What now Rio has gone?

Thomas Barr arrives home!

I woke up, early, on Monday morning, sore and stiff from another battering from the Sean Kelly 160km Comeragh Challenge (well done ALL involved). Switched on the television, low and behold there was NO more news from Rio on the BBC Breakfast! The Olympics had ended on Sunday evening with a riotous closing ceremony.

What now for the sporting mad who tune into this world showcase every four years and watch all manner of sports, which we never knew existed, but could get so excited about.

Rio was destined to be a very tough act to follow the hugely successful 2012 London Olympics, with packed out arenas, stadia and swimming pools. London, a City so accessible to the rest of the world, was always going to be an incredibly well supported games, as it can be directly reached by a plethora of sporting mad countries. But to get to Brazil in large numbers was going to create many challenges.

Brazil, as we know, is the embodiment of a football crazy nation and to get the circa 200 million people of this country to go to weightlifting, swimming, judo, rugby sevens, skeet shooting (clay pigeons to you and I) etc., some saw as impossible.

But as the Olympics entered their second week, with more and more home-grown success stories emerging, we started to see fewer and fewer empty seats. The Games had started to grip the imagination of the Brazilian public. A few medals here and there also helped – 19 in total, including 7 gold.

I followed my own Scottish competitors as they gave 100% (nobody can really give 110%) contributing significantly to helping Team GB and NI to second place in the final medal table. A collection of medals that will lift a nation and motivate a generation to get up off the sofa, switch off the PS4, stop chasing Pokémon and get inspired to try out a new sport.

Whilst, here in Ireland we watched our boxers embroiled in a drugs allegation and then the main medal hopes, would lose to judges who were quite clearly watching fights with their eyes closed. We viewed in horror as Patrick Hickey, the head of the OCI, made headline news for all the wrong reasons. Was Ireland’s only reward for going to Rio, to be the cold hard steel of a set of handcuffs – no gold, silver or bronze?

Then just in time, along come the O’Donovan brothers, fuelled on spuds and steak, pulling like dogs, to row their way to a silver medal. Annalise Murphy, under the watchful eyes of Christ the Redeemer, sailed her Laser Radial to another silver medal.

Olympic flag arrives in Tokyo.

But surely the hero of these games has to be Waterford’s own Thomas Barr? He started his own qualification in that most punishing and exhausting of races, the 400m hurdles. Now just imagine trying to run flat out, for 400m, and then trying to jump over ten 3-feet high hurdles.

Thomas, ranked 10^th after round one, then won his semi-final to reach the final. He dipped under the magical 48 second barrier and finished fourth in the Olympic final. An incredible achievement from the Ferrybank AC athlete, to reach the final and to be the fourth best hurdler in the whole world, is something we in Waterford must embrace and shout about. I hope that Thomas gets his just rewards and is asked to compete in every Diamond League event for the next 12 to 24 months.

So, as the Olympic flag was handed over to Tokyo, Japan, for the 2020 Olympics I now have four long years to wait to reacquaint myself with such diverse sports as archery, diving, wrestling, water polo, taekwondo, weightlifting and even trampolining!

Good Bye Rio!

Rio 2016 was, by all media accounts, going to be a disaster of an Olympics. It was to be the Games that would be defined by the Russian drugs scandal, political skulduggery, budgetary and security concerns. The last three weeks we have seen athletes give their ALL for their country and we can ask no more than that.

The Rio Olympics were quite simply “Perfectly, Imperfect!”

Memories - One hell of a ride!

On the 20^th and 21^st August thousands will take part in the Sean Kelly Tour of Waterford.

I have once again signed up to tackle the gruelling Sean Kelly 160km, along with many another Lycra clad pedal pushers – drivers be warned, the roads will literally be thronging with cyclists!

My memory of last year, the first time I tackled this most challenging of cycling events, is still very vivid and fresh, as though it was only yesterday that I completed the course, over some of Sean’s “training routes”. Whilst, I will never be a great cyclist, like Sean, I can at least say I have trained on the roads that made him the great cycling ambassador for Waterford!

Here is my memory of the 2015 Sean Kelly 160km.

I collected my goodie bag, the night before the event. This contained; a snazzy commemorative race jersey, a bottle of water, a couple of flapjacks, wristband and a bike registration number sticker. When I returned to the car I had a feeling that I would need far more than a couple of flapjacks and one bottle of water, to complete the daunting task that I would take on the very next day.

