27 March
To my New Balance life
7 months…I have been living in Ireland for 7 months now. Just to think about that is crazy. I have had quite the experience with all sorts of roles and responsibilities that have kept me on my toes. Looking back on these past 7 months I realized the schedule I had was a bit hectic. As a student athlete at Niagara University I had a busy schedule as well, going from lift to class to student teaching to the cafe to practice to study hall to dinner and then finally sleep and repeat. I had to balance the many responsibilities that came with school and basketball. In Ireland, I have had a new balance lifestyle. While most of my blogs are appreciation blogs or (hopefully) inspirational ones, this one is going to take you through day-to-day life in Ireland since September.
Basketball:
I am on two basketball teams, training four times a week. I play for the college team, where we train twice a week at the university. All our matches are during the week… in fact this past week we played in our division final and won! I also play for a club team called the Portlaoise Panthers. I train with this team the other two nights in Portlaoise. All these matches are on Saturdays. So far our team is 16-5 and looking to win our first playoff game next week.
Coaching:
I coach for the North Kildare Basketball Club located in Maynooth. This is a brand new club this year, one of the few in the Kildare area. I have the privilege of coaching the u12 and u14 girls teams, as well as helping out with the girls u18s if I am available. We have training twice a week!
I also work in the local primary schools of Maynooth during the school days. I work with the Girl’s Presentation school where I coach basketball during their physical education periods, and on another day I go to the Gealscoil Ui Fhiaich and do the same. In addition to coaching in the primary schools I also train the post-primary (high school) girls basketball team once a week.
On Saturday mornings I coach the Maynooth Basketball Academy. This is a program for young kids from ages 6-11 looking to learn and play basketball in a fun and friendly environment.
School:
My masters program at Maynooth is called Literatures of Engagement, which focuses on the relationship between politics and literature. I have read Joyce, Beckett, and other famous Irish authors, along with New Zealand and Australian authors. I am fortunate to only have 4-6 hours per week of class time, but with that being said the workload outside of class is very time consuming.
I have had a pretty jam-packed schedule, which can be very stressful at times but worth it. I have had my moments of being overwhelmed and exhausted of balancing school, coaching, and playing… but then I think about where I am in my life and how fortunate I am to have an experience like this; to be abroad, coach, play, and earn a masters is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Although I know I am at my best when I am busy I would have never been able to keep this pace without the support I have received.
To: Sport Changes Life, fellow victory scholars, the Maynooth community, the Henseys, Jim Walsh, the North Kildare families, Maria, my roommates, classmates, my college coach Brian, the Portlaoise panthers community, my teammates, my coach Peter, and Sinead.
Thank you all for supporting me during this incredible journey.
