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More journalism.....
My writing has really been kicking off and I am really loving the opportunity to interview some amazing folk doing extraordinary things.
Recently I interviewed the legendary Jim "Pumper" Cassidy, Kiwi Jockey, 49 years old and still at the top of the game. He is a former two-time winner of the Melbourne Cup amongst the other big trophies in Australian Racing. He is famous for his rhyming tag- lines such as "clickety clack, the Pumper is back" and is the punters favourite here in Oz. Article below.
Jim “The Pumper’ Cassidy - ring a ding ding, long live the king!
At the age of 49, champion jockey Jim “The Pumper” Cassidy is still at the top of the game. A larger than life character, he is one of the few jockeys to win the Grand Slam of Australia’s biggest races - Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Golden Slipper Stakes and the Melbourne Cup.
“I never wanted to do anything else” he said when we caught up with him at the end of a training session. “I always loved doing what I do. I only had two ambitions in life, to be an All Black or a jockey”. Incidentally, his first time in Australia was to play rugby union when he was 11 years old, however, given his 5 foot frame, the All Black dream ended. Nine years later he came back as a champion jockey in what he described as the highlight of his career when he won the Melbourne Cup in 1983 as a Kiwi, riding a horse named Kiwi, that had never run on Australian soil. They came from behind to win and as Cassidy says “rewrote the script”.
He is thirty years senior to some of his current rivals and is still a force to be reckoned with. In the last ten years he has had to contend with more and more wear and tear injuries associated with long hours in the saddle. The question is, how can someone of that age still be so successful?
He is disciplined, he works on conditioning every day and doesn’t let three or four days pass without doing anything. He also has work-life balance. Cassidy is a family man. “I put family first and racing second, racing is my job”. He enjoys the simple things in life and cherishes time with his wife and three daughters. He has no formula or blue print for victory, rather he goes with the flow of life and does the best he can with what is put before him. It is an approach gleaned from years of experience. He says “I am enjoying it, still riding winners, maybe not many big winners. Not everyone can ride the top echelon of horses. In that respect I have been lucky, I have ridden some great horses over the years and another one might come along tomorrow, and that keeps me going”
He maintains that one of the traits of a top jockey is being able to sum a horse up in a few minutes and then getting out there and doing the business. He says there are three types of jockey: some are born to ride, some try to ride and some want to ride. “On Might and Power (Melbourne Cup Winner 1997) I allowed him to relax, I was just a passenger. Got his breathing right. It’s not easy to do and a lot of jockeys can’t do it”.
In his spare time he likes to play golf and tennis and uses swimming to keep his fitness up. With his family, he dines out at his favourite Japanese, Chinese or Lebanese restaurants. More often than not, he cooks at home and enjoys it. Jockeys have a brutal regime of weight loss and sweating to stay light. The first thing he reaches for at the end of a long days racing is a cold beer, switches off his phone and heads straight home for some family time. Sunday is his eating day, “the fridge is my best friend when i am not riding” he says with a chuckle.
It is his balanced and simple approach to life, his supreme talent and resilience and a genuine love for what he does that has ensured his longevity in a tough industry. But how long will “The Pumper” continue? “I will wake up one day and say “no more” and that will be it. It has not come into my mind to stop. I will miss it, the adrenaline rush, but all the other stuff that goes with it I won’t miss.
Art O Neill Challenge
The 3rd edition of the Art O Neill Challenge will take place on the 14th of January 2012. This hike/ultra running race begins at midnight from Dublin Castle and follows the prison escape route f Art O Neill and red Hugh O Donnell all the way to Glenmalure Valley, 55km away. It is Ireland's classic winter event and we are looking forward to welcoming people from all walks of life to take on this challenge. Great Outdoors have come on board as retail partners. Details on our new look website www.artoneillchallenge.ie and like our facebook page to receive details of competitions and promotions in relation to the challenge.
The 3rd edition of the Art O Neill Challenge will take place on the 14th of January 2012. This hike/ultra running race begins at midnight from Dublin Castle and follows the prison escape route f Art O Neill and red Hugh O Donnell all the way to Glenmalure Valley, 55km away. It is Ireland's classic winter event and we are looking forward to welcoming people from all walks of life to take on this challenge. Great Outdoors have come on board as retail partners. Details on our new look website www.artoneillchallenge.ie and like our facebook page to receive details of competitions and promotions in relation to the challenge.
