This summer I was selected to train at the National Rowing Centre in Farran, Co. Cork. For ten weeks, from the start of June to early August, I trained 2-3 times a day and during the camp I was selected to row for team Ireland at a prestigious European junior regatta called the Coupe de la Jeunesse Regatta, held this year in Linz, Austria. At the competition I raced Italy, France, Belgium, Austria and Hungary. The competition is set up so that over the two days of racing there is an opportunity to medal on both days. Myself and my pair partner Evelina Zakarauskaite from Galway Rowing Club won gold on both day on and day two. Our margins were large compared to other races at the competition. On day 1 we won by 6 seconds, Italy taking silver and France bronze, and on day 2 we won by 9 seconds, France taking silver and Italy bronze.  It felt amazing to be the fastest junior pair in Europe at the time. All the hard work I had put in for the last 3 years felt as though it had paid off. To have picked up rowing in Year 11 and get to this point is crazy. This is my second cap for Ireland as a junior and it was an honour to represent my country again. I wish more to come in my U23 career.

Two weeks following the Coupe Regatta, I competed at the Irish National Championships and won the National title in the Junior Women’s double sculls with my Belfast Boat Club team member Giselle Coulter. This was a fantastic end to the season, and as the last High Performance junior rower at Belfast Boat Club, it will be bittersweet to see my teammate, former Methodist College Belfast student Giselle move across the world to LA, on a scholarship to UCLA.

It takes a lot more than a 10-week camp to train to get to this point, all year round from autumn through to summer the work has to be put in. I’d like to use this opportunity to thank my teachers and staff at Aquinas for their interest and support in me as a student athlete throughout the past few years. The experience was unforgettable and has opened many academic and sporting opportunities for me. I’ve received interest from head coaches about scholarships at both American colleges and Irish Universities. I never expected any of this when I first started out, so I want students of Aquinas know that they can get anywhere with hard work and the right support.

 

If you want to watch back my Saturday race it is 7:31:30 in at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD_-SBPXJA0&t=26744s

If you want to watch back my Sunday race it is 5:09:40 in at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nf1OuNGRJ0

 

I’ve attached a few images from the competitions below.