ABOUT YOU<\/p>\n
Name: Molly Curry<\/p>\n
Age: 14<\/p>\n
Hometown: Coleraine<\/p>\n
Occupation: Year 11 Student at Coleraine Grammar School<\/p>\n
Teams Representing: Coleraine Swimming Club, Ulster Performance Squad (swimming), Ulster Schools Interpro Team (swimming), Coleraine Grammar School Rowing Team.<\/p>\n
\n
INTRODUCTION TO SWIMMING<\/strong><\/p>\n \n When I was six my mum took me to swimming lessons as a life-skill and after I got to grips with the basics my parents were advised to try to get me into Coleraine Amateur Swimming Club. I seemed to take an immediate liking to breaststroke and manged to break the U8 25m girls club record (a record which had stood for 25yrs).<\/p>\n At the age of 8yrs I started junior hockey with Coleraine Hockey Club and I also played tennis with Coleraine Tennis Club. I really enjoyed having fun with friends and learning new skills. At the age of 11 I also became a member of Castlerock Golf Club.<\/p>\n \n My parents really encouraged me to take part in many sports. I also had 2 younger brothers and they too loved all sports, so I suppose it was just part of what we all did as a family. Coaches within Coleraine Swimming Club also encouraged me to enter Ulster Development galas for juniors. Coleraine Grammar School is fantastic for sport and I have had many opportunities to carry on my sports there. This March I will be travelling to London for the 2nd year in a row to take part in the Swimming Bath Cup and Otter Medley school events in the London Olympic Pool \u2013 only 3 schools from Northern Ireland have this amazing opportunity.<\/p>\n \n Yes, I was extremely nervous. I remember the first Ulster galas I took part in when I was eight. Everyone else appeared confident and I was so scared that I refused to go down to the marshalling area and my mum ended up having to come with me and stay with me beside the diving blocks. It took a lot of practice to overcome this fear. Now it is no problem and I have travelled with Ulster to many competitions.<\/p>\n \n This was probably when I became Ulster Age Group Breaststroke Champion for the 2nd year in a row. Around the age of 12 however, I decided to give up my tennis lessons and school and club hockey to take up rowing at school. I have always wanted to row and this was a brilliant opportunity to learn to row through school. Swimming and rowing are now my only two sports. They both keep me very busy with training, races and training camps. I find both sports are very complementary to each other and my school is very understanding and helps me to balance both sports.<\/p>\n \n SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n \n I have been on the Ulster Swimming Squad since I was 11 and I have now been on the Ulster Performance Squad for the past two years. I have represented Ulster at various competitions in England and Scotland \u2013 this was something I was very proud to do and it was very exciting receiving my first Ulster kit! Probably my top achievements to date were in July 2016 when I became the Irish Age Group 100m and 200m Breaststroke Champion. I also hold most of the Coleraine Club breaststroke records. The most recent one (U14) being previously held by Emma Robinson who went to the Sydney and Athens Olympics to represent Ireland in the 100m breaststroke. This meant a lot to me as I have met Emma and her sister Louise who both represented Ireland and I look up to them as having been fantastic swimmers.<\/p>\n \n It makes me feel very proud and I love representing my province. However, I always feel as if everyone else on the team is much more talented and fitter than I am, so I feel a little anxious and nervous when part of the team in case I don\u2019t perform as well I should. Its only recently that I am beginning to realise that quite a few athletes in the team feel the same and it\u2019s that feeling that maybe drives us all to swim better.<\/p>\n \n Both my parents have been very encouraging to me and taken a lot of time to take me to training and competitions. The coaches at Coleraine Swimming Club, have all encouraged me and improved my confidence in my abilities. My dad is also one of my coaches and he has helped me improve some of my swimming technique and this has made a definite difference to my times. Coleraine Grammar School has also been brilliant. They have allowed me countless days off school to attend competitions. During the summer in the lead up to the Irish Championships they also allowed me to use their 25m pool for extra training. Adding rowing to my sports has also shown me how to push myself to my limits!<\/p>\n \n In five years, I will be 19 and I should be in the middle of my 2nd year at university. I am not 100% certain what I want to do yet at university but I know it will probably be science based in some way. I would like to think I will still be continuing to swim or row at university and perhaps have aspirations to high sporting achievements \u2013 although currently I want to take it one year at a time and this year I would like to qualify to go with the Ireland Team to the European Youth Olympics in Hungary 2017.<\/p>\n \n AND FINALLY\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n 1: Being fit and strong. 2: Being able to eat as much as I want! 3: Due to high demands on my time, sport has helped make me become more organised especially when it comes to my schoolwork!<\/p>\n \n Keep trying when you are finding it difficult, as there are many peaks and troughs in sport. It can be very disheartening but keep at training and stay positive because eventually you will come through these challenges as a stronger and better person.<\/p>\n Sport is also a fantastic way to make great friends. I do both a sport which is considered individual (swimming) and a team sport (rowing). I have found both to be a fantastic way to find like-minded girls and really good friends. We all train hard and support each other, as we know how difficult it can be to juggle school, sport and daily life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MOLLY CURRY ABOUT YOU Name: Molly Curry Age: 14 Hometown: Coleraine Occupation: Year 11 Student at Coleraine Grammar School Teams Representing: Coleraine Swimming Club, Ulster Performance Squad (swimming), Ulster Schools Interpro Team (swimming), Coleraine Grammar School Rowing Team. INTRODUCTION TO…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[134],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19196","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-role-models"},"yoast_head":"\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n