This past weekend was senior night for the SJU Women’s basketball team, a class that was very close to me. I just want to recognize each senior on a personal basis, because they all played a gigantic role in my time spent with them at SJU.

For starters, two of the graduating seniors were transfers from University of Virginia, who were actually supposed to graduate with me, but due to some NCAA regulations, were able to get an extra year to play. Jaryn Garner, a player I knew when I was younger, transferred to SJU my senior year. The only thing I hated about her coming in senior year was that I was only able to play with her for one year. She was one of the most intense players I’ve had to enjoyment to play with, and wasn’t afraid to get into the mix of people who were bigger and taller than her. Every time she went in for a rebound, I knew somehow she would find a way to end up with it. In just one year at SJU, I could tell her presence made everyone play with much more grit and passion.

The other transfer we were lucky to pick up from Virginia was Amanda Fioravanti. Luckily, she came onto our team midway through my freshman year, so it was nearly like we played our entire college careers together. Amanda, being a 6’2″ center, is one of the best passers I’ve played with in college. For being a post, she saw the floor like a point guard. Off the court, Amanda is one of the most genuine people, who volunteers constantly for the community and different programs within SJU. I am so thankful to have shared my four year journey with her.

The next senior I want to talk about is Avery, and I am saving the details because I am going to write an entire blog post on her alone. When Avery visited on her official my freshman year, I knew we were gonna be close friends by her lively and cheerful personality. What I didn’t know my freshman year is that Avery would also be one of the biggest idols I look up to everyday. I will not elaborate, but Avery had a traumatizing event happen to her during her move-in day freshman year, and her road to recovery every since has been an inspiration to me, our team, and all across the country. She is the reason I am hesitant to ever complain about anything.

Candace is also an inspiration in a different way, and one of my favorite people on the team to hang out with outside of basketball. I always knew I could count on her to be willing to go out for a good time. She was another reason why I never complained, since she had many injury setbacks, but that never got in the way of her positivity and integrity. It makes my day to see that she is such a large contribution to the team this year, and I know she deserves it.

Adashia is one of the most fit/strongest people I have ever met. This girl is about 6’1″ of straight muscle, and can probably outrun most guys in a sprint. She also was my co-captain for my senior year, and she saved me. We were a great balance as partners, since I was the communicator and she was the one to put it in action. Watching her grow from the player she was freshman year (great) to the player she is now (exceptional) is exhilarating, and demonstrates the blood, sweat, and tears she put into her college basketball career.

Chelsea is definitely the most versatile player I’ve had the opportunity to play with. Thanks to Chels, my assist goals were always reached because I knew if I got her the ball, it was finding its way into the basket. Chelsea is also probably the strongest player I have played with or against, and I never got within 10 feet of her when a shot went up because there was no point for me to even try to get the rebound. She is a flat-out player, who can shoot, pass, run, play post defense, play guard defense- you name it! I hope she pursues some sort of pro basketball after college because she would be crazy not to.

Last, but certainly not least is SV (Sarah). Another extremely versatile player who can shoot the lights out of the gym, and also post up any guard, and play post and guard defense. Due to injuries throughout her career we also weren’t able to play with each other as much as I would have hoped for, but when she was healthy, she always made a difference. Aside from skill, she is also one of the smartest players both on and off the court. I’m pretty sure she came into college with more credits than I had completed after my freshman year, being able to complete her undergrad in just 3 years.

I could go on and on about each player and how they individually affected my four years at SJU in such great yet different ways. Even though I wish I was home playing with them, I’m just as appreciative to watch their success from afar.

Congrats to the seven of you <3

 “Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden”

An acronym I commonly heard growing up. When I showed up to tournaments comprised of mostly boys, I would often get the, what are you doing here look. I was judged solely on the fact that I was wearing a skirt and not knee-length shorts. It wasn’t until the boys saw my swing or watched me hit balls on the range that they realized that I was there to play (and hopefully kick their butts).

Being one of the only girls at my country club taught me how to be resilient. When I got older and strong enough, I started to play from the men’s tees and I wanted to hit the ball as far as the boys did. When I came up short or I got beat pretty badly by one of them, I got discouraged and frustrated. Thankfully I had motivating parents, brothers and coaches who constantly reminded me of what I was capable of. My twin brother acted like the tough guy on the course, always wanting to beat me by a plethora of shots, but what others didn’t see was his willingness to help me get better on the range. I’m happy I grew up playing with the boys at Locust Hill because it meant I had to work harder to keep up with them. I’m lucky that my high school had a girl’s golf team and I was teammates and competed with some of the best girls in New York. It was through regularly playing golf with strong boy and girl competitors that I gained my confidence, my voice and part of my personality. I have no problem introducing myself to strangers now because, well, when you’re stuck playing a 4-hour round with someone, you have to speak at some point if you want your time to be somewhat pleasant. 

Now as a coach, I want to pass down what I’ve learned in golf to those that I work with. I want to be a good mentor and coach to all of the juniors at Holywood Golf Club and to all of those I will coach in the future, especially the girls. Being a minority can feel awkward and can feel as though you’re stretching your limits, but you never learn from staying inside of your comfort zone. I truly believe that girls who are active in sports exhibit more confidence at a young age, providing them with the necessary self-appreciation needed to feel comfortable as they grow up. I’m delighted to have the chance to really inspire the girls I work with and to show them that golf can be a sport everyone can get involved with and that it doesn’t have to be just for the boys. In fact, it shouldn’t be just for the boys because we can teach them just as much as they can teach us.

What the acronym should really say is “Guys and Girls’ Opportunity to Lead in the Future” to incorporate all who play and adore the game. The lessons associated with golf provide kids and young adults with the skills needed to be successful. As a girl who has played through the criticism, the sport truly has taught me about self-discipline, integrity, and has brought me around the world to connect with others. Even though golf was a sport founded by men and there are still countless country clubs upholding their traditional strict policies in regards to women (which most politely respect), it’s important for us girls to continue to show that we can play with the guys. Generally speaking, girls won’t be able to hit it as far as the boys, it’s just how we’re biologically crafted. But what we can do is practice our short game and our mental game so we can have a better chance at shooting the same scores they do. It’s not about your gender, it’s about how you play the sport and how hard you’re willing to work.

Being a driven female golfer doesn’t make me more capable or better than any male or non-golfing females. Rather, it brings out the best in me and gives me the confidence to be the best human, the common denominator between us all. Whether you’re a male, female, golfer or non-golfer, it’s so important to feel empowered. Not to the point though, where you think you’re better than others, but empowered enough to want to be a better version of yourself so you can teach others and be an inspiration for the future. I wish to continue to uphold this notion of empowerment as I look to pay-it-forward and leave the Holywood juniors with the impression that golf is an all-inclusive sport and there is so much to be learned and cherished from it.

Everybody has a purpose in life, it may take some longer than others to find it or figure it out, but everyone has a calling in life. So, last week I reposted my roommate Mak’s very personal blog called Scars. It was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever read, which inspired me to write this.

Viewer Discretion is Advised, kinda lol!

So if you know me, I’m outgoing, always joking and laughing, I’m just a happy person at all times no matter the situation (for the most part lol). That wasn’t always the case; I used to be extra nerdy and a little shy, which there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. But eventually in high school, I “broke out of my shell” and became the Chaz you know and love, lol. High School has probably had the most impact on my life, believe it or not. The story I’m going to tell you, I’ve only mentioned to 3 of my closest friends, not even my parents know (well now they do after reading this lol).