Great Pink Run
We organised the Great Pink Run on behalf of Breast Cancer Ireland. We had over 1000 participants at this inaugural event which went off very well. People turned out in force in pink in all kinds of costumes. people really embraced what this race is all about - creating awareness and raising funds for Breast Cancer Ireland. Next years race promises to be even bigger. Check out the website www.greatpinkrun.ie for more information
We organised the Great Pink Run on behalf of Breast Cancer Ireland. We had over 1000 participants at this inaugural event which went off very well. People turned out in force in pink in all kinds of costumes. people really embraced what this race is all about - creating awareness and raising funds for Breast Cancer Ireland. Next years race promises to be even bigger. Check out the website www.greatpinkrun.ie for more informati
DARE is complete!
DARE - Dublin's first ever urban adventure race is complete and what a day...what a project! We had 371 souls biking, running, kayaking all over the city centre and using the very best of what Dublin has to offer. We also had them abseiling off the Aviva Stadium! Urban adventure races are unique in that there is very close contact with the public and it was awesome to see Dublin getting behind the event and supporting our participants. Childline were the benefitting charity and we were really happy to do so. Plenty to work on for next year but we are really happy with Dare and look forward to next year!
2fm DJ Ruth Scott was racing and had a Sony Bloggie to record her efforts which we are due to see soon! RTE Capital D showed the event last week on Prime time telly...so DARE is really getting out there. Check out the website www.dublindaresyou.com
DARE - Dublin's first ever urban adventure race is complete and what a day...what a project! We had 371 souls biking, running, kayaking all over the city centre and using the very best of what Dublin has to offer. We also had them abseiling off the Aviva Stadium! Urban adventure races are unique in that there is very close contact with the public and it was awesome to see Dublin getting behind the event and supporting our participants. Childline were the benefitting charity and we were really happy to do so. Plenty to work on for next year but we are really happy with Dare and look forward to next year!
2fm DJ Ruth Scott was racing and had a Sony Bloggie to record her efforts which we are due to see soon! RTE Capital D showed the event last week on Prime time telly...so DARE is really getting out there. Check out the website www.dublindaresyou.com
Monthly Newspaper Column
I now have a monthly column on the Evening Echo newspaper within the Sports Supplement. It has been a really enjoyable, if not theraputic experience! I have pasted a copy of some of what I have written here and will scan and upload the actual articles as they come out. I am writing about sports, health and life from my own angle, both as a sportsman and an adventurer. I even managed to squeeze in some acting experiences!
It is the first step in my communication of my own experiences, in a way which can be understood by everyone. I feel there is little point in keeping experiences like Olympic sports and situations I have faced, to myself. If they can be used to help people in their personal or work lives then I am really happy to do so. In fact, I am quite motivated now to develop this side of my work and to provide a service in which my experiences can be used for the good of everyone, if they choose to join me.
Article 1 - Published 02.05.2011
Olympic athletes have a short time span in which to achieve their goals and then you are a retiree at the age of thirty one. Life has really only just begun and most, myself included, do not easily fit back into the flow of everyday living and the key is to recognise that everything you have been through to get to the Olympic level has a value and a use to so many other people, if you choose to share the information.
My current goal or challenge is to take what I learned and experienced both as an Olympic athlete and an ocean rowing adventurer and channel it into helping others become exposed to situations where they will be asked similar questions. I do this one-on-one, in small workshops or I organise sports events which are aimed at all levels of athlete, with primary focus on getting people to try events for the first time. The first step in anything is to take action and my events are organised in a way which seeks to reduce the intimidation factor and show everyone that sport is not scary and in no way reserved for the elite and to let people know that it is all about personal feeling. The completion of a five kilometer running race is a great achievement and is within the grasp of everyone. We organise the Urban Trail Series every month, which are running races held in city parks and are entirely off-road on wooded trails, grass and heath and the vast majority of participants are not competing with anyone else other than themselves. Tense, serious faces leave the start-line to be replaced by beaming, joyous, endorphine fuelled finishers after five kilometers of running. They had just spent five kilometers in the moment, pushing themselves, surprising themselves and going beyond what they thought they were capable of.
As human beings, we have no idea how far we can push ourselves. If you imagine how far you think you could ever possibly go, multiply it by a thousand and you might get close. Humans are the most adaptable and amazing specimens and our bodies are extremely tough engines. They will adapt and grow in any situation. It is our mind and thoughts that usually let us down.
My first night on the Atlantic I thought I had made a huge mistake: how would I ever get used to rowing for two hours on - two hours off, sleeping on a boat that was being kicked around like a rag-doll and eating cardboard-esque dehydrated food for weeks on end. A week later I was in my element, like the place was my natural home. It opened my eyes to the power we have to be able to adapt to any situation and actually thrive in an environment that seemed horrible and alien at the very beginning. This is how I know we, as a nation, will survive this period of economic strife and build again. It is a matter of finding our footing after being knocked over and adapting to the new situation. There is a huge shift in attitude towards sport, healthy living and personal challenge in this country. In the nineties, people out running and cycling were an endangered species and put firmly into the eccentric category (“look at yer man”). As recently as 2005, the sports calendar was virtually empty of events unless you were part of a club of some kind.
