Sport
16 August, 2024
Gold aim of Scooter
THE inspirational duo of Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson and coach Andrew ‘Herbie’ Howard are off to Paris looking to make Paralympic history and bring gold to Cairns.
In a heartfelt last training session on Saturday, August 10, members of FNQ Swimming clubs, families and friends gathered to farewell Cairns’ most renowned para-swimmer ‘Scooter’ Patterson, from Mt Sheridan, and his coach ‘Herbie’ Howard, of Brinsmead, as they embarked on their journey to the Paris Paralympics where they will attempt to surpass their achievements in Tokyo 2020 and bring some gold home.
In an exclusive interview with Cairns Local News, Mr Patterson and Mr Howard said they were focused and ready to take on the Paralympics challenge.
“This has been a partnership 17 years in the making,” Mr Patterson said.
“I started swimming competitively in the year 2000. Back then Herbie was my assistant coach, I gave it up in 2002 and during high school I gained a lot of weight, so I decided to get back in the pool for fitness and I ran into Herbie at Tobruk in 2007.
“He reignited that fire that I had for representing my country in the Paralympics. I missed the 2008 Paralympics team by 1.5 seconds. He told me – 'Imagine what we can do in four years if this was only six months training'– and the rest is history.
“I missed the Rio Paralympics in 2016 but then came back in Tokyo to win silver and bronze. So the goal this year was to bring Herbie on the Paralympic team, so this is going to be his first Paralympics. Now all that’s left is trying to win a gold medal.”
“I’m very excited, this is going to be my first Paralympics,” Mr Howard said.
“It’s what we’ve always wanted, I’m so stoked Scoot has got me there this year, and he deserves to have his coach with him so we can manage things as we go,” he said.
The pair said the past four years had been a learning experience and they were eager to give their best.
“I do nine sessions a week, two gym and seven swim. We’ve really knock down on my diet, my sleep and balancing my full-time work,” Mr Patterson said.
“We don’t have the same facilities as they do in Brisbane and the southeast, but we attend these camps and Herbie and I act like sponges, we take what works and throw out what doesn’t.
“When we first got together there was no book on how to coach a little person, so we’ve been learning the whole time.”
“It’s all so much more than swimming. The journey is much better than the destination and this journey’s been awesome, and it doesn’t stop here,” Mr Howard said.
“Not many coaches had had to work with a small stature like this and it’s been trial and error, we see what works and what doesn’t, it’s how we move through it all and modify technique to make him faster.”
“The best thing about being a Paralympian is the opportunity to represent my country and Cairns,” Mr Patterson said.
“I’m feeling strong and confident, I wouldn’t say I’m excited it’s more that I’m focused and ready to go and smash it. I want my journey to encourage more people like me to get into swimming and help them do amazing things and for Herbie to inspire other coaches to coach people who are different.”
