So recently, my fellow ulster scholars and I have been able to start with a new Ehoops group. So far it has been a refreshing change pace. Usually during Ehoops, us as scholars take control over the sports and teach the Ehoopers about its different aspects. That or, we allow the Ehoopers to ball out in soccer so they can show us their skills. Its usually a sport that I’m relatively familure with. So you could believe how excited I was to learn that the new Ehoop group was a cricket program. We were told that we would alternate the sport portion of the module. One week allows for the victory scholars to teach the Ehoopers the principle of basketball and other sports. Then the next following week we participate in cricket training with them. One of the main reasons I chose to apply for the victory scholars program was so I could experience a different culture to the fullest. What an experience it would be to learn and participate in a sport that I’ve never seen!

My first Ehoop session with the new group was super fun and educational. It was amazing to see how many little fundamental movements go into every aspect of hit the ball. It was also amazing to see how well the coach broke down all these movements and was able to create fun drills for the kids. I’m not gonna lie, I was not very good. But it was nice to sit back and just be another Ehooper in a sense. I also think it allowed the Ehoopers to open up to more naturally. After they realized how bad I was at cricket they saw me more as an equal.

By alternating between sports, it gives the Ehoopers their own chance to teach us something new. I am excited for what the next cricket lesson will bring. Who knows, maybe I found my next sport!

 

It was a Saturday evening, and I was entering the train terminal around 7:00pm to catch the next train back to campus from the Belfast city centre. As I was walking into the terminal, I saw (and heard) a girl, probably around my age, sitting propped up against the wall, talking to herself, obviously under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. In simple words, she was in a state I have never seen. Many people were walking by giving her dirty or pitiful looks, or asking if she was okay and then continued walking. I too had continued walking past, but had also continued to look back, with my gut telling me to go back to her. It was windy and rainy out, and all I could think of was getting to my bed with a warm cup of tea in hand… nevertheless, I ended up making a U-turn and heading back her way. A security guard named Paul had stopped to check on the girl, who’s name turned out to be Sophie. Long story short, Paul and I ended up taking care of Sophie in this train terminal and saw her into an ambulance an hour and a half later. Paul and I had given up our coats to cover up Sophie (mine ended up being thrown up on… guess I don’t have the luck of the Irish??), and when Sophie had left in the ambulance, Paul offered to get a bag for my coat, buy me a cup of tea, and get me a free train ticket home. This man had just stopped in the middle of his evening to take care of this girl he didn’t know, and then helped me out to get home too.

I am still figuring out all I learned from this incident. (For me: follow your gut, put others first, help out a stranger when you can; for Sophie and pretty much everyone since this happens quite often: don’t leave your friends behind!!! take care of yourself, and take care of each other.) However, I think the main thing I learned is to just have faith that there are still good people in the world, like Paul. This night could have ended up in a much worse way for Sophie. I was getting emotional just hearing her cry and seeing her in such a state lying on the cold floor of the train terminal, knowing that there are plenty of people who end up in these situations and don’t have people like Paul there to stop and lend a hand. Next time I won’t hesitate and won’t have to turn back, because I’ll stop by the first time. I am so glad Sophie was okay, and so glad I met someone like Paul. 2 hours on a random Saturday night taught me a lot. Thanks for listening. Cheers!

Before arriving in Waterford, I was a bit anxious as to what life would be like for me for the next nine months. I had done extensive research on the Victory Scholar Program, but I had a hard time finding information about what a day in the life for a Waterford resident looked like. I found some pictures and Youtube videos, but nothing along the lines of a blog written by a local. So for prospective applicants, I hope this sheds some light on the subject 🙂

The Quay

Pronounced like “key”, the Quay is the main strip or ‘downtown’ of Waterford. That’s where you’ll find the Granville Hotel, which sponsors big Thanksgiving-like meals for Alyssa and me on the weekends. The portions are so big that we can make them stretch for lunch and dinner!

Walking into the heart of Waterford, you’ll find a bunch of small boutiques as well as shopping centers like Pennys/Primark and the City Square Shopping Centre. Inside the Shopping Centre is Dunnes where we do our grocery shopping. If you spend 50 euro, you can get 10 euro off – a major key Alyssa and I only recently discovered!

Transportation

Getting around Waterford has gotten a lot easier since we got back from the Christmas break. The city just put out a new line of busses, and they now run all week. The first semester they only ran Monday through Saturday, which made it hard to get around on Sundays but no more! The newest route is the W4, which picks us up right outside our apartment on WIT’s campus, and drops us off at the door of the Shopping Centre in the city. It even goes past the Mercy which is where Alyssa and I play, practice, and coach for the Wildcats.

For longer trips around Ireland, there’s Dublin Coach and Bus Eireann that can pick you up right outside WIT’s campus (super convenient), or in the city. Or if you get carsick and prefer a smoother trip like myself, you can take the W1, 2, or 4 bus into the city and walk across the bridge to Plunkett Train Station. I’ve found the train tends to be cheaper as well!

 

WIT

Dan, Alyssa, and I live right on campus which makes it very easy to get to class (not to mention get a few extra minutes of sleep). Alyssa and I have class in the business building on campus, but Dan has class at the new WIT Arena off campus. All he has to do is take the free shuttle to the arena though! They run every hour and also pick us up a short walk from our apartment. Alyssa and I will take the shuttle to go workout in the Arena – access to the gym is included in our scholarships which is great!

Hopefully, that short synopsis gave some good insight into a day in the life of a Waterford Scholar. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions!

The past few weeks here haven’t had the greatest of weather, lots of rain and gray skies. But the past two days have been absolutely gorgeous, kind of made us all forget about the rainy, windy days. Galway on a sunny day has to be one of the most beautiful places anywhere. It was the first time in a while that I actually noticed the warmth of the sun and it felt so nice. Needless to say, I think my complexion has reached a whole new level of paleness, so this was a much-needed dose of sunshine and vitamin D. There also wasn’t a drop of rain and just the perfect amount of breeziness, it seemed like the entire population of Galway was outside soaking it all up.

I made sure to find some time over those two days to walk around town and down near the water. I sat by the water enjoying a spice bag with one of my classmates for a while. **A spice bag, by the way, is a must-try here – chicken, fries, roasted veggies, and a bunch of spices all thrown together** While Galway always tends to be bustling, it was especially lively these two days and it was so nice to get out and enjoy it while it lasted. There were also so many students sitting out by the bay, I had never seen it so packed. It was so refreshing and I’m really hoping we start getting more days like that as it gets closer to summer.

After those two days, we were back to rain and clouds but hearing my mom tell me about the 22 inches of snow they got during a blizzard back home makes the rain a bit more pleasant. Those warm, sunny days here made me really excited for what the summer will be like here. For the marketing program I’m in, I’ll have an applied group project for my dissertation due in July, so I’m looking forward to what summer will be like here.

When I was first recommended to apply to be a Victory Scholar, I didn’t really know a lot about the program. Committing to live in a different country for a whole year was definitely something I wasn’t sure I could do. Being here for 6 months now, I can say with confidence that this is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. If you’re unsure like I was at first, or are curious as to what kind of opportunities this program offers, here are my top 10 reasons you should apply to the Victory Scholar Program.

