A week or so ago myself and two of the other Victory Scholars finished our first Honor Program at a local school, Belfast Model School for Girls. The Honor program is an 8-week program that incorporates multi-sport with inspirational workshop discussions that will directly raise the aspirations of young people and help focus on their education. As the Victory Scholar we served as mentors to about eight girls where we played sport and provided guidance to help prepare for their future. Over the eight weeks us Victory Scholars could really see a shift in the group we had just from our sessions every week. From the first week where we would barely have participation in any of the activities, to girls opening up to us with smiles, laughter, and joy. As the mentor it was a great experience to see the impact we had on these young ladies.

As we move forward to the next school and the next Honor Program, I look forward to creating even more bonds with the youth of Northern Ireland. I enjoy being able to help the youth grow and knowing I had an impact on someone’s life may be one of the greatest feeling for me.

I often attribute my desire to coach and share the game of basketball to all of the coaches who have influenced me over the years. I know that I’ve lucked out in having incredible mentors in my life, and some people aren’t so fortunate, so for that I am eternally grateful. I don’t believe these individuals get enough credit and appreciation for all of the hours they put in behind the scenes and the lives they touch, so I’ve decided it’s time for me to publicly and formally thank them…

To my high school coach, Coach Buckley, thank you for seeing something in me that I failed to recognize in myself at the young age of 14. You saw my potential and gave me a chance by pulling me up to Varsity and trusting me enough to put me on the floor. You consistently pushed me to challenge and believe in myself during a pivotal point in my development as a player. I’ll always remember your inspirational quotes before each game and practice, and the unforgettable journey we had together to get to the Garden. You even followed me to Brunswick, Maine, and cheered me on as I embraced the next chapter of my basketball career. It’ll always be a Lady Sailors Night, thank you for supporting me from the very beginning!

To my college coach, Coach Shibles, thank you for being one of my greatest role models and always valuing me as a player and person both on and off the court. You have become a second mother to me over the years and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to play and learn under you. Thank you for answering my phone calls at odd hours of the night to talk me through important life decisions, for going out of your way to meet me for dinner when I needed to vent, and for always believing in me whole heartedly through moments of self doubt and adversity. I’ve learned to trust my gut and follow my heart under your guidance and leadership. You’ve created a legacy of strong, determined, and resilient women as the head of our polar bear family, and I’m so incredibly proud to be a part of it. I’ll always be in your corner and I know you’ll always be in mine. I love you!

To the first person to hire me out of college, Coach Gaetano, I wish I could accurately articulate everything I learned from you and gained from our one year together, but we both know there are too many memories to count. You trusted me, having just graduated from college two months earlier, to help you build your program from the bottom up, and that was a decision I never took for granted. You taught me how to embrace my authentic self and never settle for anything in life. Your tenacious and energetic personality is truly infectious and you make everyone around you want to be better. I laughed myself to tears one too many times during our chalk talk lunch dates, game management duties, and 8 hour bus rides. Thank you for being my biggest advocate and supporting my decision to apply for this program even though it meant leaving you and the team. I’m so grateful to have worked under you and to have you in my life. I love you Ruth!

And lastly to all of the club and assistant coaches I’ve had along the way, Mr. Otto, Ms. St. George, Ms. Reddish,Terry, Casey, Corey, Kj, Toby, and Coach Shea, and finally to Dave and Greg here in Ireland, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Since arriving on this Island I’ve learned quickly that coaching here is not like it is in the States. People volunteer their time freely and are rarely paid substantially if at all for the endless work they do. Just know that your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed, you’re not just coaching a game, you’re changing lives, and that’s something not everybody can say. As I move forward in life and coach players and teams in different capacities, I hope to leave behind half the legacy that all of you have in my eyes.

Cheers,

Shannon

I have spent every single Christmas of my life at home, with my family, for the past 21 years. It is my absolute favorite time of the year, as I believe it is for most people. Some of the specific rituals we do as a family around the holidays have changed over the years due to work-related conflicts with my sister and brother or sports-related conflicts for me. Somehow, though, we still all manage to be together on Christmas day.

On the contrary, this year I am bypassing the family tradition, and not going home for Christmas. For Sport Changes Life, the Victory Scholars have 10 days off between December 22nd-January 2nd, and we can choose to spend it how we wish. Many of the Scholars are going home to see their families, but I thought it was best to use this time to travel around Europe.

Thinking about how I won’t be with my family for the first time on Christmas truly upsets me, but the trip I am doing in place of that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I cannot pass up! Sure, it may be the first time I don’t spend Christmas eating exquisite meals, enjoying quality time with my immediate family and extended family, and receiving gifts I’ve been dying to have for months. But instead, I get to spend a couple days in Amsterdam, followed by Christmas Eve in Berlin, Germany at the Christmas markets (shown in picture above). I then get to explore Prague, Czech Republic on Christmas day and make my way to Salzburg and Vienna in Austria. Finally, I can say for the first time (and probably last) that I am celebrating New Years in Budapest, Hungary!

My family is certainly just as bummed about not seeing me, but once they heard the places I am visiting, they also couldn’t be more excited/jealous. I definitely am not a fan of changing tradition, but I consider this as placing it on hold for a year. I hate to wish away any time away from this year, but December needs to hurry up!!

This weekend I got to experience everything that the Victory Scholar program has to offer. I got to see around Ireland, play and coach basketball, do school work, and hang out with great people. On Saturday, we had a National Cup game in Cork. After that, we had a club wide surprise 50^th birthday party for our coach. This was a great night, and a night where we got the opportunity to thank him for all of the work that he does for the club. The club wouldn’t be able to survive without the countless hours that he puts in. He literally does everything for the club. It was a special night and I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did. Thank you Tony!

