Clodagh Cullen interview

Ringkasan

Clodagh Cullen is a fighter hailing from Pat Rockets, bit over the past few months she's been appointed president of the IC0, took a team of to the world championships, travelled to Latvia to compete and coach and and then one of her students travelled to Scotland to fight for…

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Okay, so I'm here with Claudia Cullen. I spoke to her before Artimus. She had a couple of guys fighting on it and then we were speaking after kind of in me. She had she had a busy not just a couple of weeks, a lot of weeks. Uh she had world championships. She was over in Latafia. She had guys there recently Scotland as well. So how are you? How has the past uh six weeks or so been? How were the world championships? Talk to us about that getting over there. And thank you very much for joining me again. >> H yeah, thanks for having me Dave. Um so obviously since the last time we spoke I had mentioned that uh I was taking seven athlete no nine athletes to Wales to the world championships. Again it was soon after I was promoted as ICO president. So it was kind of like quickly get a team together quickly book flights quickly like I think I had six weeks maybe to prepare everything. So um we went and the team that I brought was very strong. I think with nine athletes, we took on 19 world medals and five of those were world champions. So, I mean, you know, like with the small team that we brought, it wasn't it wasn't a shy team anyways. Every one of them were there and I suppose we made a statement and I suppose it was good for me as well because it was my first time as president. So, I was able to make that team in that short space of time and bring the best of what I had over and make a statement as well. So, but no, it was a very successful and very very well-run world championships. I have to say >> that's a lot of medals for the amount of fighters you brought over. So, congratulations to yourself and each and every one person. That's a huge amount of medals. Um, but how did you find obviously you would have been going over in a coaching role before and you had this role on top of it and you had to prepare obviously you prepared it very well cuz you got over there had a strong team. What were the kind of was there any what were the difficulties or difference not difficulties but differences from just going as a coach like what extra not pressure but extra things would you have had to do that you wouldn't have had to do as a coach >> um I suppose like from recent years I would have coached and competed like so that would have been a main factor that like I could have competed this time around I just felt that being the first time in this role I needed to go and you know play a hard and show up like professional like I had to be and whatever. Um I suppose I probably regret not jumping in and you know having a couple of fights and stuff I could have. I just chose not to. And so that was like I was kicking myself in there when the lads were winning. I was absolutely delighted for them. And then seeing the girls that were in my categories thinking I would have smashed them or do you know like I suppose that was like a hurdle that like it took me a day or two to get over. I needed to bring myself back in and go, "Hold on now, you're president. Let's play that role. Let's leave these guys do the fighting work." Um, but I suppose outside of that, like making sure that, you know, the team were they were representing their country, right? You know, again, we're wearing the ICO badge. So, and I have a part to play like as in you know we have to respect that badge as well and make sure that the kids were doing everything right and the parents were supposed doing everything right and yeah I think that was kind of the the most difficult part but it wasn't even difficult because as I said I had a good team and they're experienced fighters like they would have known you know how I work and how things work like so >> yeah I say that once a fighter always a fighter I say especially when you're there it's hard to go but with the new role. Obviously, you had like said you had to be there, be present and be available as well. Not not preparing yourself for a fight or in a fight if like you said if there was something going on. But you obviously said you brought nine fighters over if you can talk about it. What way does the selection process work? Do people put themselves forward? Is there a tournament or >> Yeah. So for that partic for Wales just gone, it was more of a case where I didn't go to other clubs outside in like other clubs outside of Waterford. just stuck to my own um here because it was just easier and I mean it's a lot of money to ask people to fork out in a couple of weeks time. So I kind of just put it out to my fight team to see who could make it, who couldn't and I I got the nine athletes that came back were up for it. So for the next year the world championships are on in France. Um they're on the Swiss border of France. I think they're on the 14th or something of in of October. But um yeah for that I suppose I put the feeders out to a lot of people you know to see who would be interested and then I suppose the four nations are happening