At 07:45 I and ten other Biscuits, set off from Dungarvan on an adventure that would test each and every one of us. Ahead lay 160 kilometres of hills, hills and more hills!!!!!

As we shot up The Pike and veered left at Lemybrien, we cycled for around 10km with the imposing Mahon Falls, shrouded by black low clouds, taunting us, teasing us and ultimately calling us, knowing that we would have to cycle, walk or crawl up this wicked hill at around 120km into the route.

But our first real challenge would be a wee hill called “Tickincor” at around 55km. Now if you have never heard of this hill go out, find it and try to drive up it. You will very quickly see just how steep it is and then image how hard it is to cycle up the damn thing!

Roche & Kelly

The “Powers The Pot” was the next hill at around 90km. Some comedian spray painted “3km to go” after what seemed like an eternity on the hill, just to remind us how hard the bloody climb was. There was a collective intake of breath, the odd swear word, when I and my fellow Biscuits crossed this marker and a realisation we were only halfway up this mammoth test of endurance. Up at the top, the Biscuits regrouped, then a quick food stop at Rathgormack and we headed towards the final challenge of the dreaded, nasty climb up Mahon Falls.

At around 120km the Falls called us like some cruel Siren would have called Greek ships to their doom. Low gear selected, with some “Rusty Spokes” ahead of me to chase up the Falls, I dropped my head down and I was off. Some hellish 20 odd minutes later, it was all over and a quick regroup with my fellow Biscuits and it was “all downhill” to the finish (so they told me).

No it wasn’t! We still had the 7km or 8km drag up the Mama Road.

Mama Road conquered and now it was mostly downhill to the finish line in Dungarvan. We had enough in our legs to manage a wee sprint and top speed of 53kph on the borders of Dungarvan.

One final regroup and these 11 Biscuits crossed the line together in perfect formation. Our wee group had stayed together for 160km of torture, hell, fun, laughs, memories and a sense of accomplishment.

Well done to ALL involved. A great event, great company, great event organisation, a great “Packet of Biscuits” and above all a great occasion for Waterford to be VERY proud of.

It was one hell of a ride! Bring on the 2016 SKT.

The question is, will I be so elated after next Sunday’s cycle. Oh the joys of looking forward to “THAT” pain in my legs once again!

Are we getting Summerval(u)?

As we are now into the second week of August we are roughly halfway through the Summerval programme and I have to ask, “Has it started yet?”

Despite all the fanfare and pre-event promotion, many of the City businesses, a significant number of Waterford people and myself, do feel that it has been rather a damp squib, unlike the Spraoi fireworks on The Quay, a couple of weeks ago.

Dig deeper into the programming and you will see that many of our annual summertime events, attractions and festivals have been incorporated under the one umbrella and this of course is a good idea, if we are to compete with other “festival cities”. This in fact should have been done years ago and by building a strong promotional summer programme we make the whole region more attractive. However, as the majority of events were in existence prior to the Summerval banner being flown, they cannot be claimed as “new”!

Any event which receives some form of Council, therefore rate/tax payers’ subvention, should be listed under a “Waterford Festivals/Events” banner and co-promoted at every opportunity. The fallout from the Three Sisters bid has promised better interaction and closer ties with our neighbouring counties. But what about closer cross promotion from the, literally, dozens and dozens of year round festivals/events we all attend on an annual basis? Take time to count these, you’ll need more than two hands and feet to do this, and you will be mightily impressed with the levels of activities around this City and County.

So, the bigger question must be, have we received good value for money for the Summerval branding? Bear in mind that the budget for this, is in excess of circa €100,000 and if you add on the existing budgets from Summer in the City, Art Beat etc then you are looking at budgets in the region of circa €140,000. A very healthy budget indeed, when you do not have to create any new events – well at least very few new events!

Waterford Walls 2015

In addition, I have been told that the marketing, PR, event management etc and in fact all the committee work is being carried out free gratis and this should be applauded. (This of course continues the Waterford tradition of giving your precious free time for other causes.)

Thus, with no salaries, as such to pay, the whole €100k budget could be spent on new acts, new attractions, regional/national advertising campaigns, competitions, social media etc etc.

Alas, I fear that the promise that Summerval would bring thousands of extra visitors to the City and County has not materialised and in fact the whole idea needs to be closely looked at and scrutinised as it has clearly not captured the imagination of anyone.

I sat in the Council meeting when Summerval was fist muted and I know that the funding was ultimately approved by our 32 Councillors after extensive “In-Committee-Meetings.” Meetings where we, the public, our local press and media, do not get access to the minutes. It would be interesting to read those minutes and see just how forensically the business plan, budgets, cost benefits analysis etc were scrutinised by the Councillors who approved the awarding of a six figure grant!

