Some of the banter in the pub, on facebook and by text this week was as good as I’ve seen. Everybody’s adventure to get home was played out in front of a cyber audience. The laughing and joking overwhelmed the worry because we all believed that everybody would get home in time.
The week progressed and the weather persisted which meant ‘Plan B’ became more and more watery. Flights got cancelled and the few remaining seats got booked up. Collins and Kitch made an epic journey from Charlerio to Cherbourg to Wexford and on, by truck, train, tractor, ferry. Others went to Italy to go to Dublin but ended up in London.
Flights that were cancelled were uncancelled. Trains were delayed or rerouted. The snow continued; sometimes in Brussels, sometimes in Dublin and sometimes they just ran out of de-icing fluid. I had one of the smoothest routes via Amsterdam with Sylvia and Sinead as travel companions. In the end, many made it home but many found no way out.
So why did the GAA save Christmas? Well, during the week there were loads of people helping each other out, offering solutions, support and whatever else they could. In most cases, the people interacting know each other only because of the GAA.
Kitch and Collins for example, only know each other because of it. Sylvia, Sinead and myself know each other because of it. Colin, Alec, Shane and their travel crew are linked by it. Plenty more examples. Point is that the journey was made easier and the stress lessened by it.
It will be best understood by those who didn’t make it though. Burkee sent a mail to the GAA list inviting anyone who didn’t get home to join himself and his girlfriend for Christmas dinner. They too were stranded. Johnny O, Denis and I’m guessing Paddy, Eoin and a couple of more joined them.
If the G.A.A. didn’t exist in Belgium, none of these people would know each other and if they did, wouldn’t have a connection strong enough to find each other in that moment of crisis. Knowing that if I was stuck, I would be stuck with a good few others from the club meant that I felt no stress about getting home. By all accounts they had a great day, I’m nearly disappointed I missed it!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Turning The Page
Intense, big ego, too high expectations, doesn’t listen, dictatorial, likes the sound of his own voice etc. I’m sure I’ve been labelled with all those over the last three years. That creates a perception of what I might be like but I’d argue the negative aspects of the traits I mention above do not match reality so much. Mostly the behaviour was with the best of intentions, maybe sometimes even intentional as I tried to craft a credible, organised set-up that attracted players and made sure when they arrived they enjoyed it and stayed. We succeeded and so I don’t regret any of the arguments, decisions or perceptions which may have occurred.
I’m not sure how to describe the experience of the last three years but I can imagine it is similar to raising a child; getting the satisfaction out of seeing it develop but also sharing the pain when things don’t go quite so well. That mean’s stepping back is probably going to be like giving up the child. After a month or so of exchanges; myself, Colin and Eoin sat down in The Oak on Saturday night and agreed that Eoin would take the managerial reigns in 2011.
Eoin and I both share an equal passion for hurling and football but our styles and way of demonstrating it often conflict, which has led to more than one clash over the years. There was a night in 2009 when we clashed at training and he headed for the gate. There was the exchange in Munich where he unloaded a few of his opinions on me and more than one frank email exchange over the years. I’m sure his family have heard what a pr1ck I am on more than one occasion too!
For us to have fallen out long-term would have benefited neither of us nor would it have done the team any good. More than once we had to bite our tongues and get on with it. I appreciated the very direct feedback I’d get from him as he was one of the few to pull me up on things and I needed that. At the beginning of this year, it made sense to ask him to take over as captain, as potentially a volatile combination it could have been. For us to succeed we have to be aligned though and we both realise this.
After mulling it over for six weeks or so he will now take over as manager/coach of the lad’s football. He knows it’s a big ask as the whole thing has grown massively and requires a monumental about of time, commitment and dedication. Already he has ideas on how to manage things better and hopefully they will benefit the whole set-up and drive things on further. Naturally, he can count on my support throughout.
