Training ground

Quote: ThePrinter "This week marks three months since flood water devastated the Rhinos training ground at Kirkstall, and whilst the regional and national press may have gone away, the Rhinos players are still having to deal with the after effects.

Head of Athletic Performance Jason Davidson has been working around the clock since Christmas to minimise the impact of the floods but he admits it has inevitably had a knock on effect on the squad.

He revealed, “It has been very disruptive for us going from our training venue at Kirkstall where everything was just for us and all our sessions were structured and disciplined. We now go from gym to gym and field to field on a daily basis and naturally that presents unique challenges that are new to us as a group.

“The initial impact of the flooding at Christmas probably set our pre-season back about two or three weeks as we had to find venues and pitches during January when everyone was suffering from the bad weather.

“Out of an eight week pre-season we probably lost two and half weeks worth of training time. When we had our own facility, we usually had two field sessions a day, especially with the 3G pitch at Kirkstall, but that has not been feasible because we have to work around others and the availability of pitches of the right standard, not to mention building in travel time between facilities.

“Not only did we lose our field but we lost our combat rooms and our dedicated hand/eye sections of the building that we have specifically designed for ourselves down the years. Trying to replicate that in different environments has been a challenge in itself. It took ten years to make the environment we had at Kirkstall and that was all swept away in the floods. We have had many teams use the facilities down the years and it is flattering when you look at other clubs and see how they have incorporated the ideas we use at Kirkstall either from having visited or when players or coaches move on to other clubs.

“The challenge now is to make the new gym better than ever and create a working environment that is second to none. We are working closely with our partners, Indigo Fitness, to refit the gym and achieve this and also Jack Osborne at Centurion. Jack has been brilliant as always with us; turning up with new tackle shields the day after the flood and making sure we had everything we needed to continue, for which we are very grateful,” added Davidson.

Whilst the disruption has been unwelcome, Davidson says the response from the community across Leeds to the Rhinos troubles has been heartening. He added, “A lot of people across Leeds have offered us gym facilities and pitches. We have great connections at Virgin and David Lloyds, two of the biggest gyms in Leeds and they have done everything they can to help us but it is still not home and the professional environment we are used to working in. Usually our training ground is a bit of a bubble where we go to during the week to work hard, naturally public gyms are designed for different priorities including aesthetics and the chance to relax whilst training which is kind of the opposite of what we are used to.

“As for the field sessions, Ryan Golding has done a great job working with us to get the best possible surfaces we can to train on. We have been able to get on a quality field at least twice a week since we came back from America in mid-January with Stanningley, University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett all allowing us use of their pitches, at time of year when everyone is under pressure to get games on, which we thoroughly appreciate,” added Davidson.

There is light at the end of the tunnel with the team hoping to return to their own gym in early summer however in the meanwhile they have found a home from home at Implexus Gym. The gym was recently opened by Assistant conditioner Ian Kirke and Rhinos forward Mitch Achurch at Carlton Mills in Armley. Davidson says that has come as a boost in the last fortnight. He added, “In season, we have tried to keep our daily routine as structured as possible. That has been helped massively by the opening of Mitch Achurch and Ian Kirke’s new gym at Implexus. We have been using the facilities there for the last fortnight, which has allowed us, after six weeks of moving from gym to gym, to finally have a base that we can train in, similar to our usual one.

“During these testing times, the players have been excellent professionals with their attitude and commitment. They have looked on the disruption as a challenge. Over the last fortnight we have been getting back to a structure that will allow them all to thrive once again but I can not praise them enough for how they have conducted themselves. They have always been aware that we have been invited into someone's facility and treated it with the respect it deserves.”'"

Very comprehensive statement that puts a lot of things into perspective.
As all business they should have had a contingency plan in place. I am involved in a business that was affected by the Boxing Day floods and it devastated our ground floor. You never know how good your contingency plan is until you have to implement it, we discovered ours had holes in it but have now adjusted and should it happen again then we "should" be better placed to move forward. Once our insurance company gave us the go ahead it took 48 hours to be somewhat operational and another 2 weeks to finalise most of the important things. still not 100% there but not far off
Whilst I accept that our business probably doesn't have as many nuances as the Rhinos, My point is that the Rhinos obviously have had to rely on the generosity of 3rd parties and work around schedules that they have no control over. How do they improve upon this scenario when/if it happens again