As said before I’m an outgoing person, which happened in High School to my remembrance. However, even though everything seemed fine on the outside, I wasn’t together on the inside. A couple of times in 10th, I put on a fake facade as if everything was ok, but I was not ok. During these instances, I questioned myself a lot. The weird thing was that I always asked myself the same four questions, Who I am? Why Do I Exist? What’s my purpose? Would things be different if I didn’t exist? The main thing that honestly messed with my head a lot is would things be different if I didn’t exist aka why live. This is where the blog takes a severe turn.

During these instances in the 10th grade, I wouldn’t say I was depressed, but I wasn’t myself for sure. During this time, I would hear little voices in my head, pretty much telling me to harm myself. I would mostly hear the voices at home which were terrible. Just imagine sitting at the kitchen table having a conversation, then here comes the waves of voices. Imagine hearing random voices in your head, pretty much telling you to end it all. Sometimes it would be so detrimental that I would just let the shower run and I would stand in front of the sink and mirror, switching my eyes from my image to the knife I snuck in the bathroom. The only things going through my head was, What if I wasn’t here? Should I end it all? Along with the voices as well. I honestly struggled for a while because I’m not an emotional person, I don’t like speaking about my feelings or anything. I tend to keep things balled up and just let them pass. All of this stemmed from me questioning my purpose! One day I spoke to one of my closest friends and told him what was going on. Clearly, as a good friend he helped me out and gave me words of wisdom because, during this actual conversation with him, I was listening to him speak while also staring at the knife pressing against my wrist. He convinced me that I had a purpose and how things would be veryyyyyy different if I tried to hurt myself. I don’t know what was so significant about him saying that but from that day on, I heard no more voices or NEVER QUESTIONED MY PURPOSE IN LIFE. I never understood why at the time, but confiding in a person can really help you.

From that day on I took a new approach to life, and simply just live life to the fullest because it can be taken away from you at any giving moment! Which leads me to my next story, which happened last December. Last year, well December of 2016 (couple days before Christmas), I was in a horrific car accident. I was driving home from practice because we only had four days for Xmas break… the life of a college athlete lol.

Anyways, I was on the highway three exits away from my house, and I saw this guy driving recklessly behind me. I remember it like it was yesterday, I was in the right lane and this guy was in the left lane. I said to myself; I hope he doesn’t try it because previously he was weaving in and out of traffic. About 2 minutes later, he cut across two lanes of traffics and magically wanted to cut me off. Welp that didn’t happen or end well. When I saw the front of his car about to crash into my driver’s door, everything went in slow-mo… then suddenly, BOOM. He crashed directly into my driver’s door, which caused me to swerve off of the road. I was heading straight for a concrete barricade then I ultimately got control of the steering wheel seconds before I would have smashed into it. I swerved back unto the road, lost control, hit the bottom of a concrete overpass which caused my car to flip three times…bouncing off of the pavement twice, ending in my car sliding upside down for about 50 feet. Confused, disheveled, and blind (because my glasses broke on impact and I can’t see anything without, #TheMaleVelma), the first thing I did was check my legs to see if I was paralyzed or anything. I saw that I was ok, so that was a sigh of relief, even though my head was pressed against the roof of my car because it was upside down. I unbuckled my seatbelt trying to find a way out; I crawl toward the back of my car in which I saw a white light (which was apparently the sky and sun but I could see anything). Long story short, I crawled out of the trunk of my car unto the highway, traffic was at a standstill, and I just walked to the side of the road with only a scratch on my wrist.

I can say, that was the most humbling experience I’ve encountered. My life flashed before my eyes. But I’m happy these occurrences have happened to me, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I can sincerely say, I’m honestly blessed and love my life. After the car accident, I got a tattoo on my wrist that says “imagine.” Many people always question me and say “Why did you get the word imagine tattooed?” I always answer, Why not, just imagine. The word imagine can be used in any content, phrase or sentence. Imagine, if I didn’t exist? Imagine if I didn’t make it out of the car? Imagine, I wasn’t destined for greatness! Imagine not living life to the fullest! Imagine, Sport Changes Life never blessed me with the opportunity to be apart of this program and share this blog with you! Simply…IMAGINE!

If something is on your mind or bothering you, say it. SPEAK UP! Talking about something that has been affecting you, can genuinely make you feel better and it will give you a sense of weight lifted off of your shoulders. Don’t leave things bottled up! Finally, forgive and forget! Some situations may be harder to overlook than others, but try to forgive at least. Life is too short to hold grudges and live with hatred.

Listen, to the everybody reading this; YOU HAVE A PURPOSE IN LIFE! YOU ARE LOVED, YOU ARE UNIQUE, YOU ARE BLESSED, AND YOU ARE SPECIAL IN YOUR OWN WAY! You must love yourself no matter what. Learn to accept your flaws and insecurities, know your worth and never lose faith. Never let people try to knock you or sway you away from your dreams and aspirations. Always remember, somebody is proud of you. One of my favorite phrases is “Carpe Diem” which means seize the day! Simply seize the day, take advantage of every opportunity you encounter and enjoy life. Life is to short to take anything for granted, and you never know what people may be going through. You can be a role model for somebody you would never think of. You never know what kind of impact or influence you may have on a person’s life. The little things matter and that can mean the world to a person, a simple “hey, how are you doing?” can make a person’s day.

Please try to see the good in people and lol just go out every day and try to live your best life! Lastly, always remember to smile and if you are passionate about something, go for it! You have a purpose in life and legacy to live, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” so take that shot!

-Chazito Out✌🏽

It’s safe to say that I am 22 years old, but my body feels 222 years old. This weekend my team and body were blessed to play three games in 3 days. Honestly, I’m not sure what is worse, going 0-3 this entire weekend or the amount of soreness my young brittle bones have encountered. Once again, I’m not sure if the pain is from the actual games or the car rides.

Ireland is a very small yet, spacious country if that makes sense. I’m from Brooklyn, New York, the big apple, where going from city to city or even state to state; can take a couple of hours to get too. Welp, that’s not the case living in Letterkenny, Ireland. Letterkenny is in the northwest part of Ireland, meaning no major cities are “right next to us.” When most people hear about Ireland, they instantly think of Dublin or Galway which are major cities. Most people haven’t even heard of Letterkenny, even some people in Ireland lol. However, Friday, we had a game in Dublin, which is about 3 to 4 hours away from Letterkenny, depending on the driver. Saturday our game was in Killarney, which is 4 hours from Dublin and on Sunday our final game was in Limerick, which is 2-hour journey from Killarney. After the game in Limerick, the drive back to Letterkenny is about 4 hours. So I was stuffed in the backseat of a car for a minimum of 12 hours (naturally over time).

As mentioned before, this wasn’t our most successful weekend, but it isn’t the end of the world. When adversity hits, you cannot shrink away and give up. As a team, when you face difficulty, you must work out the problem, incorporate great mental toughness and believe in one another. When things seem like they may be falling apart, it isn’t a time for a team to split, but instead come together. Even though my body is in a borderline coma, I can’t wait to finish up the season strong and make this playoff push.

The Statement is TRUE!!

Galway is beautiful BUT it rains here… a lot. It rains so much that it’s just one of those things you don’t talk about. Like I feel like you’d never hear someone here say, “yeah it was pretty rainy out today”. The thing with all of this unspoken rain is that it makes it hard to do things sometimes. You wake up and it’s dark and rainy outside it makes you not want to get out of bed. You finally talk yourself out of bed and manage to make it out the door, just for you to be met with another problem. Taking that 30 minute walk in the rain to campus. Then you go back and forth like, “do I really have to go to class?” “Will my teacher really notice if I’m not in class?” “Maybe Aisling or Ciara could record the lecture and send it to me.” So then you suck it up and start your walk, things are going okay then BAM, your umbrella flips inside out. You’re trying to causally flip it back but your umbrella won’t budget and you’re close to the bridge where the side walk becomes extremely narrow and everyone seems to walk as if it’s not a two way sidewalk and they’re the only people walking. You stop, you fight with your umbrella, just to collapse it and throw it in your bag. Once you finally make it to class you’re pretty much soaked because your entire outfit wasn’t waterproof just your jacket. And even that sometimes feels a little suspect.

