Wow. Some crazinessss is up ahead!!! The months of April and May are going to be insane with school work!!! Keep me motivated and keep me focused, my friends! But good thing it’s still March—we got Saint Paddy’s Day (yes, it’s Paddy’s not Patty’s according to the locals) and playoffs for Superleague! 🙂 We won today which secured our playoff spot so S/O to ussss.

My dad also came and visited which was so fun! We toured the city center, Temple Bar, the Guinness Storehouse, and he was able to watch practice and a game. It was just like old times hearing him up in the stands—loud and clear (haha). It was great to catch up and for him to see my world out here. It was also great eating a bunch of pub grub and sharing a few pints 🙂 The only thing about him visiting here was that it made me miss home a little! I’ll be back for a little at the end of May, but I return to Ireland for my practicum for the duration of the summer. I’m actually excited about this because I don’t think I’ll be ready to leave beautiful Ireland in May! I’m glad I have the summer to explore a little bit more.

Hmmm what else??

My awesome under 20s crew won the Dublin Cup final last week so that was really exciting! We have two more games left and (hopefully) still a chance at playoffs. Prayers welcome!!!! I can’t wait to see what unfolds in the next few months once basketball and coaching is over—I’ll definitely have more time to travel aside from school, which I’m pumped about.

Stay in touch, my friends! I love you all. xoxo     

Hi guys, this blog post should be awesome. I hope you all enjoy!

As I started talking about in the last blog, the rematch, this time for the All-Ireland Championship in Dublin, against Dundalk IT was set. We knew it was going to be tough for Jack and me to have another 80 point performance so I anticipated a difficult game. 

On a quick side note before I discuss the game, my former college coach, Dave Pauley, flew into Dublin the day before. It was a complete coincidence that he happen to be in Dublin the day of the championship game. So it was perfect timing that he could come watch the biggest game of the year. 

Now back to the game, I don't know if some of the guys were tight, but regardless it started out very poorly. We missed a couple of early shots and they weren't missing. We were in a hole early. Not the ideal start. You could certainly tell they made adjustments and were much more prepared for us this time around. The entire game we were behind, we would cut their lead to two points and then, bang they would go on a run. We just couldn't get over the hump! I just kept playing my game, driving the ball and getting to the foul line. It was working well but wasn't getting us over that hump. Our big problem was we just couldn't get stops on defense. Finally, driving the ball paid off, we fouled out some of their key guys and with a few minutes left in the game, we made a massive run. We forced the game into overtime and from there it was smooth sailing. We ended up winning by 13. Letterkenny IT, National Champs!!!! Not easy by any means, but the fact that we had to work so hard to get it made it that much better.

It was something I will never forget. It was just fantastic for the community. Taking a team that lost every game the last 4 years in the lower division to winning the All-Ireland Championship in the second division is amazing. It was one of the most rewarding accomplishments because of how meaningful it is to everyone here. It's something I can't describe in writing. 

Being a foreigner, I didn't really understand the importance or recognition of winning a national championship. However, over the next couple days, I quickly learned. People have been making a huge deal out of it here. I also learned that it was the first basketball championship in school's history and one of the few that the school has in any sport. 

Nevertheless, the guys on the team were thrilled. It has also allowed Jack and me to become a lot closer with guys on the team. Many of which I'll stay in contact with and will always joke around with about our unforgettable 2017 LYIT season.

Moments like these make me feel that what I am doing and achieving out here is totally worth it! With this win, Jack and I have accomplished everything we set out to do. Looking at it now, I do not think there is any way we could have had more of impact here!

Lastly, it couldn't have worked out any better, winning and having Coach Pauley in attendance. In my next blog, I'll talk about Coach's trip up to Letterkenny. It should definitely be an interesting read!

Also if you want to rewatch the Championship click:  Letterkenny IT vs. Dundalk IT

This past week was a great one, not only for me, but for a lot of other people as well. On Wednesday, the LIT men’s basketball team, along with myself, were able to achieve a big accomplishment in winning the Division 3 college national cup. This marked the first time in the history of the school that they were able to do so, as they have recently been trying to expand the basketball program to improved standards.