I never expected to be able to get out fully and I’m sure Eoin will use me at different stages of the year. I realise what it takes to keep going and there will probably be days when he needs me to take a session or bounce ideas off me. He’ll be the boss though and I look forward to just being a player. Of course, he has Collie B to work with and he will again be key to making sure we continue to run things in as professional a manner as possible.
Eoin will have his hands full though. As far back as 2001, I was referred to as being ‘militant’ in my approach to an issue with management of one of the teams I played on so I’m sure it is unlikely that I will fade quietly into the background! My main motivation in stepping back is to just enjoy playing without all the burdens of being one of the lads leading the group. We get thrown into coaching roles much younger in Europe then at home and that can rob us of some of the enjoyment from actually playing during our best years. My focus in 2011 will be to get the body right and get back that focused dementia that we had in 2008 back!!
To finish with a final perception, the one which probably gives me the most credit for the growth of football in the club. I recognise my contribution and appreciate that people feel it was valuable even if sometimes it is overstated. Others have made massive contributions and deserve mentioning before I sign off. Conan for his drive and passion to get things going, Emmett for sharing my madness as captain in ’08, Ruairi and particularly Johnny P for making sure the Shield team wasn’t a kiss-me-ass set-up and instead one that could hold their heads high and be respected. Cluxton as captain in 2009, Rochey for being such a big help with training in 2010 and and of course Collie B whose contribution has been stated on many occasions here. One person can’t make this thing tick and Eoin won’t be able to do it on his own. However, if he gets the support I got then I’m sure we will go from strength to strength.
I’m not sure how to describe the experience of the last three years but I can imagine it is similar to raising a child; getting the satisfaction out of seeing it develop but also sharing the pain when things don’t go quite so well. That mean’s stepping back is probably going to be like giving up the child. After a month or so of exchanges; myself, Colin and Eoin sat down in The Oak on Saturday night and agreed that Eoin would take the managerial reigns in 2011.
Eoin and I both share an equal passion for hurling and football but our styles and way of demonstrating it often conflict, which has led to more than one clash over the years. There was a night in 2009 when we clashed at training and he headed for the gate. There was the exchange in Munich where he unloaded a few of his opinions on me and more than one frank email exchange over the years. I’m sure his family have heard what a pr1ck I am on more than one occasion too!
For us to have fallen out long-term would have benefited neither of us nor would it have done the team any good. More than once we had to bite our tongues and get on with it. I appreciated the very direct feedback I’d get from him as he was one of the few to pull me up on things and I needed that. At the beginning of this year, it made sense to ask him to take over as captain, as potentially a volatile combination it could have been. For us to succeed we have to be aligned though and we both realise this.
After mulling it over for six weeks or so he will now take over as manager/coach of the lad’s football. He knows it’s a big ask as the whole thing has grown massively and requires a monumental about of time, commitment and dedication. Already he has ideas on how to manage things better and hopefully they will benefit the whole set-up and drive things on further. Naturally, he can count on my support throughout.
I never expected to be able to get out fully and I’m sure Eoin will use me at different stages of the year. I realise what it takes to keep going and there will probably be days when he needs me to take a session or bounce ideas off me. He’ll be the boss though and I look forward to just being a player. Of course, he has Collie B to work with and he will again be key to making sure we continue to run things in as professional a manner as possible.
Eoin will have his hands full though. As far back as 2001, I was referred to as being ‘militant’ in my approach to an issue with management of one of the teams I played on so I’m sure it is unlikely that I will fade quietly into the background! My main motivation in stepping back is to just enjoy playing without all the burdens of being one of the lads leading the group. We get thrown into coaching roles much younger in Europe then at home and that can rob us of some of the enjoyment from actually playing during our best years. My focus in 2011 will be to get the body right and get back that focused dementia that we had in 2008 back!!
