Sport really does change lives
Sport ever since I can remember has been such a huge part of my life. I think back to a very young age, where dreaming and aspiring to be a professional athlete was the coolest thing to do. Practicing Jason Kidds favorite go to move on my mini hoop in my room to imagining hitting the game winning home run in bottom of the 9th of the World Series and taking home the championship. Many of these memories have stuck with me to this day.
I have been able to develop countless amazing experiences through sports, whether it be winning championships, meeting lifelong friends, traveling the world, learning life lessons from coaches and other mentors while developing skills like perseverance, teamwork and discipline. Because of sport I have been able to accomplish things that I would never even dreamt of doing.
When I was in high school, one coach told me I wasn’t good enough to play for the varsity team, so I wrote on a piece of paper and put it above my bed on the ceiling that read “Prove Him Wrong” and woke up each morning with that drive to better myself each day. I continued to persevere and set goals of playing college basketball and I accomplished that even when people doubted me. Whatever I set out to achieve, I did everything it took to get it done. If I hadn’t learned to overcome adversity, work hard, be resilient and continue to work for things that I wanted, which are all things that are developed through playing sports. I don’t think I would have been giving this opportunity to come to Ireland, and share my journey.
It was at Victory Scholar Launch at Marist College in New York when I got remined of how important sports have been in my life. As I began to walk up to the stage after hearing my name being called by our Victory Scholar Coordinator Sam, “Cullen Donovan, Letterkenny IT”. I then met Gareth at the forefront of the stairs. As I went to shake his hand, he had whispered quietly so only I could hear, “Way to stick with it.”
Those five words that Gareth said had stuck with me. To anyone else they wouldn’t mean much, but to me it meant everything in that very moment. I knew that everything that I had gone through, obstacles I was able to overcome, sacrifices I’ve made, all that I have worked for on and off the court; the hours put in coaching, training and studying was all supposed to happen. It all made sense, everything sport has taught me throughout the years, got me to this very moment and is now rewarding me with plentiful opportunities to develop the lives around me as a Victory Scholar.
I have now been given the ability to embark on journey with 33 other scholars ready to tackle anything that comes my way in hope of impacting the many lives I come across through sport! And even after one week together as a group in Belfast, I definitely knew that we are in for something special.