 

The great thing about winning the cup championship was the fact that it brought such a great amount of pride to my teammates, as well as all of those involved in the athletic department. Most of the members of our team have never truly competed in anything as substantial as an All-Ireland final, so the sense of joy and exuberance was something you could easily see as the buzzer went off. For those involved in the athletic department, such as Wayne and Adrian (two people that make LIT sports what it is), accomplishing a feat of this magnitude gave them something to show extreme pride in, and provided a stepping stone to hopefully get more individuals too come play basketball for the school who are not only from Ireland, but other parts of the globe as well.

 

My teammates and the members of the LIT sports department (such as Wayne and Adrian) have been amazing people to be around all year. They have done so much for me, and are always showing attempts to make my experience in Ireland a great one. Being able to win a championship and bring a cup back to LIT for them, is something I am truly grateful to have been able to do.

 

Getting a chance to reflect the last couple days on the game and the chance to win such a monumental game has made me even more appreciative in my time at LIT because of the sheer fact that this whole experience is bigger than me. My opportunity being over here has gave me the ability to meet and impact many lives. However, many people (who probably are not even aware of it) have impacted my life more than imaginable, and left memories and values that will be Instilled in me forever.

 

DB

It is official, eGOLF is now over! I had such a fun time coaching the kids at Acorn Primary over the last weeks. I was happy to be able to help the kids and teach them a little about golf and some small life lessons in between. Those kids definitely looked forward to every Wednesday when I would come in and teach them. They all had such large smiles on their faces and couldn’t wait to see what the lesson plan was for the day. To be fair, I definitely learned a bit about myself over the weeks I was there. I came to realize that I really am making a difference in these kids lives, and there is really no greater satisfaction than that. I really hope that next years golf scholars can have has much fun as I did delivering the program. They will have a lot to live up to if they go back to Acorn!

So, this month SCL has created something where the scholars and some of the guys from SCL walk certain areas at night getting to know the area and see if we can make a difference to some of the kids that out there. Now, these kids are troubled so to speak and need a little bit of guidance in their lives. So, that’s what our objective is. To see if we can help them! Before the walks stared, I’ll admit, I was skeptical of it. I wasn’t sure if this was even going to work. I mean, how would you feel if you were in a park at night with your buddies, and some strangers came up to you and asked you what you’re doing and where you are going tonight? Just doesn’t seem right, ya know? But I was sure wrong. These kids actually spoke to us and gave some insight about the area and the problems they were facing. They knew we weren’t there to get them in trouble, but there to listen and help. They opened up, well a few of them, and told us some good information. The only thing that was bad about the walks was it was so cold! Some of those nights I had on 3 layers to stay warm. I’m from Chicago, I know what cold is. Regardless, we still made an impact and that is all that matters.

My alma mater, Siena College, made it to the MAAC Championship game and lost by one point to Iona Gaels. This was the only chance the Saints had at making it to the NCAA Tournament. It was an exciting time to be a Siena fan. The Saints were playing their best basketball of the season leading up into the tournament and March was looking very promising.

 

I’d been following my former team all season long. They’d been up and down but Coach Patsos and his staff got everyone on track and the same page to end the season. In the semi-finals of the MAAC Tournament, Siena took down the #1 seed Monmouth by overcoming a 17-point deficit. Siena has always struggled to get students to the games. With advancing to the conference tournament championship in our home arena in Albany, NY the students came out in full force. As a proud alumnus, I was proud of the support our fans and students showed the squad. Unfortunately, the Saints struggled to score towards the end of the game but I’m beyond proud of my brothers and their effort in the conference tournament. As delivered, Siena Basketball is back!