1. You get to continue playing basketball.

If you’re reaching the end of your college basketball career, there is a good chance that you’ve been playing this sport for a majority of your life and fell in love with it a long time ago. Senior year is hard in the fact that you can see the doors closing on your career much quicker than you’d like to see. The Victory Scholar program allows you to keep these doors open a bit longer and puts you in a position to appreciate basketball in a new light.

2. You get the opportunity to continue your education.

Let’s face it, school is expensive. At the same time, the job market is getting increasingly competitive. The Victory Scholar program gives you a chance to earn your Master’s degree, which makes your resume stand out that much more (besides being able to say you lived abroad for a year). The international perspective the education here provides is also amazingly helpful in that it allows you to look at issues differently than we may see them at home.

3. You’re able to gain coaching experience.

The part I’ve enjoyed most during my time here is by far the opportunity to coach in my local club. I’ve loved this game since the first time I picked up a basketball and it has been so inspiring to now be able to pass down my knowledge and experiences to the next generation of players. I’ve had the chance to work kids that are extremely skilled and those who are just starting out and the passion and excitement from both sides of the spectrum is unreal. It has really helped me to appreciate the game I love from a new perspective as I start to hang up my sneakers and (hopefully) pick up my white board.

 

4. You’re introduced to so many new people.

I have met so many wonderful people since arriving here in August. When we first got here we got to spend time with the Sport Changes Life crew and the whole group of Victory Scholars, all of which are such a genuinely amazing group of people. Once arriving in Athlone, I was introduced to my new coaches, teammates, the Athlone Basketball Club, and our very own Irish family. I have made life long friends here in Athlone and Tullamore that I never expected to do in such a short amount of time. They have made Marisa and I’s team here so special and I cannot thank them enough for every thing they’ve done for us since being here.

5. You get to be apart of the Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic.

Being apart of the Belfast Classic has been one of the most fun times since being here. It was so great seeing all of the kids turn out to watch this high level of basketball being played in this country. I got the chance to be a team liaison during this week and made so many great connections through the people I was working with. This tournament is definitely growing and I can’t wait to see the progress it makes in the upcoming years.

6. You get the chance to explore the country.

Ireland is an absolutely beautiful country. Whenever we get some downtime we’re able to explore wherever interests us. Whether you like the city or scenic views, there is most definitely a place for you here. My favorite spot I’ve been to so far is by far the Cliffs of Moher. I thought my Cliff Walk in Newport was beautiful until I saw those views.

 

7. You have the opportunity to travel through Europe.

While I opted to go home over Christmas break, a lot of the scholars took their time off to explore more of Europe. They went to a bunch of different countries and had a great time exploring and adventuring. It’s very easy to country hop from Ireland and definitely affordable as well!

8. You get to try new food, or not if you don’t want to.

Let me start off by saying I really love food. This is one of the things I was most nervous for when I accepted my spot as a Victory Scholar. I can honestly say the food here is not as bad as some people may try to warn you about. While you definitely have the opportunity to try things like black pudding if you want to, they have “normal” food too if you don’t. I have honestly found the food here to be much healthier than most of my options at home. While there are definitely snacks and meals I miss from home, there are so many new foods I’ve tried here and really loved!

9. You get a year to collect your thoughts.

Graduating college can be scary, especially if you’re unsure of what you want to do. For me, I had an idea of where I wanted to be in 5 years but unsure of how to really get there. This year gives you some more time to sort out your goals and develop a plan on how to achieve them. In fact, my time here has allowed me to further identify what it is I want to do with my life and has definitely given me solid resume builders to help me get there.

10. You will be left with life long memories and stories of the year you spent in Ireland.

I have three more months in Ireland as a Victory Scholar and I’m not quite ready to talk about my time here ending. I have had some of the best adventures here with some of the most genuine people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I can honestly say I will remember my time here forever and will look back with happiness that I lived it and sadness that it had to end. Not everyone is able to say they played basketball in another country, lived abroad, got their Master’s or touched the lives of kids through sports. However, you can say all of those things and then some as a Victory Scholar.

 

I hope my Top 10 Reasons have given you some insight on some of the opportunities you’ll have as a Victory Scholar. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any of the other Scholars. Don’t forget to follow Sport Changes Life on Instagram and Snapchat to give you a little glimpse into our daily lives through our weekly social media takeovers!

 

Along with playing in the National League of Ireland, I am also playing in the college league, representing Waterford Institute of Technology. We have not lost a game all year, and actually have our first playoff game tomorrow (as I’m writing this). While all of these games have been a great amount of fun, there is one that stands out in my mind. That is the game where I got to follow in the footsteps of one of my cinematic heroes, Jackie Moon. I got to be a player coach.

 

This experience was certainly an eye opening one for me. I spent the day thinking of game plans, different lineups to play, and who wold start the game. This was the easy part for me, all centered around the actual game. What I was not prepared for was all the other aspects of coaching. I am talking about knowing how to get to the gym, a place in Dublin that I have never been before. Making sure that every member of the team receives their stipend. Making sure the bus driver knows where and when to pick us up. All of the logistical aspects that go into playing a game on the road.

 

This was an incredibly valuable experience for me, as I am looking to become a basketball coach back in the States. While everyone is aware of the impact a coach has during training and matches, not many people are aware what goes into making that match happen. I definitely have a new appreciation for all of the work that goes in to getting both of my teams ready for their matches every week. We ended up leaving Dublin with a win, a great start to my coaching career. Moving forward I will certainly be looking for different ways to help my actual coach prepare for matches.

 

 

For the past 6 months I have submerged myself in the Irish culture and have been underway in my pursuit of my masters degree in Marketing & Management Strategy.

 

To say this course is tedious is an understatement. I have always been used to “lecture style” courses from my undergraduate degree at The College of Mount Saint Vincent but I have had to adjust once again to how things are being done here.

 

Throughout this course I have been working under the Problem Based Learning Cycle or also known as “PBL”. This new cycle of learning is focused on learning through experience of solving an open-ended problem found in trigger material. The PBL process does not focus on problem solving with a defined solution, but it allows for the development of other desirable skills and attributes.

 

In my 6 months thus far I have been challenged with using my undergraduate degree to the best of my ability. To say the course has been challenging is an understatement, but interacting with my classmates has been my greatest takeaway. I have worked with different students from all over the world including countries like America, Nigeria, Canada, Italy, and of course Ireland. While working in groups with my classmates we have been solving questions related to these topics: The market segmentation process, investment appraisals, the effectiveness of semiotics in advertising, research proposals, developing marketing strategies all while trying to finish our thesis paper. (Yes, it’s ALOT!!)

 

The learning has not stopped since I landed in Ireland and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to expand my network and knowledge with these wonderful individuals. Each group I’ve been a part of has given me my fair share of lessons and laughs. I believe being able to work with different people from different backgrounds and upbringings will better prepare me for my future workplace and I can’t wait to finish this course and receive my masters! With just three months left, it is going to be a hard goodbye to these lads when school is over, but when we all graduate and receive our masters degree in October, there in that very moment we will realize it was all worth it!

 

 

 

Being a Victory Scholar can be pretty busy for the most part but when I do have free/spare time there are certain things I like to do! We have a pretty strict class schedule and are normally on campus everyday from nine to four! Then normally we have some sort of practice at night whether it be for us or coaching! Then on the weekend we normally coach at least one game and have one game so that leaves us with no days off normally. Yet when we have days off or time off there are certain things I like to do!