on the 1 of February in Kenya where I would like to see a lot of the medal winners that they would come on board on the team. You know I don't just want to take someone who's never had any fights before but again I'd like to give everybody an opportunity. It's not a case of, you know, because I do find that when you have those systems where, you know, you have to go and fight for your spot that some people could be having a bad day. They might be excellent fighters, but you could just be having a bad day. And I suppose I don't I don't really agree with, you know, picking from that one competition. I think people should be given a chance. A couple of squad sessions should be held, you know, if you're turning up to them. Yeah, maybe one or two competitions in the meantime as well. But I just feel that one that a lot of people do one day competition maybe first and second place will qualify. But again like you could be having a bad day like I know if it was me I've had many bad days from being a kid the whole way up and I just think that I don't think me personally that's the the right way to do it. So I think a lot of squad sessions I put the feeler out shared on my social media and a lot of clubs have got back to me. Um like the ICOs is open to they've got grappling, they've got ghee and no ghee grappling. We have boxing h all the karate, the traditional, the hard style, got full contact, K1, light contact, low kick, uh traditional kickboxing, points fighting, like you name it, the ICO have quite literally everything. So I'm in talks with a grappling team from Ireland coming under the ICO. We've got a Mai team um nearly there. I'm chanting. I'm swinging some arms. It's difficult because obviously, you know, the main like Muay Thai organizations and stuff are where people want to go. So, it's hard to pull like teams and stuff from their own, we'll say, origin, but some people are they're trying it out. They're testing the waters. So, hopefully I can we can make a good impression at France and pull more again more teams towards us. >> Yeah. Know that's good. And like you said, especially with Muay Thai and other things, they have their kind of roots that they would traditionally go down and they not that they might not be comfortable, but they kind of see that way. >> Yeah. >> But but obviously there's this new option then as well cuz I think for fighters, uh, grapplers and whatever they may do. I think having options is always so good. You know, the sort of way you can >> if you have more options, I'd rather be looking at it than looking for a sort of a way. And I like your kind of thoughts on like a one day competition cuz I I always found I would relate it to school like you could be very good all year but you could come to a test and like so it doesn't represent what you've done is your whole like you would know the fighters their body of work but when you >> when you were there with like bringing back all those medals how did it feel personally to bring back all those medals getting the team together in short space time and having that much success for your first kind of tournament in your new position? Um yeah, I mean I was speechless for a couple of days. Um I think we won our first world title on the I'm going to say the second day. It was nearly 7:00 in the evening and one of our guys ended up in the final with a Spanish kid and this was our guys Liam is his name was Liam's first time at a world championships and it I think it was his K1 final and we everybody was wrecked. I could see like he had fought at 9:00 that morning and then had to wait till the evening for that final to come around like so I was crossing everything hoping but like when the first world go came then it was like I was happy because I had one never mind getting the five I had one and then on the Friday my own sister actually fought um a girl from the USA in the kit in the karate final or the semis actually and then her final was held off till the Saturday night. They do a kind of a gala event. So they pick a final of a couple of categories and they hold it at the gala event and again it was there was nine athletes from Ireland. There was 106 athletes from the USA. So it was us nine versus that 106 and my sister went to beat that girl from America in front of everybody. All the countries were there watching. It was the only event that happened. There was one at a time and I suppose Abby went and like sm this was an open way category like she was this girl was a unit like do you know what I mean? She was strong as well. Um but my sister opened her up and you know she that was I think that was gold medal number two and then I have a 10-year-old boy Dino Reen he went and took two more gold medals and then 13-year-old girl Joanie Hayes she went and took my fifth one. So it was just one gold medal after gold medal was coming and then like all the guys who got the silvers and bronze as well. They were so close. It wasn't like we were miles away. It was by inches like it was nearly like you were more heartbroken for all those silver medalists because they were literally by inches. You know that kind of way. So but it it was it was a different experience all together for me. Like it was it was great. And the recognition