Rowers catch the eye at Irish trials
Published 16 Feb 2012 13:00
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This weekend saw the second set of trials for the Irish rowing crew being held in Newry. Five athletes from the Boat Club at Portora Royal School made the journey up from Enniskillen and were to prove a force to be reckoned with across the weekend.
There were two trials, the first was a 2k test on the ergometers on Saturday and the next day was a 6k test out on the water. Saturday was a day of great success for the five rowers. Henry Millar topped the J18s with a great display of power which resulted in a personal best for him, of 6.19. Lloyd Seaman, also in the J18 category, put in a great performance to land just outside the top ten, and remains very much in contention for selection. Gary Thorton in the same section, pulled his way to a personal best of 6.39. In the women's J18 section, Katie Cromie put on an impressive display, which would see her also pull a personal best time of 7.09, landing her in second place.
Sunday saw the competition move out onto the water. Millar and Seaman showed that although individually they are strong, working together they are even harder to beat, as they won the junior boys pair by 18 seconds. Cromie continued to dominate in the junior girls, coming third in the sculls, coming only two seconds behind last year's Irish champion. Phoebe Mulligan and Thorton came 13th and 16th, respectively, and their displays of technique and power in the water make them very promising prospects for selection for the Irish team. Holly Nixon and Joe Nelson were both out of these trials due to injury and sickness, but should be back on flying form in time for the last selection process, which all seven can look forward to, having put in a massive effort at training all year.
These seven athletes have proven themselves in competitions time and again, and have shown what dedication and hard work can achieve. The bar has been set to a very high standard at the boat club this year, and as a number of these rowers move on to university in September, they will be handing down a challenge to the younger members of the club, to reach and compete at the highest levels, which these young athletes have accomplished, and which they continue to do, with great success.
This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 16 Feb 12
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