January 21st, 2014 | Uncategorized
Without a ride to the U17’s scrimmage, I decided I should turn my free Sunday into something fun and productive. With a KC Peaches chocolate chip cookie for breakfast in hand, my adventure began as I strolled down O’Connell St. towards the Luas station! Luckily I navigated in the correct direction, and shortly thereafter I arrived at the Red Cow Junction.
Liam and Ali are two of my favorite people in this whole country, without a doubt. Liam, aka the Spaceman, runs the Meteorites program for girls under 10 to start developing their basketball skills very early to make sure they are strong players coming up through the club. Seeing him connect with the girls, the respect they have for him and just how much they have learned over the past few months is incredible! Normally the girls practice once a week, and then there are a few jamborees which run throughout the season so the kids can get some game experience. Liam had invited me to tag along, so when my plans got cancelled I didn’t want to miss out! Our girls played in 4, 20 minute games. They don’t keep score to keep the atmosphere light, and as one of the more competitive girls on our squad said to me with a bit of sas, “they don’t keep score because its all about having fun.” With each game, you could see the girls developing as players. And we had our far share of fun cheering on the bench!
The highlight of the tournament was the last game when we got our first (and only) basket. Seeing the girls faces light up was well worth it.
I also got to see some of my Kubs ladies play in the jamboree, and they were clearly a dominating force! Lots of talent growing in Dublin in the next 10 years, watch out!
