Gary Longwell: the sports psychologist who worked wonders with the players
FAR from the bright lights of London’s Olympic Stadium, Ireland based themselves in Cork for a mini camp last month that included three warm-up games against Japan.
On the face of it, a 2-1 series defeat against their higher-ranked opponents might have seemed like a disappointment, but it was during those few days on Leeside that Gillian Pinder describes as the “turning point” for the unforgettable journey that was to follow in the coming weeks.
It wasn’t so much the tinkering of tactics on the pitch, but more so the fine-tuning of their mental approach.
The advent of psychology in professional sport has had hugely positive effects across the board, but the reality for amateur teams is it is merely another area in which they are playing catch-up.
The introduction of Gary Longwell as performance skills coach in 2015 proved to be an inspired decision, however.
The 26-times capped former Ireland lock, who was part of the Ulster side that won the Heineken Cup in 1999, has become a vital cog in the hockey team’s wheel.
Not one for the limelight, the regard with which the players and head coach Graham Shaw hold Longwell in tells you everything you need to know about his impact.
It was in UCC that Longwell began to implement different mental strategies to help the players cope with the demands of playing at a World Cup.
The manner in which the 18 girls conducted themselves over the last fortnight has culminated in the country having yet another team that they can be proud of, and Pinder believes a lot of that is due to Longwell’s influence.
“Gary is the most unsung hero,” Ireland’s semi-final heroine said.