There has been a huge shift in the psyche of Irish people in this area. Joggers, walkers, cyclists are now everywhere, getting out there whenever they have a spare moment and the calendar is full to the brim with events all over the country to cater for all tastes and levels. Ireland is not the same place it was before boom time, there has been a positive shift in the way people look after themselves personally and this will be a key factor in our recovery as a nation. Getting out there, taking on challenges and overcoming them all lead to increased personal confidence and collectively, the people of Ireland are doing that more than they ever have before. Go to any sports event like a marathon, mini marathon or adventure challenge and stand at the finish line and watch the faces as people finish. You will not see a glimpse of the recession, depression, strife or worry only joy, satisfaction, happiness, feelings of well-being and increased self-confidence. There are thousands more people signing up for this feeling every week than there was five years ago and this can only be a great thing for our people and the future generation of our country.
DARE MEDIA LAUNCH
Had an awesome time today at the Aviva Stadium for the launch of DARE! Kathryn Thomas was the first to abseil from the roof of the stadium and even carried a bike after very little persuasion by us! She is a game girl! Others to come down the 47m rope to publicise this great event were Ruth Scott, Ray Shah, Celeb Chef Donal Skehan, Donal Barret from our Charity CHILDLINE and varous journalists from national media! Big thanks to Heather and Jeff at BigO Media, the guys at Work at Height and all who helped make today a success. Big up also to Dillon - a 13 year old lad who did the abseil for us and who didn't look phased at all while some adults (who shall remain nameless) were pooing in their pants!
Had an awesome time today at the Aviva Stadium for the launch of DARE! Kathryn Thomas was the first to abseil from the roof of the stadium and even carried a bike after very little persuasion by us! She is a game girl! Others to come down the 47m rope to publicise this great event were Ruth Scott, Ray Shah, Celeb Chef Donal Skehan, Donal Barret from our Charity CHILDLINE and varous journalists from national media! Big thanks to Heather and Jeff at BigO Media, the guys at Work at Height and all who helped make today a success. Big up also to Dillon - a 13 year old lad who did the abseil for us and who didn't look phased at all while some adults (who shall remain nameless) were pooing in their pants!
Course Recce!
This week has been a good week for doing location recce for both the Urban Trail Series and DARE. Dublin is full of surprises and I was having a great adventure myself whilst looking for fun and exciting places to bring people during my upcoming races. The weather today gave us a brief taste of the summer to come hopefully, and with director of photography, Torquil Fleming Boyd, we were able to get a great idea of where the best shots will be taken during DARE. It will be a busy day for everyone, but especially for the film crew! The Grand Canal Dock alone is a hive of impressive and creative shots of kayakers and runners.
Exciting times! Next event up for me is the 3rd round of the Urban Trail Series which will take place in Marlay Park in south Dublin on the 12th of March...the entries are building and it promises to be a great race on a fantastic course.
This week has been a good week for doing location recce for both the Urban Trail Series and DARE. Dublin is full of surprises and I was having a great adventure myself whilst looking for fun and exciting places to bring people during my upcoming races. The weather today gave us a brief taste of the summer to come hopefully, and with director of photography, Torquil Fleming Boyd, we were able to get a great idea of where the best shots will be taken during DARE. It will be a busy day for everyone, but especially for the film crew! The Grand Canal Dock alone is a hive of impressive and creative shots of kayakers and runners.
Exciting times! Next event up for me is the 3rd round of the Urban Trail Series which will take place in Marlay Park in south Dublin on the 12th of March...the entries are building and it promises to be a great race on a fantastic course.
Childline Come On Board As Associated Charity
A worthwhile charity which receives no government funding whatsoever
Childline have come on board as a linked charity. 5 euro from each entry fee will go directly to Childline. The event hopes to raise awareness for this very worthwhile charity which receives no government funding whatsoever.
The DARE Website
Dublin Dares You Site is now live!
Finally, the DARE website has gone LIVE! We hope you have a good look around and register for what will be one of the most exciting races in Ireland. The Aviva Stadium abseil will be awesome, however there are many highlights in this race, and we are certin that this will be the start of a must-do event on the adventure and sports calendar! The race will start and finish at The Adventure Weekend which will be taking place at the RDS. Every participant will receive discounted tickets to the show over the weekend.
