Hey everyone,

The last two weeks have flown by and so much has happened. I’ve flown across the Atlantic and come to Europe for the first time, gotten to meet my fellow Victory Scholars, seen two awesome cities in Belfast and Galway, started school, and attempted to adjust to living in another country. The whole experience has been eye-opening, different, fun, and rewarding. A few of my personal highlights are:

• Getting to meet the other Victory Scholars and everyone associated with Sport Change Life. All of them are extremely positive and it truly does seem like a small family. I also really liked to hear about the history of the company, goals for the future, and some of our responsibilities and opportunities this year.
• Going through coaching class with the one and only Barney Ball. Barney has a vast knowledge of basketball and we were fortunate enough to hear from him and even get to see some demonstrations. He gave us a lot of games and tips that will surely help with our coaching and volunteer work this year.
• Meeting my Titans coaches and teammates. The first night I got to Galway, I was able to meet up with our coach, Paul, and several of our teammates. The next day we got right into it with workouts and practice. The team is full of great guys from all types of different backgrounds and I can’t wait to have some fun with them throughout the year.
• Getting to see NUI Galway. My college back in the states was relatively small and had a community feel to it. NUI Galway seems huge to me. It takes about 15-20 minutes to walk across campus and the school has beautiful, old architecture all over. I’m still trying to see all of it but so far I’m impressed.
• Hiking Cave Hill. On our last day in Belfast, the whole group climbed to the top of Cave Hill and the view did not disappoint. I’ve done a little bit of hiking in New York but the view of the city was something completely different and seemed like it should have been on a post card.

My first few weeks in Ireland have been a lot of fun and a great experience. I’ll try to keep you posted throughout the year so make sure to stop back for more stories and blogs!

This past Sunday I enjoyed a day full of first time experiences.

My day started nice and early with my first ever friendly match against two of the other Victory Scholars. A friendly match is considered a scrimmage in American. That was an exciting time. I hadn’t planned a structured game of basketball with a coach and competitive teammates since my senior season ended in February of 2016. So I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a wee bit nervous. Yet, the team and I pulled out the win and it was a great way to kick off our season. We have a friendly pre-season tournament in Dublin next weekend which I am looking forward too. Go Elks!

My next first experience was being able to watch my first ever Gaelic All Ireland Final and that was thrilling to watch. Some people I’ve talked to said this game is comparable to the Super Bowl. So after my game we into town to watch the final at a bar that was crowded with people, you could barely move around. However, it was an awesome atmosphere to be apart of. The majority of the bar was team Mayo so whenever they scored the bar went nuts, unfortunately they lost but it was still a great game. That was my first time watching Gaelic and I enjoyed every second of it. It’s kind of like a cross between so many sports. If you ever get a chance to watch Gaelic I highly recommend it, it gets extremely intense which makes it so entertaining to watch.

My last two first experiences of the day, of course were beer and food. While at the bar I finally had a chance to taste my first ever Guinness. I don’t think it’d be my go to beer to drink while out here in Northern Ireland haha but it was tasteful. We then finished the afternoon with some delicious food from Chick’n Lick’n. It was soooooooo good.

My day was filled with first time experiences and I cannot thank Sport Changes Life and The Rory Foundation enough for allowing me to have all these first time experiences.

Today was our first basketball friendly game after a few practices with my Ulster University Elks teammates against Team North-West. It was definitely a pleasure seeing some of the other Victory scholars from Letterkenny Institute of Technology (Mak and Faith). We had not seen them since they left Ulster University after our week here for Victory Scholar orientation, so it was great to catch up with them as well as play against them. Now in regards, to actually playing the Friendly match-up game I think it went well, we got the chance to jell with each other on the court in actually game mode. I think we played well together and most importantly we got the chance to see what we needed to work on as a team as well as individually. I believe there were no injuries, or anything else serious so that is always a plus when dealing with contact sports because you never know, you just hope for the best! Oh and just a small side note: we won! Yay go Ulster University Elks! Stay tuned for the rest of our season games.

Adapting to the new surroundings, environment, and culture has been a fun and curious challenge. I am still learning so much about the area around DCU.  I’ve been here for about three weeks now and although it seems like I’ve learned a lot, I still know so little. However, with the little knowledge I do know, I think I’ve learned some helpful tips that could help an new and incoming Dubliner.

Tip 1: You don’t need no car!

So as the “newbee” to the city, I’ve learned that the great majority rely heavily on public transportation or will walk to their destination. I’m not naive and know this is a thing in any city, but being that I’ve always lived in the suburbs, I always drove a car around. The greatness of Dublin bus transportation is that their services are spot on, with the bus coming every 15 minutes. Not only do the buses come every 15 minutes, but most end up going into the city centre. So for the past few weeks, I’ve always left my apartment whenever I pleased and would catch the next bus that pulled up. Easy peasy! Aside from the bus, walking has been a great and adventurous part of my daily routine! Before I came to Ireland, the average steps I would get in a day were around 5,000-10,000 steps. Now, I reach nearly 20,000 steps a day. Such a big difference but a healthy one at that. I’ve learned that walking can be a great time for reflection and an opportunity to just be outside in nature. I guess what I’m trying to say is to embrace the walk and DO NOT forget to look right instead of left when crossing the roads. By habit, I tend to look left first. This is very much the wrong way to turn your head. Here in Ireland, they drive on the opposite side of the road from America, so it is important to note that you MUST LOOK RIGHT or if you want to be extra safe, just look both ways before crossing the road.