On a full day off I love to just go shopping! So I would either just go into Town to go to our shopping centers we have or if I am feeling like spending a lot of money I’ll take a day trip to Galway or Dublin. But normally we can get everything we need right in our towns shopping center. I am basically a professional window shopper! I love to just go look around and see what stores have to offer. But there are times that I actually splurge a bit!

If I have just a few hours of spare time I LOVE to nap, color, and watch youtube! Napping is a big part of my life! I need a nap every once in a while in order to function. So on a day when I can fit a nap in that is defiantly gonna happen. I also love to color. I have an adult coloring book that I use when I have the time! I love to do that because it is mentally stimulating and it helps with any anxiety I have been having! Lastly, I love to watch youtube. There are multiple youtubers that I enjoy watching! I watch comedy channels, vlog channels, and just basic influencers I have things in common with!

Overall, the spare time that I have in my days I usually spend doing things that help me mentally! Shopping, napping, coloring, and watching youtube all make me feel comfortable and that is why I spend my time doing that!

How many times do you get the opportunity to say you got to celebrate you birthday in another country? Well, I can now say that! The little girl from south Jamaica Queens got to celebrate her 23rd b-day in Northern Ireland! Ain’t that something! Obviously I would have loved for my friends and family to be there. Usually for my birthday, my friends bombarge in my room at 12am and sing happy birthday. While my family sends me beautiful edible arrangements and Luckily, I have great people surrounding me. Everyone was great company who genuinely cared about me having a great birthday.

Also in a weird coincidence, my birthday fell on the Super Bowl this year. Being American, the Super Bowl has always been a constant in my life. Initially, I didn’t think I would have an opportunity to celebrate the super bowl this year. Being in Ireland, I thought there wouldn’t be enough people who cared about it. Well I was wrong! After enjoying a nice pre-Super Bowl party at my teammates house, we went to this epic super bowl viewing. It had numerous people rocking their favorite team’s jersey, great food, and a DJ. It was amazing seeing how far the fanbase of football spread.While it wasn’t the most spectacular super bowl, it was still a great way to end a super bday weekend filled with laughs and great people.

Feb 28th 2019 a day to remember. This day symbolize the day that I found the perfect barber. Let me tell you why this search was a journey. It all goes back to my first haircut appointment.  During my second week here I needed to get a haircut so I asked my teammate, Aaron, if he knew any good barbers. He said “yes, his barber would be perfect. Without hesitation Aaron, Mike Riopel, a victor scholar at Ulster University, and I  went to get our haircut. Mike went first and was content with the result. Then, I went next. I was in the chair for approximately 10 minutes before I heard snickering coming from Mike’s direction.  I looked in the mirror to find Mike and Aaron chuckling. Wondering what they were laughing at I looked around before I finally looked at my hair. My heart dropped. When I looked at my hair there were patches all over and the hair length was uneven. In an effort to fix it she would have had to cut my hair to a shorter length than normal (close to bald).  But then I noticed that she was nervous. To a point where I saw that her hands were shaking.

 

Clearly she made a mistake, and I could tell that it was an honest one. I felt bad so I just took over the job. Meaning that for the next 20 or so minutes, I sat in the chair, and cut my own hair as she and mike traded places holding the mirror. I could tell that she felt terrible and was nervous afterword. I didn’t think it was that big a deal quite honestly. It was an experience. A funny experience. Unfortunately, it was at the expense of a less than preferred haircut, but it was a memorable time. We shared a hug, We took a picture, and we laughed it away. She was kind enough to not charge me for the haircut. Upon exiting I told her playfully that at some point before I left the country I would be back, but next time she would have to finish the job herself, and she cheerfully agreed.

This past Sunday, Spencer, Adyia and I assisted our coach Niall and the Northwest Area Board with putting on a under 12 Urban Hoops Basketball Blitz here in Letterkenny. This blitz was an end of season tournament where boys and girls of the region can come together to compete while having fun playing basketball. The main emphasis on the day was to ensure the players had an exciting day playing basketball. With over 100 kids in attendance made up of  a mix of boys and girls basketball clubs and associations from all over the region playing together to compete against one another. The idea of bringing boys and girls together from all parts of the county to play alongside one another was a terrific idea as seen through the success of the event. The smiles and the excitement seen on the players eyes was a testament to how the day went.

The boys and girls were split up onto 3 courts with 4 teams to a court. As three games were going on simultaneously, the two other teams on each of the courts waiting to play their games, were dancing to the music and cheering on their teammates with their newly made friends. In between the set of round robin games, we broke up for a game of hot seat which was played on each of the  courts. For those of you that don’t know the game hot seat, learn it fast! It is a game that every young Irish basketball player loves to play. Similarly played to knockout, a game that a lot of us grew up on when we were first learning to play basketball. Hot seat is a game that I learned in one of my first few coaching sessions here in Ireland. Every new shooting game that I try to implement, kids just want to play hotseat instead. After some thrilling hot seat competitions, champions were established, and we continued on to play our last few sets of games. Throughout the day, coaches were going around seeing which teams had the most team spirt, and I can tell you there was a lot of chanting, cheering and dancing going on in the gym. Kids were having a blast and I was too. There was one kid on my team little Bobby, he stood barely over 4 ft tall and was the hype man of our team. He never stopped talking and was always cheering our team on.

The whole atmosphere was electric, as it was great to see boys and girls of all different skill levels, from different parts of northwest region of Ireland come together to play basketball games for 3 hours. The gym was packed full of coaches, parents and kids who seem to thoroughly enjoy the day. We concluded the day with prizes for MVP for each court, defensive player award, contest champions and team spirt awards. After experiencing a day like that, it reinforces the joy and excitement I get out of the game, knowing that basketball is an amazing sport that can be enjoyed by those of all ages.

 

 

This past week was another one to remember! If you’ve read my first Reading Week blog back in November, you’d know that Reading week is a midterm break where most students are off from school to catch up on their studies. Last Reading Week I did a lot, but it did not involve much studying. This Reading Week was very similar!

My week started with another basketball developmental camp for the kids from Clare. They came to our National League game on Sunday and our camp followed. Unfortunately, we lost another close game by a mere three points. I think the kids really enjoyed themselves though. This was the first time for most of the kids witnessing a National League game. After the game, we got right into our camp. We did a quick warm-up then dove right into some dribbling drills orchestrated by yours truly. I’ve always had a knack for dribble moves, so teaching the kids the fundamentals is always fun. After that we did some shooting drills and then finished with some scrimmaging. All in all, I think the kids had a great day filled with basketball and that’s what it’s all about!! Below is a wonderful picture of the great group of kids putting in some work!

Next up on our agenda was a meeting with Sam and Rachel from SCL! It was really great to catch up with them both. It had been awhile since we saw them, I think the last time we saw them was the Belfast Classic way back in early December. We went over progress reports and made some videos for the future scholars that get placed at LIT. It was a great day with some even better people! Below is a picture of the LIT scholars and the one and only Sam Woodside.

To close out the week, we had another National League game on Friday. We got a huge W in Galway! We played fellow scholar Tom and his squad. After a good battle, we were fortunate enough to come out on top. Both of our teams are very young and inexperienced but have very high upsides. The future is definitely bright for both squads.