 

It was also an amazing time for SCL. Sport Changes Life, the MAAC and Basketball Hall of Fame announced their Belfast Basketball Tournament happening December 2017. It’s a two-day tournament that brings four NCAA DI teams over to participate at the SSE Arena in Belfast. This is huge for Ireland and for basketball. It’s a ground-breaking experience that will only continue to grow bigger and bigger. I’m excited to be a part of an organization that is willing to grow and make changes. Look for this event to be on TV in a couple of years.

 

Go Saints! 

Throughout my year in Ireland I really do feel like I have been able to make a difference in the game of basketball within Donegal. I have spent countless hours working with teams, individuals, schools and anyone else who wants to work on their game. While this has been great experience for myself and those we are working with, I believe for us to have a lasting impact that goes beyond the year we spend here, we need to work more with the coaches of team rather than the players. Almost every coach we have worked with here has been open to our ideas and methods of coaching, however with Donegal being so spread out and us being involved with many different clubs and age levels we have not been able to spend as much as we would like working with coaches. One idea we had early in the year when we recognized this trend was to gather as many coaches as we could on one night to have a clinic of sorts to discuss our knowledge of the game and maybe instruct some coaches on how to improve their strategies. However we understood that not many people would want to be told what to do by two people 10-20 years their junior. Enter Dave Pauley, the head coach of The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (T John’s alma mater). Coach Pauley has been coaching at USciences for 35 years and knows about as much as any person I have met when it comes to teaching basketball. He was coming to Ireland for a repreive from the long grind of a college season and to see his former player T John. We floated the idea of him coaching a clinic for local players and coaches and he was on board immediately. We had found our answer to the problem of people not wanting to listen to 22 year olds. 

On the night of the clinic we arrived at the gym and to my surprise it was packed with players and coaches alike. Players suited up and ready to work out, coaches with pad and paper ready to take notes, it was exciting to see the community take such an interest developing their basketball lives. As Coach Pauley took the players through a workout he would frequently stop to address the coaches on the sideline of why he was doing a drill or why he was positioned on the court a certain way. Throughout the two 90 minute sessions I would see all the methods and teachings T and I have used all year being reinforced by this veteran coach. For someone who is relatively young and new to coaching large groups it was great to see my ideas validated by Coach Pauley and I think it was great to have someone else come in and confirm to the coaches of the teams that we have been working with, that T and I do in fact know what we are talking about. 

Coaching inexperience is typically a staple of the youth athletics world. As I have addressed in previous posts, youth coaching should be focused on maximizing the development of the players you have. Often times both here and back in the States we see the pride or ego of the coaches often restraining player development. The greatest coaches in the world will tell you that they are never done learning and that most of what they do teach they took from someone else. Coaching is a very dynamic industry in that no ideas are original and everyone is using some sort of the same playbook. That is why regardless of the age of a person all coaches should be willing to be open to new ideas and methods to help better develop their players. So even if it took a long time NCAA division 2 coach to come over to get the attention of local area coaches, I am happy that they were open to his ideas and methods and I believe that they and most importantly their players will be better off for it.

The long awaited international trip that goes along with my masters program has finally fallen upon us. I was so excited in August when I found out that I got into this specific masters program because I was going to get to go to a different country through school. This year the trip was to Brussels, Belgium. When I think of Belgium I always thought of chocolate, waffles, and beer. However, after spending a week there I learned a lot more than just that. Belgium has two official languages for its country: Flemish and French, and Brussels is predominantly Flemish speaking. I always thought that Belgium only spoke French, I was very surprised when I got off the plane and realized that my 6 years of French may not be as useful as I thought it was going to be. We were not going to let that get us down. So the first restaurant we went to, we all ordered something for each other not knowing what everyone was going to get. Tanner ordered my what I thought was going to be some type of pasta dish turned out to be a tuna fish salad sandwich. Needless to say there were a lot of laughs, and it made it all the while better when we got eat Belgian waffles a few days later. I will say this: they are a lot messier than they appear to be, but so worth getting chocolate all over your face.