While you’re sitting in class you look out the window and the sun is shinning as if it never rained. It makes absolutely no sense because less than an hour later it decides to start snowing. But it doesn’t stick, by time you get out of class it’s as if nothing ever happened. But there are those rare days where it’s actually very nice. It’s sunny, no umbrellas or rain boots. I wake up without having to give myself a pep talk to get out of bed. I enjoy my walk to class. I get out of class and it’s still sort of sunny but you can tell things are going to go left at any moment but it’s all good because you saw the sun for a couple of hours and beggars can’t be choosers. But I’m really hoping that since it’s almost March the weather starts to warm up and maybe rain a little less with wind not as sincere. But we’ll see, fingers crossed.

Hi everyone!

For this weeks post I thought I would talk about my experience being a Victory Scholar so far. It truly has been a once in a lifetime experience, and I am so grateful to have been chosen to be here.  Being in Waterford has been great so far!  Its a small city, but there is plenty to do and the people are all friendly and welcoming.

As a Victory Scholar I find that I am busy pretty much all the time (a good busy).  In Waterford, we are coaching in volunteering whenever we don’t have practice or class.  Some of my favorite coaching things include our Saturday MiniBall sessions, Thursday night skills, and coaching at the Presentation Secondary school.  MiniBall is always a lot of fun because it is something the little kids look forward to all week.  They always come with loads of energy which makes the Saturday morning that much more enjoyable.  Jas and I have also been doing a skills session on Thursday nights for anyone who wants to work on their game.  So far the response has been great and a lot of the local kids come because they truly want to get better.  Its always a lot of fun coaching all the kids that we do because overall they seem truly invested in bettering their basketball skills.  Their enthusiasm and genuine interest in the game definitely makes our job a lot easier!  One of my other favorite coaching jobs was coaching my team at the Presentation.  My team did really well in all there games, unfortunately they lost so now I am done coaching them for the year.  It was great getting to coach my own team and see their development over the short period of time I spent with them.

For me, being a Victory Scholar is all about the lives we are impacting.  All of the volunteering and coaching things that we get to do really helps to  integrate us into the community.  It is great that we get to get our education and still play basketball, but the best part for me is the kids that we get to work with.  They make these rainy Irish days bright and I am so happy to have the opportunity to play a role in their lives, no matter how small. Being a victory scholar has helped me grow in a lot of ways, and I hope to continue to learn and grow through this opportunity for the rest of my time here.

-Meg

I feel like I just arrived here in Ireland. I feel like I just played my first game for Neptune. I feel like I just coached my first practice and met these fine young men of my Neptune U14 team. The time has flew here in the Emerald Isle and I’ve enjoyed every second. On this edition of inside Ian’s mental chamber, I am going to discuss maybe the most fulfilling part of my Irish trip and that is coaching and the ability to hopefully be a role model for my U14 team. Before coming over to Ireland I coached a U14 AAU team, Iron City Hoops, and it was one of the better experiences of my life. The same has applied to coaching my Neptune team.

One of the best parts of Sport Changes Life and the Victory Scholar program for me is the ability to get a masters degree. I never thought I would be able to get a scholarship that wasn’t through a company I was working for, but that all changed once I was selected as a Victory Scholar. On top of that, I was lucky enough to get placed at NUI Galway, a beautiful and well regarded school, and get into the international management program.

Studying abroad has been an eye-opening experience and I one that I’m certainly grateful for. My class is extremely diverse with students from Ireland, Germany, India, China, Italy, and the United States. In undergrad, when cultural differences were discussed there was typically a singular voice or opinion. Now, instead of reading about Chinese culture, one of my classmates can share how it actually is. One of the first activities we did as a class was break into groups and write down stereotypes about an assigned country. It was definitely an experience to see how the rest of the world thinks about the United States and also to address some of the assumptions about all countries.

We do have a few assessments and tests, but the majority of our work is done through group projects. Although these have been hit-and-miss at times, they do a good job of preparing the class for the real world where working with teams and personalities of all sorts will be normal. I also enjoy the fact that as postgraduates we’re given more freedom to research topics of interest to us and do research on our own.

As you might expect, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. There was certainly a period of adjustment for me. The grading scale is completely different here and a 70 is good. There is a lot more reading and work done outside of the classroom than in and managing coaching and playing commitments usually results in late nights and me constantly apologizing to my group about my availability to meet.

However, I’m grateful for the challenge and growth that will come out of it. Even though I don’t spend as much time with my classmates as I would like because of basketball and coaching, they are quite the group. Interesting, intelligent, hilarious, helpful, and unique are a few words that come to mind. Every day in the program is an adventure of some kind, like when we went to an outdoor laser tag course (Pictured above). I’m looking forward to continuing the program and everything that comes with it these next few months.

Can you believe that I have been living in Ireland for 6 months?! It seems like just yesterday, I was packing my things and anxiously awaiting for my arrival in Ireland, and now I only have 3 months left in this beautiful country. Each month has been filled with different memories, events, and lessons. I can genuinely say that my journey as a Victory Scholar thus far has been extremely rewarding, challenging, and life changing all at the same time. I am constantly learning a new life lesson or something new about myself. I wanted to share one life lesson I have learned for each month I have been here, that’s 6 life lessons people! It is my hope that this blog will encourage us all to reflect on our own personal journeys every once in a while.

September- Take the risk or loose the chance.

Before arriving in Ireland, all of us Victory Scholars were asked to come up with a life “mantra,” or a quote that guided our lives in someway. For me this was no doubt, “take the risk or loose the chance.” Ever since I was a kid, I was a worrier. I worried about everything, even the littlest things, so much so I won the “worry wart” award at school. (Not exactly the award everyone strives for!) I continued to be a worry wart until I was 19 and decided to get on a plane to Australia and live there for two months. Much to my family and friend’s shock at my sudden boldness, ever since that trip, I have been traveling and taking risks. I have found that traveling has allowed me to feel free and worry less. Traveling and experiencing other cultures has opened my eyes to so many new things and given me unbelievable opportunities. None of these opportunities would have happened if I didn’t take some risks along the way. And trust me, yes, some risks didn’t work out, but the ones that did were incredible. So when I was given the incredible opportunity to come to Ireland for a year, I took a risk and flew 3,000 miles away from home not knowing anyone. After a few weeks into the program, I was so thankful and happy I took the risk to come to Ireland be apart of something so incredible.

October- Be yourself. Always.

Meeting new group of people can always be a little bit stressful, as you never know if you are going to get along with them, if they will like you, if you have similar values, etc. Growing up, my parents always told me to stay true to myself no matter what happened. This is something I am proud to say that I always have lived by. I don’t change who I am or what I believe for anyone. One area that has always been a struggle for people to understand is that I don’t like to drink alcohol. All throughout college, friends, teammates, and other students would literally be in shock that I don’t like to drink alcohol and I could say no to it. Sometimes, people would tell me that they felt like I was judging them or I was trying to be better than everyone or people felt I wasn’t cool so I wouldn’t get invited places. Let the record show I am definitely not judging, I simply just don’t like the taste!

So when I got to Ireland and met this completely new group of strangers- I knew I might be the odd one out who didn’t drink. I also always joke that I have never been “cool” in my life, I’ve always just done my own thing, so I figured people might not think I was “cool.” However, after meeting all of the scholars and my roommates I never once felt judged or left out of anything. It has been so amazing to meet 24 completely new people all with different personalities and life experiences. It was a clear reminder to me that no matter what happens in life, always be yourself, and people will respect you for that. In a world full of princesses, be the batman.