that the lads got never mind me like that they got was it was something else. You know, I've got phone calls coming from all over the world saying, "Fight here, fight for this one. Fight for that one." And I'm going, "Yeah, we'll take this. We'll take that. Oh, I don't have time for this because we've already taken that. This is the position that we're in now." Like, so they they've made a name for themselves, you know? >> Yeah. Like said, better to have all these options and and congratulations on the success you had. And like when you said the number what you say 109 people from >> Yeah, there was from the USA. There was 106 athletes came. And is there a cap on how many you could have brought? >> Yes, but I suppose in six weeks, you know, I didn't want I didn't open it up like I didn't want to fright myself too much and go to the whole of Ireland and if 100 people came to me, I'd have to sort flights and hotels and that's a bit frightening now with only a couple of weeks in like so I said I'll give myself a while. So the n that I brought really put them made a mark anyways a good mark like so. >> Yeah. No, they didn't. And it just goes to show on this island, it doesn't matter like like I'm involved in different sports on this little island. We just have such a talent for fighting. I don't know what it is. It must be history or something. But I just think when we go to places like that, we really show up and we really really represent oursel in a really good manner and everyone knows what the fans are like when at these events. But you were saying you were then in Latafia. There was a very short stop over back home and then back. talk to us about Latafia and what that was and what uh it involved for you. >> Yes. So I got home from Wales on the Monday and 24 hours later I then made a journey to Latia for the the WUKF Karate Europeans where I was to compete over two days I think it was. Yeah, two days. So got there and we weighed in and stuff. Um I was tired. I'm not going to lie. I was absolutely wrecked after the week in Wales. But again, I was just buzzing to be there cuz now it was my time. After seeing all the lads fighting and winning and doing their thing, I just kept thinking about the weekend at the week after and how I could do it. Um, so I fought in the open weight on the first day again. was feeling a little bit unwell. Wasn't feeling great, but I ended up uh I lost out in the openweight to the heavyweight world champion by just one point, a Slovakian girl by just one point. So, I was thinking to myself, "Oh, I'll be back now. My own weight category." The next day, I was like out for the count. I was so sick, but I had my own weight category. the next day. Um, again, I lost out to for so I got a bronze medal in the openweight and then I went on to get a bronze medal in my weighted category to a Romanian girl. She was um I think I beat two Slovakians to get into the semis. And then when I fought the Romanian girl, she was I I know her since I'm like competing at these comp. She's in the 21 to 35s as long as I'm alive. Like I feel like she should be in the veterans, but for some reason she just keeps staying where she is. So I don't know. She's absolutely amazing. She's like I would easily say 6'5. I am 5' one and a half. She was a tall tall girl. So there was just no chance of me getting in there. Do you know what I mean? So again, I was dragging myself along that floor trying to get trying to get to the medals because I wasn't going home without any, you know? Um but no, it was a successful trip. It was only my second time in the 21 to 35s, so it's a big age gap. Like do you know um but it was good. Then I spent the last two days really really sick before coming home. So >> that that's not really ideal being sick before you come home. But like 6'5 6'5 would even tower over me. Like I can even imagine how and you can see it in whether it's boxing, kick, kickboxing or whatever sport it is K1, they can just keep you. They can just keep you back and uh trying to get in and trying to make it dirty is hard because you're going to get caught as well. But competing when you're sick as well, was there ever any thought of like I can't compete cuz I was so sick or was or is that something that would never enter your head when you're competing? >> Uh no, in the karate definitely wouldn't definitely wouldn't enter my head. Um, I suppose it's kind of it's different to kickboxing like or K1 or whatever. In the kickboxing K1, you're stepping out there and you want to kill each other. Like you're looking at over at your opponent going, I want you lying on this canvas. Do you know what I mean? Whereas in the karate, it's like I want to score as many points as I can on you and then I'm going to win. Whereas it's the they're they're like polar opposites. One is serious different speed and technique. Whereas the other is like I'm going to drive my hand. I want it to come out the back of your head. Like do you know what I mean? So I just think in graty it's it's like there's so much adrenaline just want to get it done and it's fast. So no I would have never thought like no I don't want to do this again like even if I was literally on my deathbed I would still be doing it. I would still just get it