MICHELLE Smith's majestic performances in Atlanta have unfortunately not made life any easier for the latest crop of aspiring champions.
The IASA still has to send its competitors away for 50 metre pool training, at considerable expense, prior to major events.
The latest evidence of this inconvenience resurfaced at the weekend when five exciting prospects were separated from their families at the conclusion of the National championships and shuttled off to Malta for 10 days of long course training in preparation for the European Junior championships in Copenhagen.
The same circumstances apply for the 14 youngsters who travelled to the Crystal Palace for this week's British Age Group championships. Lee Kelleher from Cork is a competitor of real promise and is already being pencilled in for the Irish team at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
She heads a five strong European junior challenge which also includes Dubliner Graham Beegan, Niamh Cawley, Claire Nixon and Brian Gibson and there are high hopes of medals.
The 14 strong challenge at Crystal Palace this week consists of eight females and six male competitors.
Team manager is Don Mahon and coaches are Carol Walsh and Nelson Lindsay.
Perhaps it will most interesting of all to see how Chantal Gibney fares. Her programme is confined to 50, 100 and 200 metres freestyle and 100 butterfly.
The Crystal Palace hopefuls are David Roche, Finian Lodge, David Kitchum, Michael Kelleher, Michael Williamson, Muiris Reidy, Nicola Pepper, Emma Leggett, Karen Marshall, Lynne Donnelly, Michelle Burke, Lorna Reddin, Suzanne Doyle and Chantal Gibney.
Competition of this kind is part of the elite team structure started a couple of years ago with the advent of Dave McCullagh as the association's director of swimming.
Michelle Smith's successes, it seems, has raised aspirations already and added impetus to work on the domestic scene.
The Open races of special interest this week are the Marian SC races at Sandycove Harbour on Thursday, the Metro SC races at the Martello Tower, Seapoint, on Saturday, the Wicklow SC races at Wicklow Harbour on Sunday followed by the Lough Owel races on Holiday Monday.
The closing date for entries for the annual Irish Times sponsored Dun Laoghaire Harbour swim is next Monday. Entries will only be accepted on the official forms. These should be sent to Sandra Trappe, 70 Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock.