November- Strangers can become your best friends.

I moved to Letterkenny with two complete strangers, Chaz and Faith. All of us from New York, but never having met each other. All I could think at first was, “oh my god I hope we all get along!” However, it was clear by November we were all going to get along and it was going to be a great year. Each of us are so weird in our own way (you know I love you guys!) and it just works for us. Everywhere we go now, we get asked “so you all knew each other before this program?” to which we laugh and say “nope, just met a few months ago!” Although it’s only been a couple months, it seems like I have known these people for my whole life. We have shared so many memories from traveling Scotland, to exploring Donegal, to playing cards in the Shalom Kitchen, and so many more. I know that Chaz and Faith will always be lifelong friends and I am so thankful these strangers were placed in my life.

December- Never forget where you came from.

It is easy to post on social media all the amazing pictures of Ireland and make your friends jealous that you are traveling the world. It’s easy to seem like you are living the life and don’t miss home at all. However, by December I was really missing my family back in Red Hook. I am so close with my family, and I couldn’t imagine spending Christmas without them! Being back home in New York and getting to see all of my siblings together in one place for the first time in two years made my heart so happy. I love spending time with my family and being back in my small farm town always humbles me. It’s so easy to loose sight of where you come from when you are traveling the world, but there truly will never be any place better than home. And when you feel like your living your own life and you’ve gotten all you want in life, remember the place you grew up and the people that raised you. It will always be always be apart of you.

January- Imperfection is beauty.

This pertains to my most recent blog, Scars. This blog talks about my struggle with body image issues and in particular my struggles with adult acne, weight, and self confidence. January taught me that I am never going to be perfect no matter how badly I want it. It taught me that everyone has their own insecurities and battles they are fighting. It taught me that we are all flawed in some way, and have to accept what we cannot change. It taught me to let nothing define you. Being okay with imperfection is something I will be working on for many years to come, but baby steps are still progress.

February- Don’t let a day go by where you don’t laugh.

In particular this relates to the Irish people, my roommates, and the kids I work with. All of these people constantly remind me to laugh at least once a day and God, it is so good for the soul. The Irish people, love to craic (see what I did there?) jokes and keep things light. The kids I have the pleasure of working with are constantly full of smiles and laughing about life. Lastly, my roommates and I are always laughing and joking. Faith and I could laugh for hours about nothing but our own weirdness. Then there is Chaz who reminds me to laugh everyday. When I am getting hungry and angry, also known as hangry, Chaz will make me laugh so hard and he is regularly cracking witty jokes at me. Living in Ireland has truly taught me to laugh; laugh at yourself, laugh at the bad days you survived, laugh at anything, as long as your laughing. Life is way too short not to laugh.

So far in my coaching career in Ireland, there have been two unforgettable moments. The first was watching one of my players, Chris, score his first ever basket in a game. I remember when I scored my first basket in a game and as Chris scored his, I flashbacked to my first points. I was about 5 years old and I remember clenching my fist so tight after my shot went in. The excitement I experienced from scoring was in-explainable. At that age, I can probably guarantee that no one really took note that this was my first ever “official” basket. Being able to witness someone else experience the same (if not greater) excitement I had was amazing. The whole team and coaching staff cheered together as it happened and Chris had the biggest smile on his face. Standing there as the ball went through the hoop, I was clenching my fist harder for Chris than I did when I scored mine. I was so extremely proud and happy for him. I hope that this moment will be one he’ll always remember. I know I will.

The second unforgettable coaching moment happened during one of mine and Makenzie’s Monday night practices with our U16 and U19 boys squad. It was a tough practice. Our team wasn’t as focused as they usually are. There were a lot of turnovers, missed layups, and there was barely any communication on the floor – a coach’s ultimate nightmare! During the last full court drill, one of our players, Eoin (bonus points if you can correctly pronounce his name….Did you try?….No, it’s not “E-on”, it’s pronounced Owen), had back to back turnovers. Frustrated with our overall team practice, Makenzie and I told the boys to get on the line – a player’s ultimate nightmare! We told the boys that we wanted them to choose someone to step up and make two consecutive free throws to end practice on a good note. If the shooter missed, we would run until someone made two free throws. A few stepped up and missed resulting in sprints for the team. After a few tries, the team began debating on who to choose. Without hesitation, Eoin raised his hand confidently and said “I will”. As a coach, to have one of your players show this tenacity after having, honestly, a disappointing team practice is phenomenal. It shows that no matter what obstacles may come, you are still focused on the present and what matters now.

Though Eoin wasn’t the team’s first choice to take the free throws, he confidently got up to the line and, I swear I’m not saying this to make this moment sound even more perfect, he swished both free throws. This is one of my favorite coaching moments because it truly sums up what being a coach is all about. A coach is someone who is supposed motivate people to reach their full potential. Eoin could have been disheartened from the practice and turnovers he had in the last drill, but he stayed positive and determined in himself. It also showed that no matter what, you should always believe in your teammates – especially in times of adversity.

Chris and Eoin, thank you for both giving me two moments that I will remember for the rest of my life. Moments like these two are why I am falling in love with the game of basketball all over again from a coaching perspective.

This past weekend, my family and I had to say goodbye to our beloved four-legged family member, Dale. Dale, even though I am biased, was the most-lovable yellow lab.  He had been in my life since I was 7 years old, around the same time basketball began getting serious for me. I truly don’t remember what life was like before we adopted my furry brother, but I know it started when he came into our lives.

I remember the day my Dad took my brother, Sean, and I to pick Dale up like it was yesterday. We were so excited. What kid doesn’t want a dog? Someone to run around with, play fetch with, and eat your vegetables when your parents aren’t looking! Sorry Mom, but what could be better than that?! When we came home with him, I think everyone knew that our lives were about to change for the better. I immediately called my best friend, Clare, and told her we got a dog. She didn’t believe me and had her Dad drive her over to my house to see if I was lying. To her surprise, I wasn’t!

It didn’t take long for Dale to become the fourth Welch sibling. My parents would refer to him as our “brother” and he was nothing short of it. One of my favorite childhood memories is when, at the end of the school day, my Dad would bring Dale to pick us up. I’ll never forget the feeling of indescribable happiness seeing him sitting on the sidewalk waiting for us. I would always immediately sprint to give him the biggest hug (and of course, my Dad got one too!). He was the happiest dog with the best smile and biggest brown eyes.

I could write pages upon pages of all the wonderful times and laughs Dale brought into my family’s life.  But I think this quote sums up the impact Dale has left on us: “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”  The love a dog gives is incredible. Dogs unconditionally love us every single day they’re on this earth. They’re the best listeners and most loyal companions. For 14 years, Dale never failed at any of those things. He loved our family and we loved him. More importantly, he taught us how to unselfishly love.

I’m going to miss watching him sit on our front porch on a summer’s day, smelling the wind and enjoying the sunshine. I’m going to miss taking him for walks at our lake house and playing fetch with him in the lake. I’m going to miss feeding him my broccoli under the table while my Mom wasn’t looking, though she always knew I was doing it. I’m going to miss hugging him and telling him how much I love him.

The last time I saw Dale was New Year’s Day when I left home to come back to Ireland for the second half of the Victory Scholar program. I didn’t know this would be our final goodbye which made this past weekend extremely hard. But thanks to technology, my Mom was able to FaceTime me so that I could say goodbye to my brother. I told Dale that I loved him one more time, and even though dogs aren’t able to talk, he blinked and I know that was his way of saying he loved me, too.

