O’Brien and Dolan take part in Lanzarote swimming camp
By Kevin O'Neill
Athlone Swimming Club has long had a strong tradition for contributing to the overall success of the sport in Ireland. And recently, that reputation was further enhanced as the Irish National Programme headed for Lanzarote, Spain for a two-week training camp.
Among the 29-strong travelling contingent was 18-year-old Coosan native and emerging swimming star Christian O'Brien and Athlone Swimming Club head coach Denise Dolan, who formed part of the coaching team for the camp.
The camp was designed to bring selected athletes and coaches together to reinforce performance standards, and progress key areas of development ahead of upcoming competitions.
Speaking to the Westmeath Independent, Denise, who has long been associated with sports in the Midlands, said it was an honour to be invited to attend the camp, and to help in the continuing progress of some of the country's finest emerging swimmers.
“The main reason I was asked is down to the progress made by Christian (O'Brien) in recent years,” said Mount Temple resident Denise.
“Recently, he swam just .02 seconds off qualifying for the European Championships, and he has a few more attempts at reaching that goal in the next few months, so we are confident he will get there. He's a brilliant lad with a great attitude and he loves swimming.
"It's a privilege to watch his progress and to help in any way I can, and the fact he's involved in the National Programme, in Limerick every weekend, as well as constantly training with his club, shows his dedication and appetite to keep improving,” added Denise, whose four children (Mikey, Nicole, Aimee and Mikaela) are all avid swimmers at the local club, where Denise is involved in the development of up to 150 swimmers.
Denise, who also works as Career Guidance Officer at TUS Midlands, Athlone, said the experience of been involved in the Irish set-up was “brilliant”, and that she looks forward to seeing what the future holds in store for Christian, who attends Marist College, Athlone and whose parents are Ted and Catherine O'Brien - as well as all the other young swimmers currently thriving with Athlone Swimming Club.
“I was really grateful for the opportunity with the Irish set-up and we will see what happens in the future, but there's exciting things ahead for the local club and that's where my focus is after learning a lot in Lanzarote,” said Denise, a sister of former Westmeath football stars Dessie and Gary Dolan.