The Coach

The Coach, aka Famous Irish Athlete Mick Kelly.

Coach has taught us a lot of things.

He's shown us proper technique.

He's shown us breathing techniques.

He's shown us how to train.

He's introduced us to world champions.

He's encouraged us when we thought we weren't progressing.

He's shown us that failure is an opportunity to learn.

He's advised us on how we should compete.

He's made the pain seem like fun.

He has selflessly promoted the sport we have all come to love.

He's made some of us into World Class athletes.


But there's something that the coach didn't show us. We compete with the tools that he has given us. But the coach never showed us how to lose. He's never shown us how to accept second best. He's never shown us how to give up.

We're on the last spell of our training. All that we can do and all that Coach has given us, we've done. On May 19th & 20th we complete. We compete for the club, we compete for the coach and we compete for ourselves.

Wexford Kettlebell Club...let's go make some noise!!

I am 1

Yep. One year ago I started Kettlebell training. One year on May 9th to be precise. I mentioned it here and likened the process of recognising competitive cycling wasn't for me to childbirth. You'd forget that you weren't Sean Kelly and keep going back to world dominance but get dropped on a local tour. A cruel sport where it never gets easier, you just go faster.

It's been an eventful year. Painful at times (those first 15 press-ups that John requested and caused my eyesight to go all funny) to the skin loss...oh the skin loss. To dropping a 20Kg kettlebell on your foot (just last week!!) to bursting your shorts 5 minutes into your 1 hour session. It's been fun.

I'm not going to go over old posts like the Secrets Revealed: Chapter 1 & Chapter 2 but I can recall these things:

• Igors Shorts
• Collettes wig
• Micks Chinese takeaway numbers
• Darth Vaders boot
• The Force being strong
• Secret training with a vacuum cleaner
• A woman on the left side of the gym
• Indoor snow angels
• New, shiny shoes
• Training that requires lying down
• Inistioge and the guy with 20 packs of crisps down his coat
• The horny prawns
• The ICA meetings on the right side of the gym
• The longer ICA meetings on the left side of the gym
• The comment "Which is handier?" when choosing LC or Biathalon training on the night
• Heavy breathing at the racecourse
• Medals, medals, _ _ _ _ _ _, medals (oops!)
• Problems with starting your 10 minute competition at the right time (oops x 2!)
• Upstairs out-numbering downstairs

Here's to the next year!!