The 22 year-old has just completed a Masters degree in marketing at Bath University and has combined her studies with making an impact on the world beach circuit with English partner Zara Dampney.

Now a full-time member of the GB beach training squad, Mullin has a busy few months ahead and, early next year, is off to Australia to play in a number of tournaments.

Mullin, born in South Africa and who also lived in Penang before coming to Scotland where she helped Team Edinburgh win the Scottish League twice, is now focused on representing Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Increased funding for beach volleyball has opened up new horizons and, already this year, she has spent time in California, Scandinavia, Cyprus, Spain, Switzerland and Germany.

Mullin gambled on giving up the indoor game to feel the sand between her toes and it looks to have been a shrewd move.  She admits that qualifying for Beijing next year is not a realistic proposition but, after training three times a day five days a week in Bath, the foundations are being laid for a serious assault on the world tour.

“The courts are not yet built at Bath and there are a lot of politics going on,” she explains, “We have a sandpit where we train and we now have an indoor court in Bristol where we have been training.

“We have been on the sand or in the gym every morning at 7.30 and then we have a cardio session at lunchtime followed by either gym or a ball session every evening.

“I missed playing for Team Edinburgh last winter as it was more than just a club for me, and I had friends there.

“But what we have in Bath is excellent. I think I was made for beach and I feel I’m more suited to it as I like having more control on court.

“When there are just two of you training every day, the sessions are more intense. “When there are more people there is more of a chance of the quality of training going down.

“The two of us are serious about every session and when we go to tournaments abroad, even if we lose our match, we are probably there for a day or two afterwards arranging games against different countries to build up our experience. It’s just learning what we can do to win. 

“Because we both had exams we started the season late and it’s a case of playing catch-up and we missed the first four or five events of the tour.
 “So we’re in the difficult situation of having to play in qualifying events but it’s good at this stage as we’ve seen that there are teams out there that can be beaten and it’s just a case of looking and learning.

“This season is all about seeing what’s out there and seeing what we have to do differently and then work on that during the off-season and next year will be the big challenge.

“Beijing was never really in the picture for me and Zara but London definitely is and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
 
 
RM

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