Tip 2: The weather is unpredictable

My advice is to seriously prepare for the worst when leaving the house. Mother nature is on her own agenda and she never is in a particular mood. Almost everyday I have experienced her different mood swings literally ranging from all ends of the spectrum. In a day, it will rain, be sunny, be bone chillingly cold, get too warm for the clothes you put on to prepare for the cold, and wind will blow at you and make the rain go sideways. The locals are used to this weather change and some will just wear hoodies around and that is their protection from the rain. However, being that I am from one of the warmest places on this planet with loads of sunshine everyday, I leave my apartment prepared for whatever mother nature throws at me. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to always wear a rain jacket and bring an umbrella.

Tip 3: Grocery bags are not free

Upon my first trips to the grocery store, I stocked up on vegetables, meats, cheeses, snacks, etc. By the end of my round through the store, my shopping cart was filled to the brim. What can I say, I like to eat. Anyway, I get to the cashier and he scans all of my items. When I ask him to put it in bags, he tells me that each bag will cost me 20 cents. “What?” was the first thought that ran through my mind. Unlike America, the grocery bags aren’t complimentary to your trip and because of that, the cashiers don’t bag up your items for you either. Therefore I learned after that first trip that it’s important to bring your own reusable bag to the market. I assume they do this to promote sustainability and an eco-friendly environment. Additionally, after you pay for your groceries you need to place them back into the shopping cart and roll it to the counters alongside the exit of the store. In my first trip, I made the mistake of stuffing everything in a disorganized fashion in my bag near the cash register. Instead what I should have done was take my food and gone to the counters near the exit so I could properly sort out my items.

I’ve learned a couple of other things since I’ve been here but these three tips are probably the ones I would’ve appreciated knowing when I moved into the city. It’s been a wild ride so far and now that the campus is bustling with students, hopefully I’ll get more insight on the do’s and don’ts of Dublin!

There’s no sugar coating this one. I traveled across the pond without my closest inanimate companion, or as I like to call her, Dixie. You’ve seen my videos and all the amazing experiences I’ve had and the breathtaking places I’ve visited thus far, but what I haven’t shared is the process of getting there.

I unfortunately couldn’t haul Dixie across the Atlantic like I did my golf clubs (I’m happy I got to bring those though). The methods of transportation I’ve slowly become accustomed to are not always the quickest or the most convenient. The other day I showed up to Spar with matted, wind blown hair after a 15 minute walk. Luckily I was only getting groceries, but the same has happened heading into Belfast for a night out. It’s made me think that I should probably invest in a pocket sized hairbrush. I also recognize that a 15 minute walk isn’t the most daunting, but I’ve gotten too familiar with hopping in my air conditioned Jeep whenever I please.

I’ve traded my car keys for a pair of walking shoes and rain boots that are already a wee bit worn. Dominic and I had the privilege of walking to Carrickfergus this past week, a neighboring town of Jordanstown. Our walk wasn’t the quickest as it took us over an hour to cover 4 miles, but we did stop several times to admire a few astonishing waterfront views and some overwhelmingly large houses.

I use privilege when talking about our Carrickfergus adventure because it truly is a privilege to be in Northern Ireland; to explore and to get lost only to find my way around. A car would severely limit my ability to wander as I would have a direct method of transportation getting me from point A to point B. I doubt I would’ve stopped to admire the sunny day on the beach and I definitely wouldn’t be getting my recommended 10,000 steps a day.

Regularly taking the train into Belfast, walking besides the Irish Sea to get to the grocery store and taking a taxi to coaching sessions have all been a part of my amazing experience. I’m very lucky to have a car at home, but planning how I will get to my destination here has been a journey I know I need to continue to grow more independent.

If not having Dixie here means spending the next 9 months helping youth, playing golf and traveling, I think she’ll understand when I get home why I had to leave her. I’m excited to continue to navigate my way around this amazing country and hopefully by the end I will have a better sense of direction!

P.S. in addition to missing my car I do miss a lot of other things like my family, my friends and my dog so please don’t think my car is the only thing I miss!!

One thing I’ve most definitely learned since arriving in Ireland, is that very few things ever go as planned. We were told before our departure that we would need to adapt to a more laid back culture, one where buses and people rarely arrived on time and life in general moved a bit more slowly. This would definitely come as a culture shock to many of us Americans who were used to the ‘if you’re not early you’re late’ mentality of college basketball in the U.S. Patience is most definitely a virtue I quickly learned would become essential over the next ten months.

However, I’ve also learned that with patience and unexpected changes in plans comes a silver lining. Last Sunday I visited Howth, a beautiful fishing village right outside of Dublin, with a few other scholars. In classic foreigner fashion we read the bus schedule completely wrong and ended up waiting thirty five minutes for the next bus, only to start our journey just as it began to down pour. Rain in Ireland, shocking I know. But, as soon as we arrived we were greeted by a rainbow over the ocean, and breathtaking views of the harbor that immediately made me feel at home. We then proceeded to walk around the open air market in what seemed like 50 mph winds, with our umbrellas flying in the air and flipping upside down. I guess that’s what you get from an umbrella you buy at Penney’s for three euro. Our day continued on with a walk up to a castle that was in fact closed to the public, but still provided us with some beautiful pictures, sights, and laughs. We ended with a seafood supper that would bring a smile to the most weary traveler, complete with clam chowder, fish n chips, and seafood linguini. We went home happy, full, and rejuvenated, laughing at all of the misfortunes and setbacks that made our day that much more interesting and ultimately memorable.