To finish with a final perception, the one which probably gives me the most credit for the growth of football in the club. I recognise my contribution and appreciate that people feel it was valuable even if sometimes it is overstated. Others have made massive contributions and deserve mentioning before I sign off. Conan for his drive and passion to get things going, Emmett for sharing my madness as captain in ’08, Ruairi and particularly Johnny P for making sure the Shield team wasn’t a kiss-me-ass set-up and instead one that could hold their heads high and be respected. Cluxton as captain in 2009, Rochey for being such a big help with training in 2010 and and of course Collie B whose contribution has been stated on many occasions here. One person can’t make this thing tick and Eoin won’t be able to do it on his own. However, if he gets the support I got then I’m sure we will go from strength to strength.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Fitter, Faster, Stronger
This time of year has always been a time to cut loose. It generally means G.A.A. off-season and that means a relaxing of the disciplines that go hand in hand with the playing season. I was fortunate that a lot of our teams were successful in the late 90’s and early 00’s so playing into November was a regular occurrence.
It wasn’t like I was locked up at home during the year but the release from the stress of worrying about your fitness and the combination of the Christmas spirit made for a great cocktail. I always point to the winter of 2001 as being the best example. We lost the County Final to Ilen Rovers on the first Sunday of December and from that night in The Greyhound until the last day of December, we fairly let rip.
Of course, it wasn’t total abuse as I was playing Hockey with U.C.C. and you would have the Intervarsities and early round of the Irish Senior Cup to keep you focused. What it meant was instead of training or playing nearly every day you would have more time on your hands and we used it well.
I’d hit the turn of the year raring for action again. I wouldn’t have been winter trainings biggest fan but I was fanatical about the whole thing in general so that got me by. I coined the motto ‘fitter, faster, stronger’ to represent my New Year’s resolution a few years ago. It sounded great but I never had time to work on those elements in the isolation they needed. Hockey was a constant at that time of year, football would come into the equation in January and then Hurling would start kicking in by February. There simply wasn’t enough time to get into the gym and work on other things.
I’ve a different perspective nowadays though. It’s really been hitting home in the last couple of years that the body is struggling a bit more. The back fecked up a fair chunk of this year and some corrective action will be required next year. I’m beginning to learn that short term solutions like nurofen aren’t a great option!! I picked up some new insoles on Wednesday and I’m hoping they will set me on the right road.
It is good to see lads are trying to stay active during the winter and keep in some shape. There’s a gang of fellas playing Squash on Wednesday nights and another lash of us playing indoor soccer on a Thursday.
The other day I was reading an interview with the Crokes player Eoin Brosnan. He was saying how their former coach Pat O’Shea once set out the example of Nemo Rangers as the model which they should strive to emulate. He said you’d never see a Nemo man on his own whether it be in the pub, on the golf course, at the cinema or anywhere else. They were always with each other. You can see an element of that with our lads and that’s fairly amazing as our friendships don’t date back as long as those at clubs at home.
Some lads need a lot more work over the winter though but they don’t need to be named and shamed here. You only have so many years to play sport and if it’s something you truly enjoy, then you should do everything you can to maximise your time playing. There were guys this year who suffered from injury quite a bit and every time they would come back, they would pick up something else. This is the time to get the body right and recover to a fitness level that actually allows you train without picking up niggling things. Whether those fellas waste another year kicking their heals will depend on what they do in the next two months.
Everyone needs to improve though and for even those who stayed injury free, now is the time to work on things. If you were getting horsed off the ball too much, not satisfied with your fielding, kicking, speed or anything else, then get into the gym and work on preparing your body for a more vigorous assault next year.
The ageing process means you can’t go on the piss for the entire off-season and expect to cruise back into things. The body needs better maintenance as you get older and that means sleep, food, hydration and all that other jazz. Of course, I’m not a model exponent of best practice but I do try more now than I used to.
