Triathlon Ireland Bulletin

Please see below for more news from TI

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Triathlon Ireland eBulletin – 17/01/10

Just over two weeks into the new year and I wonder how many well intentioned resolutions are still intact. 2010 promises to be massive for triathlon in Ireland with more events than ever, and the hosting of the European Championships in Athlone in July. Hopefully there will be something on the calendar for everyone interested in our sport, regardless of location or ability.

In order to get a strong organizational structure to ensure that 2010 runs smoothly, we’ll be hosting our Annual General Meeting on 30th January. We thought that it would therefore be appropriate to provide some early information as to the business of the day and the full AGM booklet will be available on the TI website four or five days prior to the meeting. Nominations close this Friday and it will take a further couple of days to then finalise the booklet.


Nominations received to date:

President - Mark Riseley (proposed – Brian Heffernan, seconded – Thomas Duffy)

Secretary - Conal Heatley (proposed – Peter Jack, seconded – Hugh McAtamney)

Treasurer - Matt Coughlan (proposed – Peter Coughlan, seconded – John Walnutt)


Three of the provincial representatives will also require ratification following their previous co-option by the board. Tommy Linton was elected at the Ulster branch AGM but the other provinces have not had similar meetings. Eidin Christie has been representing Munster for some time now and Karl McCann (Leinster) and Tony Daley (Connaught) have also agreed to offer their services. For the first time in a number of years, this will provide Triathlon Ireland with a fully constituted board approved by the membership.

The AGM will also see the usual reports being presented by the office bearers and the discussion of any motions that are submitted. To date, two have been drafted by the board. The first of which calls for an EGM to be held in May, the second looks at permanently changing the date of future AGMs.





Triathlon Ireland eBulletin – 17/01/10

The May EGM (possibly Saturday 8th) will allow the finances for 2009 to be presented and voted upon. This will then bring all accounts up to date. Unfortunately, due to the historic January AGM date, there has never been time to finalise accounts and present immediately, leading to our current situation whereby the accounts presented each year are actually 13 months old. The EGM will also see a new Constitution being offered to the membership for approval. The current document is dated and is not suitable for a modern governing body. Following legal advice, and with input from the sports councils and our membership, a new Constitution will be drafted and presented to members in each of the provinces prior to the EGM.

The second motion will look to permanently rectify the presentation of accounts issue by moving the AGM date. If the annual meeting is held in March or April each year, sufficient time will be available to finalise accounts and have them audited. The closing date for any additional motions is also Friday 22nd January.

Tickets for the Annual Awards Dinner are now available by ‘phoning the Triathlon Ireland office on 01 276 4934. This black tie affair will take place in the O’Callaghan Davenport Hotel, Merrion Square, Dublin following the AGM. Full details are on the website.



Yours in Sport


Conal Heatley
Secretary, Triathlon Ireland
secretary@triathlonireland.com
Tel: 00353 83 374 6607

Please see below for Bulletin from Triathlon Ireland. Here you will find AGM details and changes to the committee of TI.

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Triathlon Ireland eBulletin – 21/12/09

As part of the continuing developments within Triathlon Ireland, we are pleased to announce that the appointment of the organisation’s first ever Chief Executive Officer has been finalised. This recruitment process has taken several months and has involved a number of parties who brought their expertise to the table.


The short listing and interview panel consisted of Marie Ahern from the Irish Sports Council, Norma Bowman from SportNI, former TI President Hugh McAtamney representing the wider membership and myself representing the board. We were also able to call upon specific HR and legal advice from the sports councils. My thanks go out to all those who assisted.


The successful candidate is Mr. Matt McKerrow, who will join us from the Australian Sports Commission where he was employed as a senior consultant within their Innovation and Best Practice Department. His role there involved providing advice and support to a wide range of governing bodies, including Triathlon Australia. This broad spectrum of knowledge will now be applied within TI as we move towards a more professional structure suitable for a modern NGB.


Matt will start with us as soon as the relevant paperwork is completed and will hopefully be in post by the AGM on 30th January. He will have responsibility for the day to day running of the organisation and will manage the existing staff. The CEO will report to the board which will retain responsibility for the strategic direction that is to be followed.