Mackenzie and I had a similar experience yesterday as we visited Wicklow Mountains National Park and hiked the Spinc trail. Upon exiting the bus we double checked with the driver that the bus would in fact be departing at half seven, to which he then informed us that it would be leaving at half four. Once again, we stepped outside into the gusting wind and rain prepared to embark on a hike that was said to take four hours in under three. We picked up pace and trekked up the steep incline of the first summit where the rain eventually cleared and revealed some of the most breathtaking views I’d ever seen in my entire life. As we briskly jogged across rocky terrain and down wooden paths nearly twisting our ankle several times, we were in absolute awe of the beauty that surrounded us. We were less than two hours outside of the city, and it seemed as though we had entered another world. We experienced every climate and environment during our hike, from rain, to wind, to sun, to rain again. We ended with an hour left to spare before the bus was set to depart, feeling extremely accomplished and impressed with ourselves. Note to self: whenever you think you’ve got it figured out, you don’t. We ended our hike lounging peacefully on a beach waiting to depart before realizing that our bus was in fact leaving from a parking lot that was a fifteen minute walk away. After a ten minute full on sprint we arrived on the final bus home at 4:29, sweating, tired, and relieved that we wouldn’t be stranded in Glendalough for the night.

The moral of the story is that I have definitely been frustrated, confused, and humbled by the lack of structure and consistency in my day to day life since arriving in Ireland. But, more than anything, I’ve learned that with each turn of events comes a new adventure, a chance to learn, and a hilarious story to recount with friends down the road. Sometimes you have to roll with the punches to catch the rainbow.

Reality starts to set in as things begin, and I could not be more excited! Even though school does not start for another week, students are moving into Trinity and the school is becoming even more lively. Because this campus is so beautiful, it is also a big tourist attraction. Last week I even experienced a movie being filmed about 10 steps from my apartment, and another movie was being filmed in the sports center!

I have a lot more time on my hands with school not being in session yet, so I have been traveling as much as possible. This past week I went to Howth, a fishing village on the northern boundary of Dublin Bay. While I was there, I visited a historical castle, tried the seafood chowder (probably the best chowder I’ve ever had), and walked along the harbor. Aside from that trip, I also went to visit Wicklow National Park, which is by far my favorite trip thus far. This park has multiple trails to hike with gorgeous views of mountains, rivers, and lakes where you can see for miles (as shown in the pictures above). I cannot wait to go back there to show my family when they come to visit, it is a MUST see place when visiting Ireland.

As for this coming week, orientation for classes begin, basketball and coaching are picking up, and the Meteors have our first game/tournament. I think our team has the potential to be very good this year, so we will keep working hard to make that happen! 

Best of luck to all the Victory Scholars are their club teams!!

As a basketball player my go to bag has always been my basketball one. No matter if I’m attending a game, a graduation or a wedding, I just naturally grab that one. Since I’ve been in Ireland, my basketball bag seems to be the only important thing that I bought from home – besides my trusty umbrella and rain boots because everybody knows how much I love the rain.
Anyway, it was our first day moving into our new housing for the school year. My fellow Victory Scholar Alex and I decided to go shopping to get some of the things that we were in need of. I approached the cash register with my cart full of various items that I had picked up. The lady began to ring them up but I noticed that she wasn’t placing them in bags. I figured she would just do it after because maybe the bags were underneath the register or something. She eventually told me my total but as I swiped my card she just stared at me. I smiled awkwardly and said “May I have some bags for my items?” She chuckled as she responded back, “That will be 1 Euro please.”

Waittttttt…hold up…rewind…lol
I was shocked as I asked, “You have to pay for bags here?” She said simply, “Yes.” Of course by this time there’s an entire line of people waiting behind me and she can’t take the next customer because all of my stuff is still on the counter. At this point I’m a little panicked and feeling even more awkward than before when I remembered my favorite item. My Nike basketball bag. I slid my lovely book bag off of my back and began to stuff all of the items I had into it. See, where I’m from the supermarkets provide you with bags. Sometimes with so many bags that we can use them as trash bags, to put flour in when we fry chicken, and even as wrapping paper. After thanking the cashier, Alex and I exited the store with no supermarket bags but one very heavy Nike book bag.
Ever since that day, I haven’t gone anywhere without my bookbag. It has come in handy numerous times over my three week stay already – even more so than my favorite umbrella and rain boots!So my tip to you this week is that if you plan on coming to visit this lovely place bring a book bag, it will save you a Euro 🙃
Bless up

-TC3

Our Master’s program is officially beginning! This past week Chaz, Mak, and I had our international student and Master’s course orientations. LYIT’s campus atmosphere is light-hearted and neighborly. Chaz was able to switch into the marketing course with me and Mak so now we all have the same schedule! During these orientations, we were able to meet a few of our professors and classmates. We actually are not the only students that travelled across the Atlantic for school this year – it was surprising, yet cordial, to hear familiar North American accents in Letterkenny. We met two girls who are both studying design media: one from Canada and another from the States who actually lives about 20 minutes away from Mak’s hometown! Small world, right?! Everyone that we have met so far in the LYIT community has been tremendously helpful and kind. It’s made me so excited to start the Master’s program next week (aka the 17^th grade!).

Aside from school, we’ve had quite a few opportunities to work and coach with the local community club teams: Mulroy Hoops and Blaze Basketball. The kids are great; they are excited for us to coach and they genuinely want to learn more about the game of basketball. You couldn’t ask for a better group of kids to work with! As time progresses, I’m looking forward to seeing each of them develop into better basketball players and, more importantly, leaders both on and off the court.