Sunday was when the real craziness began. It started early by working on some homework that I needed to do for our group project. Then at 11, I met with my group to go over our project. Our presentation was the next day, so we needed to make sure the report and presentation were finalized. Then at 3:30, I had to coach my u16 team. They had a game against the Clare Panthers. We pulled out a great team win, 53-34! Then, the next step in my day was getting dropped off at the bus station. I got a 5:15 bus to Dublin and arrived around 8 o’clock. On the bus, I was able to finish up our project for my group. I was heading to Dublin because best friend from Middlebury was in Ireland this week visiting his brother who is studying abroad in Dublin. Since I was so busy, this was the only chance I would have to see him and his family. I went out to an amazing dinner with them in Dublin and got a chance to catch up with everything going on back home. It was so nice to see familiar faces and spend the night with them. Also, during dinner I ran into a fellow scholar proving how small Ireland is (shoutout Dom). Then after dinner, I caught an 11:30 bus back to Limerick. On the bus back, I was able to write out a blog and get some sleep. I arrived back in Limerick around 2:30 and got plenty of sleep for my presentation at 9 the next morning.

It was an incredibly long day, but one of the best I’ve had in Ireland. I was able to accomplish a lot with my school work and got a huge win with my u16 team! It was a short trip to Dublin, but was totally worth it to see my friend and his family. It was a really special weekend!

Sheesh…..where do I even begin? Over the course of four very fleeting years I had the ultimate blessing of wearing the Emory white and blue jersey. Four years filled with incredible memories, with teammates and coaches whom I will cherish for the rest of my days. Now undoubtedly, I will grow apart from many of them, such is life, but I will never take for granted the memories I made in what was some of the greatest years of my life. Admittedly, it was not all sunshine and rainbows, but now looking back, the exceptional moments seemingly overshadow the down times. I can honestly say, on and off the court, I had an entire team that I could count on and enjoy life at Emory with. Our team motto was trust, commitment, and care (TCC). Anybody could have just read the slogan and slap the small plaque hanging outside the locker room, but I am grateful for the men I played alongside to live the code.

Out of all the basketball memories my teammates and I shared, the one that continues to come to the forefront of my mind was the Sweet Sixteen game in the National Tournament during my Freshman year in 2014. Granted I did not even sniff the court, but that did not stop me from having front row seats to one of the most invigorating games I have ever been apart of. We flew all the way out to Wisconsin to take on the number one team in the country on their home floor. It was spring break and I went from hanging out by the pool in Atlanta to packing my snow hat and gloves to gear up for Wisconsin.  Come game-time, the stands were packed with a few thousand fans all decked out in purple and gold to watch their unbeatable team advance in the tournament, but we had other plans. It was back and forth all game and the one and only Jake Davis sealed the game with some of the most clutch shots I had ever seen. The game was absolutely thrilling, coming down to the last shot in overtime.  At the very last second, one of the best shooters in the country for Wisconsin Stevens-Point, had a very good look from three that missed by centimeters.  My coach always said the greatest sound when you are playing on the road is silence. It was an epic time to hear the whole crowd grow silent, while we and the 20 fans who had made the long journey erupt into a frenzy as we advanced to the Elite Eight.

While there were many more exciting memories to come on my journey as an Emory Eagle, this was the first epic one I had experienced. It set the tone for me and my fellow teammates. That was my first NCAA National Tournament and I was lucky to experience three consecutive appearances after. Writing this post has made me very nostalgic and very content with taking that leap of faith and journeying all the way to the ATL for my college years. Look out for the team this year as I have complete faith that they will be making some noise again in the National Tournament.

Our Honor Roll Program with the girls at The Belfast Model School came to an end not to long ago and it was bittersweet. Over the weeks we had together, we developed a strong relationship and bond with the ladies growing from week to week. We learned a lot from each other as well. Interacting in all types of games and activities as well as some paperwork, just to get a bit of info out of each girl individually and as a group. They learned plenty about America from us the good and bad, because they had so many questions, but we also got some insight on Northern Ireland a well which was good, like some places we definitely need to visit, and what places offer the best food and good craic.

We had the pleasure of receiving some candies and a card that thanked us, signed by all of the ladies which was extremely sweet and kind of them. Stephen also stated that this was the first time that the Victory Scholars ever received something like a gift of appreciation or whatever from one of the schools in the Honor Roll program. So that made myself, Nat, and Kristen feel extra special and let us know that maybe we did really connect with the girls! So I had the pleasure of getting to know these young ladies I appreciate them allowing us to interact with them!

This past weekend my moms cousin reached out to me asking if I would like to spend the day at their house. I have family that lives in Ratheniska. I got to spend time with my Aunt Betty, Uncle John, Kathleen, Laura, and Lisa. They all made me feel so welcomed there. Its always a pleasure getting to spend time with family even though your miles and miles away from home.

Aunt Betty and Kathleen took me to see Lisa and Laura’s Gaelic football match. People were suprised I knew what that sport was. Little did they know I tried to play back in America (let’s just say physical sports like that wasn’t made for me, I’ll have to stick to basketball). Although they lost it was a hard fought match and I’m glad I got to see my cousins play. After the game we all got to hang out at the field having sandwiches, desserts, and of course being offered tea and coffee everywhere you go!

After the match we went back to Kathleen’s and we called my grandpa without him knowing I was with everyone. He was shocked when he heard my voice on the phone, it really made me smile. He was so happy I was able to spend the day with his family. Even though he wishes he was here with all of us now, he will be visiting in February for his friends 90th birthday party and to catch an away game at Portlaoise (his old stomping grounds!) We finished the day off with take-out Chinese and hanging out watching a show similar to dancing with the star. I’m thankful to have family in Ireland always looking to welcome me in with open arms.

It was awesome getting to catch up with aunts, uncles, and cousins that I haven’t seen in years. My cousin Laura studies in Galway and I can’t wait until I’m able to visit her there next!

