The first competition of 2011 took place on Saturday 5th of March, followed on Sunday by a team coaching session. The comp was initially scheduled for the Sligo area. But the swell forecast for that area was not sufficient for organisers to take the chance, so the venue was changed. We moved North to a beach break in Donegal (probably the most consistent spot in Ireland) were we could choose from a variety of contestable peaks without infringing on other water users.
The wind was very light offshore, 1.6 metre swell at 13 second period and the sun actually made an appearance once or twice.
Watching the heats throughout the day I was struck by the overall improvement in standard. Most notable were Mickey Barry (Cork), Conor O'Donnell (Donegal) and Kieran McDyre who combined fluid runs with explosive end manoeuvres off the lip.
Finally I would like to thank all who participated and helped out on the day. It was really appreciated and I will return the favour at the next comp in Co Clare next month.
International Class
1) James O'donnell (Donegal)
2) Paddy McGovern (Dublin)
3) Mickey Barry (Cork)
4) Aisling Griffin (Cork)
High Performace
1) Mickey Barry (Cork)
2) Brendan Barry (Cork)
3) Conor O'Donnell (Donegal)
4) Kieran McDyre (Donegal)
Waveski
1) Marty McCann (Donegal)
2) Mark Taylor (Fermanagh)
3) Brendan Barry (Cork)
4) Declan O'Donnell (Donegal)