This upcoming weekend, Mak and I have a scrimmage against the Ulster Elks in Jordanstown. We’ll be playing against Victory Scholars Nia Moore and Natalya Lee! It’s going to be great to see them again and be able to catch up with what they’ve been doing since we all left Belfast. Then the following weekend, Mak and I have our first away weekend tournament for our National league team in Spain. Yes, you read that right….in SPAIN! I’m sure you can only imagine how excited we are to have the chance to travel and play, in yet, another (!!!) country. We’ll be missing Chaz’s first home game, but I’ll be sure to grab a post card while we’re over there to make it up to him (LOL). Be sure to stay updated with me on social media to follow our weekend trip on and off the court in Spain!

“Why can’t you borrow money from a leprechaun?”

“Cause they’re always a little short!”

As we finished our week in Belfast, it was finally time to depart to our own cities and say our see you laters to our new scholars and friends.  Since Maddy and I were in Cork, the southern most tip of Ireland, it was going to be a long journey as we first had to drop off our friends going to Waterford.  Even though a long drive down to Cork, it was a fun and exciting one as we traveled through the whole country of Ireland.  As we arrived to Cork we were greeted by what else but rain. At this point though, I have started to like the light drizzle each day.  We went to our accommodation, got settled in for a couple hours, then headed to my first training session that same night! I entered Neptune Stadium and everyone was so friendly and welcoming, trying to learn more about their new American.  I then took a tour of the facility and the amount of enthusiasm and passion they had for their basketball club was incredible.  They started telling me the storied past and history of the club and you could tell how much pride everyone had for this team.  As I met teammates and started to practice there was a level of energy that mirrored a college basketball practice which showed to me that this team and club took their basketball very seriously which made me ecstatic.

The next day, Maddy and I toured the city and it is one of the coolest cities I have ever been to.  We found in the heart of Cork City, The English Market, which is a roofed food market, and has been trading since 1788.  The market is actually one of the oldest municipal markets of it’s kind in the world.  It had everything from fresh seafood, meat, chocolate, pastries, coffee, and more.  You name it they had it! The best item I enjoyed though was an O’Flynns Gourmet Sausage with grilled onions, battered onion bits, garlic mayo, ketchup, and another red brown sauce that I could not tell you what it was, but it was delicious.

I was thrown right into the fire with coaching Neptune’s U14 team as well.  Two days after arrival, I was heading down to Limerick to coach the team in a preseason tournament.  It was great to meet all the players and parents and to start getting used to the team I’d be coaching. Unfortunately we came in second in the tournament, but I was very proud about how hard they played each game.

So all in all an exciting and entertaining first bit in Cork and I am so eager to take on what this city has to offer!!!

Until next time!!

I have had the privilege of working with so many different groups of kids that has been extremely rewarding and fun and to think I’ve only been here for a month. I still have 8months to go with all these awesome wee lads and lassies.

When first meeting the kids it’s not always the easiest, us scholars will sometimes get one or two out of the bunch that are a little more outgoing and will jump right into getting to know us but usually it’s a pretty awkward first session.

Howeverrrrrrrr, once the kids are comfortable with us it’s never ending conversations of inquisitive fun.

I’ve gotten asked,

• “Do I have a swimming pool in my backyard?”
• “Are the house parties like they are on t.v.?”
• “What’s some of the American slang?” (I couldn’t even answer that question because I had no idea ha).
• “What is Thanksgiving?”
• “What is your Snapchat Score and Streak?”

Questions that I find to have no value, these kids are thrilled to know the answers too.

The best is when we all get talking about ways we say different words. Some of the kids find some much interest in our accents. I’ve heard that we have such soft accents and they enjoy listening to us talk to we sound out every letter in every word it’s funny to them. Some have asked why do we say things the way we do. For instance, one girl asked me, why do you guys say “mom?,” it’s “mum!” I said no way! (That was the best ha). There are plenty other questions and comments us scholars have received from the kids that I could go on and on about. These kids are so fun and you can see the genuine interest they have into getting to know us but little do they know us scholars have just as much interest in getting to know them and their culture.

The kids of Ireland make this journey away from home a lot more easier. They bring so much fun, enthusiasm, and interest to our days that I feel we all need. I’m glad I was given this opportunity because as much as I am trying to raise the aspirations of these kids, these kids are raising mine as well.

After spending much of the first week playing and running basketball camps it was great to get back to golf. This week Kristen and I completed our first session of golf camps at Holywood and after one day spent with the kids it is clear how much golf is loved in Northern Ireland. All the kids were so eager to learn and full of energy, they were especially curious about the United States. I got all sorts of questions ranging from where I was from to my personal favorite, if I knew Tiger Woods. I also learned how popular Disney World is in Northern Ireland, as it seems almost all of the kids have gone on vacation there at some point.

Kristen and I also had our first meeting for the Ulster University Golf team, which was really exciting. We did various ice breaker activities and some team building before going into the season and expectations. The amenities that are available to us are great and will give all the members of the team to make the most of their potential. Along with a strength & conditioning coach and workout plan we have a professional golf coach and range to practice at. I feel extremely grateful that I have a chance to continue to play the sport I love for another year and am looking forward to the first tournament of the season.

These past two weeks in Limerick have flown by. It’s mostly been spent getting settled in and meeting a ton of people. Since classes don’t start until Monday, I’ve had time to explore Limerick and coach a lot of age groups of the Limerick Celtics. My main team is going to be the Under 16 boys. I’ve been able to coach them a few times already and it has been good to get to know them and see what their strengths and weaknesses are as players. I am really excited to be with this group and looking forward to seeing how much we can improve through the year. I’ve also helped coach teams all the way from Under 10 boys and girls, to the Under 18 boys. This has provided me with the opportunity to meet many families all throughout the club. Meeting the families has been the most rewarding experience so far. Everyone has been so nice and accommodating to Liz and I. Different members of the club have helped us out including taken us shopping, driving us to practice, and making us dinner (which is huge because I can’t cook). Coming to a completely new country and being dropped into the middle of a new community thousands of miles from home is really difficult, but it has been made a lot easier because of how welcoming and helpful the families have been.

