Women in Sport: Amanda Larkin – Ireland’s Brightest Bowling Star

Working full-time, while studying and being a complete legend on the European bowling scene, aren't things that can be done easily, but that’s exactly what 20-year-old Amanda Larkin from Tallaght, Dublin does on a daily basis. Weekdays, she works for Physiocare and studies at the same time, while at weekends, you’ll probably find her working in Molloy’s Pub in Tallaght Village. On top of all the work and study commitments though, there’s something else quite special about Amanda - she’s a European bowling champion and has so many medals and titles to her name we find it hard to keep up! We finally did catch up with her this week though, to hear how it all began. “I've played bowling for about 15 years now,” she explained. Amanda in action. “I don't really play any other sports, though I would have an interest in watching snooker and darts,” she continued, adding that her bowling club is ALSAA. “My love for bowling began thanks to my mam. She used to play in a ladies morning with her friends and then she found the junior club for my brothers. “I used to go and watch them when I was smaller and every week I would beg the club owners to let me join but I had to wait until I joined school, and since then I haven't stopped!” She certainly hasn’t stopped, as over the years she has won seven Irish National Championship titles, five Leinster Open titles, three Junior Irish Open titles, five Junior ITBA Masters titles and five Junior ITBA Trios titles. Not only that, but she has also secured five Junior ITBA mixed Doubles titles, along with being the 2011 Holland Youth Open champion and the 2012 Belgium Open Champion. Amanda Larkin pictured with Paul Stott. “It’s been a brilliant few years,” she reflected modestly. “I won my first gold medal for Ireland in the Triple Crown, in the trios section in 2008. In 2011, I went to the European Youth Championships, where I won a bronze medal in the Masters Event and I became the first person from Ireland to win a medal in the Masters side of the event. “That was a great achievement. Then, in 2013 I went to the same tournament, and went on to win gold in the Masters side of tournament and became the first Irish person to win a gold medal in this tournament which also meant I was European Masters champion for 2013. “One month later, I went to France to play the Youth European tour finals where I won a gold masters medal in this event, and became two-time European Champion in the space of a month!” she smiled. Amanda has a lot of titles to her name. Indeed, success seems to follow Amanda, who added yet more titles to her name this year. “In January, I played the adult Irish Open, which was classed as a European Title, so I won the women’s section and I now have a European Women’s EBT title, which is pretty huge! “Then in February, I played the adult national championships, where I broke a record for winning 6/6 golds – getting them in singles, doubles, trios, mixed doubles, team and masters," she added. It certainly can’t be easy, juggling work, study and winning tournaments though, and Amanda added that often it’s difficult to keep everything going. It's busy times for Amanda.  “It’s tough lately,” she admitted. “Now I’m working two jobs, seven days a week and trying to study and train. I juggle things the best that I can though. “The Irish bowling season is mostly September to May/June, but for me there’s no ‘season’ - it’s all year. “At the moment, I am currently practicing to go to Malta in three weeks’ time for the Malta Open, then I’ll be home for 10 days before I fly to Japan to compete in the PBA World Open. “I was selected to represent Ireland in this tournament, which is a demo tournament for the Olympics committee. In between these, I am playing the World Cup qualifier, where the winner will get to represent Ireland in the World Cup in Las Vegas. “In October then, I will represent Ireland in the European Cup in San Marino, I haven’t planned any other smaller tournaments yet – but as you can see, it’s really busy!" Amanda has won a number of medals over the years.  “Looking ahead, I’m more nervous for Japan than any other tournament because I am going to be playing against professional bowlers, but I have confidence, because I am constantly improving and learning more about the game. “My most difficult opponent to date has to be my coach Paul Stott Jnr. We play each other regularly in practice, but use it is a serious match, because the winner gains bragging rights for the week!” she laughed. “I have only beaten Paul a handful of times; he’s just so good at the game. Playing him definitely benefits my game, because I have to be on my game all the time to have a chance at winning, but this helps me improve and makes my mental game stronger. “I train about four to six times a week and you could say I’ve ‘missed’ out on a lot of events for bowling but the sacrifices are worth it 100%. “I’ve been dedicated to it from a young age and that’s paid off. Maybe if I had slacked when I was younger and went out with my friends more, I might not be European Champion today." Amanda is one of the bright stars of bowling.  “My family are very supportive, whether I bowl bad or good they are always there with some words of encouragement. My friends in bowling are the same, even though we compete against each other, they get what I’m going through. “My friends outside bowling are also very supportive and don’t get annoyed at me if I can’t go out with them. “If I was to give advice to younger athletes, it would be, ‘what you put in you get out’. “I see so many young people now get annoyed at a tournament when they don’t win, but yet I know they didn’t practice all week for the tournament. Always challenge yourself to play against better bowlers, you might not succeed at first, but in the long run, it will make you a better and stronger player." She's one to watch for the future. “For you to be successful you need to go through the tough times as well - it makes you appreciate winning more then when it happens. “Everything I do, I do for bowling: I work two jobs so I can travel more. For anyone who thinks they would be interested in playing, I say do it. “Bowling has given me great confidence and it’s a fun, unique sport to do. And don’t forget all the countries you can visit when you go play tournaments abroad! It’s brilliant!”