A good read about Talent spotting in ireland

average_runner

A good read:

https://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/athletics/talentspotting-efforts-unearth-future-stars-of-irish-sprinting-36558908.html

walshb

Really good initiative.

Bernard Ibirogba doesn't sound "typically" Irish.

Black child? As in African origin?

Before anyone jumps in taking offence. It's just a question....

It would make sense, as black people are the best/fastest sprinters on earth.

Edit: His parents are Nigerian and moved to Ireland 17 years ago.

Coffee Fulled Runner

Dermot is unreal. The amount of drive and work he puts in is something else. I'm lucky to have him as my coach but I think he'll move on to bigger things in the future.

Testosterscone

Coffee Fulled Runner wrote: »

Dermot is unreal. The amount of drive and work he puts in is something else. I'm lucky to have him as my coach but I think he'll move on to bigger things in the future.

Don't think it will be with AAI anyway. Was a great inititative and great to see him getting the backing and support he deserves.

Interestingly last year's winner was actually coached by a marathon runner and had never gone near blocks till the week of the race (ran without due to lack of practice)

Didn't AAI attempt to copy this model with the Bank of Ireland Initiative that Gillick was involved in? Don't remember hearing anything beyond the initial press release.

happygoose

Gillick tweeted this weekend about the success of Lizzy Yarnold and Laura Deas in Pyeongchang, they both came through the UK sport funded Girls 4 Gold talent ID programme. It's rolled out across a range of sports for young athletes from the age of 15 upwards.

There's obvious merit in these programmes for athletes of these ages. Athletics can tap into the huge amounts of teens taking part in other sports like rugby, GAA and soccer with success.

Are programmes like this it the responsibility of Sport Ireland or NGB's? I dunno. There may be something in the strategy statements of AAI about it, or perhaps not. Most athletic clubs have an egg timer demographic and you would imagine that any efforts to get athletes into the sport in the 15-25 would yield greatest results at the performance end of the sport.

If Sport Ireland / NGB's don't take responsibility it's left to clubs to decide how best to access this cohort.

YFlyer

walshb wrote: »

Really good initiative.

Bernard Ibirogba doesn't sound "typically" Irish.

Black child? As in African origin?

Before anyone jumps in taking offence. It's just a question....

It would make sense, as black people are the best/fastest sprinters on earth.

Edit: His parents are Nigerian and moved to Ireland 17 years ago.

Was he born in Ireland or from an Irish parent?

Safiri

It's the schools that are the secret, it always has and always will be. Look at the successful countries worldwide and the trend is obvious. St. Patrick's in Kenya, the Japanese high school system, Sentayehu the gym teacher in Bekoji, the American school system and the Catholic church in 20th century Ireland.

Clubs are there for people who already have built the interest; school is where athletics interest can be created.

walshb

YFlyer wrote: »

Was he born in Ireland or from an Irish parent?

Think he was born here. Parents are Nigerian and they came here from Nigeria several years ago.