done. I made the journey so you know I have nothing to lose. Like >> yeah you know and congratulations for for going through that especially when being sick cuz I know what it's like when I'm sick. I don't even want to get out of bed. So, I can't even imagine what it's like to go and then go and fight someone who's 6'5. It it would just uh it wouldn't even enter the possibility in my mind. But you then said you got had another guy down in Scotland as well recently. >> Yeah. So, our guys went to Scotland with one of our coaches. Um they went they were training training with a couple of weeks now, but again they had to do a lot of their training. Like I was in Wales, then I was in Latia and then they went away. um there on Friday and one of our guys won a European kickboxing title. Um and the other girl just missed out very very close full it was her first full contact fight. She just missed out on it but um again she'll be back but it's just been success after success for us. So it's a we we have a great finish to the year I suppose. >> Yeah it is. Especially with all the medals then yourself going out and then picking up more. How do you feel your your year has gone overall? Not just the past couple of weeks, cuz even just listening to that, the success in the past couple of weeks is unbelievable, but spread out over the whole year. How how how do you look back on your year? >> Um, I wish I wish I got in the ring more definitely. I had one fight um back in March for an Irish title which ended in a draw which I wasn't too happy about. I was very eager to get back in again. Um, and then I fought for a European title in in my hometown in June and Oh, sorry. >> Yeah, fought for a European title in my hometown in June. Again, I was winning the fight and then took this horrible right hand in the fourth round that knocked me for seven. Um, and I genuinely couldn't tell you how I finished the last round. I didn't even think I had two feet. like I was I thought I was a goner. But um so I wasn't happy with the two of those fights. Hoping I'd get one towards the end of the year and then this ICO thing came and then the worlds came and then like I mean my preparations for Lafia weren't as good as they should have been because I was getting the guys ready for Wales. Um I suppose I kind of put myself to the side and I didn't I didn't get to prioritize myself at all. So for next year, my aim is at least at the least four ring fights while I'm trying to get everything else. I need to start, you know, prioritizing myself a little bit as well. But no, it was a very successful year um for for our club as a whole. Anyways, it was very successful. Uh we had the national championships last weekend for the karate and god like I couldn't even tell you. We had like 38 nearly 40 kids and a lot of national champions came out of that. Um like if I I could go on every weekend and tell you we had something different but we'd be here till tomorrow. But like as a whole like our club is very very successful and I suppose it's all all down to down to my coach Pat like you know I wouldn't be as good of a coach or know what I know if it wasn't for him like so you know all to him don't want to give a big head around because as big as it is anyways but >> well I if if my club was coming back with all these medals and all these titles I'd have a big head too. My next question was going to ask you like what does Pat mean to you but if you don't want to give a big head we won't go there but obviously you're a product of him but talk to him about your relationship with him being a mentor to you bringing you up and and bringing you to this coaching situation to you to being a coach and then obviously from being in and around the sport. Obviously you've gone on to to your new role as well. Talk to about how he's influenced you as a person and as a fighter. >> Yeah. Um, god like it's like anybody's coach like they're with you from day one and you know I suppose I from the start I grew a different relationship with Pat that like he was nearly like a father figure to me. Um, you know like I had my first job was under him in a leisure center. I he helped me be qualified as a lifeguard, you know, I done my first aid response. Like everything that I started, all my roots came from him giving me these opportunities. Again, if it wasn't for my parents in the first place, putting me or into the gym and me meeting Pat in that way. But like everything from like then when I got my first Dan black belt, you know, then him teaching me how to teach classes or going to competitions, you know, watching him coach. Um, obviously picked up some little things maybe, you know, maybe got some of his like uh his anger and stuff when you're coaching. You know, coaches can get very frustrated. I find myself being more like him in that sense. Um but yeah, he's a troublemaker too by myself becoming a troublemaker. Um but look like I suppose all these opportunities like being a female and being a a president of a sport and organization it it's not often you hear that whether it be any sport it's not often that you hear that there's a female president of it. So I know like everything I do he's in the background guiding me through that. It might it might look like