I know we’ll meet again someday. The 14 years we were fortunate enough to have Dale in our lives were 14 incredible ones. I hope he knows just how much he meant to us. I know we will never forget him.

“A dog will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that in your life, things won’t be too bad.”

Since applications are starting for next year’s Victory Scholars, I wanted to reflect back upon why I applied and whether those expectations have been met. The main reason I applied was because I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted an opportunity to experience a new culture, live in a new country, and push myself to create new relationships in an unknown environment. Sport Changes Life gave me this opportunity in the perfect program, combining three things that I am passionate about in life: education, basketball, and community engagement.

So, has this experience met my expectations of why I applied? I can answer that with a resounding yes. This year has been the hardest year of my life. This experience has challenged me in ways that I could never have expected to be challenged. There have many days where I wake up and ask myself where I go from here, what’s next? I’ve had so many deep personal reflections, conversations, and breakdowns that only my closest family and friends can truly comprehend. I’ve had many days where I have wanted to go home. Many days where I think, “What if I had just started my life like everyone else? What if I was with my friends? What if I had settled down?” I’ve struggled with these “what ifs” for the entire year, wondering what could’ve been different. I know from the outside it may look like everything has been smooth sailing and everything has been going perfectly, but life never is that easy. During my time here, I have had many internal struggles that have been intensified because I am 3000 miles from home. I’ve struggled with relationships, with my future, with basketball, to just name a few. Some days are tougher than others, but the one thing, along with these friends and family that keep me going, is that I know that God has a plan for me. At the end of the day, everything is going to work out as He intends it.

Along with strengthening my relationships with God and the people closest to me, this experience has also strengthened my relationship with myself. The biggest thing I have learned is that it is okay to be vulnerable. It’s okay to ask your family and friends for help when you’re struggling. It takes courage and strength to be able to open up, something that I didn’t realize until this year. I don’t feel the need to hide things or put up a fake shield of happiness around the people closest to us, like we find ourselves doing so often. This year has made me so much stronger as a person and has made me much more confident in myself. It has taught me who I am and what is important in my life, and even more importantly, who is important in my life.

So would I recommend someone to apply for the Victory Scholar program? Yes. Is it challenging? Also yes. It is an incredibly fulfilling experience and is such a great opportunity to grow and experience new things, all while helping kids throughout Ireland. I wouldn’t trade this year, or this experience, for anything.

I want to thank the SCL staff for selecting me and supporting me throughout the year. I also want to thank the Rory Foundation and all the other sponsors for making this program possible.  Thank you to the other 23 Victory Scholars for all of your help and support throughout this year. I couldn’t have asked to be surrounded by better friends. Lastly, of course thank you to my family and friends back home. I have some pretty special people in my life and I am so incredibly thankful for them and how close this experience has brought us. Special thanks to those 3 or 4 friends that I have called or texted so many times about all of my problems and craziness going through my head. Also to my parents and my sister, who are always available to talk and have supported me in every way that I need. Love you all.

The past two weeks I have linked up with a fellow eHoops volunteer who happens to have the same name as me, Luke, to play some wheelchair basketball. My thoughts going in where since it had the word basketball in it, I must be halfway decent. Turns out I was wrong again. Just like I was when I tried to play soccer, volleyball, and cricket on other occasions during my stay in Belfast. A lot of confidence going in, and a little confidence going out. On the positive side, I finally found the answer to why I chose to play basketball as my sport and it is simply because I’m not very talented at the rest.

As for wheelchair basketball, it was enjoyable. Luke (not me) was very talented, I was delighted to have him on my team when we played a half court match. Luke is a coach/player for the Ulster University wheelchair basketball team that is going to play in the world games in Manchester this coming March. I am glad that he has let me take part in his sessions and hopefully I wasn’t holding the team back with my stellar performance of 0-8 from behind the arc.

If you want to check out some live action of us playing, check out my boy Matt’s vlog from this past week. I’ll keep everybody up to date if I am selected to travel with the team to Manchester in the coming weeks. If you read the blog, I’m sure you already know the answer.

The exact number of college basketball athletes coming to closing, meaning rising to their final last senior season of collegiate hoops whether it be division one, two, or three is a lot to just be modest, because the amount of athletes in terms of numbers is too great of my knowledge to just give you a number specifically. So the opportunity in my opinion to have one more year of not entering the real world, (also known as getting a real job)  and playing another year of basketball, working with young people and earning a masters degree seems like a pretty good deal to me! Not to mention you get to connect with a bunch of kids and experience a whole different type of culture in Ireland. Not too many people can say they have been to Ireland, for a large amount of time, not as a tourist to sightsee, but have actually had the time to explore and meet the Irish people, learn some new lingo and try some different foods. There may be mixed emotions about the weather but I have no comment on it, as I will say I was extremely happy every time the sun graced us with its appearance. But my main point is, now is the time to apply as the applications are still open. If you want the awesome experience as a victory scholar apply and go through the process. You’ll meet tons of new faces that will make your choice worthwhile, this experience is like no other, and getting the chance to become apart of the sportchangeslife family is a gift within itself as well. You will change the lives of the kids you come in contact with, turns out they will automatically love you, picking up right away on your American accent and have tons of questions for you, sharing your stories with them and listening to there’s, you’ll find that you may have a lot in common if fact which makes the connection between you all even better. Some other perks include exploring as  actually you will be  in the best central location as it turns out to visit many other awesome places nearby like London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, and Italy just to name a few, and while visiting those beautiful places you’ll get the chance to rock official sportchangeslife gear! Not to mention your network will grow too, with all the new faces you’ll come into contact with.  So if I haven’t convinced you yet of how awesome and once in a lifetime this experience is, I don’t know what else to say but get to the website and apply ASAP!

I’ve won a lot of big games in my life, but if we’re being honest I’ve lost a lot of big games too…maybe even more than I’ve won. No one likes to lose. Fact. There is nothing glamorous or heart warming or thrilling about losing. Most of the time it feels like you’ve been punched in the stomach. But the only thing worse than a loser, in my opinion, is a sore loser. The thing is, at some point or another everyone in life loses. Some lose early and some lose late. Some lose a lot and the lucky ones lose a little. But it’s impossible to escape entirely.

Two weeks ago my club team, the Dublin Meteors, had the opportunity to play in the National Cup Final game. We were coming off a winning streak and feeling confident as a team in our chances to take home the cup. To save you the suspense, we ended up losing. Despite the amount of loses I’ve accrued in my lifetime, this one hit me harder than I expected. I knew it would most likely be the last championship I would compete for as a member of a team. There is something indescribable about the transformation you undergo as a team in the quest for a championship. You learn a lot about yourself and your teammates in the process. You grow together as a unit because you share the same mission and ultimate purpose. You learn to put differences aside and pick each other up when you’re down, you become resilient and determined and passionate about the work you’re putting in. More than anything, you fall in love with the journey, so much so that when the final result hits, win or lose, you realize it’s the journey you’ll miss the most. I cried a lot after we lost. I cried because of how close we’d become, and how many of our fans were in attendance. I cried thinking about the hours of hard work we put in and I cried because I felt that I’d let the club and my teammates down. I didn’t care about a piece of metal or a championship title; I cared about what it all stood for.

After the game our team headed to The Goat Pub to share some food and pints in celebration of a great weekend. As I looked around the table, I couldn’t help but think about all that I had gained from this “loss”. Somewhere in between arriving in Ireland and losing the cup game, I had joined a family and settled into a new home. It hurt so much because of how deeply I cared for these people, and the impact they’ve had on my experience thus far. In the end, I think life is about always finding the silver lining. A loss should light a fire inside you to come back that much stronger in pursuit of your goals, but it should never deter you from appreciating the bigger picture. We all lose, we all face adversity; but we get to decide how we respond. We have a choice to make. A week after our cup game, the Patriots went on to lose the super bowl. If you read my last blog post, you can guess how I felt about it. But what touched me the most, was the way that Tom Brady responded. After days of reflection, which I’m sure included tears and anger and regret, he issued a statement. Instead of talking about what went wrong in the game he chose to talk about what he was grateful for. He congratulated the other team and thanked everyone who had made his journey to the Super Bowl so memorable. He lost with grace.

