This week sees the Irish athletics team in action in Zurich and I am full of optimism about their chances to put in a good performance.
The reason I am encouraged is the generation of lovers of speed who have gone before - David Gillick and Derval O'Rourke to name a couple. There's a host of reasons to turn your back on the fast lane - the testing, the dopers, the scale of the challenge, the gruelling work it takes to shave milliseconds off a time.
But you just need one reason to believe it's possible. If there was such a thing as an Ambassador for Speed, I am sure Derval would be the woman for the job. Hearing her talk on @offtheball about the different factors that motivated her in her career is a message every young Irish kid who wants to run fast should hear.
I know that speaking to her or hearing those words when I was a young rugby player, would have made an impact on me. Maybe I'd be a sevens player instead of a jaded fifteens player slowly moving closer to the pack.
I have always loved sprinting and the purity of it. Whenever people mention triathlon, marathon or jogging I always give my quip about being a "stallion not a donkey" and my favourite quote from Kenny Powers "I play real sports, not trying to be the best at exercising". Going fast is a great feeling. Going faster than you did yesterday is even better. And going faster again is "betterer".
A joined up approach to physical literacy and physical education is key in unearthing Ireland's sprinting talent of the future. Teaching the good mechanics of running is vitally important in this, but equally so is a holistic approach to matching physical talents with sports that suit them. By sports that suit - speed doesn't mean you have to be a sprinter - it just means that you can use this skill in a number of ways, and should be steered in the right direction.
The choice will ultimately be the individuals but experiencing success is a great a motivator for sticking with sport. It creates confidence and belief and these are two qualities that need development in Irish sport.
It's this mind set, this measured confidence, that is starting to seep through Irish sport. It's rooted in fact - look at the times, the performances and the scorelines. This loop of performance, review and feedback between coaches and athletes reinforces belief and that's what Ireland needs.
We have seen it in the last few weeks with the Irish women's team. A systematic approach to building success has been applied. Though the athletes are amateur, their mindset is fully professional and focused. There is a focus on the process and a no nonsense approach to improving the areas that are deficient. Most of all there is an intelligent approach to maximising our potential and skills while identifying weaknesses of opponents.
Listening to the players talk about how they knew their fitness would see them through in the final quarter against New Zeland made me incredibly proud. The work had been done well in advance. Every part of the team had done their job and now it was in their hands.
Throughout Irish sport this confidence exists - I don't buy into the myth of Irish sport not being comfortable as favourites. We don't give that label to ourselves. What we can do is examine the facts and draw confidence from our positive experiences.
Most of all we can use our intelligence - a natural talent that we have in abundance. Adapting an intelligent mind-set allows us to prepare well and execute as we know we can. There are factors beyond our control in sport, but intelligent management of those we can is key to success.
This mind-set is clear to see in people like Derval and David, but there are numerous examples in the current generation of Irish sports people. An effort should be made to examine this in more detail and see how it manifests in actions and processes.
Results are an outcome of performance and I know that if the Irish team performs as they can, the results will be there. On your mind, set, go!
The reason I am encouraged is the generation of lovers of speed who have gone before - David Gillick and Derval O'Rourke to name a couple. There's a host of reasons to turn your back on the fast lane - the testing, the dopers, the scale of the challenge, the gruelling work it takes to shave milliseconds off a time.
But you just need one reason to believe it's possible. If there was such a thing as an Ambassador for Speed, I am sure Derval would be the woman for the job. Hearing her talk on @offtheball about the different factors that motivated her in her career is a message every young Irish kid who wants to run fast should hear.
I know that speaking to her or hearing those words when I was a young rugby player, would have made an impact on me. Maybe I'd be a sevens player instead of a jaded fifteens player slowly moving closer to the pack.
I have always loved sprinting and the purity of it. Whenever people mention triathlon, marathon or jogging I always give my quip about being a "stallion not a donkey" and my favourite quote from Kenny Powers "I play real sports, not trying to be the best at exercising". Going fast is a great feeling. Going faster than you did yesterday is even better. And going faster again is "betterer".
The choice will ultimately be the individuals but experiencing success is a great a motivator for sticking with sport. It creates confidence and belief and these are two qualities that need development in Irish sport.
It's this mind set, this measured confidence, that is starting to seep through Irish sport. It's rooted in fact - look at the times, the performances and the scorelines. This loop of performance, review and feedback between coaches and athletes reinforces belief and that's what Ireland needs.
We have seen it in the last few weeks with the Irish women's team. A systematic approach to building success has been applied. Though the athletes are amateur, their mindset is fully professional and focused. There is a focus on the process and a no nonsense approach to improving the areas that are deficient. Most of all there is an intelligent approach to maximising our potential and skills while identifying weaknesses of opponents.
Listening to the players talk about how they knew their fitness would see them through in the final quarter against New Zeland made me incredibly proud. The work had been done well in advance. Every part of the team had done their job and now it was in their hands.
Throughout Irish sport this confidence exists - I don't buy into the myth of Irish sport not being comfortable as favourites. We don't give that label to ourselves. What we can do is examine the facts and draw confidence from our positive experiences.
Most of all we can use our intelligence - a natural talent that we have in abundance. Adapting an intelligent mind-set allows us to prepare well and execute as we know we can. There are factors beyond our control in sport, but intelligent management of those we can is key to success.
This mind-set is clear to see in people like Derval and David, but there are numerous examples in the current generation of Irish sports people. An effort should be made to examine this in more detail and see how it manifests in actions and processes.
Results are an outcome of performance and I know that if the Irish team performs as they can, the results will be there. On your mind, set, go!
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