Lastly, on Saturday Drew and I took a bus tour around the Ring of Kerry to finish out Reading Week. It was spectacular. We had the absolute nicest weather we could have ever asked for. We got up really early and left Limerick around 8am. Our first stop was in Killarney, then we went out to Killorglin. We traveled along the Wild Atlantic Way and saw some amazing scenery. Then we stopped in Sneem for some lunch and finished the day at Killarney National Park to see the Torc Waterfall. The day was very long but absolutely worth it! Like I said early, the weather couldn’t have been any better, it was sunny and warm and more importantly didn’t rain one drop. We really lucked out. It was another great Reading Day to say the least! Below are some pictures from the tour.

Moving to another country for 9 months on your own is not something that everyone would be inclined to do. When applying to be a Victory Scholar, I was a little nervous about being in another country with people I had never met before. I tend to be quiet and shy until I really get to know people and become comfortable with them. In unfamiliar situations, I become nervous and uneasy. When I accepted the Victory Scholarship, I felt mixed emotions. The thought of being away from my friends and family for longer than I had ever been, moving to another country where my surroundings would be unfamiliar, and having to meet all new people made me very nervous and anxious for this experience. Some could say that going to college is similar but I think this is taking a step further. When you go to college and play a sport, as all the victory Scholars did, your teammates become your best friends on day one. Stepping onto the campus at Saint Peter’s my freshman year, I met all of my teammates that would become my best friends for four years. I was only a three hour drive away from my hometown where I could easily visit my family and friends. My parents attended all of my basketball games throughout my four years so I was able to see them frequently. 

Coming to Ireland for nine months was definitely stepping out of my comfort zone. I am extremely thankful that I was offered the opportunity to be a Victory Scholar. Having this experience has helped me to become more independent, confident, and helped me to learn a lot about myself. On August 24th, 2018, I flew to Ireland with 33 other unfamiliar faces. I was able to interact with the other scholars throughout the first week in Ireland but then we all had to disperse to our universities throughout the country. This was very different from college. We all became friends the first week and then would not see each other again for a while. When arriving in Waterford, with only two familiar faces (Ellen and Dan whom I had just met the week before), I had to try to step out of my comfort zone once again. My teammates were very welcoming along with the rest of the Wildcats community. However, I would only see my teammates a few times a week for two hours at practice unless we hung out on the weekends outside of basketball. They all have busy lives, most of them working full time jobs. This was new to me because I was used to hanging out with my college teammates 24/7. Little by little we all started to hangout more on the weekends and during our free time. After a month or so I was well adjusted to living in another country away from my family and friends and realized it wasn’t as scary as it may have seemed. I’m extremely glad that I took this big step out of my comfort zone and moved to Ireland to be a Victory Scholar. It is an experience I will never forget!

 

 

I recently turned 23 on Feb 28th!  This past year of 2018-2019 of my life has been crazy!  I have changed and grown so much as a person and I am honestly so proud of myself!  As a 22 year old woman I finished my senior year of college basketball and graduated college with my BA in Psychology! I also became a god mother of a beautiful baby boy! I was chosen to be a Victory Scholar which is a huge deal. I have been living in Ireland for 6 months which is the hardest but most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life! And lastly I was able to bring out the parts of myself that I value the most! 22 was amazing but I am ready to see what 23 has in store for me!

(Best Parts of 22)

My birthday is something I have always taken pretty serious.  I love to celebrate my life and all the accomplishments I have made each year!  This year I was not really sure what I was going to be able to do!  We had a game the day before and a game the day after so I could not really plan to travel any where!  So I kind of just accepted that this birthday I would just stay in and FaceTime with friends and family!  It sounded pretty amazing for me!  I did not expect anyone to try to go out of their way for me! But after my game on the 27th my teammates insisted that we go out and celebrate and it honestly was one of the best nights I have had since I got here. On my actual birthday I did stay in and just ordered in some of my favorite food, and talked to all my family and friends!  On the 1st of March we had a game in Tullamore and we lost pretty bad which was a bummer! But as I was taking off my shoes I heard the voices of my teammates and coaches singing happy birthday to me and they brought a cake out!  Which was so special!  My 23rd birthday will truly be a time I will always remember!  Throughout college my best friend Tanner made sure that my birthday was always some sort of big ordeal!  So this year not having her around was sad not because I did not have a good time but because I loved spending that special day with her and she would always make me feel special!  But I loved every second of my birthday this year it was a new experience and has got me in the mind set that things change and it is time to grow!

23 years later and I am still so happy and proud of the person I am!  I know that this year is going to be a big year for my life!  When I go home in the summer I have to decided what I want to do with my life.  Do I want to go back to school? Do I want to start a Career? Do I want to Coach? Do I want to move? SOO many questions and by this time next year I will be 24 and all those questions will be answered and I will have a whole new set of questions! So 23 year old Marisa it is time to really get your life started and I am rooting for you girl!

I’ve been extremely fortunate to join the Victory Scholars team this year, but I will also always part of another team—actually two other teams. My college basketball teams and softball teams at Grinnell became my family, and it has been a difficult transition to not be around those families everyday. In college, you not only play your sport with your teammates, you eat together, you study together, and you live together. Your lives seem intertwined at times. I absolutely love my super league team, but it is definitely different than being on a college team. With teammates working full time jobs and commuting hours to practice, there’s only a guaranteed 7 hours a week where we are all in the same place. We aren’t doing those little things like studying together or eating together, and perhaps this is why playing in the super league feels different.

I was very lucky to have two college teammates visit me recently—Alex and Ariel. Both were able to attend Mystics games, and I could hear them cheering me on from the sidelines. Alex left Galway with a hint of an Irish accent. Despite my many efforts, Ariel left Galway without ever trying black pudding. It is nearly impossible to describe what Alex and Ariel’s visits meant to me. Having teammates come see me fulfilling my basketball dreams was unreal. Their visits showed me that no matter where I go or what I do, I will always have a family in my college teammates. There are many times where I think about how much I miss family and friends from back home, and Alex and Ariel helped cure a little bit of this homesickness. They brought a little piece of home to Galway with them. Teammates aren’t temporary; teammates are for life. I look forward to having another set of lifelong teammates in the Victory Scholars and in my Mystics teammates.

It is hard to put into words the power that sports hold. Sports give opportunities to find yourself, to make friendships and build relationships, to build character, to build life skills and morals, to travel, to learn… the list goes on and on. Growing up in America, I am accustomed to what I thought was a wide range of sports. I played competitive basketball and soccer growing up, watched baseball and football quite a bit, and have been around other sports like lacrosse, field hockey, ice hockey, track and field, softball and volleyball my entire life. In Ireland, I have been introduced to a wide array of sports that I am not accustomed to, including rugby, Gaelic football, pickle ball, and cricket.

When I joined the Sport Changes Life program, I knew I would be using my knowledge and experience with sport to help others become better versions of themselves. I have witnessed teenage boys with drug or alcohol issues come in to play soccer with us on a random Monday night- which helps them stay out of trouble by getting them off the street. I have seen the Northern Ireland dilemma in real life- Catholics and Protestants putting their issues aside and coming together to play a match. I have seen the power of sports in much older lives as well, like the 50+ group we play badminton and pickle ball with twice a week, or the 99 year old who is still active through the sport of boccia. For me, experiences like these in sport humble me, and make me aware of just how powerful sport can be. Just think of how incredible it is that a sport can get a teenager away from a bad situation for a night or can keep a very elderly person physically able.