Winning is an amazing feeling, but to me, true victory comes from always finding the silver lining in a situation, win or lose. The grief you feel from a loss is simply a reminder that you’ve loved and cared and lived. I think that we should all aspire for victory and inspire victory in others. At our lowest moments, we should strive to remember that life is not about keeping score, it’s not about the result when the game clock hits zero, it’s about the moments leading up to the buzzer. I’m so grateful for the highs and lows that have made the first half of my journey as a victory scholar unforgettable.

With Love,

Shannon

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit my best friend Natalie in Luxembourg. Natalie and I played AAU Basketball together for years and created our inseparable bond through our countless hours in the gym over the summer working on our skills and conditioning. We went to middle school together and played on the same team but never really bonded until high school. It all began with our passion for basketball. She has and always will be someone that I look up too. When my mother was first diagnosed with Cancer, Natalie and I decided to get our matching tattoos with the quote “She believed she could, so she did” and the breast cancer ribbon in honour of both our moms. To this day, that tattoo has motivated me to strive for my dreams and achieve them.

She is now a professional basketball player in Europe, which is her dream come true. I always knew she was capable of playing overseas and she has finally been blessed with her opportunity. We grew up saying that one day we would both be in Europe playing basketball, and technically, we are! My position as a Victory Scholar allows me to continue to play the game I love as well as inspire those younger than me. I truly am blessed. Natalie is living and breathing proof that dreams do come true as well. My visit with her made me realise how proud I am of her for all her hard work. I’m honoured to call her my best friend but even more blessed to have someone in my life (so close to Ireland) who shares my passion for the game.

Natalie is one of many people I have seen achieve their dream. I genuinely feel joy when I see people striving to achieve what others may think is impossible. I’ve realised that success is a term that differs for so many people. I believe that true success is the achievement of one’s dream. It isn’t about the money in your bank account or the size of your home, but rather the happiness you are filled because you get to do what you love. It is important to recognise you own personal success but to support other people and celebrate their success is vital as well. This is for everyone out their following their dreams, I wish you nothing but the best!

Follow your heart

Hello from Cork!

I wanted to write this blog about one of my players on my under-12 Brunell team (calling her Sarah). Nine years old, adorably timid, hopelessly polite, and often very quiet but slowly breaching out of her shell, she has quickly become one of my favorites to coach. I have a special place in my heart for Sarah due to her reminding me so much of myself at that age (even though she doesn’t wear super cool sports glasses)

As a kid I was very very shy around new people, with my two older sisters as my automatic best friends and security blankets. While I was always the unapologetically, let’s say eccentric, version of me around my family, it took a long time to develop the self esteem and confidence to fully be myself in new situations. Whether it was participating in class or speaking up in a group, I was very timid, wracked with self-doubt, and in turn often paralyzed to assert myself. It wasn’t until the middle of high school that I finally began to break through these feelings of insecurity. The fast-paced and team-oriented environment of basketball had become a release for me, a place where I felt competent and connected to others. The game helped me believe in myself and learn that fully embracing uncertain, nerve-wracking situations – whether it be taking a set of clutch free throws or introducing myself to a new group of people – is the only way to not only move forward, but to grow as a person. While even still today I face loads of ambiguity in myself and in life, I fully know who I am and can be that person in whatever place I may be, knowingly using my past as a foundation.

This part of my childhood being so central to how I carry myself makes coaching Sarah that much more exciting. Over the past few months, I have seen her develop from practically silent to assertive, invested, and definitely hilarious. Even though her cheeks still turn red when she speaks up in our team huddles (beyond relatable), she is always adding value both on and off the court. Sarah listens intently every time I’m explaining something, and then will visibly try to improve on it when we scrimmage as a team. She also is constantly reaching out to another one of her teammates that hasn’t gotten along the best with the rest of the group.

One of my favorite moments so far was after a timeout during one of our (many) games where we were unfortunately down by *a lot* of points. The girls really struggle with passing out of a trap, and I had to remind them that when you’re in that frazzled situation it is very difficult to see and pass to your teammates that are open. With that, I talked about calling for the ball by yelling the name of the girl in trouble. On one of the next possessions in this nail biter of a game, one of Sarah’s teammates picked up her dribble and in true underage basketball fashion, 3 girls swarmed her, leaving 3 of our players wide open. As the panic of another turnover set in, all of a sudden I hear Sarah scream as loud as I’ve ever heard her (her typical voice rivals the girl in Pitch Perfect) for the ball. My player that was getting trapped thankfully heard her and threw the ball. Even though we did end up adding another turnover to the stat sheet (are those done in u12??), Sarah being the loudest in the gym for a split second was enough to make me happy as a coach.

With only a few months left, I’m excited to see how far she comes by the end of the season. Whether it’s staying with basketball or some other sport or activity, I’m sure she will continue to come out of her shell into the future. Regardless, coaching her has been such a rewarding experience for me and (I hope*) for Sarah as well.

I’ve found it difficult to stay focused, especially after winning the National Cup championship. Here in Ireland, the National Cup is regarded as the biggest accomplishment to achieve in Irish basketball and is said to be the Irish equivalent to winning the NCAA championship. The last time DCU Mercy won a National Cup was 7 years ago in 2011, so the win was massive for the club. It also meant watching my teammates accomplish a goal they had dreamt of since they were little, while I had been in the league for only a few months! Of course, after the game, you can imagine the kind of celebration we had. To put it simply, it was awesome. Anyway, this win was such a huge accomplishment for the club that the whole week after the Sunday game consisted of heavy media coverage of our win. From multiple newspapers headlining our weekend win to local news stations and radio shows interviewing players and coaches about the game, it was hard to not stay in the mindset of being a champion. The problem with being stuck in this championship mindset was that my teammates and I fell complacent. As anticipated, my teammates and I fooled around and didn’t take the following week of practice very seriously. This was a mistake. That Saturday, we played against Liffey Celtics, who we were tied with at first in the league. A win over Liffey would have secured our spot as top in the league and therefore we would be seated first going into March playoffs. However, due to our lack of “battle readiness” and focus to play the game, we fell short by 4 points at the end of the fourth quarter. This loss was a rude awakening that brought everyone back down to the reality that we aren’t invincible just because we won the National Cup. If we want to stay on top, we have to change our thinking as a team and get back to who we were before the Cup game.

Now with the season winding down, our team has to rebuild and refocus in practice. Although it’s tough to reframe my mindset, I have to do it because the reality is that I may never play in competition like this again. Therefore, I need to embrace the tiredness and push myself to be the best player I can be over the next 5 weeks. I need to come out of this season knowing that I left it all on the court, with no regrets or doubts in my mind of shoulda, coulda, woulda. “Whatever it takes” has been our team motto and certainly, I need to do whatever it takes to bring my team back to the top.

“Second by second, stay in the process”

Royal County Down was just ranked as the number one course in the world outside of the United States for a few reasons. Two of the biggest factors are the great course design and the unique views that can only be found in Northern Ireland. In the background there is the Mourne Mountain that is present in virtually all shots on the golf course. As you make your way around the severe elevation changes the course makes it way towards the Irish Sea. This combination leads to some of the best views on a golf course you can find anywhere in the world. I have been fortunate enough to play a lot of famous world class golf courses and I must say nothing compares to Royal County Down. It is truly unique and a must play for any avid golfer. However getting on the course can be tricky, I was lucky enough one of my teammates on the Ulster Golf Team Niamh is a member and was able to get us out to play.

