Ranting and raving...am I off base?

Ed Healey

I posted this to the other board, but thought that it may be of interest here as well. Just my take on things...:

I find the attitude of most posters here to be so incredibly negative that I doubt thay even enjoy athletics.

It appears that few even followed the recent competitions. There certainly was very little informed discussion with regard to it anyway.

Why pick on the throwers? They are already neglected by the AAI, NCTC, UL, UCD and the various county councils. I just don't understand why other "athletes" would be so vitriolic in their condemnation of superior athletes.

There are questions to be asked for sure, but why knock the athletes who did their best to represent Ireland, especially those part-timers who had to take holiday time from their jobs for the privilige of representing their country?

Question, instead, the lack of access to existing throws training facilities in Dublin that no doubt contributes to our lack of depth. The facilities are good enough, the athletes just can't use them!

The fact that when Paddy McGrath came home, he was denied access to the only facility near his home, Santry, and forced to travel a good distance to throw on a sompletely substandard circle at Gormanston.

A great guy and a quality athlete, better than any current British hammer thrower and now throwing for the USA. a great loss to Irish athletics.

University of Limerick, home of the NCTC, supposedly our centre for athletic sxcellence, where even student athletes are not allowed to throw! Absolutely farcical! Where even in a recent competition, the throwers were not allowed to take the traditional amount of throws and were limited in number. A place where an Irish record holder and student was not allowed to take more than 25 throws per week, and that after negotiation! At a time when she should have been taking maybe triple that number daily!

Athletic experts my arse!

Luxembourg, a country with a smaller population than Dublin, better caters to its throwers, and it is a country with no real tradition in the throws.

I invite anyone to travel to any other European country and have a look at what is available to throwers.

Terry, John, Eoin, Mark, Jennifer, Eileen and Geraldine did their best.

I suggest that we support them and the coming generations of Irish throwers, and see that the current situation is rectified so that we keep the athletes we have and are able to recruit new blood to a seriously neglected facet of Irish athletics.

And please, less of the begrudgery and gratuitous insults. A bit of good natured banter is fine, but a certain amount of respect is due as well.

And take some interest in the sport. Enjoy it! It is a sport for everone...

Dan Kavanagh

Ed,

I thoroughly agree with you. Well said. Some of the posters interestingly didn't even appear to know that Alekna, the Lithuanian, is currently the olympic champion. As one whose main involvement is coaching a range of track events from 100m up to 800m, and, to be honest, would not have much general interest in throwing events, even I knew that.

One of the big disappointments to me with regard to posters on other boards is their failure to appreciate that athletics is a very multi faceted sport ranging from running (sprints/middle distance/long distance (track), long distance (road/cross-country), to race walkers, throwers and jumpers.

Whereas my very busy schedule does not allow me to take much interest in other disciplines in the sport, I recognise that each other discipline carries the same importance and relevance to the ones I'm involved in.

I have a view that there is nothing that some of the 'powers that be' like nothing better than to see us all at each others throats rather than joining together to defend our sport. Thus when something like the inclusion of race walking in the olympics is threatened it behoves the rest of us to speak out in its defence. Similarly when field events are reduced to 4 efforts we should be up in arms. The people who make these rules are pushing the boat out to see what they can get away with - in order to make money from TV, sponsorship etc. by putting on meets where only 'attractive' events are staged. Notice many Grand Prix/televised meets with 10,000m races these days.?

I would call on all genuine supporters of athletics to unify in defence of our sport and less of the namecalling of disciplines we are not involved in ourselves. Like Tim, Leo and others I too have now stopped posting on the other Board - although I see another person with my christian name now makes the odd post.

Ed Healey

Thanks Dan,

Athletics is almost naturally a fractious sport. Divide and conquer has always been a great tactic, well used by Primo Nebiolo and his acolytes. All I look for is an honest discuassion of athletics, not a slagging match. There are problems across the board that need attention and I don't wish to appear to promote the trows above any other event. The technical events do require a greater infrastructure than distance running for instance.

Pole vaulters need a runway and pit. High jumpers an apron and pit. Throwers a circle or runway, and naturally enough, a pitch onto which to throw.

These needs are addresed the world over, but for some reason, the Irish seem to ignore them. And it shows. How many world class jumpers, vaulters and throwers have we on our books at the moment?

It is not rocket science!

You are right. We all need to pull together or else we'll have made for TV sprints with little else.

Ed

MartinNutty

I'm always perplexed by the hostility of certain athletes to events other then those they compete in. One of the great things about athletics is the amount of activity at a meet.

Athletics is really made for ADD types allowing the spectator to watch track and field events simultaneously. However If you're going to watch both, you need to be educated enough to understand what a good throw, jump or split is.

Time to get educated and be supportive of your fellow athletes. If the sport is to move forward, its the only way.

Martin

Original Liam

Although I haven't been yet this year, I hear the Dublin Graded Meetings are going very well with over 200 competitors competing on Wednesday in a limited programme. The coaching sessions appear to be getting a good response. Any feedback ?

Liam;)