Yes, it’s what all you guys are thinking – I got to see President Bill Clinton. Unfortunately I didn’t get to meet him but I was close enough that to get a crystal clear video of him walking out of the ceremony. Let’s just talk about how I didn’t even know he was coming to my University. I mean what kind of American am I? My basketball coach texted Alex and I asking if we were interested in seeing Bill Clinton. My answer was “Of course!!!!!!!!! It’s WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON.”

My school Dublin City University was awarding honorary degrees to President Clinton along with two other awardees Dr. Martin Naughton, KBE, and Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy. These three people were chosen because of all the hard work that they had put into making Ireland a better country.
President Clinton talked about everyone having a story, and how those stories make us different but not better than one another. His overall message was about finding ways to work together. He stated that we should continue to work with one another and not against each other by saying, “Love your neighbour like yourself”. While I was sad that I didn’t get to meet him face to face, I am glad that I at least had the opportunity to hear him speak. 

Hey everyone!

So this week we were asked to share our favorite college basketball memory with all of you.  For me this is pretty difficult because I have so many great memories from Siena.  My sophomore year definitely sticks out as one of my favorite though.

In my sophomore year my team and I ended up overcoming a lot of adversity.  Due to injury and other things we only had seven able players.  Everyone had written us off and really expected nothing from us because we didn’t have the numbers.  We used that to fuel us and we really proved a lot of people wrong that year.  We kept winning and winning with only seven and sometimes six people!  We were dubbed the Magnificent Seven. So clearly, it was a whirlwind of a year!  We ended up making it to a post season tournament (WBI) and made it all the way to the finals. Even though we lost the final it was an awesome year and we got to travel around the country a bit to play.

During this year one of my favorite games is when we traveled to Buffalo, NY to play Canisius College.  This game in particular stands out because my team and I found ourselves in quite a deep hole.  At half time we were down 20 points and things were looking grim.  After rallying at halftime we came out of the locker room determined to chip away at this deficit.  And that’s exactly what we did!  We were so locked in and focused for the entire 20 minutes that were left in the game.  I’m pretty sure we only held the lead for 2 seconds, but they were the final two seconds which are the seconds that matter.  It was a crazy game to say the least! Coming back from a 20 point deficit is something that takes a lot of focus but also a lot of heart.  And that’s what my team proved we had in this game!

I think our toughness and our heart are what helped us to be so successful that year.  We overcame the odds and proved a lot of people wrong.  It was a true honor to be part of that team because we may not have been the most talented group on the court, but we had grit and heart.  And at the end of the day, “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”  Or at least I like to think so…and I think we proved that quote to be right that entire year!

This little blog definitely doesn’t do that year justice, but those of you who were there during that journey know how special it was.  That being said, I want to wish my Siena Saints good luck this year as they are starting their season soon!!

Thank you for reading and stay tuned for more to come!

-Meg

Ironically my favorite college basketball memory is not a particular game where we beat our rivals or a game where I just had an awesome scoring night. It isn’t a buzzer beater game winner for us or one of the many beautiful places we have traveled to go play games at. My favorite college memory came towards the end of my college career. It was my our last home game playing in our huge Thompson Boling Arena or TBA for short as we call it, and it was my senior night as well as Bashaara Graves and Jasmine Jones whom were also seniors with me. This moment stood out for me because of many different reasons but the most important was because I felt an enormous amount of unconditional love on this day. It was one those bittersweet moments ya know! With all the emotions going through my body I didn’t know how to feel. I had the pleasure of having my family there on court with me as I was honored with my jersey plaque and it felt awesome. The love in particular that I was receiving from my teammates on this day as well as coaches and staff just made the day even more happy and rewarding!

The fans were cheering louder than ever and chanted we don’t want you seniors to leave, we love you! That amount of continued support and showing love to us even when we sucked and it felt that even our coaches were mad at us for the moment we always knew that the unconditional love and support of our fan base would be there. You will not find that at any college and many college players don’t get the chance to experience it, so I never took it for granted! You might call me bias but we have the BEST FAN base ever, because they are more like our extended family! My senior night will go down as my favorite college memory for me!

Playing Division I collegiate athletics had been a dream of mine since I was in 5th grade. I was fortunate enough to achieve my dream and play for Colgate University. Colgate was my ideal school because it encompassed high level basketball and provided me with a top tier education. I am forever grateful for everything that Colgate Women’s Basketball provided me. It not only brought me to some of my best friends, but it also allowed me to travel the world.

My favorite college memory was definitely when my team traveled to New Zealand to represent Colgate and allow my teammate Josie to play in front of her friends and family. My team had a rule that everyone played in their hometown so that their loved ones who could not travel all the way to Colgate, or to away games, could attend a game. My junior year I had the privilege to play at Kent State so that all of my coaches, teammates, and friends from home could see me play. My family even hosted the team the night before for a home cooked meal. I loved this rule because we got to travel the country, and even the world, to see where our teammates grew up and meet all of their loved ones. Once Josie accepted her offer to play at Colgate the team began to fundraiser so we could travel to New Zealand.

My team went to New Zealand the summer before my junior year and we played four games against different teams from New Zealand. This was a great opportunity to start our season early and it helped catapult us into success when we went undefeated during our international trip. We grew a lot as team and definitely got a lot closer by the end of the trip (it is hard not to bond after a 16 hour plane ride). This experience was so incredible because we played great basketball, made countless memories, and most importantly got to see my teammate Josie’s home. A highlight of the trip was when my teammate Tori and I bungee jumped. Although the workers may have had to push us off because we were so scared, that is a memory that I will always have and I am so happy that I got to do it in such a beautiful place. I am so grateful that Colgate provided us with the opportunity to travel to New Zealand and I will always treasure those memories.

Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Remy the rat from Ratatouille, and Matthew Bauer….what do these all have in common? The answer: nothing. The first three are without question elite cooks and then you have myself, the outsider, wishing too reach those talent levels. Luckily this has never had an impact as great cooks have always been around whether it was my dad or my roommate Johnny Funkhouser whose meals always lived up to his Italian ancestry.

In August upon arrival to my new home, it did not take long to realize I was on my own which translated to basic meals. However over the last month I have pushed myself away from frozen pizzas/carry outs and begun a journey of learning how to cook. Starting off it was slow with bland pastas or chicken, but recently I decided too to put my “skills” to the test. No idea what my thought process was one day but I was walking through the store and a lamb shoulder caught my eye. Being a sucker of a good sale, it did not take me long to purchase the lamb.

Immediately when I got back home I questioned my purchase and quickly turned to Google for advice. 5 hours of cooking time, a intricate marinating process, and of course the Irish necessity of having potatoes as side dish; I was in the midst of my Super Bowl of cooking.

Shockingly enough the lamb turned out to be delicious. Even though the picture may not do it justice, I enjoyed it or at least made myself think I enjoyed it. So now Bobby Flay, Wolfgang Puck, Remy the rat from Ratatouille, and Matthew Bauer….what do these all have in common? Answer: still nothing

Cheers,

Matthew

This past week I was lucky enough to have my dad and his girlfriend Amy fly all the way from Cleveland, Ohio to Ireland. My dad’s grandfather immigrated from Ireland to the US, so he has always wanted to visit Ireland, so with me being here for the year offered him the perfect opportunity to do so. As soon as they arrived, I showed them around Maynooth’s campus and explained what a typical day looks like for me. We then took a quick train ride into Dublin for the day where we visited the Jameson Distillery, Trinity College, and Grafton Street. Maynooth truly is in the best location because it encompasses a small town feel, while also being incredibly accessible to the largest city in Ireland.

We spent the majority of the weekend in Portlaoise, which is where my basketball club is based out of. We had two games that weekend, one versus the Waterford Wildcats and the other versus Liffey Celtics. Playing Waterford was particularly meaningful for me because Meghan Donohue (another Victory Scholar) plays on that team, and not only are we both from Cleveland, but we played together for AAU, played against each other in high school, and played against each other in college, so needless to say it was a great experience seeing Meghan again on the court. The weekend was full of basketball, which was great because my dad got to see me play again and meet all of the people in Portlaoise who have made me feel at home. We were all set to go to Galway that Monday and do a boat tour at the Cliffs of Moher, when Ophelia got in the way…

Ophelia was the hurricane that hit Ireland this past week and significantly affected the western and southern parts of Ireland. Ireland hasn’t seen a hurricane in over fifty years, so although the dreadful weather was poor timing, we made the most of our trip. We figured that it wasn’t the best idea to be dangling off the Cliffs of Moher or in the water during the hurricane, so we cancelled our trip to Galway and went to Kilkenny instead. Although most shops and venues were closed because of the hurricane, there were still a few pubs open, which was great because we met so many people who were telling us all about their experience in Ireland. The next day we toured the Kilkenny Castle and learned about the history of the Butler family.

After Tuesday we parted ways because I had to go back to Portlaoise for practice, but my dad and Amy went to Killarney. Killarney looked absolutely beautiful and they were also able to travel to Dingle as well. We met up again before he left Friday morning, and although I was so sad for him to leave, I felt incredibly lucky that him and Amy traveled all the way to see me, the place where I live, and meet the people who have been so welcoming to me while I have been in Ireland.

As I am sure most of you know by now, this phrase has been popularized by the eccentric Philadelphia Sixer, Joel Embiid. In light of the the NBA season commencing, I felt it is only right to apply this phrase to describe life at the moment here in Ireland.  Two months ago I, like every other Victory Scholar, flew across the Atlantic with a lot of questions and even more optimism.  I trusted the fact that this could potentially be one of the best years of my life.  We are nearing the end of October now and I believe I am correct with my assumption.

Trusting the process, while a tremendous slogan, is a little broad. The beauty of the phrase is that it can be applied to so many different and intriguing processes aside from basketball….but we will get to that in a bit.  First I would like to analyze this saying as a player. It is a bit daunting to show up as ‘the yankee’ and contribute and enhance an already well established team. The coach has been here for years and teammates have experience with each other, so how am I going to fit? I have realized now I have to put trust into this program, and with that my relations with my coach and teammates will undoubtedly improve.  Unlike Embiid, I do not have a few years to trust the process; however, I have seen tremendous improvement as a player on this IT Carlow team in just 4 weeks.  It is a beautiful thing to attribute this intangible asset of trust to tangible results.  Just 4 weeks ago we opened our season with a blowout loss to a solid, undefeated team in Neptune. Just yesterday my team and I were massively disappointed in ourselves for not beating the same team. We lead the entire game and let it slip in the final minutes. Although we did not achieve the W, I am ecstatic about how far we have come as a team and what we plan to achieve.

In addition, I am trusting the process as a head coach. This has been extremely rewarding in the fact that I get to see the progress of young kids.  One thing I have learned is the importance of knowing names. Getting to know every single kids names on 3+ teams is not an easy task, but it has such a profound effect. “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language” – Dale Carnegie.  It allows me to instruct and coach in a much more personable way, as opposed to shouting a direction that is followed with “you in the green shirt.” Seeing these kids start to gel with one another and apply the things we have coached is a process that will never get old.

This slogan can also be applied to processes outside the basketball world. First and foremost, to the classroom! The obligatory ice breakers and ‘syllabus week’ are long behind us as we gear up into November.  Group projects, presentations, and papers are beginning to accumulate.  In order to avoid any excuse of not turning in my best work, I have to trust myself, as well as my fellow pupils I will be working with, to really apply myself to each subject. From entrepreneurship to finance, there is a plethora of topics and different process to comprehend and the wealth of knowledge to come from them is invigorating. The days are becoming a bit shorter, the weather a bit ‘fresher’, and the importance of that warm cup of joe in the morning has increased. Looking forward to the journeys ahead in November.

