Stay In Touch With Us Coaching Videos

Martina McMahon speaks about Tuscon to Mayo and everything in between.

GAA Handball spoke to Broadford HC’s Martina McMahon to congratulate her on her recent Pro Stop win in Tuscon AZ and to talk about the upcoming Nationals in the wake of such a successful achievement

As an athlete who needs no introduction, we dove straight into the conversation. The humble Shannonsider was gracious when receiving praise and congratulations; when we asked how she was feeling she merely stated; “Right now I have a mixture of delight, jet lag and tiredness!”.

Having achieved such a victory, by working so hard for it to come about for so long, McMahon was implicit in describing the experience. She noted that “straight after the game, when the final ball left my hand I got a cold sweat down my back and developed Goosebumps all over me with excitement. I actually couldn’t believe I won.”

From the outside looking in it was clear that the relief and ecstasy was consuming McMahon, however, things often seem different when you are living them. McMahon remarked that from the videos it is clear that she was delighted, but as she showered after the game, a part of her was in shock. She kept thinking to herself;

Is this actually real, did I win, or is this all a dream?

Thankfully for her, it was in fact, a reality. Shying away from the attention, McMahon took to the airport immediately after the game to begin what must have been the longest journey in her lifetime. It was on the plane again, when it all hit her. She remembers staring out the window smiling to herself. She couldn’t wait to get home, to get back to family and friends, especially her emotional Mammy and coach.

Coming off such a high, we asked the seasoned player how she would deal with the pressure of preparing for the rest of the season ahead. With a glimmer of pride and laughter in her eye she stated; “Pressure is only for tyres!”. Laughing, she went on to say that she is still not ranked number one here, or abroad and until she gets to that coveted position she won’t feel under pressure. Her immediate aim is to perform in the Nationals, claiming that yes, she would love to win but putting in a good performance is more important at the moment. She did note that it is particularly hard to pick up the momentum up again with such a short turnaround to the next tournament but that that feat is difficult for all International players including Catriona Casey.

On that note, we were intrigued as to know her thoughts on the main differences between Irish and American tournaments i.e. atmosphere, environment, and, perhaps most importantly the different ball. Her response was varied;

“The environment is probably the biggest factor, you are going from 30oC where the courts are warm, the ball is flying and everyone is in shorts and sleeveless tops/t-shirts, to like 10oC cold courts, everyone wearing hoddies, jackets, hats and gloves, I am freezing since I have come home! As for the atmosphere, Ireland and America differ greatly. The people in America can get you pumped up for a game as they are much more vocal and not afraid to show their support. The atmosphere during the Tuscon Pro Stop was class. It was like being at an ice hockey game, people in the front row were banging on the glass after a good shot/rally and everyone was roaring and laughing. Whereas here in Ireland, the Irish are a lot more conservative and remain neutral for high intensity games. Everything is quiet and controlled.

Due to the heat in America, the difference in the ball is not as bad as if girls were to play with the O’Neills International here. But, I guess the major difference is the broadcasting on ESPN in America. They really do treat us like professionals with interviews and broadcasting with commentary. Both Dave Vincent and David Fink are comical on broadcast, they attract an audience with their comments, some statements might be questionable but it catches people’s attention. Also, during some tournaments, the WPH hold Junior clinics with male/female pros, to help spread the growth of the game.

However, I must admit that Ireland are vastly improving, especially with the help of Facebook Live. Also, the posters and public notices on the Facebook page are tremendous at catching people’s attention. A lot of thought goes into the design of them and I must commend GAA Handball on that work. All in all, both sides of the soil are doing a remarkable job for the game”.

Looking forward to the Nationals Tournament, and her constant sparring partner over the last year, Cork’s Catriona Casey, McMahon is honest about how each win has not been easily obtained. Admitting that it is nice to have a few wins under her belt against Casey, she knows that a player of her calibre is always going to come back and fight again. McMahon remarks that she and Casey have had so many tussles this year alone, and to win any of them is a great boost. In the fashion of a true athlete she notes that every day she steps into the court to play and no matter who is in front of her, she wants to win.

However, the days when you win against the best, they’re the days not to forget.

In saying that, McMahon does stress that she will continue to take one day at a time, take one tournament at a time but also to cherish one win at a time. McMahon is the first to admit that her victory in Tuscon, perhaps over all the titles she has won in her career has been the best for her mentality. She states that;

I am probably renowned as one of those players who has the ability but my head leaves me down sometimes. That’s something I have been trying to change, I still need to work on it, but I’ll get there.

Speaking of mentality, GAA Handball asked the Broadford player, does the fact that 2018 plays host to a World Championship affect her mental preparation but also, the timing in which she intends to peak. In response, she said;

“The World Championships are a tournament ear marked in my calendar, like every Irish person that plays the game. They only come every three years and I can honestly say that I have been counting down the days since 2015! I haven’t really thought about the 2018 calendar yet, but the worlds are near the top of my mind.

I do know that it can be hard to peak for all the tournaments and I think that’s what happened me in the 40x20 Championship All-Ireland final this year. I firmly believe I peaked for the She’s Ace tournament and was on a lull then for the Championship. But it all comes down to experience. Live and Learn!”.

On the topic of the She’s Ace tournament, and indeed, ladies Handball in general, we asked McMahon’s thoughts on the perceived gender inequality in Irish sport, and of course, Handball.

“Gender inequality is everywhere, but it most definitely is improving and I do think handball gender inequality is not bad when compared to other sports. It annoys me sometimes, we’re women but we also have skill. We put in as much time and effort into training as men do, yet don’t always get recognition for it. We have come a long way from years ago, but it is sad to say that I think it is what it is at the minute and for as long as I’ll be playing handball it’ll remain that way. However, it will never stop me playing my sport and doing what I love.”

Wrapping up we asked McMahon if she had any final thoughts on the Nationals weekend up ahead or on Handball in general. As always, her response was humble and gracious, she just hopes to give a good performance, do herself, her family and coach proud and obviously to come out on top will be her goal.

Finally, she asked to give a huge thanks to GAA Handball, WPH, her family and her coach (Pat Murphy) for their support, messages and the publicity that they have given her and the sport of handball to help make it grow over the years.

For updates and information on the GAA Handball Nationals 2017, follow GAA Handball on Facebook and News stories on www.gaahandball.ie