Ready to row for Ireland
RATHCORMAC ROWER AND FULL TIME FARMER FIRST FROM CLUB TO REPRESENT IRELAND
GLENN Patterson recently got the call up to row for his country at the upcoming Scottish internationals this weekend. The competition pits some of the best rowers from Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales and it’s a big feat for Sligo Rowing Club to have one of its athletes competing at the event in Strathclyde Park, Scotland.
This is the first time a rower from the Lough Gill based club has been selected for the International competition, which makes it a huge achievement all round.
Rathcormac native Glenn took up rowing back in 2010 and since then has competed at numerous national events, including last weekend’s Irish Rowing Championships in Cork. Glenn told the Sligo Champion how he was introduced to rowing through friends and hasn’t looked back.
“It was back in 2010 when I was about 16 and a few of my friends from school were with the club so I went along too. They went onto college then and I stuck with it,” he added. Glenn is a full-time farmer so despite having a hectic schedule with that, he still manages to find time to commit to his training.
“I milk cows on the family farm so that’s busy enough too but we work around it! My family couldn’t go to Cork last weekend with the farming but they’re planning on coming to Scotland.” He got the call that he was going to the Home Internationals only three weeks ago. “They were holding trials at the Cork regatta and then I got word that I got the call-up so I’m delighted,” he said.
He’s competing in both the singles and quads, a distance of 2km in both. “That’s the set distance for the races. I’m representing Ireland and there will be other competitors from England, Scotland and Wales.
“I don’t know the names of the other racers, it’s funny not really knowing them because at the Irish Championships I generally know all the names and how fast they are whereas here I haven’t a clue! It’s going to be a great experience for me , it’s being held just outside Glasgow and I can’t wait.”
All of the action takes place in the one day and it’s straight to the finals. Sligo Rowing Club had a large group competing at last weekend’s Championships in Cork from Juniors right up to Seniors.
Glenn said there are some promising young rowers coming through in Sligo too. “There are four main coaches with the club and our underage is the strongest area.
“There are many Juniors aged14, 15 16 who are promising. If they continue to put the work in they’ll be flying.”
Having first competed five years ago nationally, Glenn credits Sligo Rowing Club’s coaches for their hard work and assistance in helping him develop as a rower. “My main coaches are Tom Colsh and Molua Donohue and they’re a great help. As a single sculler, it means you’re out a lot on you’re own training, it’s more of a mental game, but I like that about it.”
The amount of time it takes to become a top-class rower involves not only sessions on the water, but also in the gym and it’s not solely for the good weather months either as Glenn points out.
“I train every day all throughout the winter too. I’ve done around 14 sessions a week for the last month as it’s been busy in the run up to the Championships.
“I do in the region of eight sessions a week in winter, the shortest is one hour and it could be an hour and a half too..
“In the winter I do a lot of gym work to, using the rowing machine. It’s crucial to put in the hours and the Avena gym in Ballisodare are a really good sponsor to me,” Glenn said.
The North Sligo athlete has competed at numerous Nationals both in quads and sculls and last year came fourth in the Nationals in the doubles along with Huw James. “I raced in the singles too and missed out on the final by a tiny bit.”
Glenn said it’s brilliant to see the sport in Sligo advancing and although Sligo Rowing Club is only a decade old, much has been accomplished in that short space of time.
“Rowing is really progressing and it’s a great club, professionally run with brilliant coaches and the facilities are top-class.
“The facilities even from when I joined back in 2010 have come on so much.”
Glenn races in a new single racer boat named in honour of Beezie Gallagher, the last resident on Lough Gill and much revered about Sligo.
“These boats are not cheap and it was bought all through fundraising efforts. The boat came from Portugal, it’s a lot more comfortable and responsible off the start. It’s lightweight, only 14kilos and carbon fibre, I’m really happy with it.”
Glenn has aspirations to trial for the Irish squad in the future, he added. “I’m hoping to trial for the High Performance Irish squad, who are based in Cork.”
Apart from Sligo, the nearest clubs are Carrick-on-Shannon, Athlone and Enniskillen and there is a good relationship between them. Sligo Rowing Club is holding its own regatta at the end of the month and it should be another big day. “Our club regatta is on July 29th and I’m looking forward to it,” Glenn said.
He added that rowing is a sport that offers a lot. “It’s absolutely savage going up the lake on a good day. With all the training and that for an amateur sport it’s a very elite sport in a way. I didn’t really play any other sport, just really liked rowing once I joined the club.”
And with Glenn doing the club and Sligo proud this weekend, his clubmmates are behind him all the way.
“For one of the smallest clubs compared to the others, the guys are still the loudest in the crowd,” Glenn said.