And for me personally, everytime I am with these groups I not only get to see the power of sport in action, but I also get to learn a lot of new things myself. I have learned how to play (and am perfecting my skills in) pickle ball, badminton, boccia, and even cricket. (I also am now a fan of watching rugby and gaelic football, which I find so fascinating.) Being a competitive athlete for so long and playing basketball at such a high level, there is no better way to humble myself than stepping back and realizing that a 99 year old may actually beat me in a game of boccia. I’ve learned so much about different sports since I’ve been here; I get to interact with new people all the time and am subjected to how they have grown up in a culture of sports that is different from mine, and for that I am really lucky! Although our sport cultures our a bit different and we are from different parts of the world, sports generally have a way of bringing people together. Honestly I love sports more than just about any other thing in the world, and I am having a blast learning about the different ones in the Irish culture. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll start my own pickle ball or cricket club in the states! Gonna have to stay tuned for that one… cheers!!

 

Growing up consists of different phases. Newborn becomes infant becomes toddler. “She is already is talking? That’s crazy!” turns into “Her first day of kindergarten? Crazy how fast she’s grown up.” Soon comes “She got her license?”, “She’s a legal adult?”, “She’s graduating college in May?”. “Crazy.” “Crazy.” “Crazy.” For 23 years now that is how my life has been. Getting older has just been a matter of entering new, often intimidating yet stimulating phases of life. And here I am now, taking the time to reflect on it all. It is February 28th, 2019 and my current home is Carlow, Ireland. Six months down, three to go. I just did a coaching session at the school next door, and now I’m back at the IT in order to get some work done and get a workout in. It’s just an ordinary day in the life, nothing too crazy. Yet what I find strangest about this whole experience is the fact that it no longer seems crazy…
As I have just alluded to, the lifestyle that once stimulated me in so many ways no longer seems to do so to the same extent. I often find myself walking down the sidewalk and have to remind myself that I’m in Ireland. Living in this foreign country has just become the norm. It would be crazy if I had a conversation with someone and they didn’t have an Irish accent. It would be crazy if all of the errands I had to run weren’t within a ten minutes-walk. It would be crazy if I walked in a school and the students weren’t dressed in uniforms. In just six months, one of the most daunting yet exciting experiences has become ordinary. And now I have three months left of being able to head to Galway for the weekend, order a Guinness in a pub, be a member of an Irish sports team and come up with practice plans for young basketball players in the community.

Just as Nike’s new female advertisement says, it is important to embrace the crazy. Personally, leaving the United States for a land in which I initially knew one other person is the craziest thing I’ve ever done. But it has been during the transition of this experience from crazy to ordinary that I have grown in a number of ways. Crazy is exhilarating, thought-provoking, challenging and with the right attitude, a lot of fun. As it is in my case, it can also be temporary. Despite how scary or life-changing a new phase may seem, with time it will simply become ordinary life…just as talking, going to kindergarten, obtaining my license, turning 18, graduating from college and now moving to Ireland has. Even though I am well-adapted here, I have just three months left of this temporary phase to take it all in. Come June I must enter the next phase of my life: pursuing a career. Despite how daunting, exhilarating, thought-provoking, challenging and crazy that idea seems, it will all once again become ordinary. And that’s the crazy truth.

Given the fact that I am getting my Masters in Sport and Exercise Psychology, I have been exposed to high performing athletes. From sprinters training to compete in the Olympics, or Gaelic Footballers who just competed in the national cup, my interactions with these high level athletes has been one of the highlights of my course. While all of these visits have been impactful, there is one visitor who stands out in my mind, and that is Pat Burke.

 

For those of who do not know, I’m assuming most of you reading this, Pat Burke is the only Irish born basketball player to play in the NBA. Knowing this, you can imagine the excitement a basketball junkie like me had about this visit. Pat spent the entire day with us in class, offering his own insight to what it takes to perform at the highest level. Pat told stories of his playing days in the NBA and his time as a member of the Irish National Team.

As if the three hour classroom session was not enough, after class Pat put my entire team through a two hour practice. Having a former NBA player at practice not only elevated the level of that practice, but our team has been completely different since his visit. Practices are more intense, there is more self belief in games, and we are all trusting each other more than ever. The results of this have been a winning record in 2019, after going 1-12 in 2018. Pat was only in Waterford for a day, but his impact has been lasting. He is a perfect example of the type of influence I would like to become in the basketball community.

The format of my Masters course here at Ulster University has been a totally new experience for me. After regular sixth form in England and then a Business Administration undergraduate in New York, I have gone from having regular class days 4/5 days a week to now having three full class days a month, yes you read that right, a month. “Block” teaching is a way to cover the entire modules material, and explanations of any coursework or assignments in the three days in a row. I love this method, as you get it all done, out of the way and then you will have the next two weeks away from the classroom to have your own time to prepare for the presentation/assignment/submission date. This means that each module is four days in total in the space of two and a half to three weeks.

I am studying Sports Management which is a great course from the Business School in Ulster University. Throughout my time here, modules have been borad lectures in Sports Law and arbitration, Marketing, Management and Finance that all have links with sport. In these modules I have had guest speakers come in from Holland, Germany and Sweden as well as very successful CEO’s from the UK and Ireland also.

My lectures also vary on loaction, for my sports marketing lecture was held at Winsor Park in Belfast, Northern Irelands national football stadium. My innovation module will conclude in business events in central Belfast. I enjoy that the classes I have venture out to different places and I get to see different things.

The work that is assigned is usually a 2500-4000 word report or research paper along with a small presentation individually or in a small group each module, with three modules a semester. The teachings are very professional with a lot of funding and care goes into current theories topics, for example for my sports law module we were able to see contracts and current plans for The Open Championship which is happening in Portrush in Northern Ireland this summer.

No doubt though the best factor of postgraduate life is having the complementary Tea and freshly made Scones every morning!

Spencer, Adyia and Tweddy and I with the help from local clubs in the region, we were able to put on a several Mid-term basketball camps. It was an amazing week, where we got to inspire young athletes in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The first two days consisted of us heading up to work with North Star Basketball club, a basketball organization based in Derry that our head basketball coach at LYIT Niall McDermott started 15 years ago. The morning session was full of young eager kids who were bright eyed, passionately waiting to learn from American basketball players and coaches who would they would meet them for the first time. With several of these young athletes being their first-time playing basketball we had to keep the few hours, fun and engaging to ensure they enjoyed their first experiences playing basketball. I can tell you after the two three-hour sessions they had with us, they thoroughly enjoyed the basketball sessions we were able to bring to them. The most enjoyable part was the big chocolate bars that were giving away at the end of the session. I can tell you they enjoyed the basketball, but a little bit of chocolate never hurt anyone.

The second session consisted of a group of 14-18-year-old boys, whom many of them I had been coaching for several months now. We picked it up where we left off in those previous sessions and continued to put in some work. I was happy to see their improvements continually getting better each week. The first of the two days we incorporated a lot of skills and gave them new drills they can take with them to work on in their own time. The second day we brought in more team-based workouts and then again gave them some competitions where they could compete for some chocolate bars. These weren’t no ordinary chocolate bars either, these were limited-edition Cadbury BIG Taste Oreo chocolate bars. It was a battle to see who would get the bars. The first two days of our week-long camps were a great start to the week.