Some of the questions people asked before I left for Ireland were, “Where in Ireland are you living?” “What are you going to do there?” “What are some things you are looking forward to?” “What are some things you’re nervous about?” Notice, that nowhere in these frequently asked questions was, “What are you going to do if you get hit by a hurricane?” Now, obviously I was well aware of the outrageous amounts of rain and the wind in Ireland, but I was unaware that hurricanes happened here. In the build-up of the storm, it was discussed how Hurricane Ophelia was set to be one of the worst hurricanes to ever hit Ireland. With all of the tragedy and damage that hurricanes caused in the U.S. this year, it was nerve-wracking to hear the news of the approaching storm.

Fortunately, the storm wasn’t as destructive as it was touted to be. However, there was still quite a bit of damage. In Cork, one of the school’s gym that we played in had their entire roof ripped off. There were also plenty of trees down and power outages acrossed a lot of Ireland. However, lucky for us in Limerick, the storm didn’t hit us that hard. My family was checking on me quite a bit throughout the day, and each time they texted me I would look outside. “Yep, I’m fine. It’s sunny outside.” We experienced quite a bit of wind, but hardly any rain. If no one would’ve told me there was a hurricane, I would’ve thought it was just another day of Irish weather. It turned into a nice day off for me to stay inside all day and get caught up on some work.

So, I got to experience my first hurricane while in Ireland. This was a first that I didn’t expect to cross off, but I am just grateful that Limerick didn’t get hit that hard and that the storm wasn’t as devastating as initially predicted. The picture above was from my room during the hurricane.

Hey everyone!

So by now most of you have heard that Ireland was hit by Hurricane Ophelia on Monday.  To be honest, when I heard we were getting a hurricane I wasn’t too concerned at first.  Next thing I know, the entire country is basically on lock down.  They cancelled schools and most people didn’t have work.  At that point I realized this was going to be a little more serious than I originally thought.

In Waterford we had some pretty high winds and a little rain.  I stayed inside all day just to be safe, but what I was seeing online all over the country was kind of crazy.  A roof of a gym blew off, plenty of trees were down, a lot of people lost electricity etc.

At WIT we were pretty lucky because our power stayed on and there wasn’t too much damage.  The roof at the Mercy gym (the gym the Wildcats use) started to go as well.  Luckily, the damage was able to be fixed.

Apparently, this was one of the worst storms Ireland has seen in the last 50 years.  This was the last place I thought a tropical storm would hit, but I guess now I can say I survived a hurricane.

Stay tuned for more to come!

-Meg

Back home, whenever there was a bad hurricane or a picture of a crocodile, my friends and I used to joke that we never had to experience these things because we lived in a place where it was winter basically six months of the year. The reward for dealing with this climate was no natural disasters or freak animals. All it took was footage of a huge crocodile or snake for us to say, “this is why I live where the air hurts my face.”

This last week I had to deal with my first hurricane. Ophelia hit Ireland on Monday, basically shutting it down for a day. Luckily, in Galway the damage wasn’t too bad and I could see the rough seas from my apartment. A few hours south, near where I had a game two days before, the roof of a gym was blown off.

Although hurricanes and storms like this are not normal in Ireland, Ophelia definitely gave me a different perspective on the trouble they can cause. For the time being, I’m looking forward to the mild Irish winter and lack of snow and air that hurts my face.

Teams will always have significant value to me! I’ve always been apart of a team, and the concept of being a team and working together with your peers is enormous in adulthood. Teams can go two ways: either everything will run smoothly and everybody will be happy, or problems will arise, and everything will be miserable!

Obviously, if you know me, I play basketball, and I’ve probably been playing since I came out of my mother’s womb. I remember when I was younger, I use to tell my grandmother to fold her arms as if they were a hoop and I would shoot crumpled up a paper as if it was a real basketball. I remember having one of those small $2 basketball hoops (that comes with the little basketball), and I would nail that to the wall in my kitchen. I would play against the “invisible team” for hours (yea I was kind of weird as a child). Anyways, I would play for hours sweating profusely… while my mom constantly tells me to sit down lol, sorry ma!

Sorry, I was reminiscing just a wee bit. I guess I’m trying to say; I’ve always wanted to be on and apart of a team and basketball has made it possible. I’ve come in contact with many different people, cultures, egos, thought processes and so much more. Being apart of a team has taught me things that my teachers or parents couldn’t have taught me. Basketball and the idea of being on a team has made me the person I am today. Learning from others, watching others, and interacting with others has given me excellent social skills. The birth of a team is always hard because everything and everybody is new; new egos, unique personalities, new mindsets, and objectives!

Being apart of a team has taught me many good things about myself, but it has also taught me things that I may lack. I’ve been coaching quite a lot out here, and recently I started coaching my landlord’s son’s school team. Coaching has helped me a lot, which leads to my title, “no I, in team!” Everybody knows the saying “there’s no I in team,” which is 100% true. However, there is a, ME, in team. By coaching the kids out here, the team has taught me how to have and become more patient. They’ve taught me, how to change my approach “on the fly.” They’ve taught me, always to smile no matter the outcome. I’m sure I’ve taught them many things, but they’ve had a more significant impact on myself than I’ve had on them. Mainly they’ve taught me, how to become a better person and role model! I’m nowhere near perfect, but I can’t wait to see how much I’ve grown as a person by the end of the program.