Sadly, we will never know. But reading between the lines I would imagine that many Councillors are now asking just what value for money this exercise has delivered?

The idea of listing our many attractions/events/festivals under one corporate “Waterford’s Just Better” banner is the right way to go. But to have allocated so much money to this project, at the detriment to others, is wrong.

Yes, we needed a “Summer Festival” but the work done on the likes of Summer In The City, Art Beat etc was a foundation stone to expand on. Allocating even a fraction of the €100,000 to develop these programmes would have been, in my opinion, money better spent. There has sadly been a lack of engagement, very poor PR, and the result is no significant increase in footfall. In addition as the largest donator/sponsor Waterford Council’s logo is conspicuous by its absence from posters around the City.

Summer value – we have yet to be convinced!

Our precious “FREE” time.

"Cycle of Fiends"

Those who have been reading this column, for some months now, will know that I have quite openly come out and I am now officially a MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra). Whilst having my mid life crisis, I could of course have bought a Harley – but alas with number one daughter in University of Limerick, pedal power won out – after all this was the cheaper option for this Scot!

Yes, I have gone completely mad into the sport of cycling – the new golf! I am a member of the Waterford Biscuit Club. I have now become one of those people who one way or another seems to infuriate some of our vehicular brethren.

I have heard and read about cyclist hating drivers who text, emailing and commenting on award winning programmes such as Deise AM, or Saturday Cafe. But why bother?

Readers, who know me more intimately, are aware that I am a self-confessed petrol head. I have raced XR2’s around Knockhill. Owned all manner of interesting cars from a 1964 Mini Cooper S, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, MKII Escort Mexico, Escort Turbo, Astra GTE and so on, right through to my current generation R53 Mini Cooper S – I really have had the whole gamut of boy racer cars and I am still driving one today. Some say I am driving a hairdresser’s car!

Spraoi 2016

Whilst, I do agree that there are some very poor cyclists on our roads, I see proportionately, far more very bad drivers, who still insist on using their mobile phones. I see children not suitably restrained in the front and backs of cars, people who treat a roundabout as a “squareabout”, people who ignore the speed restriction signage and above all I see lots of very angry people in vehicles, who are quite plainly one hoot of their horn away from a serious road rage incident!

Solas Cancer Support Centre

The fact is that everyone who is entitled to use our roadways and laneways should do so with the utmost respect for other road users. Yes, this might even mean, having to lift the occasional hand to say sorry, rather than flicking one or two other digits at an offending road user. Life is far too short to be Mr Angry all the time and to be honest, it does take far more effort and concentration to be the ubiquitous “I don’t believe it!” grumpy, Victor Meldrew, rather than Roger Hargreaves Mr Happy.

Last week I had the pleasure of participating in the De La Salle GAA fundraising sportive cycle, around the scenic roads of County Waterford. I think, there were over 200 people taking part in this “leisure cycle” that inevitably became a very “fast race” the closer we got to the end destination, the GAA complex. The spread that awaited us was worthy of any high-end cafe. The ladies and gents who gave up their own free time to prepare, bake, steward and organise the event must take great credit. I hope that a lot of money was raised by the hordes in Lycra and I know that we pedal-pushers raise literally hundreds of thousands for many worthy local causes.

To volunteer your own FREE time and lose out on precious family moments, for the benefit of others, is by a country mile, the greatest thing you can give. This is something that we in Waterford, or at least the projects that I am involved with, seem to be extremely good at.

Spraoi 2016

Continuing this theme, last week, the Solas Cancer Support Centre (note the name change), launched the “Run & Walk for Life” (I am Chair for 2016), announcing a new suite of services starting in Dungarvan and celebrating the Centre’s 5^th Birthday with over 2,500 clients to date. The majority of the Team in the Centre are volunteers and they were thanked, by me and others, for giving up their own time to benefit clients. It was a very emotional and moving afternoon.

We are a shining light for volunteerism and perhaps we need to shout just a wee bit louder to reinforce this message.

Finally, well done to Spraoi.

You know it is Summer when Spraoi arrives!

As you get older the years come more and more quickly and 2016 is no exception. It seems like it was only yesterday when we were all getting excited, ready for last year’s festival and low and behold the 2016 event is now upon us.