Fitter, faster, stronger is a realistic goal for everyone for 2011. I’ve basically ditched the hockey and the soccer to get the back right. Soccer may have a role to play after Christmas as I need to start building up fitness but it will be largely about gym work. I think I can have a more consistent and higher performance level by properly managing myself, something I never did in the past. So can everyone else. The build up to Christmas won’t be an excuse for slacking off either. If it takes the 1st of January to motivate you then that probably tells you a lot about where your sporting ambitions lie in the grand scheme of things.
It wasn’t like I was locked up at home during the year but the release from the stress of worrying about your fitness and the combination of the Christmas spirit made for a great cocktail. I always point to the winter of 2001 as being the best example. We lost the County Final to Ilen Rovers on the first Sunday of December and from that night in The Greyhound until the last day of December, we fairly let rip.
Of course, it wasn’t total abuse as I was playing Hockey with U.C.C. and you would have the Intervarsities and early round of the Irish Senior Cup to keep you focused. What it meant was instead of training or playing nearly every day you would have more time on your hands and we used it well.
I’d hit the turn of the year raring for action again. I wouldn’t have been winter trainings biggest fan but I was fanatical about the whole thing in general so that got me by. I coined the motto ‘fitter, faster, stronger’ to represent my New Year’s resolution a few years ago. It sounded great but I never had time to work on those elements in the isolation they needed. Hockey was a constant at that time of year, football would come into the equation in January and then Hurling would start kicking in by February. There simply wasn’t enough time to get into the gym and work on other things.
I’ve a different perspective nowadays though. It’s really been hitting home in the last couple of years that the body is struggling a bit more. The back fecked up a fair chunk of this year and some corrective action will be required next year. I’m beginning to learn that short term solutions like nurofen aren’t a great option!! I picked up some new insoles on Wednesday and I’m hoping they will set me on the right road.
It is good to see lads are trying to stay active during the winter and keep in some shape. There’s a gang of fellas playing Squash on Wednesday nights and another lash of us playing indoor soccer on a Thursday.
The other day I was reading an interview with the Crokes player Eoin Brosnan. He was saying how their former coach Pat O’Shea once set out the example of Nemo Rangers as the model which they should strive to emulate. He said you’d never see a Nemo man on his own whether it be in the pub, on the golf course, at the cinema or anywhere else. They were always with each other. You can see an element of that with our lads and that’s fairly amazing as our friendships don’t date back as long as those at clubs at home.
Some lads need a lot more work over the winter though but they don’t need to be named and shamed here. You only have so many years to play sport and if it’s something you truly enjoy, then you should do everything you can to maximise your time playing. There were guys this year who suffered from injury quite a bit and every time they would come back, they would pick up something else. This is the time to get the body right and recover to a fitness level that actually allows you train without picking up niggling things. Whether those fellas waste another year kicking their heals will depend on what they do in the next two months.
Everyone needs to improve though and for even those who stayed injury free, now is the time to work on things. If you were getting horsed off the ball too much, not satisfied with your fielding, kicking, speed or anything else, then get into the gym and work on preparing your body for a more vigorous assault next year.
The ageing process means you can’t go on the piss for the entire off-season and expect to cruise back into things. The body needs better maintenance as you get older and that means sleep, food, hydration and all that other jazz. Of course, I’m not a model exponent of best practice but I do try more now than I used to.
Fitter, faster, stronger is a realistic goal for everyone for 2011. I’ve basically ditched the hockey and the soccer to get the back right. Soccer may have a role to play after Christmas as I need to start building up fitness but it will be largely about gym work. I think I can have a more consistent and higher performance level by properly managing myself, something I never did in the past. So can everyone else. The build up to Christmas won’t be an excuse for slacking off either. If it takes the 1st of January to motivate you then that probably tells you a lot about where your sporting ambitions lie in the grand scheme of things.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Stockholm Convention
I was trying to explain to a colleague why I was in Stockholm at the weekend. Not long into the explanation, I noted the strange look on her face. I think she thought I was describing some sort of cult meeting. I suppose the G.A.A. is a cult of sort and annual convention the mother of it all. Many people descended on the Swedish city for the event this weekend whilst many others were left at home due to the current weather blitz sweeping Europe.