it because he doesn't want to take that limelight from me, but everything I do, I double check with him. I make sure that, you know, I'm making the right decisions and any decision that I made that has been right has been him telling me to do that. So I there's still to this day and even when he ever decides to retire, I will still be double checking everything with him, you know, because I just find that he's got like the knowledge that's going on in that head much more with it, but the knowledge that's going on there is something else. Like so I there wouldn't be anybody else that is on this planet that I would go to for advice but but him. >> Yeah. you know, he sounds like he like obviously he's a good backbone for you uh going through and like that. Most of the decisions I say you're probably making, right? But it's like that you always want to get like a verification of someone who you would see as like your mentor that' be more credential, have more knowledge. Not that saying that he will, but obviously he's been around a long time and he's been like said a father figure to you. But you've done extremely well, especially going to the worlds with the the amount of time you had to prep. Next year with the obviously because I don't know what kickboxing and karate stuff is like. Is it more organized than MMA? Because MMA we don't find out the dates till a lot longer, but you said two dates there. The four nations and then the world I think next October, November. Is it easier for you then to plan in your new position to then and then give yourself time as a fighter like to plan around that? >> Yeah. Well, I suppose like with the karate especially, you know, a lot of dates are nearly a year in advance. like we'll know now that uh the World Championships are back in Romania. They're at the summer. They happen at the same time every year. The Europeans will happen in October. We've got some dates for small competitions maybe for the first half of the year until September. So that I can kind of plan out with the kickboxing then under the ICO. Like it's like anything, you know, like there's a show next week that I've been asked will my fighters fight on. um like things like that can just pop up and opportunities that are just meant to be that could come a couple of days in advance that we will take but no it looks like we've got a fairly packed even more busier than this year which I didn't think was bloody possible but it's quite literally looking like it's possible that the four nations is happening there's I think the first one is in England that's god March then there's England Scotland Wales the world championships is on there's a big show ICO Ireland versus ICO Scotland in April. There's another show in Scotland in June. Like all these things are, you know, stacking up while I'm also looking at, okay, what titles can I grab? Where can I go? So, now that I have those written down, then I can go, right, I can focus on training myself here, but I also need to remember I need time to rest in between all of this. Then I have a job as well. I work in a crash. So, it's it's a fairly full-on job as well. you know, it's you need to be energetic, you need to be enthusiastic, super fun all the time and so just have to not wear myself out. >> Yeah. And it can't be easy, don't it? And like I said, working the quest is tough. It takes your energy. You need to, like I said, you need to be there. You need to be happy and and and like >> just be there energetically for for the children. And it's you've just made me tired even explaining the amount of stuff you have that year. And like I said, there's going to be shows in between. you're going to have Arteimus again. There's so many K1 shows I've noticed going on as well. So, they will still have to announce dates for later in the year, but what's your kind of plans or goals for next year, if you have any kind of set out yet, or are you just waiting to kind of get to the end of this year and then look forward? >> Well, my first goal will be to run off successful tournament for the Four Nations. Um I've done a lot of inter clubs in small tournaments but this is like to a different scale you know there's a lot of internationals coming so my that will be my first goal to run that off smoothly not everything goes right so there will be a couple of bumps in the road but just to do that successfully my second will be that I brought nine athletes to Wales last year I will be hoping not to aim too high but I'll be hoping for 100 athletes from Ireland to go um from over through every discipline. That would be a a major goal for me. If I could even over 50, I'll be happy with, but you know, my highest what I would aim for is maybe 100. Um and then I suppose the last goal for myself would be to pick up another couple of titles. I'm disappointed that I'm leaving this year, you know, that Irish title at the first half of the year. I thought I had won ended in a draw. it stayed with the the person who held it. The European title just slipped away from me and so I'm quite disappointed myself that I'm leaving without it. I did take two European medals from the karate Europeans, but it's just not really good enough for me. So next year, that's one of my own personal aims