The board itself has seen a number of changes recently and we can welcome Matt Coughlan on board as Treasurer, Eidin Christie as a Munster representative and Tommy Linton as the Ulster rep. Eidin and Tommy are replacing Eamonn Horgan and Oliver Harkin who have ‘served their time’. And after several years in the post, Jag Gunawardana has decided to stand down as President. A replacement will not be co-opted as we feel that this post-holder should always be elected by the membership.


Jag has overseen some significant changes within Triathlon Ireland during these years and will continue to provide assistance as required. He has dedicated many long hours during this transition period and has worked tirelessly for the good of our sport. Jag has recently been prioritising his TI involvement, to the detriment of other projects which he wishes to pursue. We wish him every success as he now takes up another challenge.



Triathlon Ireland eBulletin – 21/12/09

Our thanks go out to Jag, Eamonn, Oliver and all the other members who have previously served on the board. Their involvement has been critical in making triathlon the fastest growing sport in Ireland. With a professional structure in place handling the daily workload, the board will now be able to concentrate on ensuring that strategic goals are set that reflect the wishes and needs of the membership.


As mentioned above, the 2010 AGM will be held on Saturday 30th January. The meeting will start at 11:00am in Jury’s Inn, Custom House Quay, Dublin. Please regard this as official notice. A call for motions and nominations for executive board positions will be published on the website over the coming days and a comprehensive agenda and AGM booklet will be made available several days prior to the meeting. Any provincial representatives who have been previously co-opted onto the board will also seek ratification by the members. This will ensure that the board carries a strong mandate and is representative of the membership.


Following the AGM, we will be hosting the Annual Awards Dinner. This black tie affair will be an opportunity to dump the lycra and slip into something more formal. A chance to swap bike bottle for beer bottle but hopefully we’ll not all need to reach for a Kinetica recovery drink next morning. On a more serious note it is an occasion when so many of our age-groupers can take centre stage after their exploits during the 2009 National Series and National Championship races. They have worked hard and deserve credit for their achievements. Tickets will be available soon, again through the TI website.


As 2009 now draws to a close, on behalf of the board and staff of Triathlon Ireland, I would like to wish you a very Happy Christmas and a safe and enjoyable New Year. See you on a start line in 2010!!


Yours in Sport


Conal Heatley
Secretary, Triathlon Ireland
secretary@triathlonireland.com
Tel: 00353 83 374 6607

Please see below for the latest Bulletin from Triathlon Ireland:


Triathlon Ireland eBulletin – 21/11/09

Winter may have taken a firm grip across the country and floods may have played havoc with your biking plans this weekend, but the work has been continuing within Triathlon Ireland. The provisional race calendar for 2010 has been published on the website, although changes will continue to be made for several weeks yet. The final calendar will be confirmed around the turn of the year. A number of new events have been included and these will require additional support from TI officials as they prepare for their inaugural event. We extend a welcome to the new races and wish all race organisers success for 2010.


One of the administrative successes of 2009 has been the timely return of paperwork, results and One Day Licence money from the vast majority of events. Our thanks go to all those who assisted. I know it can be a pain at times when you’re queuing to register rather than spending time posing with your new bike in transition, but these ‘Sign On’ sheets are critical for your safety when racing. They help to ensure that insurance regulations are met and allow the Technical Official and Referee to issue a race permit, confident that the organiser has complied with safety guidelines. Your safety when racing is of paramount importance.


There are a tiny number of events who have not played ball and have withheld paperwork or ODL money. These races will not be sanctioned by Triathlon Ireland until they comply with regulations. They will not have approved safety plans or be insured by us and competitors may want to check the level of any alternative cover being offered. Your views on this matter are most welcome.

Membership for 2010 is available through the website, and makes a perfect Christmas present for someone! Who said romance is dead??

The last few weeks have witnessed two very different events being held by TI. The latest Talent ID day was held at the end of October and incorporated re-testing of those juniors who are already on the program. It was great to see a dedicated team of coaches, working under the direction of Chris Jones, put a large group of young athletes through their paces. Following the swim time trial, athletes and parents were given a presentation on the realities of performance sport. No punches were pulled and all present were given an insight to the sacrifices required to reach the pinnacle in sport. The current junior squad members were kitted out in TI gear, presenting a very professional image. We’ll continue to keep tabs on the development of this squad during 2010.