I'd be fairly cynical about this kind of stuff. Committee's wouldn't be my thing and I'd view most who sit on them with suspicion. Of course it is a largely non-sensical viewpoint but I make myself contend by being able to acknowledge this point whilst continuing to thread warily. Despite my views, I did sit on the 2010 committee as Coaching Officer. I don't feel I did the role justice though and achieved enough so I decided to remove myself from the position for 2011 - part of the ongoing strategy to involve myself less on all activities not directly related to playing!
Anyway, back to the Convention which was impeccably hosted and beamed live around the world by the Stockholm Gaels club. Born just last February, they claimed the Scandinavian Championship at it's first attempt and had the balls to send themselves straight into the Championship section of the Pan-Euros. One of their lads, Colin Courtney actually played with us last year up in Copenhagen. He's a great buddy of Conor O'Brien, a friend of mine from Kinsale.
They look like they run an extremely well organised, innovative set-up and are an example to us all. Of course they are still young and haven't yet had the opportunity to have the history of fallings in and outs that other clubs would have. However, early indications suggest they are well ahead of schedule and coming fast.
The speeches and motions and elections are the core activities on the weekend agenda but what I enjoyed most was meeting & talking to the people. It's the only occasion to talk to different clubs when the days activity isn't lurking in the background like an elephant. Everyone is more at ease and focussed on the bigger picture and happy to share and listen to stories.
Each person has an inspiring and motivating tale to tell. Anna-Marie from Rennes and her thousands of kids learning the game of football. Eddie from Toulouse and the Norwegian secondary school teacher getting hurling up and running. You have the Hungarian Adam and his committed group of locals pucking ball around. Trevor down in Zurich with his battalion of Swiss. And about an hour from him you have the unit of Irish teachers teaching their boarding school pupils the ancient game! Their representative at the weekend was a guy called Brian, a best buddy of Lorcan who knocks around the scene here, Sound man and the kind of fella with the enthusiasm to make you pick up a hurley. It's because of guys like this that we continue to grow in Europe.
It's incredible the underage work going on, often because of one adult’s desire to have their child grow up intertwined with their Irish roots as best as possible. This whole identity thing and the G.A.A. is a phenomenon which is hard to explain. Irish people are so proud of where they are from and the G.A.A. is no doubt a big factor in that psyche. It gave all our towns and villages an identity and often launched our place into the wider domain. How many people knew Newtownshandrum existed until the O'Connor brothers and their father marched up the steps of the Hogan. In Europe, it is undoubtedly the #1 vehicle for which to express it.
It wasn't all sweet talking up there though. Jesus, the politics. I asked Keary how he can sleep at night being involved in this disgusting occupation! Fellas working the floor, buying pints, shaking hands, patting backs and selling themselves. All we were missing was a lorry load of babies to be kissing. I had a long chat with a lad from one club. We were agreed on the horrible nature of the whole thing but when we finished the conversation he asked me to vote for their nominee! We laughed though as he was embarrassed to have to ask and clearly wasn't comfortable doing it.
The weekend was refreshing and invigorating. It heightened my 'fear' though. The one which relates to the placing of Belgium G.A.A. in the grand scheme of things. In many ways, so much comes so easy to our club members. Most have arrived to a well structured club and maybe operate in the comfort zone. Financially we are far from rich but have some security. On the field, we have an abundance of players and can be happy with our recent successes. How can we push on though? I see all the work being done elsewhere, the drive, the enthusiasm and know that unless we can continue to be creative and ambitious, that we may fall behind. We ask a huge amount of our players in Europe from a travel/cost point of view. We must find ways to keep them motivated and keep the club to the forefront.
I forgot to mention the highlight. 3am in an Irish bar in Stockholm and Joe McDonagh, former President of the G.A.A. takes to the stage and sings The Wests Awake. Chest beating stuff.