-Chazito Out ✌🏽🎤

October 20th

Finally it is the night before the first match of the Presidents Cup.  I have heard about the cup since the first practice, since media day in Dublin (where they pick the balls and placements for the tournament) and even since I met some of the guys in the States before I came over.  Ever since I met and started hanging with my teammates, I have seen all the celebrations on the bus and at the local pub of my club, Neptune, winning the cup.  This year we play at Carlow in the first round. We are taking a bus instead of carpooling up to Carlow, like we did the first time we played them in the beginning of the season.  Last year they played Carlow in the first game as well but it was home so hopefully it turns out the same way!  I am so excited to finally play in this game and I’m hoping I can help Neptune put another banner in the Stadium.  If we win we would play December 3rd vs Galway in the quarterfinals.  The semi-finals would then be in January and we are lucky enough to host those games, so we are really trying to get to that round!  Then the finals would be January 27th in Dublin where we first held media day, so I hope to go back to the same arena for the finals!

Keep on scrolling to see if we won…

October 21st

We won!!! The final score was 89-83.  It was a really good basketball game as we were down fifteen at one point but came all the way back to win by six.  We play Galway (as I said above) next home in the Presidents Cup.  Playing home will be nice so we do not have to travel.  All in all a good weekend!

Thanks all for following along, keep up to date to see what’s next for me!

If you told me that I would be a coach after my basketball career I would say, “Yeah, pretty likely”. Now, if you told me I would coach a youth girls team from Ireland WHILE still playing basketball, I would say, “Huh? I think you’re mistaking me for another Alex”.

Well as the basketball gods would have it, they landed me across the pond in Europe and here I am still thinking about how I ended up in Ireland playing the greatest sport in the world (no offense to anyone who disagrees, I’m just biased) and coaching the little nuggets in the picture above! They are seriously the cutest bunch of girls ever. This picture makes me laugh every time I look at it because each girls face expresses a different emotion that I’ve felt while coaching.

So for about a month now, I’ve been hanging out with my U13 group of girls and I’ve been teaching them what I know about the game of basketball. It’s been an interesting dynamic because out of the ten girls on my team, four of them have never played basketball. However, I thought to myself, ‘eh, no worries. This will be easy peasy. I mean hello, you’ve been playing basketball your whole life‘. Boy was I wrong. It’s actually been quite challenging. Playing basketball for so long has made me forget what it was like to not know how to play the sport. Trying to re-explain the reason behind what we do has been so difficult because in my head I’m like, ‘I don’t know. That’s just what you’re supposed to do‘. But recalling the time I was in their shoes, I seriously needed help understanding why this was this way or why that was that way. I remembered when I first started playing basketball, I didn’t have a single clue what to do on defense or offense and terms like ‘box out’ and ‘cut to the ball’ was a language from a foreign planet. So thinking back, knowing how much I struggled to learn the sport has helped me understand where some of the girls are coming from. Moving forward, I just needed to remember to take a step back and teach the girls the basic fundamentals of basketball, then work up to the more complex tasks.

So in our first practice together, I tried to take this approach and really simplify the offensive and defensive drills. How did I do, you ask? I. Failed. Miserably. The girls were running in different directions, passing to the wrong player, and just flat out not doing what I wanted them to do. Then I realized what the problem was. I was telling them what I wanted them to do and they were interpreting it how they thought I wanted them to play. Instead, I should have demonstrated the drills and gave them a visual of what I wanted them to do. After this minor adjustment, voilà!! The girls were doing everything correctly! Although small, this was seriously a proud coaching moment for me. I finally felt like I broke through. My girls were rolling through the drills and executing everything just perfectly and could you believe? They were also having fun doing it.

Since that first practice, we’ve only had one game. Although we didn’t win, I saw a lot of great things out of my girls. I saw passion, determination, hustle, grit, and resilience. As a coach, knowing you have players that will play until the last second is a great sign. Honestly, that’s all you can ask for. Yes, we still have so much to work on, but seeing how much progress my girls have made since the first day of practice is undeniably gratifying. Good things take time and I can tell you all right now that by the end of February, my girls will be a brilliant success. Just wait on it.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” – R. Collier

As a young kid and even as a teenager, I can remember wishing I was an adult. I’m pretty sure 99% of kids and teenagers wanted to be older than they were. I’m sure at some point; we’ve all said: “I can’t wait to move out!” Well, that time is now… I’m 22 years old, and sometimes I wish I was young again. I guess I feel like I rushed into adulthood! I wish somebody warned me about adulthood: all the stress, responsibilities and independence. As I lay here in my room on this typical Irish day (windy and rainy, what a shocker!), I wish I could hear my mom’s voice saying, ” Are you hungry boo?” I’d then leave my room, to go into the kitchen, and see a new home-cooked meal waiting for me on the table. The key word is… WISH!

My transition into becoming a “real adult” here in Letterkenny, is going smoothly; being a responsible and independent adult isn’t so bad after all. In college, I went to school about an hour away from my house, so I always got a chance to see my family. However, being thousands of miles away from my loved ones is hard, especially when you’re accustomed to seeing them on a regular basis.  Having a support system is always great to have, especially when weathering a new journey. I wouldn’t have had a better transition, here in Ireland if it wasn’t for these two families; the Cassidy’s and Leadley’s!

These two families have been by my side every step of the way, taking me in as one of their own. Growing up in Brooklyn, my friends and I grew up on the quote: “Family isn’t always blood, it’s the people in your life who want you in theirs: the ones who accept you for who you are!” This quote applies to these two families; just because we are not blood-related, I still consider them family. Anyways, this is just a thank you blog; a special thank you and shoutout to these two families; I don’t know how I’ll stay sane without you guys!

-Chazito Out ✌🏽🎤

SB: This Is My Landlord, Ed Cassidy !