The second event was classroom based; well lecture theatre actually, in UCD as the National Coaching Conference took place. Over sixty members signed on for an enlightening day with some dynamic speakers. First up was Tristan Collins from Performance Impact who talked about developing and managing a coaching team. We’d all like to call upon the best physios, nutritionists, lunch makers, bag carriers etc, but Tristan emphasised the need to identify specific requirements and address them accordingly using available resources. As a coach, control the resources and don’t let them control you.


The middle part of the day gave an insight to the specialist assistance which is available and may be called upon. For the vast majority of us, significant improvements can be made pretty easily. Work on body position in the water and stop trying to beat it up! Lose a few kilos and you’ll go faster on the bike. Exercise consistently and steadily, stay injury free and your running will improve. Add that to a healthier diet with more sleep, knock the booze on the head and hey presto – we’ve all improved. But still, most of us tend to operate at about 60-70% of potential.


Elite athletes have already made these lifestyle changes and show incredible dedication. They may be operating at 95% of potential and find it difficult to squeeze out that extra few percent which can make such a difference. This is when the coach draws upon specialist services such as those provided to Triathlon Ireland by the Sports Institute of Northern Ireland. Presentations were made by Michael Johnson and Declan Gamble, Head of Strength & Conditioning and Physiology respectively. The two guys showed how immensely technical things can get. It was an eye opener, but it has hopefully sparked an interest in those present. Coaching courses will be organised during 2010, but in the meantime, the advice was to get active in coaching and gain experience from those around you.


The last speaker was Darren Smith, the Australian coach of a number of top international triathletes including Lisa Norden and Daniela Ryf. Darren outlined how a coach needs to create a suitable environment for an athlete to prosper and how that environment will differ from one person to the next. This can be witnessed at just about every club training session across the country. It is the coach’s impossible job - to keep all of the people happy, all of the time, while still improving performance. Tough one. On behalf of TI, Chris Jones thanked all the speakers and those in attendance.


Congratulations go to all the Irish athletes who competed in the recent Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Florida. Pride of place goes to Olympian’s Dessie McHenry who ran a 1:33 half marathon to make up a five minute deficit and win his age group. We’ll have at least one more bulletin circulated before Christmas but in the meantime, stay safe on the roads.


Yours in Sport


Conal Heatley
Secretary, Triathlon Ireland
secretary@triathlonireland.com
Tel: 00353 83 374 6607

Please see below for bulletin from Triathlon Ireland:

Triathlon Ireland eBulletin – 14/09/09


Welcome to the first of our eBulletins which are intended to keep the wider membership better informed of what actually takes place within Triathlon Ireland. This method of communication was suggested back in February at the AGM and at last we are able to fulfil a promise. My apologies for the delay, but a simple lack of time has been the reason. Which brings me nicely onto the main theme of this particular missive.


Triathlon has been experiencing incredible changes across the country over the last few years, with more races than ever before and an ever growing number of participants. To date, your sport has been organised at national level by a very small team of volunteers and just the over worked Amanda running the office. Yet members of TI expect, quite rightly, for races to be insured and sanctioned with proper officials in place, race results to be made available within hours of their finish, membership queries to be answered, National Series points to be awarded, international selections to be made, coaches to be trained, child protection policies to be put in place, elite athletes to be identified and nurtured etc. etc.. This is hard bloody work.


But we’re hopefully seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Triathlon is now a sport which is recognised and funded by the sports councils on both sides of the border. This funding is allowing us to put in place a professional structure, in line with other Olympic sports. But funding also brings responsibility, and we are expected to increase the accessibility of the sport and involve more women, juniors and those with disabilities at all levels, from club to international. Two important steps in this process are the appointments of a Performance Director (P/T) and a Chief Executive Officer. Interviews have already taken place for the Performance Director post and short listing is under way for the CEO role.


As a funded sport, all appointments are overseen by both the Irish Sports Council and SportNI. Representatives of both bodies approve all job specifications and sit on interview panels. Their HR guidance is invaluable.


Hopefully this has provided a little insight into the workings of Triathlon Ireland. I will endeavour to supply regular eBulletins over the coming weeks and months, so if there are any particular topics you would like covered, drop me an email and I’ll try to oblige.


Yours in Sport

Conal Heatley
Secretary, Triathlon Ireland
secretary@triathlonireland.com
Tel: 00353 83 374 6607