Hi Everyone,
Below is a copy of the flyer I'm emailing to the Chairpersons of ICU registered clubs.
I'm posting it here first out of respect for the good work that this forum, its contributers and moderators have done for paddling over the last few years.
I probably won't post any more comments between now and Saturday but please feel free to respond, criticize.
My name is Pat MacAlinney and I have put myself forward for election as President of Canoeing Ireland.
I'm an active member of my club Galway Kayak Club, and the Training and Development Unit.
I'm a pretty typical paddler; my paddling interests are in white water, sea kayaking, polo, freestyle and surfing. Over the years, I’ve competed in Marathon/ LD, WW races and Slaloms and in recent years have been a competitor in Jim Morrissey’s City of the Tribes and Galway Bay Sea Kayak races. I’ve been an Instructor for over 25 years and really enjoy volunteering with my club and on TDU courses and assessments.
The reason I want to become President of Canoe Ireland is to try to bridge the disconnection that most ordinary paddlers feel exists between Clubs and their members and the organisation that is supposed to represent and look after their interests. Whether true or not, the ICU is perceived as something that’s not relevant, current or interested. Communication is poor and needs to be improved; I believe that I can improve this. We need to focus on what we CAN do to improve things rather than infighting and politics which seem to dominate the board meetings of Canoe Ireland.
Canoeing Ireland can become more than the sum of its parts, a knowledge centre for the sharing of information between clubs and individual members. Over the last few years many clubs have succeeded in overcoming access and infrastructure issues in their area, successful outcomes and approaches need to be highlighted and then, hopefully, replicated by other clubs around the country.
The current structure of the Board and Council needs to be amended, e.g. the regions need better representation. Electing paddlers from outside the Greater Dublin area sends a signal to regional paddlers that their opinions count too. This organisation whilst Dublin based, shouldn’t just be Dublin centred. If we recognise this, we make the ICU a more relevant, inclusive organisation for paddlers across Ireland. We need to move from having a discipline centric Board dominated by one or two big clubs to having a dynamic organisation which is club and paddler led rather than the old adversarial model with disciplines in constant conflict, which has not worked.
The dynamics of our sport have changed hugely over the last decade or so. Participation has increased massively but the ICU’s own numbers are down. I recognise and accept the importance of Marathon, Sprint & Slalom and the good work those disciplines do. This year, I successfully campaigned to have mandatory racing events reintroduced to the Instructorships. TDU training had become too narrowly focused missing the bigger picture. However, our organisation ignores many of the new routes into paddlesport. It doesn’t foster some of the new innovative competitions that have come from the fusion of other sports formats into ours. In the late ‘90s I fought tooth and nail with the ICU Council to get Freestyle recognised as a valid competitive discipline. It is now a thriving part of our canoeing scene and recognised by the ICF. (I was privileged to be the Freestyle Committee Chairperson and team manager from 1997 to 2001.)
The explosive upsurge of Sea Kayaking and Sit on Top paddling is an obvious route to growth for our organisation but with the exception of the TDU has been by and large ignored by the ICU proper. We need to channel these newcomers into our organisation to become the club members, coaches and champions of tomorrow. Youth paddling in schools and colleges needs to be revitalised. The 2010 Strategic Review goes some way to address this and should be used as the basis for the regeneration of Canoeing Ireland.
Over the years I've been paddling I've been pretty lucky, I came up through my school and the colleges Intervarsities. I was helped by some fantastic people and have been fortunate enough in return to be able to help some amazing paddlers into European and World Championships, and to the Olympic and Special Olympic Games. Many of you won’t know me, but you will probably know or have heard of a couple of people who’ve been kind enough to endorse my candidacy:
I met Pat MacAlinney in my early years of canoeing. He has been a constant source of inspiration as I embarked on university canoe club participation, instructorship training, running a kayak school for youths and later aspiring to compete in slalom and freestyle. Pat never wavered in his enthusiasm for the sport of canoeing and my involvement in it. He provided training, mentorship and logistical support as I ventured into international competition where I achieved well in both freestyle (including 7th at Worlds 1997, Canada and 4th European championships Switzerland, 2002) and slalom where I competed in both the Sydney2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games (11th). During my journey with canoeing over the years I have seen again and again both Pat’s enthusiasm for the sport and equally his ability to act on that in a leadership capacity. I strongly recommend Pat for the position of President of the Irish Canoe Union.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr Eadaoin Ni Challarain.
An Spideal native, Eadaoin is passionate and positive about our sport. Now a GP, she has set the bar for college athletes proving you can combine study and paddlesport at the highest level.
To whom it concerns,
I am writing to endorse and support the candidacy of Pat MacAlinney for the position of President of Canoeing Ireland. I genuinely know of nobody who cares more about the wellbeing of kayaking nationwide than Pat. He has been actively involved in a wide variety of paddlesport disciplines for over 25 years and continues to paddle regularly with Galway Kayak Club. His support and commitment to the newly emerging discipline of freestyle from '97 is a great example of the progress he can foster. Over the space of 5 years Irish teams went from being complete unknowns to strong contenders on the world stage. Pat has a much wider interest though than simply in competition, he has a strong desire to see clubs around the country develop at all levels.
Times like these call for committed leadership, so between Michael D in the Áras and Pat Mac in the ICU the future would look very bright!
Yours sincerely,
Ali Donald.
From Kildare, Ali has paddled since age 7, he is recognised by his peers as one of the worlds’ best expedition paddlers. Ali has competed in K1, WW, Xtreme & Freestyle. He’s now one of this country’s top Sea & River instructors.
If you or your Club wish to support my candidacy and or the motions proposed by Galway Kayak Club and others, then please come along to the Canoeing Ireland AGM on Saturday, 26th November 2011 in the Clarion Hotel, Liffey Valley, Dublin at 11am. If you can’t be there please fill in your proxy form in the name of Mr Dermot Wall, Galway Kayak Club and return them to the ICU Office by Thursday 24th November.
Yours Sincerely,
Pat MacAlinney,
Galway Kayak Club