I want to give a special shout out to my Coach Tony and his wife Michelle for everything they have done for us. They’ve made us members of their family. They’ve made us dinner on numerous occasions, picked things up for our apartment, and even invited us over to help out at their 7 year old daughter’s birthday party. With as much going on in their lives, including running the entire Celtic’s club, they have been able to look after us and make sure we have everything we need.

This weekend is a big basketball weekend for the Celtics. Last weekend we had a preseason tournament in Carlow. This weekend is opening weekend for the National League. The Celtics were recently promoted to the National League, so this is the first National League game ever. We have a 3 hour drive to Sligo with tipoff at 7:30. Our squad is really excited and ready to get the season started. Check in for results on the Celtic’s Facebook page or basketballireland.ie and make sure to check out my video on Facebook to get an exclusive behind the scenes gameday video of the first ever Celtic’s National League game!

Hello hello! There is one week to go until I can say I’ve been in Ireland for an entire month, which somewhat seems like an underestimate but is also somehow very hard to grasp. While Ireland is obviously an English-speaking country (allegedly) and mostly similar to the States, it – and being a Victory Scholar – still has so many new and different experiences to offer. The first word that comes to mind when immersing myself in these novel things, sayings, traditions, and overall environments is refreshing.

In addition to all of the hilarious lingo I’ve been learning and the abundance of amazing student food deals (@Apache), one of the most prominent times I realized this was at my first practice coaching the girls U18 Brunell team. The team, while technically being chosen as the “B” group, had a great attitude and we had an upbeat first session. As it was coming to the end of our one-hour allotted time for the court, our 4v4 scrimmage was coming down to the wire. Noticing the time running down I announced that the next basket would win, then we’d be done. The girls stopped and one of them turned to me yelling, “No can we just keep playing?!” Her eagerness to keep playing, echoed by the rest of the team, made me immediately smile and reminded me of my friends and I playing basketball when we were younger for simple and competitive fun. While playing college basketball in the States was an amazing experience for me that I would do over and over and over again, at times throughout my four years (as most college athletes do) I lost that childlike, pure connection with and love for the game. With that, it was exciting and refreshing to witness this moment here in Ireland because I realized how revitalizing both coaching these girls and playing myself is going to be.

Another one of the times over the past few weeks I noticed something majorly different was in the classroom at Cork IT. After emailing a few of my professors (or lecturers as they call them here) for weeks addressing them as Dr. X or Professor Y, I quickly came to realize in person that students are free to address their lecturers by their first name. While seemingly a trivial thing to my fellow classmates, in my mind calling a professor I just met by their first name felt extremely wrong, weird and funny. Now that I’m getting used to it, however, I’ve realized that it is yet another example of the comfortable and welcoming atmosphere here. Although it might be specific to CIT or being a masters student, and I am already very much used to having good relationships with professors from Holy Cross – regardless – this personable environment has been so refreshing and has made me excited to delve into my academic program in International Business.

So, whether it’s getting weird looks when asking for an *iced* Americano, getting laughed at for mispronouncing multiple Cork travel destinations (by the way Inchydoney Beach is NOT said like its spelt), having players ask for practice to go longer, or feeling bizarre addressing a lecturer by their first name, all of these novelties have been extremely (you guessed it) refreshing, and I’m so thankful that there are many more to come.

“Real craft is born of necessity, forged in adversity, and perfected over generations.” These words were spoken to me regarding the wonderfully crafted Smithwicks, an exquisite, ruby-red ale famously brewed in the historic town of Kilkenny. Albeit these wise words were spoken from a 21st century holographic depicting a 12th century monk, they ring true nonetheless. This quote has stuck with me and has made me reflect on the crafts that have come to fruition in my short time here in Ireland.

A personal favorite craft of mine is what some call the “gift of gab”, and there is no better place to be for this. Lost in the Dublin train station? No worries, reach out to the older couple to your left. Not only did they point me to the right direction, they gave me a brief history of their colorful life, including their best times in the U.S and all the right places to go throughout Ireland. Wandering about the medieval sections of Kilkenny? Spark a conversation with a local guide, he/she will tell you things that you can’t find in a little tourist handout. Wether it’s a quick haircut with the local barber, a few hours next to an elderly couple listening to traditional Irish music, or refusing to look at Google Maps and just asking for directions, easy conversation is a rich experience and a great way to connect with locals.

Another craft that has been so vital in my life is, of course, the game of basketball. While I haven’t quite perfected it, this craft has brought me much joy in the little time I have been here. I have taken this game for granted. Admittedly, sometimes I have viewed basketball as trivial work or a grueling chore, but I know this is the wrong way to look at such a wonderful game. My craft has allowed me to connect with very many people in the community, be regarded as a leader on the court, looked up to as a coach and mentor, and is a great conversation starter in times of some seemingly uncomfortable small talk.

I look forward to expanding on the crafts that have taken me this far and eager to begin new crafts that this country is bound to bestow upon me

The Preseason has officially come to an end for the Ulster Elks club team. This past weekend, we traveled down to Carlow IT for a preseason round robin tournament. It reminded me of playing AAU games back in America because we played 3 games Saturday and 2 on Sunday. We ended up winning all 5 of the games, and left as champions with individuals medals and one pretty sweet looking trophy. The downside is, the regular season starts this weekend and that tournament, you guessed it, counted for absolutely nothing.