Spencer, Adyia and Paul ended up heading out to Glenties, where they worked with 40 kids in a full day of skills, competitions and games. The following day we all headed out to Mulroy Hoops where we put on 2 great sessions, the two gyms were packed full of young basketballers! We were able to put together a session challenging them of their skills, introducing new basketball games and challenging them with some shooting and full court skill challenges. The final day I met Spencer and Paul out in Dunloe, I had missed out in the morning session after having to take a mid-term test then taxied out to a country side town. We have been out to Dunloe before for a few school sessions, yet this time we were putting on a camp for the kids in the town. Many of the kids it was there first few times playing basketball, yet the gym was full of kids competing and enjoying the game that many of us grew to love.

After five long and exhausting days, I can definitely say we helped to inspire some kids to want to continue to play basketball. This was shown through the 40 plus kids from NorthStar, Mulroy Hoops, Glenties and Dunloe, all of which were in attendance to watch our game vs UL Eagles. Even though we didn’t come out on top, as it has been a difficult year for the team, we were able to have some support from the kids which made it that much more special. Looking back, it was a nice finish to the week and will be looking forward to getting back to coaching and training!

It is just before noon on a Thursday, and I am currently sitting in the library taking a study break to write this blog. This morning I tested my first participant for my thesis, my American teammate Feesh. As a student of Strength and Conditioning, my thesis focuses on the effects of caffeine on basketball performance. More specifically, I am looking at how a low dose (such as that found in a Starbucks coffee) affects agility (reaction time), rate of force development (as in jumping) as well as sprinting qualities (acceleration, top speed and fatigue). More simply I wish to discover how much, if at all, a low dose of caffeine affects players’ cognitive as well as physical performance.

As it entails a variety of tests, I’ve been nervous to begin the actual testing. However, now that I have one test down and everything went smoothly, I am excited to get going. As I often consume a coffee at some point before a basketball game, I am curious if there are any benefits to drinking the beverage (besides a good morning pick-me-up). I will be sure to provide an update once testing is all over and done with! In the meantime, it is officially noon and I’m starting to hit a wall…time to go order myself a coffee!!

On January 11^th, my club team competed in the Women’s Hula Hoops National Cup Semi Final held at Neptune Stadium. This game was a featured Cork derby, presenting the opportunity for our Brunell Super League team to make history in earning a spot in the National Cup Final. In a sold out crowd filled with supporters from the North and South side of the Cork community stood my dad and oldest sister Eileen. Staring at them in the crowd, I could not believe they had come to Ireland for the weekend, solely to attend this game. As the seconds ticked down, our team embraced each other over the victory and quickly, the floor was filled with fans, young and old, all over the floor. In this crowd of people, I awaited my dad and sister on the court, still in awe that they were present to witness, and be a part of, history for the club that added such value to my Victory Scholar experience. After the game, my dad and Eileen proceeded to attend post game celebrations (shoutout to the Joshua Tree #NorthsideSwag) and, after a weekend of exploring my favorite spots in Cork, hopped on a flight back to Dunmore Pennsylvania and Washington DC to make it back for work in time on Tuesday morning.

Twenty days later, I stood on the court of the Irish National Basketball Arena, the venue noted as the home of Irish Basketball, prepping to play in the Women’s National Cup Final. As this Cup Championship was the first time my club team earned the opportunity to play in the Cup Final since its founding in 1984, this was a pretty big deal for the team and any supporters. With pre-sale tickets sold out, the arena was packed with fans from clubs of Basketball Ireland and of course, the Brunell community. Once more within the sea of supporters stood my dad, and my oldest sister Eileen…and a new addition, my brother Paul. This time, I really could not believe they were back to Ireland for this game just two weeks later (some called them crazy, I call them #family) While the outcome was not what we had hoped, facing defeat to the top ranked team in the Super League, I was still overwhelmed with gratitude for not only the opportunity to play in the national event, but, that three extremely important people in my life were present for it.

Perhaps the fact that I was able to be consecutively reunited with some my family 3500 away from home, in the country of Ireland, on a basketball court, was more than fitting for a family who’s upbringing revolved around sport consistently bringing us together (or driving us apart, as I am a very sore loser). From having countless times of playing, and getting beaten, by my brother, sisters, and my dad in backyard basketball (mom can’t shoot that well but has almost perfected the “stand backwards throw ball over head shot”), to attending countless of each other’s games as kids– that my dad was often the coach of–basketball was a building block of our upbringing, and turned into an inherent element of our family dynamic.

As time progressed and my siblings began to pursue college and their careers, the ways in which the game brought my family together only intensified. While my siblings were officially all out of the house, I was still in high school as the “only child,” and my parents attended every one of my games. Consistently, there were aunts, uncles, and cousins cheering me on in the stands too. When I reached hs milestones, I always had family to celebrate with (even when I competed on Scranton Parade day—tbt Maurzi) . Likewise, when I faced challenges, I had family to encourage me through the obstacles…or provide gifts to assist me—shoutout to Santa for boxing bag.

Consistently throughout my college career, with Patriot League games played every Wednesday and Saturday revolving around a league schedule of traveling up and down the east coast, I was lucky enough to have at least one member of my family in attendance (I do miss the feeling of anticipation after adding those names to the ticket list). When we versed a team close to Washington D.C, my sisters Eileen and Anna (and their manzz) were always present. When we faced a team in New England, my brother Paul and sister Maura always made extensive efforts to be my biggest fans. And of course, when we played Pennsylvania teams, the crowd would intensify with 30+ of my rowdy cousins and family friends. I still will never forget when my coach credited my team’s 25 point fourth quarter comeback to Bucknell to my family in the stands …#legends. I was, and still am, endlessly grateful of the way my family rallied in support throughout each phase of my career.

This support that my siblings and extended family consistently offered to me throughout my career certainly stemmed from my parents unwavering commitment to each one of us as we were growing up.  Whether it was in the classroom, on the court, or simply in life, my parents were always there to encourage and challenge us to be the best version of ourselves, setting a standard of commitment to us all that we in turn, naturally upheld. While my mom and dad rarely attended the school’s parent teacher conferences (a true blessing…) they were present at each of our sporting events growing up. Ok, maybe not each and every sporting event. I do recall a few times scrapping around my hometown looking for rides from neighbors or reverting to my bike or feet for transport when my parents were catering to my older four sibling’s schedules of sporting events and piano lessons, and of course working to sustain our family and trying to maintain sanity all at the same time, that they had to miss one or two of my biddy basketball games. Turns out, they aren’t always that exciting anyways, and my parent’s road trips to just about every college game my senior season (a four-hour car trip one way) certainly made up for any absences. Mom and Dad, still unsure how you do it all, you are and will forever be true heroes, and superheroes, in my eyes.

These ways in which basketball has enabled my family to come together to support each other has provided ways for my family to create memories outside the basketball arena that extend beyond just the game and continue to influence our daily interactions. It has transformed simple games into family gatherings, and post-game conversations into offering life advice. Our experiences in numerous basketball arenas, from Notre Dame to Arizona State, to our local YMCA, has allowed our relationships of accepting constructive criticism and encouragement on the court to evolve into creating a shared dialect of trust and encouragement in school, the workplace, and most importantly, in life. Today, I have basketball to thank for allowing such relationships to develop within my family, and for providing me with 6 of the best coaches and teammates in and outside of the arena.

Sport brings people together in countless ways. While I don’t think one blog can express the entirety of its impact, it’s clear that for me and my family, it’s been physical and emotional, and all the rest. It has turned typical game nights into large family gatherings, and family texts messages into boisterous group chats filled with love and lessons. Sport has transformed basketball games in the Hart Center into family reunions (and apartment Karoake), and long car rides into joyous conversation. It has proven that a cup final basketball game, 3500 away with a 6-hour time difference, can turn into a family weekend trip to Ireland, (if we’re related). Sport has, and continues to, change my life!

