Pointe Claire native comes home to compete at prestigious tourney

BY MICHAEL PIASETZKI

For somebody who took up squash relatively late in life, Tara Mullins has achieved an awful lot in the sport.

The 31-year-old Pointe Claire native, who now lives in Toronto, has not only risen to the top of the national scene, but has achieved international recognition as well. She currently sits 54th in the world and fifth in the nation among women’s senior professional players. Not bad for somebody who only picked up a racquet at the age of 16 and really only began taking squash seriously while attending McGill University and playing for the varsity squad.

Mullins will never know whether her late start in squash hindered her development. She did admit however, it gave her lots of passion and enthusiasm to learn, grow and excel in the sport while she was in her 20s, a time in life when others might have began suffering from possible burnout.

Mullins was in town last weekend, competing at the prestigious Atwater Cup women’s professional tournament at the Atwater Squash Club in Montreal. Twenty-four of the world’s finest women’s players participated. She was forced to qualify before succumbing to Mexico’s Samantha Teran, currently ranked 19th in the world, in the first round.

“Qualifying for an event like this was an achievement on its own,” said Mullins, who attended St. Thomas High School in Pointe Claire. “That being said, she (Teran) was a strong player, and I knew my shots had to be tight and accurate. I tried to slow it down a little and add a different dimension to the game, but she just had a little more control of the game. I also had a tough match the day before, which always comes into play.”

Besides competing at the Atwater Cup, Mullins managed to visit old friends and family in the West Island before heading back to Hogtown, still carrying dreams of competing at the next Commonwealth Games, and hopefully moving up even higher among international rankings.