An Cosantóir

30 PEOPLE OF THE DEFENCE FORCES This week we speak to Gnr [Gunner] Robbie McCarthy, a soldier in the STA unit [Surveillance target acquisition] in the 2nd Artillery Regiment in Custume Barracks Athlone. Robbie is also a world champion handballer. He has won everything there is to be won in the sport of handball, with titles from under 12 right up to senior Irish and World titles. "I got into handball from watching my father play all over the country, I started playing at 6 years of age and started to get really competitive after a few years when there was a chance of free trips to America to play the best over there". "I find endurance is a massive factor in tight games. Endurance can affect your concentration which can then affect your decision making. Shots that you would easily execute early in the game can become messy if you are starting to fatigue". "Definitely. I would say the Army brought a lot of physical and mental toughness to my game. In the middle of a really tight game, after playing for over an hour, I would often think about the tough challenges I have faced in a recruit training or an exercise and realise I have come through tougher situations than this game. I found that has given me a mental edge over the player I was before I joined the Defence forces". "I joined in 2014 at 27 years of age. I initially joined and served in the Navy, which presented its own challenges for handball as you can imagine. I had to put handball on hold for the initial 6 months, but I feel it stood to me in other ways with regards to resilience and fitness. In October 2019 I transferred over to the Artillery in Custume barracks Athlone and I have been serving here since. The Unit here are very supportive of sport and the gym facilities are excellent". "I am really hoping to go overseas in the coming year and come back to play at a high level again. I want to experience the overseas environment and I'm sure, like everything I've experienced in the Defence forces so far, it will present its own challenges and make me more resilient and tougher - both as a person and a player". "I would have to say my father as he got me interested in the sport in the first place. But in my late teens I met a brilliant Coach and mentor in Peter Leahy who is actually the Coach of the Mayo ladies football team, he put a lot of structure on my routine. Before that I had no real structure and was playing every sport. He added way more professionalism to my game. He had me on a very specific training regime which was completely new to me. It was definitely the turning point in my handball career". "Commitment, dedication, skills and fitness. The reason I put commitment first though, is because it wasn't until I cut out all the other sports I was doing, that I really improved as a player and got to reach my full potential". "Well my All Ireland final which was supposed to have been played in March is on hold at the minute with no date set. Also, the state of the art alley in Croke Park is being used as a testing centre at the minute so it's all very much up in the air right now. It's just a matter of me staying as ready as I can to play, the moment the restrictions are lifted". Rank - Gnr Name - Robbie McCarthy What got you into handball? What physical attributes would you need to succeed? Did you find the Army training helped you in any area of your sport? When did you join the Defence forces? What are your plans for the future? Who has had the biggest influence on your career? What does it take to become a top competitor? What is happening in the handball world at the moment with regards to COVID 19 By Cpl Martin Bennett Photo by Cpl Martin Bennett

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