 

I feel like I’m in the movie, Hoosiers.

-Paul Byrne Senior, post Semifinal

I can’t believe I’m sitting at my desk after 3-4 days in Dublin. Sports do change lives, and they’ve had an awesome impact on our group.

-Paul Byrne Junior, post CUP final

 

Last week my best friend, Jill, came to visit during her February break. Jill and I have been best friends since as long as I can remember and it definitely hasn’t been easy being so far apart. Because my house is kind of small, she got an AirBnB in Dublin with one of her other friends from work. At first, I was worried that I wouldn’t have much time to spend with her because of my responsibilities in Athlone but I got lucky as it was Rag Week and some of our training sessions got cancelled.

I met Jill in Dublin the day she arrived and was so happy to see her! She was exhausted from her overnight flight so we didn’t do much the first day besides walk around a bit and grab food. The next day we bought tickets for one of those Hop-on Hop-off buses and saw some parts of the city I hadn’t explored yet. I had to go back to Athlone Sunday for a Midlands League game, but after a couple of days of classes I went back to Dublin to do some more touristy things.

Our next adventure was to the Cliffs of Moher. I cannot believe how beautiful the scenery was. The pictures I’ve seen of them honestly does not do this place justice. We got very lucky that we went on such a nice day; there wasn’t any rain and we had a clear view of the cliffs! I absolutely fell in love with this part of Ireland and can’t wait to go back.

The rest of our time was spent in Dublin exploring the city and taking tours of different museums and attractions. It was really nice spending time with Jill and crossing some things off on my Irish bucket list. While I was sad to have to say goodbye, my bank account was definitely thanking me that the week was over!

Just a wee basketball update for anyone interested:

While in Northern Ireland, I am playing for both the Ulster University Elks club team and college team. Coming into March, we are preparing for playoffs in both leagues. For the college team, we are sitting at the top of the Northern Conference, and will play next week in the league semifinals. In the club, we have only lost a few games all season, and even made it to the National League National Cup final, which has never been done in the Ulster Elks club before. We ended up losing the cup final game against Maree, but are hoping to meet them again in the league championship at the end of March. You can stay tuned to see what happens in March online on Basketball Ireland’s website, or catch a later blog in March! Cheers and GO ELKS!

 

 

Cave Hill is a hill (or a mini Mount Everest) based north west of the city of Belfast. Being from the countryside in England I miss walking my dog through the rolling hills of the Peak District, yet because of Cave Hill, those feelings drift away. Once you scale the two and a half mile walk up to the top you are blessed with views that overlook the entire city and far further as far as Bangor, maybe even Scotland on a clear day. I love watching the ferries, cargo ships and planes enter through the Lagan and into the port. I have always loved hills and being able to climb to summits and peaks throughout my childhood. Cave Hill is a definite must on a clear day. This is the first time in my life where I have lived beside water and I love it. There is something about spending sunrises or sunsets by the water to get away from normality for a few minutes, all I need now is my 12 year old Border Collie to join me.

 

 

The college season here is far shorter then what I have been used to in the past four years of my life.  We had 6 games, SIX GAMES, we had to play to try to make it to Varsities.  We went 2 and 4 and that simply was not good enough.  So on Feb 27th I played my last game with my lovely teammates at AIT.  And we had our best game we played the whole season! This game will be so memorable to me for many reasons.

The girls I have been playing with here at AIT are some of the funniest, hard working, and just all around great girls.  They have all gone out of their way to make sure we do not get lost in all the basketball we are doing and they make sure we are having fun!  We had a pretty small team and a lot of the girls also played other sports so there could be days that we only had 4 girls a practice.  But all these girls did not play basketball as their first sport, they were all amazing athletes in other sports! So we knew attendance could be dotty at times but when it came to game time everyone was locked in.  I am so honored to be able to play with these girls because like I mentioned before they were just amazing athletes and their want and need to be great while playing basketball even though it was not a sport they were used to was truly inspiring.

Our coach is someone who has played in the town of Athlone almost his whole life.  He also was on the mens senior team for AIT’s Basketball Club!  When we got here he did not even know he had scholars coming!  So he was taken by surprise and really just took us under his wing and went out of his way to make sure we were always taken care of!  He would always check up on injuries and make sure that the athletic training staff knew if we had little aches or pains.  So huge thank you to him for making this time so much fun!

Overall, the fact that we were able to all come together for our last game and end the season with a win was just amazing!  It was so much fun coming in twice a week to practice with such amazing people and it was even more fun playing on the court with them! This will forever be apart of my fondest memories!

(Our last score)

 

It’s funny, I often got told throughout high school that it was important to have diversity in teams to improve efficiency, but I never knew why. Doing my undergraduate in New York, and now living with two Chinese and the other three American Ulster scholars in Belfast, I learned fast.

Each of us have individual knowledge, experience and culture which no one can take away from us, and that no one else would have that’s the same. If we are lucky enough to be in a place of diversity, it is a skill and a necessity to open our eyes to listen and learn from people who have differences to ourselves.

A lot of our work in Belfast is in certain areas of communities, certain parts of town which are labelled, segmented and often seperated because of their differences. To an outsider, it all may look the same, as the vast majority of people talk, look and act very similar, then to be exposed to us Victory Scholars and learn from our diversity is what I love to experience. I feel honoured to now have knowledge of all the different nationalities of poeple I have met over the years and I’ll always carry that with me moving forward.

This is why I think the Victory Scholar programme to be so influencial. It allows people, young and old, who may have not travelled to see people from different places. It opens their eyes to differences, allows them to think and learn which is truly a great thing to experience.

I’ve been tasked with writing a “Monday Motivation” blog and could think of no other person that embodies the word “motivation” more than my IT Carlow teammate, Kazuhiko Yokoyama (a.k.a. Kaz, Kaz-o, or Kaz Money).

I remember meeting Kaz on my first day in Carlow back in September. Kojack, my head coach, had just picked up Courtney and me from Dublin Airport to drive us directly to my first scrimmage to meet and play with my new IT Carlow teammates. We stopped for a chocolate bar and Lucozade sports drink at a local shop, pulled over to take a picture in front of the Carlow town sign, and made one final stop to pick up our Japanese point guard at the College before heading to the gym for the game.

From the moment I met him, I could immediately tell that Kaz was going to be a great teammate for the year. Despite his broken English, his two most defining characteristics were clear from the start: his kindness and passion for basketball. He had a big smile on his face and greeted Courtney and me with a handshake and bow before offering us some of his Japanese candy. Kaz, who is not part of a program like SCL or was even recruited to come play for IT Carlow, proceeded to tell Courtney and me how he ended up in Carlow, Ireland. Writing this blog today, I have come to find out that this story was just the tip of the iceberg in getting to know him.

So, here is a little background on my man Kaz and how he ended up both in Ireland and at IT Carlow, specifically. Kaz, 23, graduated from four years of University back in Japan with a “dream to play basketball overseas” (his own words). Despite not playing consistent minutes for all four years at University (I’d like to have a conversation with his coach about that!), he had to pave his own path and take initiative to make his dream of playing overseas a reality. From what I understand, Kaz simply connected with Kojack on Facebook last year and expressed his desire to come watch a game. He proceeded to pay his own way to fly from Japan to Ireland (a trip totaling over 24 hours of travel time) to watch 1(!) IT Carlow basketball game before flying back home. One year later, he finds himself as part of that team.

