Cairns Paralympian Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson’s major boost ahead of Paris Games
In a heartwarming turn of events, Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson is set to have his longtime coach and confidant Andrew ‘Herbie’ Howard by his side at the upcoming 2024 Paris Paralympics.
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In a heartwarming turn of events for Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson, the seasoned swimmer renowned for his prowess in the pool, is set to have his longtime coach and confidant Andrew ‘Herbie’ Howard by his side at the upcoming 2024 Paris Paralympics.
The announcement came after a concerted effort from key figures within Swimming Australia.
Their efforts to provide Patterson with the expert coach in his corner will be a critical boost to Scooter’s chances of coming home with a gold medal.
Herbie Howard, who has coached Patterson for an impressive 17 years, said he received the news last week with overwhelming gratitude and excitement.
“We were down in Brisbane when I found out the news, I got called in and I thought I was going to get in trouble,” Howard joked.
“It was actually to say that they’ve been trying to get me on the team.
“They were supposed to take 35 athletes, which means there would have been seven coaches. I was the seventh coach, but they were only taking 30 athletes, so I missed out initially.
“They fought with Paralympic Australia to get me on the team to try and work closely with Scooter and float around the other athletes when they needed me, because of the experience I suppose I’ve got with them.
“They had to fight pretty hard but I’m glad they put the effort in and made me part of the team.”
General Manager of the Paralympic Program, Anna Johnson, alongside Paralympic Performance Coach Greg Towle, spearheaded the advocacy efforts to ensure Howard’s presence in Paris, benefiting not only Patterson but also the other 29 athletes on the team.
His expertise and unwavering support have been pivotal in the 35-year old’s journey to the top of Paralympic swimming, including at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, his second games, where he won a silver and bronze medal.
“From a coaching point of view, to get (Scooter) on the team every time we could was the priority, but now as a bonus I suppose it’s like winning a Brownlow Medal,” he said.
“Getting some personal satisfaction and recognition. It means a lot to me and it means a lot to Scooter. We can work together like we normally do. I don’t have to send a message by someone else and he doesn’t have to ring me from the other side of the world if something’s going wrong.
“After 17 years of watching him train I know when he’s going to be (solid) in the water, I know when he’s going to struggle, I know when we can back off. So that side of it’s always been difficult when I’m not there.
“We are going to be like we are here (in Cairns) every day since 2007. We’re there for each other in Paris and that’s going to be great.”
One of Far North’s favourite duos will fly out to Paris, a city they’ve never been before, on August 11.
Patterson, who was born with a rare form of dwarfism known as diastrophic dysplasia, will compete in the 20 point relay on August 30 (where all classifications add up to 20 points), 150IM on September 1, 50 backstroke on September 4 and the 200m freestyle on September 7 at the Games.
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Originally published as Cairns Paralympian Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson’s major boost ahead of Paris Games
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