PATTI Mullin from Belfast rowed her way to gold twice last week in Austria at the highly competitive European rowing competition Coupe de la Jeunesse.
The Aquinas pupil rowed in a pair with her pair partner Evelina Zakarauskaite from Galway. Both teenagers have lived in Cork for the past 10 weeks training for the competition at the National Rowing Centre, sharing facilities with the Olympic crews before they left for Tokyo.
Winning comfortably with a six-second clear water lead on the first day, and a nine-second clear water lead on day two, the commentators and spectators have marked this pair as one to watch for future. They beat Hungary, Italy, France, Austria and Belgium in their A finals.
This is both Patti and Evelina’s second time representing their country in the Ireland one-piece; both were in different crews at the Homes International regatta in 2019, however, together in the pair they struck gold and hope to row together again in future, they had excellent synergy and looked very comfortable on the water.
Having just come through the lockdown, juggling online school, and limited on the Lagan training sessions makes this win for Patti all the more rewarding.
Patti has had no coach at her home club since April 2020, her coach moved on to a new job at Queen’s University leaving the junior squad of two at Belfast Boat Club without a coach and he hasn’t been replaced.
Despite this, with the support of her parents, her rowing peers online throughout the country, some online ERG coaching, and a lot of determination, she has achieved these podium positions. She will row again next weekend at the National Championships in Cork, and begin trialling again in September for next year’s competitions.
She has some big decisions to make next year when choosing universities, with American Ivy leagues already having zoom interviews with her and the Head rowing coach of Princeton University meeting with her and her parents in Austria at last week’s competition, choosing what is best will not be easy.
“Rowing Ireland prefer their athletes to be at universities in Ireland and to follow and attend their training and trialling programmes, but the idea of turning down an opportunity for a fully funded place at somewhere like Princeton at this point isn’t something I am sure I should do, I would love to work out a way to do both,” said Patti.
Patti’s mother, René makes a plea to Sport NI to do more for junior rowers who have this level of talent and exceptional drive and ability based in the north.
“There is next to no assistance or support out there for the athletes,” she said.
“The national rowing centre is in Cork, the trials are monthly, and the training camps are all there.
“Apart from a small grant of £500 Patti received this year, which we were extremely grateful for from Mary Peters Trust, Patti has had no assistance whatsoever.
“We fund all of the coaching, the trips to Cork, the accommodation and the mountain of food she consumes, it is very expensive.
“You don’t know how exceptional your child can be at a sport they show promise in unless they compete at an elite level, but once they do, and begin to win and win comfortably, it’s time for the sports governing bodies to get behind them and put in place all they can to help the athletes reach their full potential for themselves, their sport and their country.
“There are many initiatives out there at the minute to ‘keep girls in sport’, but the reality is that without proper funding it just becomes impossible, the real irony is that what the Ivy Leagues offer in financial aid packages including board and food, is actually much more viable than staying in Ireland to row for the country. It will cost a small fortune for Patti to stay in Ireland to row and attend university here.
“If Ireland want to hold onto its athletes, it really needs to start working out a way to do it that makes it more attractive to parents and athletes.
“The athletes should feel supported, not guilty that their family are making compromises for them, hopefully with the medal haul the rowers have brought home from Tokyo there will be more funding for the sport, but will it stretch to the Irish junior and under 23 rowers, they are the next Olympians.”