“The Spraoi Weekend”, as it has now become known locally, takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It is so good to see that the Festival programme is bigger and better than ever. This has to be one of those very special events that Waterford people actually come out in hordes to support and I, for one, am delighted that TV and their wonderful crew are once again reconnecting Spraoi with the very heart of the City.

To me, the event works so well, with the parade winding its way down the very spine of the Waterford City. The fireworks exploding over the River Suir and of course spontaneous street theatre right across, and I mean right across, the City Centre and not confined to the VT, our leaning tower of investment!

Other organisers take note. The very best Waterford has to offer, starts by incorporating the whole of the City Centre, which in turn means the event is supported in huge numbers. Squeeze or concentrate your event(s) into the wrong areas and you get very little support. The businesses who get behind Spraoi, support Spraoi and “love” Spraoi, for it gives them back much needed footfall across the WHOLE City. It truly is a pan-City event that has, to quote James May, “the fizz” and somehow manages to capture the imagination of young and old.

We have a model for event organisation that has developed organically here in Waterford. A format that works and has adapted to changing and challenging times (financially). The event has weathered the political storms around national funding and has, I have no doubt, managed to steer through the maelstrom of local politics that is needed to ensure continued support from City Hall and the wider Council remit.

Spraoi is a Waterford success story. But sadly it is only one of a lesser breed and we need to make sure that if we wish to compete with the Galways of Ireland then we need to drag, pull and elevate our other events to a similar high level of excellence.

As I have said many a time, in print, we have the people, with the skills, we just need to get the powers that be, to make brave decisions, and actually employ the right people to deliver.

We are a small City that sometimes demonstrates a village mentality. This mould needs to be cracked and we need to step away from using the same old broken formulas, regurgitated time and time again, seeking out the right people to bring our other events up to the high standards set by Spraoi.

In fact it is not only Festivals that need our attention. Many other projects around the City need that injection of “new blood”, with innovative and creative ideas, which will drive events to another level. Yes, it is very hard for originators to let go, but to build a better brand, a better City and County, we need to do just that. If that means paying the right people, then we must find the means to do so.

When I look at the potential of where we could take Waterford, in terms of being an attractor for investment and tourism, I often wonder if I am seeing these possibilities through rose tinted glasses. Yet, when I speak Waterford people, they too can see this potential. They just do not yet have the leaders or facilitators they feel that they can follow, to deliver on what is an untapped latent potential.

Urban renewal, Michael Street Shopping Centre, SDZ on the North Quay, footbridge across the River Suir, Ireland’s Ancient East.....etc are all potential game changers for Waterford. But do we have the “drivers” in place to actually deliver for the people of this great City and County?

Enjoy Spraoi and remember to look after your City this weekend!

Cinderella’s ugly sister!

Well that’s what it feels like!

Like the story of Cinderella we in Waterford, once again feel like one the ugly sisters, unwanted, having lost out on the judging for the 2020 European Capital of Culture. Galway will go to the ball having put her best foot forward and by all accounts her glass slipper, on judgement day last week, was worn with panache and style. Of course the fact that the judging took place at the very start of the Galway Arts Festival, must have given them a significant start in the race for the top step of the podium.

However, the judging dates would have been well know in advance and our Three Sisters Team would have been aware, that we were competing against the gale force wind that ultimately turned around at halftime to become a hurricane force for the second half.

We all witnessed the live streamed pictures of the people of Galway, watching on a big screen, in Mainguard Street, in real time. Celebrating wildly, as the announcement was made from The National Concert Hall, in Dublin. The City of Tribes came out in their hordes to support the bid process. They celebrated as if Galway’s was being announced as a World Cup or Olympic Games host!

There was so much passion and joy openly displayed after the announcement. You got a sense that having gone to ALL the trouble of setting up a big screen, for the live stream, they ALL believed that they would NOT lose.

Maybe that is the crux of Galway’s many success stories. Maybe they just believe deep down that they are the best City in Ireland. Maybe, just maybe, they will, collectively, move hell or high water to do what it takes to succeed.

Well, Friday 15^th July 2016 just proved all of the above.

What of our Three Sisters bid?

I note once again the many knockers and key board warriors, commenting across the many social media platforms. Where were you when the “call to arms” was made to put your shoulder to the wheel to help the bid?

Therein lies our problem. We will never be able to compete with a Galway, as there is not a sense of togetherness across our City, never mind the whole County. As for across the three counties who formed our bid – don’t start me on this. Just measure the fallout from the ongoing Boundary Commission looking at Ferrybank! The arguments over who should have influence over our Port and so on!