As I’ve said before, one of the best parts about being in Limerick is the people we have met. Liz and I have been very fortunate with the amount that people have done to make us feel at home. Many families have taken us out to eat, taken us shopping, or given us rides to and from practices. Recently, one family invited Liz and I over to their house for dinner. This turned into one of my favorite nights so far. They have six kids involved with the club and also have three students living in their house. It was real-life of Cheaper by the Dozen! It reminded me so much of having big family gatherings at my house. I only have one sister, so my family is a lot smaller, but it reminded me of when our extended family is all together. It was so fun and always something going on. We had such an amazing homemade meal.  Any day I don’t have to eat my horrible cooking is a great day for me. After dinner, we watched Harry Potter and had ice cream. It was such a nice night because it got us out of our apartment. It was such a nice change of pace to feel like a part of a family, in a real house, and eating a homemade meal. It made me realize how much I miss my family and my house, but also how lucky I am to have such a supportive family. It is also really nice that we have families here that treat us like part of their own families. Thank you to the Nealon family for inviting us over!

I am very excited for the next couple of weeks because next weekend I am going to get to see my best friend from school while he is in Ireland visiting his brother. Then, the weekend after that my parents are coming. The week after that my girlfriend is visiting. I am really excited for everyone from home to meet all of the families in Limerick. I am thankful to be here and I am looking forward to sharing my experience so far with my family and friends.

Our community contact here in Letterkenny, or as us scholars like to say our “team mom”, is Attracta Winters. Attracta and her family have been so welcoming and kind to us from the moment we arrived. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for everything that they do. Mak and I spent this past Friday afternoon with Attracta’s 14-year-old daughter, Anna. We had a “girl’s day”! We went out to lunch and visited a few of the local antique and record shops in town. On our walk back home, the three of us were talking about life and the “mysterious” idea of growing up when Anna asked, “When did you find yourself?”.

I know, I am only 22 years old, but I truly believe that I have kept the same personality while maturing over my years. I told Anna that I knew I was unconditionally happy with who I am when I spent the summer before going into my senior year of college interning in New York City with the Hearst Corporation. (Fun fact – NYC is actually one of my favorite places in the world). My mom works for Harper’s Bazaar fashion magazine, which is owned by the Hearst Corporation under their magazine division, so she was able to help me gain an intern position within Hearst’s finance department. I was excited, nervous, and anxious to start my first “real world” experience in the city. Other than going away for college, this was the only additional period of time where I was going to be alone, but this time I wasn’t going to have teammates or roommates – just myself. I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know how much that summer was going to mean to me.

I had, no question about it, the best summer of my life. I learned so much and I was able to see a glimpse of what my life will, hopefully, be like once I’m out of school. I realized just how “un-lonely” being alone actually is. I loved walking to work every morning, taking/learning the subway by myself, even eating alone made me happy. Every night after my internship, I’d take a walk through Central Park. For those of you who aren’t aware, Central Park is an 840 acre, man-made park that runs between 59^th street and 110^th street. You’ve probably seen a film or two that features it (ex. Home Alone 2, the Devil Wears Prada, 13 Going on 30). When I’d go on my walks, I’d take a different turn every night so that I’d end up somewhere new. I loved having time by myself; adventuring on my own with no plan. Some of my favorite places to see in the park were Strawberry Fields, Alice in Wonderland, Belvedere Castle, and Shakespeare’s Garden.

One night, I was standing on the Bethesda Terrace (SPOILER – for any Gossip Girl fans, this is where Chuck and Blair get married) that overlooks the lake in Central Park. It was a beautiful summer’s night and I remember looking around at all the different types of people who were out. There were people taking a workout class; some were playing music; others were taking photographs; there were even a few couples row boating across the lake. I remember thinking to myself to always remember this moment – a moment where my happiness was inexpressible. I was alone, but it did not feel that way. I had myself and I knew right then that I am all I need to be happy.

So, for the young boys and girls who may have stumbled across my blog this week: I promise you are more than enough. Make sure you dream big and don’t be afraid to chase after what you want – you can get there, but only if you keep going. Remember, good things take time. Rome wasn’t built in a day!

What’s a leprechaun’s favorite kind of music?

Sham-rock and roll!

Hi everyone!

This past weekend we played our second official game against the Portlaoise Panthers and WON!  We are now 2-0 overall, so it has been a great start to the basketball season here in Waterford!

We played the Panthers on Saturday, so Sunday we had a day off from everything.  This has been our first full day off in a few weeks, so one of our teammates (Cathy) offered to take Jas and I on a little road trip to see more of the county.  First, we headed to Curraheen to see the Comeragh Mountains.  It was a pretty rainy day so we didn’t actually go up the mountain, but to get there we had to go down all kinds of back roads.  It was very scenic, but it was nice to get to see some of the villages around us.  It also gave us a chance to get more acquainted with Waterford and the surrounding counties as well.  Here is a picture to see how narrow the road was, and of course my favorite part about all the rain in Ireland is that there is always a rainbow to follow.

I’m sure Jas and I will come back here to hike up the mountain at some point in the year!  Our next stop was to the castle in Carrick-on-Suir.  This castle was in a cute, small town.  It was not a very big castle, but it was quite impressive how pretty much intact it was.

We walked around the grounds here for a little while, but then got back in the car and headed to our next destination.  We headed up to Kilkenny to see the castle there.  The castle in Kilkenny is massive!! It is completely intact and the grounds are so beautiful.  We walked the grounds on the footpath that takes you around the entire property.  The castle was located right on the river and directly in town.  Kilkenny was awesome! We ended our time in Kilkenny with a cup of tea (tea time is always a must here in Ireland!) in a little shop by the castle.  I will definitely be going back to see more of the city next time!

This was our last stop on what I would call a very successful road trip!  I look forward to the next adventure!

Thanks for taking the time to read and follow my journey! Stay tuned for more to come!

