title.

The draw for the two semi-final heats threw up a dramatic selection with four of the top five crews being drawn in the same heat and only three could qualify for the final.

And what a race the heat turned out to be. GRC, stroking 47 at the start, build up a lead of a canvas after 300 metres and after levelling out at a rate of 37 just one boat length separated the four leading boats at the halfway stage.

But GRC always held the edge and were never really in danger of losing the race. In the end they had half a length lead from Neptune with just a canvas separating Belfast from composite Cork/Clonmel/Shannon boat.

That heat win gave GRC the prime station in the middle of the course for the final with Tribesmen, Trinity, Neptune, Belfast and UCD spread either side of them.

The moment of truth had arrived for Galway Rowing Club. A club which had waited over eighty years were now just over five minutes away from becoming the best in the country.

It was a challenge that was met head-on and within 100 metres it was obvious that Galway were going to win the Irish Challenge Cup.

Galway's position in the middle of the course allowed them keep a close eye on all that was happening and with stroke Malcolm Hosty using all of his vast experience, GRC commanded the race from start to finish.

A 20 stroke spurt at 500 metres gave them a three-quarters length lead over Belfast and at the halfway stage they still maintained that lead, although Neptune had pulled level with Belfast by that stage.

GRC came in with a length and a half to spare over Neptune in a very fast time of 5:35, four seconds clear of their arch Dublin rivals with Belfast a canvas behind in third place.

Their success has now seen them elevated to represent Ireland in the Home Countries championships in Strathcyde in Scotland when they will contest the final against England, Scotland and Wales.

And also on the international front, Sean Heaney has been selected to attend a two week training camp in Sweden. Six oarsmen from around the country have been selected with four of them to be picked to contest the World Championships in September.

The international selections are highly appropriate, coming at the end of the most glorious week in Galway Rowing Club's illustrious history.