Yes, we could very well argue that we did not do enough on the judging day. We should have had FREE car parking ALL day to flood the City with mums, dads and children. Summerval should have identified Wednesday 13^th July as a key date and the City streets should have been buzzing to the sound of street music, street entertainers and spontaneous shows. All our annual festivals, should have been represented in John Robert’s Square. The City should have had a world display of tricolour flags. After all are we not the home of the Irish Tricolour? Much, much more engagement should have been made. But above all we, the people, did not do enough to support this bid.

The powers that be also need to be brave enough to pick the right people, if we are to bid for future projects like the 2020 European Capital of Culture. All too often we see glimpses and signs of cronyism that will ultimately hold us back. Seek out our talented people, engage them and work with them.

Do we always want to continually be the nearly City? No one wants that.

Galway celebrates the 2020 hosting.

So, let us make the changes. Let us get the right people, to do the appropriate jobs, from the very start. Galway is not unique in getting this part of the process correct – it is just they have been doing it for years! They seem to have managed to find a way, to reach the very hearts of their citizens. But I know that here in Waterford, we have beating hearts also.

This Ugly Sister will one day go to the ball, wearing both glass slippers. We just need to find pair of slippers that fit!

Tears of joy and sadness.

On Sunday 10^th July there was a plethora of sporting delights to whet your appetite.

The Munster Final between Waterford and Tipperary, my own Andy Murray chasing a second Wimbledon Men’s Singles title, the British GP, World Superbikes, Scottish Open golf, European Athletics Championships and of course the European Championship Football Final between Portugal and host France.

If you were in any way NOT sporty it really was rather difficult to miss the sporting headlines. Last Sunday really was one of those days where sport was everywhere – local, regional, national and international.

As with all sporting occasions there are winners and those who come second, third and unfortunately last. For competitors and participants, each finishing position creates its own emotional rollercoaster and I cannot fathom, just what it must feel like to compete at such a high level. My own sporting endeavours never reached those giddy heights!

What is a given, are the emotions that are shown and displayed at the end of any sporting encounter, raw, visceral and spontaneous.

Lewis Hamilton screaming, whooping and hollering on his radio, Andy Murray holding back the tears whilst clinging tightly to that gold trophy on the auld BBC, relay runners, giving group hugs and kisses on the track in Amsterdam, Ronaldo hobbling around the pitch with his busted knee, in the Saint-Denis, Stade de France and the sheer joy of the young Tipperary hurlers lifting the Munster Final Cup. ALL of these winners give us, the supporters, a huge emotional high that we can carry for days and even weeks.

The other side of the sporting coin is that for every winner there has to be a loser and with losing there comes the inevitable inquest as to why and how that just happened!

On Sunday in Limerick and on RTE we witnessed extremely emotional lows with our very own fighting Deise men, distraught and inconsolable from a Munster Final loss. A loss where they appeared to have been out muscled by stronger more aggressive players and in the cold light of day we were simply beaten by a better team.

From loss and disappointment comes the hope that better things are on the horizon. I’m sure that we will see a resurgent Waterford tackling the All Ireland, with renewed determination. Our band of brothers will be reminded of the emotional lows that they felt on Sunday 10^th July 2016 and this will surely stir the necessary passion to drive the Team forward to greater glory and a trip to Dublin later this year.

With the Munster Final gone, what next I hear you cry!

On Wednesday 13^th July, it was Judgement Day, for the Three Sisters bid for European Capital of Culture 2020. The European judging panel will be visiting our City, along with Wexford and Kilkenny, to see who will be placed first, second or third. With the winning announcement to be made on Friday, 15^th July.

From the tears of sadness on Sunday we NOW have the chance to do our bit, to help Waterford Wexford and Kilkenny get over the line and beat Galway and Limerick to first place, in our competition for this title.

Look on this, if you like, as a sporting competition where we need to flood the City Centre with the people of Waterford. They are the best supporters in Ireland and let us show the judges, through conversation and craic, that we have far more to offer than the likes of Galway and Limerick. We all know that Waterford has what it takes but we just need to be encouraged and cajoled, to show that raw emotion, so evident on the terracing when wearing the white and blue.

This is our last chance to impress and get this bid over the line. A chance for Waterford to be top of the pile and a European Capital of Culture.

On Friday 15^th July we want to win. I hope that you did your bit, came into the City Centre on Wednesday and helped to make Waterford shine. #BitForTheBid

PS It was great to be Scottish on Sunday – tears of joy!