Mona McSharry’s Olympic tattoo is the statement of both achievements and intentions. Tokyo; the feeler Olympics. Paris, the podium Olympics. And LA? Well, the ambition and intention is there for another podium finish for the Sligo swimmer.
San Francisco’s Olympic Club served as the appropriate chlorine perfumed venue for this years Irish Network Bay Area St Patricks Day lunch. It is a perfect example of the importance of sports diplomacy. For a small country like Ireland to have a number of Olympic medalists in highly elite sports like swimming is an extraordinary achievement. And when one of those medallists is Mona McSharry that is indeed a bonus. I found that over the week when I told my American friends we had an actual Olympic medalist in town and she came to swim with us at down at Aquatic Park for a charity swim, they were seriously amazed and impressed.
The articulate and immensely likeable bronze medalist was invited to San Franciso for the lunch by the INBA. Mona travelled with her boyfriend David from her training base in Tennessee. Introduced by Ireland’s Consul General Micheal Smith and Irish Government Minster for Agriculture Martin Heydon, sports diplomacy was on show for the packed room at the Olympic Club on Friday March 13th.
No bad luck there.
Mona is a fabulous talker and we got the inside track on the ups and the down and the near walking aways of an Olympic athlete. Also her likes; hiking and knitting yes actually swimming; it’s fun.
When it stops being fun, things get tricky, and Mona emphasized the the importance of sports psychology in the life of a professional Olympic athlete. We heard about her dog Luna and all how her Mother made sure she was up early, well-nourished, and on time to her early morning trainings in Ballyshannon. We also heard about the importance of her whole support network- her family (Ireland’s Fittest Family, no less) her teammates, and Grace, her early volunteer coach who is now her best friend and mentor.
Mona also told he story behind that Olympic tattoo on her arm and her love of her dog and the legendary Irish chocolate bar Crunchie. The Crunchie was duly presented along with the golden fortune cookie and a commemorative plaque by Jessica Dowling Hammer, President of the INBA, and Ciara Traynor Deputy Consul General of the Irish consulate.
And incidentally Mona’s swim with us at aquatic park on the following Saturday morning helped raise a few thousand dollars for the Marie Keating Breast Cancer Foundation.
A great day and weekend all round.
More Photos