I was even luckier to have a perfect day to play as we got a fairly warm day for this time of year and not a drop of rain. This definitely helped contribute to the unbelievable experience of playing Royal County Down. As did my golf game, I played by far my best round since coming to Northern Ireland and had some great company to boot. I played with Niamh and Shannon (pictured above) who are two of the female golfers on our team and our coach Johnny. We had a pretty intense match with the teams being the Men versus the Women but Johnny and I were able to pull out the victory. It seemed like a perfect day and I have already warned Niamh that I will be constantly asking her to play Royal County Down until we leave at the end of May.

Portlaoise has become my second home aside from Maynooth in Ireland. I play basketball for the Portlaoise Panthers so I spend at least two days in Portlaoise, and I am unbelievably thankful for everything that the club has done for me. One of the women in the club, Lynda, works in Dublin and picks me up and takes me to almost every practice in Portlaoise. Her dedication to the club and ability to change her schedule to fit mine is unreal. I also often spend the night in Portlaoise and my coaches have gone out of their way to make a place for me in their homes. My coach Peter and his wife even made a beautiful dinner for my friend and me when when my friend came to visit. The Portlaoise Panthers are truly a family and I am so appreciative that the entire club has gone out of their way to make me and the two other Americans in the club feel comfortable, safe, and loved. My other coach Peter and his wife Sinead also allow me to stay with them occasionally which is amazing because although they are great company themselves, they have two beautiful dogs. I miss my dog so much, so I take full advantage of any opportunity I get to play with the dogs. My team is also comprised of some amazing young women, who I have really loved to get to know over these past months. We only have three games left of our season, but I know that we will go out with a bang and leave our mark on the league. The Panthers are truly a family, and I am so honored that I have been able to become a member.

For some reason when I decided to go to Ireland, a new theme swept into my house. That theme was weddings where my brother and sister planned to get married in November and then January. As much as I love them both, I definitely was in disbelief during their engagements since 13 hours of traveling is never my ideal way to spend a day. In fact, everyone that I saw this weekend agreed with me as it constantly was the first conservation topic. Luckily, jet lag was never an option because both weekends could not be more fun.

I have been to a lot of weddings for someone my age because of my older cousins, but even though the age gap may be the obvious difference, there is something special when a sibling gets married. You truly listen to every word that is said in each toast, notice every minor detail that goes into the night because your sister is in you ear the whole time on how she picked the chairs, but most of all you are just proud especially when they are marrying someone who is perfect. From a young kid who wore a zip up tie to an Irish lad standing on the altar in a tux; I will never forget the memories that were made in November and January. Although the 13-hour travel days are done until SCL comes onto an end, my groomsman resume has strengthened to the point where I will be back on that altar for my cousin Tim in July. Now it’s time to immerse myself fully in the Belfast lifestyle where hopefully I’ll develop the Irish accent my mom asks if I have everyday!

Cheers,

Matthew

Greetings everyone! As the title of this blog alludes to, I wanted to write about my glorious time hiking in Dungarvan this past week.

Since I was young, being outside in any capacity has always been a love of mine – whether it was to go play basketball at my neighbor’s or explore new beautiful places near my grandparent’s house in Wisconsin. In turn every time finals roll around I am beyond eager to get out of the classroom, away from my laptop and endless amount of study snacks (okay maybe not the snacks), and venture outdoors. With the near insanity that was the month of December in terms of project deadlines, basketball, exams and heading home for the holidays, I never had a solid chance to explore Ireland, let alone the outside of the library. So on my way back from home, I knew one of my goals for the January break would be to go on some adventures involving lots of fresh air and gorgeous scenery.

Last week, Ian and I were lucky enough to go to our friends from CIT’s home town of Dungarvan in County Waterford to get the grand ol’ tour involving the village itself and the surrounding mountains. After leaving Cork early in the morning, my ideal day commenced. We got coffee at a local cafe that had an adorable dog that looked almost too much like Bear, ate the most deliciously fresh fish and chips at one of Dungarvan’s many seaside restaurants, then drove to the “trailhead” of our hike – which ended up being the beginning of the farmer’s fence that owned the property, classic – to Lake Coumshingaun, a large body of water pretty high up a mountain.

Since we had left around 3 hours of daylight to do the walk round trip, I figured the “hike” was going to be a leisurely stroll up with some views of sheep and rolling green hills. However, I was wrong on several accounts. 15 minutes in I was profusely sweating (no surprise there) and regretting my choice to not wear my hiking boots. Despite my trainers being full of mud, my hat nearly falling off the face of the mountain multiple times, and learning how quick karma works (I laughed at Ian for falling then immediately face-planted), this walk that turned into a full-on trek was beyond worth it. Maybe 3/4 up the mountain, the rocks clear into multiple small creeks until ultimately gathering into the massive body of water that is Lake Coumshingaun, backed by a huge, gorgeous rock face.

Infatuated with the multiple sheep hanging around the water, the panoramic views, and the idyllic comfort that was being outside, I 100% found a happy place to add to my list.

Shoutout to Ronan and Owen for showing us around!

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to travel to Scotland and visit the cities of Glasglow and Edinburgh. In this post, I will highlight my trip through pictures and small captions. A little bit of foreshadowing, my captions will be way more informative than my pictures because I barely took any, most of these pictures are from my traveling partner’s phone Dom Diaz #BDD anyway.

Edinburgh Medical Muesuem

One of our first stops on the trip was the surgeon’s museum in Edinburgh. If you had a weak stomach, this wasn’t the place for you. It had interesting pieces of history on how surgery has advanced over the years. An interesting fact is that surgery actually started in Edinburgh, or at least that is what a local told us. As I walked up to the section showing different types of knee surgeries I got a little bit queezy, but other than that I enjoyed it. The picture above shows me taking a shoe string through tiny holes while only being able to see a picture of the cell phone camera. It wasn’t easy, but once I got the hang of it. I successfully loop the string in through the holes in 47 seconds. It must not have been as impressive as I thought because I tweeted my time to where they said, and I got no response.

Edinburgh Castle

Here is a picture that I took before I fired the cannon and completely demolished that building straight ahead which is about a mile away. Only joking, this is a picture I randomly took, with very little actual purpose. The castle was pretty cool though, it sat on top of a huge hill and you could see for miles in every direction. It was its own little village up there that included jails, churches and living spaces. I wish I could inform you guys on more historical information, but I wasn’t much of a reader on the displays, just more of a looker.

Celtic FC

The next picture is from inside Celtic Park for a match. My man Foxxy (I know it should only be one x but two XX’s look so much cooler) hooked Dom and me up with some good seats. It was a tad bit cold outside, but the atmosphere was really enjoyable. People chanted and screamed the game and Celtic ended up winning 1-0. We had to leave the game a bit early, because of the flight situation.

The whole weekend was a blast. I never blinked an eye until I looked at my debit card balance until I tried to buy a Lucozade from the airport on the way home and my card was declined. Regardless, the trip was lit! I suggest a visit by any current, future or any friends reading this.

When I was first accepted as a Victory Scholar and started thinking about what my year was going to be like in Ireland, I set one rule for myself. That rule was to take advantage of every opportunity that I was given during this amazing program. Whether it was to go watch a game, go see a Castle, or go spend a night in Dublin. I wanted to take advantage of everything and seize the day (Carpe Diem). Throughout the year, I have sometimes struggled to uphold this promise to myself. I have been so busy with playing, coaching, schoolwork, and a job search that whenever I’ve had any time off, I usually spent it resting or sleeping. The past couple of weeks I have really tried to refocus on doing things that make me happy, with people that make me happy.