While we were there I also got to tour Coca-Cola Factory, Duvel Brewery, sit inside the EU Parliament, and visit the Irish Ambassador. These four experiences are opportunities that I would never have had without doing the Sport Changes Life program. We always talk about the basketball, but getting an amazing education in a different country and immersing yourself in their culture is truly life changing. It is funny too, after being away from Cork for a few days I actually started to miss it!! Cork definitely has a place in my heart, but in conclusion: I recommend that if you get the chance go to Belgium eat a waffle, buy some chocolate, drink a beer, and unless you like tuna don’t order the “boterham met tonjin…”

When T John and I arrived in Letterkenny, we were told all about the different teams we would be coaching, playing for, working with, etc. One of those teams was the Letterkenny IT college team, who as we were told, hadn’t won a game in the previous 3 years while competing in division three. Not only had they lost each game, they had experienced an average losing margin of close to 40 points per game. While talking with memebers of the school and coaching staff, we also discovered that despite losing every game by a tremendous margin in division three because of the American addition to the roster the team would be moving up to compete in the division two Northern conference. Needless to say, there was a tall task ahead of us. After finishing the regular season with only one loss and being crowned Northern confernce regular season champions, we were fortunate enough to host the All-Ireland Semifinal in Letterkenny. This being unfamiliar territory for LYIT we tried to spread the word to make the most of this opportunity and come gametime there was the largest crowd I have seen in the LYIT gym since arriving. After a hot start, we took the lead and never looked back all while the community cheered us on to victory. This allowed us to advance to the All-Ireland D2 final in Dublin the following Tuesday, once again a first in LYIT basketball history. The final was quite different from the semis, there was less of a crowd, we came out of the gates slow and we struggled to find our rhythm thoughout. We were matched up with DKIT from Dundalk, a team we had previously beat in the final regular season game to steal away the regular season conference title. In our first meeting T John and I had arguably our strongest performances of the year, him scoring 28 and me scoring 50. Knowing that after a game like the one I had they would key on me defensively, I knew T John would have to repeat his performance plus a little extra to get us the win. And boy did he. For every minute T was on the floor (all 45, including OT), he made everyone else look like they were standing still. DKIT could not handle his aggresiveness and relentless pursuit of the ball. For a person who is reletively small in the tall world of basketball, T grabbed 10+ rebounds, most on the offensive glass. It was a performance that all who witnessed (Including his coach from University of the Sciences who flew over for a visit, more on this in the next blog) will not soon forget, and rightfully so he was crowned MVP after the game. 

Before T John received his MVP trophy, we had to win the game first. This was no breeze as we saw ourselves trailing DKIT for almost the entire game. Headed into the fourth down 9, it was time to make one final push. After a scrappy and aggressive quarter we found ourselves all square 80-80 with no time remaining on the clock. As we met before the extra period, T gave me a look of complete exhaustion something I had previously never seen from him. Thankfully in the OT period I was able to get going for a bit to give him a short breather. After giving up the first 2 points of the period, our team rattled off 15 straight without giving up another point, winning the game by 13, 95-82. The final horn sounded and celebration ensued. Our small but boisterous crowd joined in the moment and there was nothing but smiles and congrats all around. We received our All-Ireland medals, took pictures and made the long trip back to Donegal with a title in hand that had never been won before. Over the next few days there hasn’t been a place I have gone where someone has come over to congratulate me on the championship, as personally great as it feels to win, it feels much better to represent and win for an area that has not seen much success on the court. All in all, it was a day I will remember for a long time.

Coach Pat wanted to meet with me at our next practice. I wasn’t too sure what to expect in this meeting since it was the next day after I received my cast. Coach explained how he wanted me to remain a part of the team but in a different role. He asked if I wanted to be an assistant coach for the team. I quickly accepted his offer and was happy he wanted me to take a bigger role and be a part of the team. The guys were very accepting of my new position because they knew I wanted to win and help them be the best player they could be. After being an assistant coach for the National League team I was also offered to be the assistant coach for the Men’s and Women’s College squad. I’ve taken this role and have grown as a coach. I find myself searching YouTube for new defensive and offensive strategies (mainly the Golden State Warriors transition) that I could possibly bring to the table. I also find individual and team drills that would help enhance the intensity of basketball practice to prepare us for games. Although, I’ve been embracing my new role on the team, I do miss playing with my brothers. But, I’m still giving 110% to the team just like I did as a player.