is that I can go and take a couple of titles. And with that fight being a draw, would that not have been something that they would have looked at immediately trying to rematch or was it something or was it just timing and stuff like that? >> Um, I don't I actually don't know. I don't I don't even know if a rematch was on the cards. I do know there's a couple of other promoters that did mention it to me, but um I suppose the girl that I fought, we were friends before we had fought and then I mean naturally I wasn't happy with the decision. Same as every fighter would be. If you're not when you're not happy, you're not happy. So we kind of not fell out, but we did distance for a little while because I had my head up my backside because I thought I was the the winner on the day and I was disappointed that it didn't come out that way. Um, I would look back at the fight a million times. I was trying to critique myself. I couldn't find anything where I'd done wrong or where they could have taken. But, um, again, that's the fight game and it's how it works. There was no there was no rematch there and then on the night was agreed. I think everybody was kind of a little bit on edge after the decision. Nobody really spoke. We kind of all just went our separate ways and that was it. But um but no, myself and that girl, we've linked back up, you know, we're we're chatting away again. And I don't think it's something that we want to see come up again in the future because it did kind of I I want to say it ruined a friendship that we had. But uh again, it's the fight game, isn't it? And if you have to meet your friends, I mean, I I fought my sister in America two years ago in the finals. So >> it's just how it works. Yeah. you. So, so talk to us about how this transpired that obviously you and your sister met in the final and obviously you're still friends because I still see her posting your stuff. Whenever I post something not to do with you or the team, she always likes it as well. So, talk to us about how that happened cuz that's a unique situation that you don't see too often. Well, I've not seen too often. >> The category was 18 to 20 and she was 18, I was 20. Um, I think it was like minus 60 kilos or something. It was the lightest weight of the age group. I fought it was the North Northeast American Open. It was in Vegas in the oh god the Horseshoe Hotel or something. But um yeah, we've been going to Vegas for a couple of years. We never ended up meeting each other. Um but this year in particular we did. So she had two or three fights and I had two or three fights and then now we were winning out our fights like fairly, you know, 6 nil, 6-1 each. Then it came to the two of us and we're we were sparring partners up to going to this competition. so we could read each other like a book. Now, in the back of my mind, I'm going, I'm not letting my little sister beat me here. I don't know what was going through her head, but in mine, I'm telling everybody at home, I'm coming home with a gold medal, so best believe that's what's going to happen here. So, I know we were kind of giggling and whatever at the start, and you know, we were testing each other a little bit. Again, I could see my mom like was looking through her fingers. She didn't even want to watch. She was sitting on the side like, you know, traumatized. But there was no injuries. I came out on top. Abby came out second. She was happy. I was happy. Um but again like it's how the fight game works when you have to meet each other. I mean we were in Vegas at an all Ireland final like so you know and Watford as well. Not even Ireland. It was two Watford girls made it to the final. So it was quite a big deal as well for my coach obviously you know. >> Yeah that's mental. Two two people from Watford sisters. I can imagine what because I I don't have two kids. I've won. But I could imagine if him and his step brother fought, you know, the sort of way as well, I just be like, "Oh, here." But look, like I said, it's the fight game. These things have to happen and and like that. Look, it it is what it is. But you've had a really successful year. There's a lot going on and you seem to have handled it really, really well and managed it really, really well. And then next year, you're going to have like that. You've a lot more time to prepare, try and get people over and then try and get yourself some title fights. But I'm going to let you go. Is there anything you want to say before you go? uh or anyone who want to shout out and thank you again for your time. >> Um just shout out to the ICO. It was a very warm welcome that we had and you know I'm super super grateful that I got to meet Mark Curry and Andrew Hennessy. Um and I suppose I'm looking forward to the kicking off 2026 with the four nations for the ICO. And anyone that's watching this make sure you register on the key system. >> Perfect. I'll uh when I share this I'll put a link out as well and we'll link up just before that as well or after whichever you prefer to see kind of like your preparations etc. There's someone actually behind you as well. So I'm gonna let you I'll cut that bit out. Um thank you very much and uh great year and I can't wait to see what next year holds for you. >> Thank you.