The good thing about this tournament is that we now have good momentum heading into the regular season. We got revenge on the Dublin Lions who beat us the week before and also got the best of some other Victory Scholars over the weekend. Also, Matt (The other American on the Elks) I and got our first experience of Ireland hotels and having 2 Lithuanians as neighbors. (Pictured Below)

It only took one weekend to learn that they are great guys and exceptional basketball players. Until next time, Lets Go Elks!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Basketball Ireland

This past weekend I along with my teammates on the Ulster Elks traveled south to play in a preseason tournament in Carlow. The competition included teams throughout the country from Dublin, Limerick, Kilkenny, and Carlow. On Saturday, we played 3 games going 3-0 earning the first seed in the playoffs the upcoming day, which the pictures above show that we had similar success. A 5-0 weekend, winning my first piece of Irish hardware, and completing the preseason on a great note is an exciting way to be heading into the regular season this Sunday.

Is it weird playing in a new uniform across the Atlantic? Absolutely it is but it truly is a surreal experience. Growing up in the Midwest you become accustomed to a style of basketball, training/coaching methods, etc; however playing in Ireland against people from Lithuania, Spain, Croatia, opens my eyes to other elements of basketball. Shown below is a picture of Luke (other bball Victory Scholar) and I with our two Lithuanian teammates, Darius and Tomas. Although they may be hard to understand at times, they are teaching me the Lithuanian ways of basketball along with their language. Not sure if it is a good or bad thing considering red bull is basically their Gatorade, but it could not be more of an entertaining and educational experience. I’m thankful that all of my teammates are welcoming and who knows maybe my next blog will be partially in Lithuanian!

Cheers,

Matthew

You knew it wasn’t going to take me that long to talk about the food here. Back at home my parents called me chowder and the black hole for a reason. I just love to eat a “wee” bit more than the average person. (Google “cartoon character chowder” for reference). And the food here in Ireland has yet to be a disappointment. I’m more so disappointed that it took me this long to come here.

So first I’ll talk about Maxol, which is one of the sponsors for the Waterford Wildcats. Meghan and I are allowed one meal a day here which is AMAZING. I usually get a sandwich with breaded chicken, bacon, cheese, and scallions. Pop that in the oven and it’s heaven😍. We are also fortunate enough to get a meal from our other sponsor, the Granville Hotel, on the weekends. The food here is great and always gives me that “home-cooked meal” vibe. Today I had the salmon with vegetables and mashed potatoes. I tend to eat the food really slow here so I can savor every bite because it is just that good.

Another thing I can’t stop eating are the sweets! Meg and I popped into a cute cafe in the city centre called Berfranks. I ordered a Belgium waffle with chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and strawberries. Need I say more??😍😍

I am also a big fan of the doughnut shops in town, O Nuts Donuts and Dinky Donuts. Each shop creates a freshly made doughnut that literally just melts in your mouth.

And last but not least, I have become the biggest fan of these cookies I got from Aldi. I blame Coach Hayes for putting these cookies into our shopping carts because since then I have not been able to stop eating them😣. They are chocolate chip cookies, BUT… they have a chocolate covered bottom! Crunchy on the outside, but very soft in the middle, creating the perfect balance of cookie and chocolate💜.  All I know is that it’s a good thing training has started.😊

Valuing our experiences is something I think we struggle with while we are young because we are always in a rush.  I remember there were many times while I was at Monmouth that I was just so excited to complete my degree and live the “adult life”.  Mind you, I had no clue what that life was, but I just longed for it.  Very rarely did I take the time to really appreciate all aspects of my college life, which included playing the sport I loved.  So I learned the hard way with that mindset because after graduating a year ago, I slowly began to miss my college experience, especially basketball. During that year, I found myself lost in what I wanted to do and I constantly doubted my abilities and myself.  Fortunately, my head coach from Monmouth reminded me about the opportunity at Sport Changes Life and encouraged me to apply.  I was extremely nervous because I had been out of school for a year; therefore I had not played organized basketball in a while.  However, I knew it was something I had to do in order to step outside of my comfort zone and to be a part of something impactful.  Ultimately, in turn, I hoped it would help me with my personal growth.  So the day that I received the confirmation email from Aimee was one of the happiest days of my life because it helped me reaffirm myself.  Now that I have been in Ireland for about two weeks, I know that this decision will be one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made, just as long as I take hold of the opportunities here.  I am making an effort to soak in every inch of this new environment so that I am constantly reminded of its value.  I am grateful to be here and to be able give back to a community that will help me grow as a person.  Thank you to the Rory Foundation and Sport Changes Life for giving young people like me this opportunity to find ourselves.

People weren’t lying when they said Galway was one of the best places in Ireland. Galway is absolutely beautiful! We arrived on a great day, it was sunny and warm with no sign of rain. As we were trying to figure out exactly where Niland house was, I remember thinking, “I will be so happy if it’s on this street”. The street was full of people, there were so many little shops, and hanging from the sky were those banner things with the triangles attached (I’m not sure of the proper name). I lucked out and my apartment was on the street!