With school, coaching, and playing basketball myself, the weeks have seemed to fly by. It is crazy how fast time goes when your mind and body are both on a set schedule and doing things consistently week by week. With that being said, recently I have made it a goal to embrace every day and get the most out of the daily 24 hours.

 

This past Friday, fellow LIT scholar Megan and myself had the opportunity to do some coaching for a group of kids that attend school and live in mostly low income, disadvantaged areas. I did not know what to expect before-hand from these kids, as often such schools have a reputation for kids using bad language, fighting, and other disrespectful actions. However, after an hour of working with the group of boys and girls, they proved to be some of the most selfless, polite, and entertaining kids you’ll ever meet.

 

It was amazing to see how polite and respectful the kids were to Megan and I throughout the session. These kids showed their full attention to us while we were talking and directing, never once showing any attempt to be a distraction. While doing some shooting competitions, it was amazing to see how engaged and team-oriented each kid was, showing so much joy and happiness, not just when they made a basket, but when other people on their team did too. This type of attitude translated when playing a little scrimmage at end of the session, as one the kids got tripped and hit his knee on the ground. Often you see many kids that would leave him be and ignore the issue because, “it’s not their problem”. Not with this group. Three of his classmates all ran over to help him up, providing encouragement and solace, as they did not want to continue playing until their friend was ready.

 

This class of kids really made coaching enjoyable and fun, especially as many of them are just learning the game of basketball, but so eager to succeed. I am definitely looking forward to next week, and meeting some of the other kids in the school that are now interested in coming and shooting some hoops. 

 

 

DB.

Kelsey and I were able to learn about and experience one of my new favorite Irish traditions, Pancake Tuesday!! The day before Ash Wednesday, everyone makes pancakes with Nutella, bananas, you name it! Kelsey and I had a couple of our Trinity classmates and teammates come over and join us for a delicious pancake lunch! It made me think of home and my mom's incredible homemade muffins and pancakes that she would make over the summer! Nice to have a little taste of home within a new tradition!

 

On another note, I have started a couple new classes this week, which I have found really interesting! One in particular is my Emerging Trends in Digital Technologies class. Not only do I find it cool to see all the innovations that companies are creating, but also I am enjoying the way in which the class is delivered. Our professor who attended Trinity College as well as Harvard, is a retired professional Rugby player. A lot of the examples he uses relates to sports. Just like how we use basketball as a means of teaching children skills such as teamwork, dedication and commitment, my professor is using sports to express consumer behaviors, innovation strategies, and company configurations. Awesome to connect school work to a topic I love.

For the past week I have had the amazing opportunity to travel with my Master’s program to Brussels, Belgium for an action packed week of lectures, touring, and exploring. During my stay, my classmates and I stayed at the Leuven Institute for Ireland in Europe, which is an Irish college located near the heart of the EU’s decision making institutions. Between lectures from professors and some self-facilitated exploring of the city, my classmates and I also had the opportunity to directly engage with European Commissioner Phil Hogan, a number of MEPs, and top level officials. 

The purpose of this trip was to provide a hands on experience in learning about the EU, and conducting research and gather an understanding of the operations of the EU for my group presentation at the end of the week. On behalf of an EU country – my group represented Germany – we had to devise a message and communications strategy that would facilitate more engagement in the EU. As a country, we were competing against other EU countries for funding and had to deliver a presentation outlining our communications plan, and why Germany deserved the EU funding. This has been a very unique learning experience that has challenged me in more ways than one, but has been rewarding.

This has definitely been a once in a lifetime opportunity and experience. Being able to travel and learn about other countries from an educational-oriented perspective, really has shaped my outlook on how traveling and learning can go hand-in-hand. from participating in a practical and hands on experience, all while soaking up as much of the Belgium culture as possible, has been one of my greatest experiences thus far! 