This week started out Sunday with watching a rugby game at Thomond Park. Thomond Park is a 25,000-seat stadium where Munster Rugby plays their home matches. It was the first time I had the chance to watch one of their matches, because most of them conflict with my games. LIT was able to get me two tickets, but no one else was around or interested in going, so I went by myself. Now that may seem weird, but it’s part of me staying true to my promise and taking advantage of every opportunity. Now while it was cold and rainy, and I didn’t know much of what was going on, I enjoyed the experience of a home blowout win in front of around 25,000 fans.

The next day, Liz and I had a meeting with Aimee, our SCL coordinator, to discuss an exciting new program in Limerick. We are going to create an eHoops program in one of the toughest areas in all of Ireland. Through this program we’re going to be mentoring youth through a weekly two-hour program, based on educational support and basketball. We’re going to be giving kids support that they might not receive elsewhere. The details of the program are still being discussed, but I am really excited about the program!

I also attended our class field trip to Google in Dublin on Wednesday and Thursday. The trip was optional, but I am really glad that I went. We got a tour of the Google offices in Dublin, which were incredible. We also had three guest speakers that spoke to our entire class about their career paths. Since I am going through the difficult time of trying to find a job, it was awesome to hear other people’s experiences and career choices. We also stayed over in Dublin and then went to a whiskey distillery before heading back to Limerick on Thursday. It was an awesome trip and I’ve become really close with some of my classmates.

The last exciting part of my week was travelling to London for the weekend with two other Victory Scholars, Ian and Maddy. This was one of the first weekend’s off and we took the opportunity to visit a new place. This was such an amazing opportunity and we got to see so many things throughout London. Check out my latest vlog for more sights and details from our trip!

I am so blessed to have this opportunity and can’t thank SCL enough for providing me with these special experiences and people. That is why I want to continue to seize the day and take advantage of all of the opportunities I am given.

What’s Up Everybody, Chaz here reporting from Scotland this week! This last month and a half, I’ve been blessed to travel throughout Europe. So far I’ve been to London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Milan and now Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s so weird because ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to come to Scotland, especially as a huge movie fan. Some of the most prominent movies and novels ever written has been inspired or filmed in Scotland such as Harry Potter, Braveheart, The Davinci Code, Monty Python, Snow White and so much more. Even though I’ve seen all of those movies, the movie that inspired me to come here is actually a romantic comedy or like Faith says “a rom-com.” One of my favorite movies of all time (don’t judge me) is called “Made of Honor” starring Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan. This movie is about a guy and girl who have been best friends since college; building many memories together. On a strictly “friend basis,” they do pretty much everything together… now fast forwarding in the movie Michelle Monaghan has to go to Scotland for six weeks on work-related business. When she gets back, the first person she wants to see is Patrick Dempsey and tell him how everything went. However, she has a surprise for him that he’ll never guess. As Michelle and Patrick reunite, she introduces her fiancé to Patrick, which ultimately crushes him. To sum everything up, the wedding and everything else is in Scotland, so Patrick who’s in love with his best friend tries to win her over after she asks him to be her maid of honor. Yes, Patrick and Michelle end up together lol.

Listen, I’m a massive thriller, suspense and horror movie guy, so I don’t know why that’s one of my favorite movies, but it just is lol. Since I’ve seen the movie about 20 times minimum, just the depiction of Scotland and everything this country has to offer has made me a fan. I’ve learned and experienced so much since I’ve been in Edinburgh, while also walking about 10 miles a day (shoutout Mak’s phone tracker). To make this trip even more special, is I’m here with 2 of my best friends, Makenzie and Faith. This weekend excursion has arguably been one of the best vacations I’ve ever been on; it’s been nothing but fun and laughter the entire time. We’ve done so much in the last three days which includes the Edinburgh Castle, Camera Obsurca Illusion Museum, The Surgeon’s Museum, The University of Edinburgh, The Scotch Whiskey Museum (which I’ve been inducted as a lifetime member), The Elephant House (where the idea of Harry Potter came about), Underground Vault Tour and Ghost Tour. We’ve made so many memories, but there are two that will forever be my favorite. Memory #1, Chaz, Mak and Faith or the new royal family. We found a store where you can take pictures with traditional Scottish clothing.

Lol welp, this is our 2018 Christmas Card, but this was honestly one of the best 10 minutes of my life. Like come on, this picture is legendary!

Memory #2- Taking a picture with an owl, a 4-year-old Eurasian Eagle-Owl with a 6-foot wingspan. Honestly, I don’t know why I loved that moment so much, but I was like a kid at the candy store. I have a huge obsession and fascination with nature and animals. With that being said, I was genuinely so excited, while still giving off my cool Harry Potter Vibes.

Honestly, if I keep typing this may turn into a novel! So to sum everything up, Scotland is a fantastic country, and if you have the opportunity to come, I highly recommend it! All this traveling wouldn’t be possible if Sport Changes Life never gave me this chance. A special shoutout to the Sport Changes Life Program and the Rory Foundation! One last shoutout, too two of my best friends Mak & Faith, thanks for making this trip memorable. Love you guys and cherish those words because that’s probably the last time I’ll ever say it lol!

-Chazito Out ✌🏽

The truth is whether your good or bad at sports, playing them can have an effect on you as a person. If you play competitively or just for fun with a group of your friends, in my opinion you are gaining valuable life skills that can be transferred over into your daily life habits. Like communication, teamwork- learning to work with all kinds of different people is a challenge within itself, leadership and so many other skills. I believe a lot of people see sports as just a fun activity or for entertainment purposes if your viewing then and not actually involved in the playing but there’s so much more. Sports specifically have allowed me to travel the world and have given me all types of new experiences and eventful times. Some people use sports as an outlet, when they just want to get away from whatever it is, that their going through at the time, sports brings them that gratitude or change of scenery. But don’t get me wrong playing competitive sports can bring forth some challenges that a lot of people may dislike but the truth is you get what you sign up for in that case. My point is that sports around the world have different meanings and I just think it is awesome. We all have our different ways of playing and enjoying sports but I think all collectively we can agree that sports affect us human beings in a way that only sports could and whether good or bad that experience is like no other.

When I got to Galway, I spent the first few days exploring the city and trying to figure out how to get everywhere that I needed to. After a few wrong turns here and there I had the city just about figured out. The only problem I ran into was that my classes and coaching assignments were a little longer than a thirty minute walk away from my apartment. I looked into getting a moped but those efforts turned out to be futile so I knew I needed to figure something out.

I ended up enrolling in a bike share program. On the surface it seemed like a great idea; only ten euros for the entire year and stations conveniently located all throughout the city and everywhere I could want to go. I was excited to get around the city quickly and have a little more time to sleep.

However, the bike share program comes with a few problems. It’s almost comical every time I take a bike out. There’s rarely a time I don’t have to return the bike because of a chain that has fallen off or a broken wheel of some sort before trying the next bike. A few times it takes over three tries to get a working bike.When I do get a bike, I had to deal with a bit of a shock of people driving on the left side of the road. Not going to lie, I’ve had a few close calls there and I’m surprised myself I haven’t been in an accident yet. Another thing I deal with is rain. If you haven’t heard, it tends to rain a little bit in Ireland. Not only does this make it not exactly exciting to be outside riding a bike but it makes the roads and paths slippery so there have also been a few close calls there.

Overall, the bike share program has been a good thing. It certainly makes each day an experience. Galway has a really nice canal system that’s nice to take to school every day and occasionally rewards me with views like the one above. I never thought I would miss my 2003 Toyota Highlander, but Galway had made me appreciate the luxury of any car.