I'd be fairly cynical about this kind of stuff. Committee's wouldn't be my thing and I'd view most who sit on them with suspicion. Of course it is a largely non-sensical viewpoint but I make myself contend by being able to acknowledge this point whilst continuing to thread warily. Despite my views, I did sit on the 2010 committee as Coaching Officer. I don't feel I did the role justice though and achieved enough so I decided to remove myself from the position for 2011 - part of the ongoing strategy to involve myself less on all activities not directly related to playing!
Anyway, back to the Convention which was impeccably hosted and beamed live around the world by the Stockholm Gaels club. Born just last February, they claimed the Scandinavian Championship at it's first attempt and had the balls to send themselves straight into the Championship section of the Pan-Euros. One of their lads, Colin Courtney actually played with us last year up in Copenhagen. He's a great buddy of Conor O'Brien, a friend of mine from Kinsale.
They look like they run an extremely well organised, innovative set-up and are an example to us all. Of course they are still young and haven't yet had the opportunity to have the history of fallings in and outs that other clubs would have. However, early indications suggest they are well ahead of schedule and coming fast.
The speeches and motions and elections are the core activities on the weekend agenda but what I enjoyed most was meeting & talking to the people. It's the only occasion to talk to different clubs when the days activity isn't lurking in the background like an elephant. Everyone is more at ease and focussed on the bigger picture and happy to share and listen to stories.
Each person has an inspiring and motivating tale to tell. Anna-Marie from Rennes and her thousands of kids learning the game of football. Eddie from Toulouse and the Norwegian secondary school teacher getting hurling up and running. You have the Hungarian Adam and his committed group of locals pucking ball around. Trevor down in Zurich with his battalion of Swiss. And about an hour from him you have the unit of Irish teachers teaching their boarding school pupils the ancient game! Their representative at the weekend was a guy called Brian, a best buddy of Lorcan who knocks around the scene here, Sound man and the kind of fella with the enthusiasm to make you pick up a hurley. It's because of guys like this that we continue to grow in Europe.
It's incredible the underage work going on, often because of one adult’s desire to have their child grow up intertwined with their Irish roots as best as possible. This whole identity thing and the G.A.A. is a phenomenon which is hard to explain. Irish people are so proud of where they are from and the G.A.A. is no doubt a big factor in that psyche. It gave all our towns and villages an identity and often launched our place into the wider domain. How many people knew Newtownshandrum existed until the O'Connor brothers and their father marched up the steps of the Hogan. In Europe, it is undoubtedly the #1 vehicle for which to express it.
It wasn't all sweet talking up there though. Jesus, the politics. I asked Keary how he can sleep at night being involved in this disgusting occupation! Fellas working the floor, buying pints, shaking hands, patting backs and selling themselves. All we were missing was a lorry load of babies to be kissing. I had a long chat with a lad from one club. We were agreed on the horrible nature of the whole thing but when we finished the conversation he asked me to vote for their nominee! We laughed though as he was embarrassed to have to ask and clearly wasn't comfortable doing it.
The weekend was refreshing and invigorating. It heightened my 'fear' though. The one which relates to the placing of Belgium G.A.A. in the grand scheme of things. In many ways, so much comes so easy to our club members. Most have arrived to a well structured club and maybe operate in the comfort zone. Financially we are far from rich but have some security. On the field, we have an abundance of players and can be happy with our recent successes. How can we push on though? I see all the work being done elsewhere, the drive, the enthusiasm and know that unless we can continue to be creative and ambitious, that we may fall behind. We ask a huge amount of our players in Europe from a travel/cost point of view. We must find ways to keep them motivated and keep the club to the forefront.
I forgot to mention the highlight. 3am in an Irish bar in Stockholm and Joe McDonagh, former President of the G.A.A. takes to the stage and sings The Wests Awake. Chest beating stuff.
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