The mission of Sport Changes Life is to use sport to inspire youth around Ireland to pursue their biggest dreams and raise their aspirations. I am one of 34 Victory Scholars placed all over Ireland and Northern Ireland. As a Victory Scholar, my responsibilities while I am in Waterford are to be enrolled in a Masters course at Waterford Institute of Technology, be a member of the Waterford Vikings men’s national league basketball team, and most importantly, coach youth basketball of all ages in the community of Waterford. I currently work with 5 different age groups in Waterford, ranging from 7-18 years of age.
Throughout the time that I have been working with the various teams, I have built many relationships with many different people around Waterford. One of the most special relationships has been with the assistant coach for the under 12 boys team, Wayne Pepper. Wayne has been helping the other coaches and I all year, and he has provided tremendous value to the team. Of course having an extra person to help at practice is always nice, but Wayne’s impact has been much greater than anyone could have imagined. The passion and kindness that Wayne brings to every single training session and match is infectious. No matter what the score is or how tired the boys are, Wayne is always there with encouragement and unwavering support. I feel honored to have been able to spend the time that I have coaching with Wayne. My mission for my time in Waterford was to motivate, inspire, and positively impact as many lives as I could, but I never expected someone to motivate, inspire, and positively impact my life as much as Wayne has. Wayne has proven to be a valuable member of the team, as his positive attitude has undoubtedly impacted the attitudes of the whole team. I cannot speak highly enough about his character, passion for helping others, and general attitude towards life. feel so lucky to have had my life impacted by someone like Wayne
