A LITTLE tete a tete between national coach Ger Doyle and Michelle Smith was only part of the welcome story in New Ross at the weekend.
Doyle was full of praise yesterday of the triple gold medallist's instructive visit to the club on Sunday. It was fabulous, and the delight for the young swimmers was incredible, he said.
Sunday happens to be the only week that Smith takes a day in the break from the pool. "It could not have been easy for her with 150 young swimmers and 300 parents present," said Doyle.
"She took a training session with the top squad members from New Ross and Wexford, and did a demonstration swim for all the smaller kids and got some of them to take part, going through some stroke drill. It was really fabulous, enthused the Irish coach.
Smith is in Sarcelles, outside Paris, this weekend for an important meet, her first competition since the Salthill Leisureland meet at the end of February. She will compete in the 100 metre and 800 metre freestyle, 200 metre individual medley and 100 metre back stroke.
Meanwhile, Doyle returned last week from the Mulhouse international event in France and was pleased with a huge haul of medals, if no European qualifying marks so far. Adrian O Connor had the satisfaction of edging Olympic individual medley gold medallist Natatile Cheze (Hungary) into second place in the 100 metres backstroke final.
Nick O'Hare's rather nightmare swims in Mulhouse left him the only member of the squad to return home empty handed. The close proximity of major long course meets in Vienna and Monte Carlo next month may require some compromise to allow O'Hare to compete at the latter event prior to next month's British grand prix super finals.
At home, O'Hare is expected to play a major role in yet another anticipated clear cut win for Leinster in the interprovincial championships at the Guinness Pool tomorrow.
Munster, though, are without Lee Kelleher. Her absence will be a huge loss given her showing in Mulhouse where she took gold in the 200 metre butterfly and silver at 100 metre.