-Meg

September has meant one thing and one thing only for the past twenty odd years of my life: back to school. After a brief hiatus last year from classes, homework, and deadlines, I knew this year might hit me head on like a freight truck. But, to be honest, I love school. Okay so maybe love is a strong word. I don’t love the Sunday night stress and twenty page papers, but the opportunity to learn and be surrounded by people with completely different experiences and view points than myself has always inspired me in the best way possible. As the saying goes, the moment you stop learning is the moment you start dying.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous to go back to school this year. I came to Trinity with a double major in Sociology and Art History ready to study Business Management. More than one person has asked me how that adds up or ‘what I plan on doing with that’. For me it’s less about the end goal and more about the process. Right now I’m still learning, I’m soaking everything in, and allowing it to fuel my interests and guide me in the right direction. I can honestly say that every Art History course, Race and Ethnicity class, Africana Studies elective, and History lecture that I sat through during my four year long liberal arts education has drastically contributed to my overall understanding of the world and my place in it. I have no doubt that those classes will contribute to the way I approach Business Management, and that together they will provide me with a well-rounded and multi-faceted view of the world we live in. My Management course has eighty five students in it, all with different undergraduate backgrounds that do not include business. There are three students from the U.S., and a hand full from Ireland, with the rest coming from a diverse mix of different countries and cultures. We all have different interests, areas of expertise, and views of the world, and that only makes our time together in the classroom that much more rich and meaningful.

I feel incredibly grateful to be a part of the TCD community, and I know that no matter what I choose to pursue next after this year, I will have gained so much more than a degree from this experience. My Entrepreneurship professor works at MIT in Boston, Massachusetts and flies back and forth each week to teach our course. In our first class he touched on two elements that are vital to the  entrepreneurial spirit; passion and purpose. Passion is necessary, because it fuels you, but the purpose piece is perhaps even more crucial, because it’s what sustains you long term. When he said this I immediately thought about Sport Changes Life, their mission, and my own journey to becoming a Victory Scholar. Sport Changes Life is founded on the belief that sport can have a profound influence on the life and well being of a child. It’s rooted in it’s passion for sport, but it’s purpose, to change lives, that’s what drives it forward, and that’s exactly what drives me forward too. I have always had an unwavering love and passion for basketball, but leaving a positive impact on people’s lives and bringing people together, well that has always been the ultimate purpose. I don’t know where I’ll be a year from today, but I know that If I follow my passions, and I strive to live with purpose, I’ll be happy. School is officially back in session, and it’s just as rewarding as I remember.

Until next time,

Shannon

Teenagers. What words first come to your mind when you think of teenagers? Changing. Finding themselves.Trying to fit in. Growing. Becoming who they are meant to be.

Before arriving in Ireland, we were told that we would be doing several hours a week of coaching. All summer long, I would day dream about my time in Ireland. What sights I would see, what it would be like to play basketball again, and what kids I would be coaching. I instantly thought of walking into a group of young girls, eager to meet the new female Victory Scholars. (Letterkenny has never had female scholars) I thought about ways that I could mentor these young girls and use my experiences to help shape their lives. So for months, I had this image in my head- coaching young girls. My expectations were about to be completely shattered.

When Faith and I arrived at our first coaching session, we were told we would be working with 16-19 year old boys. Woah! That was a whole different image than what I had in my head. I must admit at first, I was immediately intimated, thinking that the boys would have absolutely no interest in having two female coaches. Looking at them, it seemed as if their first reaction was confusion, as I think they thought they would be getting Chaz (the male scholar here) as their coach. So Faith and I walked over hesitantly and gathered the group in, introduced ourselves, and dove right in to some drills. The boys were not taking us seriously and goofing off. With immediate frustration, I told the boys to get on the line and run a double suicide. (Harsh coach I am, huh?) When we got back into the drills, the boys were still not responding well. After another suicide, we decided to bring them in. Faith and I explained that we are here to help and get them better. I told them that we are going to be with them for the entire year, so we really wanted to make this the experience the best possible for them. The boys were still not responding and it seemed like all they were thinking was, “but you’re a girl!” And I know that all I was thinking was, “teenagers, man!”

I then proceeded to tell the boys that yes, I am girl. However, I played college basketball and I think that I have a lot to offer them. I told them that they have so much potential and we could be a really good team, and even though I am a girl and they are boys-we still play the same game of basketball. There are plenty of male basketball coaches who coach females and vis versa. I then finished my little huddle with telling the boys that we would be pushing them really hard this year. After this, we got right back into the drills and to my surprise, the rest of practice went really well. After the session, the boys all came up to Faith and I and thanked us. I left the practice feeling like we really had gotten through to the boys and it was going to be a great year ahead.

Since that day, every single practice has been hard, intense, fun, and oh so rewarding. I know that when I arrive at practice, the boys are excited to see me and respect me. That’s the most important part: earning respect from these kids. Every session the guys want to work hard, they ask questions, and are getting better week after week. Perhaps the most rewarding moment to date was when we had a late night Friday practice from 9-10pm. The boys finally perfected a drill that they had been struggling with for the past two weeks. You could just tell the excitement on their faces. Even though practice was supposed to end at 10, they wanted to keep playing, so we ended up playing till 10:30pm. This is when it hit me: I love this! No better way to spend a Friday night. I couldn’t believe that 16-19 year old boys wanted to keep going hard in the gym so late at night instead of partying or hanging out with their friends.

Needless to say, these boys have completely shattered my stereotypes of teenage boys and I hope I shattered their stereotypes of female coaches. I will no longer refer to them as “teenagers” but more importantly young men who are becoming truly amazing people on and off the court. It has been an absolute honor and privilege to work with this group and I can’t wait to continue working with them all year. And isn’t that the beauty of this game of basketball? No matter your gender, race, ability, or background, it’s the same game we play. The same game we love. The same game that stole our hearts and changed our lives.