A little bit of a maze to get to but the apartment itself was really nice. It’s me, Keegan, and two other German foreign exchange students. Neither Keegan nor I knew we would be living with other people so that was definitely an initial shock to both of us. I personally have lucked out and managed to live essentially by myself or had my own room all 4 years of undergrad. I lived with 3 of my teammates my junior year in a townhouse. But, that was no biggie because I had my own room and I was living with people I knew. I have my own room, but this is definitely a uhm… adjustment for me since I’m living with 3 strangers. I know most people have roommates in undergrad so this would have been no big deal. But I didn’t, so at 22 I’m now having this experience. I’m not uncomfortable but I wouldn’t say I’m completely comfortable, if that make sense. Like I stay in my room most of the time because I don’t feel comfortable enough yet to just chill in the living room… it doesn’t feel like home yet. But I know I will get there eventually because the view from my living room is amazing! We have great big bay style windows that overlooks the docks. We also have a balcony that overlooks it to. I need to take advantage of that because I don’t know if I’ll live somewhere with this kind of view again.
Other than me needing to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, I’m enjoying myself! Galway seriously has some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Our first night in I met Keegan’s Coach Paul Langan, a couple of his club teammates, and Joe Coughlan. They welcomed us with such open arms! And coming from the U.S where people generally aren’t like that it kind of takes you back at first. Like you start to think, “why are they being so nice?”, “what does this person get out of this/what’s their end game”. But it’s not like that here, no one has an end game or an ulterior motive. People are nice because … well that’s that you’re supposed to be! You’re not supposed to take advantage or only engage with a person because of what they can do for you… I really like that, I really like their energy. One key thing about me is I’m very into energies. And if someone is giving off bad or negative energy, I don’t spend too much time with them because then that can suck up your good energy. Paul Langan and Joe Coughlan have very good energy, I can’t wait to further get to know them and meet my team and just make some friends here in Galway.

When we arrived in Belfast for training, we were told that one of the main goals of Sport Changes Life was to “raise aspirations of the young people we work with in Ireland.” Taking this in to consideration- my fellow scholars and I began our first week of coaching and working with youth in Letterkenny.

We worked with various groups of boys and girls of all ages. We were able to work with Mulroy Hoops and the Letterkenny Blaze. Each group brought with them different skills, personalities, and challenges. However, all of these groups brought with them smiles, eagerness to learn something new, and gratitude. Each coaching session, all of the kids would be asking us to give them tips or new drills for them to work on. The passion that all of these children have for the game of basketball and their willingness to get better isinspiring. The gratitude they have is even more inspiring, as after every single session almost every child came up to me individually to thank me. In American, we are so fortunate to have AAU basketball, easy access to gyms, easy access to basketballs, local teams to play on, and college basketball scholarships. Here in Ireland, that isn’t the case for these kids. You wouldn’t believe how hard it was for me to find a girls basketball and a gym to shoot at. (Where I have to pay each time and they won’t turn the lights on for me) Most kids have to drive 45min-60min to just get to a practice for a club team, and they don’t get their full college education paid for because they are good at basketball. Yet – these are the most thankful and appreciate people I have met. They play the sport for the sole reason that they genuinely love it.

All I can say back is thank you. When basketball ended for me a year ago- I was burnt out. Frustrated. Lost love for the sport that was once my whole world. The fun was taken out of the game. When I watch these kids play, watch their passion and gratitude, my heart goes back to that first time I fell in love with basketball. And it’s not just the kids- it is the entire community as well. The parents, families, basketball clubs, and their willingness to drive us to coaching and training sessions and take care of us in a foreign country is amazing. All I can say is I am so thankful. Thankful that these incredible people of Letterkenny have raised my aspirations, raised my love for the game again.

So while I am on this journey to “raise the aspirations of the young people I work with,” the amazing people in Letterkenny have already raised my aspirations and given me a completely different perspective on the world, and for that I am so thankful.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog- a look into my national league team and the amazing families who have become my new family!

I was in first grade when the 9/11 attacks happened. My family was living on Long Island at the time. I remember leaving school early that day with my brother Sean, but no one told us why. We finally got home and my parents were on the phone with the TV on. I was so confused what was happening. There was panic and fear in the atmosphere. My Mom and Dad sat me and Sean down at our kitchen table and told us, “A bad man has flown planes into the twin towers”. As a 6 year old, I couldn’t wrap my head around how this was possible. From that day on, the world changed. I am now 22 years old, 16 years have passed, but it still feels like yesterday. Just like the rest of the nation, it will be a day I will never forget for the rest of my life. We will always remember both those who lost their lives in the tragic attack and those who dedicated theirs to help assist others and the community afterwards. From across the Atlantic and over 3,000 miles away from home, my heart, thoughts, and prayers are with those who lost their loved ones and those who sacrificed their lives in the face of fear to help others.

We will never forget.

When I found out that I would be helping Jim Walsh coach his 14 and 15 year old girls team in Kilcock, I could not have been more excited. I have loved the game of basketball since I was 6 years old, but I really started to see the effects of basketball when I was in high school. Basketball brought me to some of my best friends, provided me with countless opportunities, and most importantly basketball helped shaped my character. Basketball helped me with time management and drastically helped my confidence. Basketball was such a vital part of my life when I was 14, so I am so excited to help these amazing girls find a love for the game and show them all that basketball has to offer.

I first met the Kilcock basketball team last week at practice. I could immediately see their potential. They are such great athletes and most of them had played Gaelic football, so they were familiar with the physicality of basketball. The girls continued to impress me when we competed in a tournament in Dublin and they made it to the semifinals! This was they first time all of the girls had played together so I was so proud of their effort and I was so excited to think about the potential for the rest of the season.

They best part about this team is their willingness to listen and learn. They want to get better and they want to win, and honestly that is one of the most important aspects of basketball. I can’t wait to see all of the girls’ confidence grow on and off the court and watch them become not only amazing basketball players, but also amazing young women. I am honored to be a part of the Kilcock team and I am very excited for the rest of the season!