Kaz is not only the kindest guy I’ve ever met, but his work ethic and belief in himself is unmatched. If he wants something, he goes and gets it! He has shown this repeatedly even in the brief time that I’ve known him. He wanted to play basketball overseas, so he took the initiative to reach out to Kojack, and now finds himself playing for IT Carlow. In Carlow, he wanted to make a steady income, so he applied for a work visa and several jobs before landing a part-time job at one of the hotels in town. He wanted to move out of his host family’s home to save some money, so he saved up enough and recently moved into his own apartment where he pays his own monthly rent. He arrived in Ireland with very broken English and a goal to improve his ability to speak the language and has done just that. He spends much of his down time learning English (i.e. watching shows with English subtitles, writing down and looking up words he does not know) in addition to the constant exposure he gets in his daily interactions at work and with teammates. Kaz, if you’re reading this, I’d stick to those resources and not pick up any more lingo from Armand (our Latvian teammate). Although he’s very hard on himself, I can say that his English has improved drastically to the point where he understands pretty much everything, and we can carry conversations seamlessly.

Lastly, and probably most importantly to him (along with the English), Kaz wants to improve his basketball game, and he sure puts in the time to do that. Last Saturday, I asked him how often he gets up in the morning to go to the gym and shoot before work. He says he tries to go every morning but some mornings, he is too tired. So, I followed up and asked him how many times he went to the gym early in the past week. He responded, “Oh, every day. Every day. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.” All I could do was shake my head and smile, knowing he does all five days most weeks. Furthermore, as I mentioned in a previous blog, I had the opportunity to travel over Christmas break and spend a week plus in Prague, Vienna, and Munich enjoying my time off with some of the other Scholars. I didn’t touch a basketball during those 8 days. Meanwhile, Kaz booked his own flight to Belgium to go workout with a coach he had met via Instagram for four days. As it stands now, I believe he is planning to travel back after the season trying to land his next gig to play overseas.

Back to life and basketball in Carlow, Kaz shows up to every practice and game wide-eyed and ready to go. Unfortunately, due to Basketball Ireland rules, Kaz and I are not allowed to play at the same time in our National League games. Teams are only allowed to have one non-Irish/non-European player on the floor at a time. However, we have been able to play together on the college team, which has been a blessing. In the time I’ve spent as Kaz’s teammate, a couple highlights come to mind: his 30-point game in a college game vs. DBS (dude shot lights out!), the 8-second backcourt violation he forced in our game last Saturday playing one-on-one defense, and his ankle-breaking crossovers (see Instagram). His work ethic and passion for basketball is contagious. He plays the game with so much intensity and heart that it lifts up the energy of the entire team. It is honestly refreshing to watch Kaz play. In fact, one of the local youth teams in Carlow implemented a full court press that they call “Kaz Mode”, which is a testament to the type of player and defender he is.

Even though he probably doesn’t realize it, Kaz has been an inspiration to all the people he has met here in Ireland, especially his teammates (I think I can speak for everyone on this). His “can-do” attitude, kindness, selflessness, and work ethic make him a joy to be around and someone we should all strive to be in some way or another. Personally, I consider myself lucky to have crossed paths with Kaz and look forward to what life has in store for him! He is a constant reminder of believing in yourself and going after the things in life you are most passionate about, regardless of what others think of you or limits they place on you. He’s earned everything that he’s gotten, and there’s nothing stopping any of you readers out there from doing the same. How’s that for some Monday Motivation?!

Keep doing you, Kaz!

If you’d like to get more insight into the type of guy, player, and worker Kaz is, toss him a follow on IG: kaz_money5

As apart of the victory scholars program, victory scholars are able to impact the youth through different community engagement events. For example, we utilize sports and education module called Ehoops.  Using sport and sharing knowledge with them surrounding topics, such as discrimination, prejudices and etc. We are then able to interact with them on a deeper level.

I remember being really nervous coming into my first Ehoops session. What if I wasn’t able to connect with the kids due to cultural barriers? Well, all that was wiped away as soon as I met the New Mosley group. Most would think a group of boys ages 14-19 would be a real hand full, that was not the case with New Mosley. They were all super nice and loved to work hard in anything you put in front. Not mention, they were all very insightful when talking about the different topics during the education module. It was interesting hearing about what they believe the rest of their community perceives them to be. It was interesting because while they felt that they are perceived to be rowdy, trouble makers, the boys were anything but that.

As the months went on, I grew closer with the group. Learning more about each of the boys dreams and ambitions. More boys were willing to add their perspective during the education modules, as if they were starting get more comfortable with us as well. My favorite part when I worked with the New Mosley group was when they all came to the Belfast Classic. It was so nice seeing them enjoy the game. I really felt like I was sharing a passion of mine with them.

After 5 months, it was time for them graduate and be on their way. We had dinner at this nice Italian place to celebrate their success. While it was nice to see the boys dressed up and enjoying a great dinner for all their hard work. It was also sad because it was the last time we would be able sit with them and chat it up. Looking around the table I realized that I was going to miss all of them. When dinner finally came to end we took one last picture as a group. While smiling for the camera I realized that even though I felt sad they were graduating from the program I also felt proud. I was proud of all their hard work and dedication they put in to get to this point. I am also proud because I know that even though their done with the program, they will carry the lessons they learned in it forever. So while it sad to say goodbye, I’m happy that I even had an opportunity to work with such a great group.

 

 

The York College of Pennsylvania men’s basketball team received word that they’re heading back to the DIII National Tournament! I am extremely proud to say that my alma mater has had a very successful year so far. The Spartans finished the regular season with a 19-6 overall record and an in-conference record of 12-2. York’s in-conference record was good enough to claim a share of the regular season conference championship. This is the second year in a row the Spartans won the regular season championship!

The Spartans cruised through the first two rounds of the CAC conference tournament, winning in convincing fashion. Unfortunately, York lost the CAC Championship game to nationally ranked CNU in front of a sold-out crowd in Newport News, Virginia. However, because of the success the Spartans had throughout the season, they received an at-large bid. In Division III, there are 44 automatic bids which are teams that have won their respective conference tournament. So, that leaves only 20 spots left for at-large bids. The at-large bids are mainly determined by regional rankings and strength of schedule. York finished the season at one of the top spots in the mid-Atlantic region.

York received a somewhat unfavorable seeding in the tournament. DIII sets up its tournament by regions and it breaks it down into four quadrants, similar to Division I. This year, the Spartans will be facing DeSales University in the first round. If they advance, they will play the winner of Randolph-Macon vs. Morrisville State. It is actually pretty coincidental because fellow Victory Scholar, Dan played at Randolph-Macon. Hopefully York will get to play RMC in the second round so I can do a bit of trash-talking.

Out of the 16 teams in the “bottom left quadrant” this year, 5 of them were home to current Victory Scholars. Amherst, Swarthmore, Skidmore, Randolph-Macon, and York all made the tournament this year. Johnny and Mike went to Amherst, Zack went to Swarthmore, Royce went to Skidmore, Dan went to Randolph-Macon and of course I went to York. Needless to say, Sport Changes Life has some pretty good ballers from some pretty good DIII schools this year!