Discovering how the other half lives

"So, HOW are things?" asked Sonya McGinn, Ireland's leading badminton player.

"Aah, I'm rushed off my feet. Exhausted. Stressed out. I had to be up at lunchtime today 'cos I had three paragraphs to write on squash. Hadn't time to watch Dustin on Den 2 and almost missed the start of our Christmas party. I'm just drained at this stage. I think I need one of those booster injections."

"It can't be easy."

"Huh, don't get me started. If the EU doesn't do something soon about my 40-hour month I'll be dead from exhaustion. But enough of me - how are things with you?"

"Great. Fantastic. I was off in Toulouse a few weeks back, reached the quarter-finals, lost to Sandra Dimbour (the European number three) in the final set, came home on the Sunday night, was at work first thing Monday morning, out at the Westpoint Health, Fitness and Leisure Club in Blanchardstown, trained during my lunch hour. Worked and trained all week."

"Gulp."

"Then, at the end of the week, I went to England for the InterCounty Championships, came back Sunday night, was at work first thing Monday morning, trained during my lunch hour. Worked and trained all week." "Sigh."

"Then, on the Wednesday, I headed off to Seville, reached the doubles semi-finals with Keelin Fox and the singles semi-finals, where I lost to Sandra Dimbour again, came home on the Sunday night, was at work first thing Monday morning, trained during my lunch hour. Worked and trained all week."

"Then, at the end of the week, I went to Edinburgh for the Scottish International Championships. . .".

"Let me guess - came home on the Sunday night, was at work first thing Monday morning, trained during your lunch hour, worked and trained all week?"

"Yeah! Then, at the end of the week, I went to Cardiff to play for Ireland in the Triangular International, stayed on to play in the Welsh International Championships. . .".

"Yeah, yeah, came home on the Sunday night, was at work first thing Monday morning. . ."

"No, I didn't start work until Monday afternoon."

"Waster. Oh yeah, I remember you phoned me on the Saturday evening to tell me Bruce and Mark Topping had reached the men's doubles final in Cardiff and Donie O'Halloran and Elaine Kiely had won through to the mixed doubles final - even though you'd had a bad weekend yourself you still wanted everyone to know they had done well. Janie Sonya, you'll never make it in this dog-eat-dog sporting world if you carry on like that. Right, what was next?" "Then I heard I'd risen to 37 in the world rankings and 21 in Europe, my highest ever position."

"Excellent! S'pose you went on the tear to celebrate?"

"No, because I had to get ready for the Irish International Championships in Baldoyle, last weekend."

"Of course."

"I lost in the singles' final. . ."

"To the European number one, Justine Willmott, 11-8, 11-8?"

"Yeah, and lost with Keelin in the doubles final."

"To the English pair, Joanne Wright (European doubles number three) and Gail Emms (Europe's eighth ranked doubles player), 17-16, 15-10? And that's Keelin Fox, the country's most promising young badminton player who received £1,200 in funding last year?"

"Yes, that's Keelin." And this is the Sonya McGinn who fractured her knee cap in two places and damaged ligaments in the same area about 18 months ago, having already fractured both her shins. But, despite never receiving more than £1,500 in funding before this year, she fought on and with the help of her family spent a fortune on medical expenses to get herself right again. This week the efforts of McGinn and her family were rewarded in the new rankings, where she is the European number 10 and the world number 28. She will rise further in 1999, you can be sure.

Above her are Danish, French, Spanish and Swedish players, amongst others, who are virtually professionals, so much financial support do they receive from their governing bodies.

When McGinn played Sandra Dimbour in Toulouse and Seville,the French woman had a full-time national coach to advise her in breaks between sets - McGinn had no one but young Keelin Fox to help her out. "What do I say?" asked Fox. "Just make it look like we're talking tactics," whispered McGinn. Eventually the Scottish coach took pity on the Irish pair and joined them on the bench to offer some words of encouragement, which were gratefully received. (And we chuckle at the Albanian football team when they arrive in Dublin with no kit?) A funny old coincidence, is it not, that McGinn should prove herself to be one of the best badminton players in the world only months after receiving £7,000 in Government funding, her highest-ever grant by some distance, enabling her to compete in international ranking events, on a consistent basis, for the first time in her career.

Those who know their badminton say McGinn could have reached that status years ago if she had received adequate support. This is a lesson, then, for those who distribute our sporting funds. Given half the chance our young athletes will, like McGinn, do us proud on the international sporting stage.

And let's forget about spending £250,000 of National Lottery money on, amongst other inane projects, Millennium clocks in the Liffey (RIP) - imagine what that money would have done for, say, 25 of our most promising young athletes three years ago.

McGinn's dream is to represent her country in the next Olympic Games and, if she gets there, you can be assured that she will be a fine ambassador for us. So far, though, she has only ever had one sponsor, Carlton, who supply all her badminton gear and if she is to make it to Sydney she will need someone to supplement her grant. She deserves the support. She is an inspiring character who puts those of us who complain about a 40-hour month to shame.