So this past Friday, I along with my two ulster university roommates representing for the ladies, Natalya and Kristen, had the pleasure of attending Belfast Model School for girls for our Honor Roll program we are also doing with Stephen every week. We had the chance to connect and be active with a small group of girls and replace the physical education time. We played a couple of active games as well as some that just got them laughing and interacting and some involving each body to participate like comin up with a group handshake and name. We also split up into small groups to settle down and one on one conversation with the girls. I in my opinion, had the energetic girls, they were very eager to ask me question about America, apparently they were big fans of the High school movie series and wanted to know whether or not the schools were like that in real life lol. They also wanted to know if I knew any famous people of course that they have only seen on television. We ended the session with making some rules we all would follow for our group contract just so that everyone would enjoy and get the best out of the time we had with the ladies. Overall I think we had a good time and the ladies enjoyed there selves. The school was beautiful and big, and their sports facilities were very nice. I look forward to seeing the girls next week and encouraged them to come back so we could see their lovely faces again.

First time at the sportchangeslife  office and I definitely enjoyed myself. We had the pleasure of seeing Marc, Aimee, and Julie working in their atmosphere which was a pleasure. But the real reason for our visit was to make some promo videos for our eHOOPs mentoring program we do on Wednesday nights. Stephen informed us on the fact that these videos would help give our participants an idea of what to expect each week and what activity we possibly could partake in. We gathered some materials and equipment that we needed out of the storage room and a couplepractice test videos in and the ulster crew were practically pros at making promo videos. We had full creative direction so our videos were filled with humor and fun which I thought was great for the audience that would see them. We also had the pleasure of Aimee teaching us the proper way to make tea, after a couple incorrect test runs by Matt and Dominic failed.

Just when we thought we were done filming, Marc introduced and gave us the challenge of making one more video, this time we were giving the task of being reporters. Making a video for the up and coming Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic reporter competition. This video took a little more effort and some getting out of our comfort zones but ultimately it was Marc’s decision whether he would actually use the video or not. We have fun making them regardless outside the SSE Arena. Be sure to spread the word and get the buzz out there about the big event coming to Belfast this year!

We finally made it to Ireland and everyone was happy to step off the plane.  Only two more bus rides and we had finally made it to Ulster University in Jordanstown, Northern Ireland. I could not wait for the coming week to start to get to know all these scholars, learn more about what the program had in store for us and to work with these incredible kids.  One of the first nights we went into a recreation centre where we were able to play with the youth in various different sports. One boy and I though spent time mostly reenacting soccer plays and Cristiano Ronaldo celebrations.

The kids were so welcoming as they taught us the native lingo, their favorite foods, and all the new sports we had no idea about.  We also worked through the program eHoops, where disadvantaged youth come in for about three hours and work with our program. We do physical activity for an hour and a half, then we have a discussion about a certain topic for an hour and half and have pizza to wrap it up.  It was eye opening to see what these sixteen to twenty-four year olds have been through, and how a program can help reshape their life onto a positive track.  So far an incredible journey, it means a lot to help and mentor youth, and to be a positive role model and bond even though from different cultures is marvelous.

Hello again world!

So our timing arriving to Waterford could not have been more perfect!  We just so happened to have arrived during the same weekend that the All-Ireland Hurling Final was taking place, and lucky for us Waterford was in the final. Waterford has not won in 58 years, so to say the locals were excited is an understatement.  Everywhere we looked there were blue and white flags, house decorations, shirts, hats, scarves, face paint, car flags, etc. The town was quite literally painted in blue and white!

Jas and I were a little confused as to what hurling was exactly, but apparently it is the number one sport here in Ireland.  Someone compared it to the Super Bowl, so that gives you an idea of just how big this game is across the country.  We were excited to head down to the City Centre to soak in the atmosphere and learn a new sport!  There were thousands of people lining the streets here in Waterford.  In the middle of the City Centre there were two huge viewing screens up for people to watch the game. There were so many people down there you couldn’t move in either direction. It had been so long since Waterford has won a Final, you could feel the hope and pride of the crowd as the game began.

I have never seen any game quite like hurling.  I would describe it as a mix between rugby and lacrosse.  It is one of the most physical sports I’ve ever witnessed, and the pace of the game is so fast it kept me mesmerized the entire time (I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen!).  The ball moves so fast up and down the field with guys being hit and thrown in every direction I wasn’t sure where to look at times!  It is definitely a fun sport to watch and I would highly suggest for those of you who have no idea what it is to look it up and watch a match or two.  It’s is pretty interesting to witness, especially because (to my knowledge) there is no sport out there that allows as much contact as these guys were dishing out.  It basically looked like a brawl the entire time, but it’s worth your time to google it and see if it peeks an interest!

It was a tight match the entire 70+ minutes, both teams battling back and forth the whole time.  The “oohs” and “ahhs” throughout the entirety of the game, with everyone getting a little more nervous as the clock ticked closer and closer to the end.  I even found myself getting nervous and wanting Waterford to win, the energy in the crowd was contagious!  Unfortunately, with the final buzzer sounding, Galway had defeated Waterford by only 3 points.

Even though this city has been desperately waiting for a win, the members of the Waterford hurling team truly gave it their all, and you couldn’t help but applaud the effort.  Which is exactly what everyone around us did.  Even in defeat the Waterford hurling team were still hero’s to this community.  That was evident the next day when everyone came back and lined the streets yet again to welcome them all home.  It was something pretty special to witness because in America you don’t tend to see sports teams being embraced and welcomed home in such a way when they have lost. Normally only the winners have a special welcome home parade.  So the camaraderie in this city is something truly special, and just makes me that much more thankful to be in this incredible place.

Hope you enjoyed this blog, stay tuned for more posts and videos!

Have a great day!

-Meg