Bowl.

Mexican Rice.

Chicken.

Black Beans.

Mild Salsa.

Cheese.

Lettuce.

 

Get Boojum loyalty card stamped.

 

You can thank me later.

 

Coming over the previous scholars of UUJ raved about Boojum. I heard multiple people say it was better than Chipotle. Myself and the other scholars often thought that was a bold statement. I thought they were outrageous and clearly hadn’t had Chipotle in a while. Rewind to my first week here….

 

During a week-long orientation, we drove by Boojum and saw the line was OUT THE DOOR during lunch time. I then realized that the previous scholars were on to something. After meeting my teammates, they quickly shared their love and obsession with Boojum as well. My first free day I headed to Belfast and had to see what the hype was about.

 

With only two months remaining here my Boojum loyalty card is one stamp away from completing the 40 total stamps and receiving my “Boojum Addict” T-shirt. As we say in Belfast… “Boojum is life.” If you find yourself near a Boojum, follow the instructions mentioned at the beginning and you won’t be sorry!

Hi guys, as I mentioned briefly in my last blog, I started my internship recently. It is a requirement for the Masters of Marketing program at LYIT. Luckily, Sport Changes Life and coaching basketball have allowed me to connect with and meet a lot of people here. Therefore, I was fortunate to have my coach, Niall, fix me up with an opportunity at his wife's business, Whitehouse Pharmacy in Derry. This is ideal with my healthcare business undergraduate degree and also great to do it with someone you know. Anyways, I spend a couple days a week there and then have my one day of class on Fridays. So far it has been a great experience, I've learned a lot so far and I'm looking forward to my remaining time over the next couple months. 

Speaking of time, these weeks are flying by at this point! 

Furthermore, the college basketball season is going great. We've had back-to-back huge wins. The first came at Dundalk IT. They were the top team in the league and our backs were against the wall. If we lost we would be knocked out of the playoffs and varsities. We just couldn't let that happen! Usually, it takes time for me to build pride for a team, but knowing how much this means to the people of Letterkenny and the people that were responsible for getting us out here, I really wanted to do whatever it took to win for them. Therefore, Jack and I had to come up with a big performance. And that we did. We combined for 80 points, yes 80, Jack (50) and me (30). We ended up winning by a large enough margin to put us into first place, which in turn gave us a home playoff game. So we went from nearly having our season over to being the top seed in one day…

For the Playoff game, we drew Dublin Business School @ Letterkenny IT. They were the second seed from the South Division. All week we hyped up the game at our coaching sessions and practices. We really wanted to get a good crowd to make it an awesome big-game environment like it would be back home. The games up to this point really haven't been overly crowded. However, for this game, the people surely came out and supported us big time (See Blog Cover Picture). The bleachers were packed and it was almost standing room only. It was great to see basketball finally gaining the attention it deserves in Letterkenny. The opposing team came in with two 6'10" bigs…we don't have anyone over 6'1" on the team. Nonetheless, we had a perfect game plan and executed it well. The "yanks," as we've become referred to as, and the rest of the team played great and we had a big win, blowing them out early. Everyone in the community was ecstatic. Over the next couple days, everyone came up to us expressing that they couldn't believe how good we looked. This is the first time many people here have seen Jack and I play together so they were enamored with our performance and the team's performance as well. This big win put us in the All-Ireland Championship for the first time in the school's history. 

Looking back at the start of the season to now, this team has come a very long way. I know it can't be easy for some guys on the team to have Jack and I shooting nearly every time, but they are great about it and fill their roles very well! We also have added some key guys that are stepping big as of late. This is important because we are going to need a perfect all-around performance to pull off the victory in next week's championship game.

Stay tuned for my next blog about the All-Ireland Championship!

In Cork over the weekend I had a wee fall on my wrist in our 20-point win over Fr. Matthews. When I fell, I felt something crack but continued to play through the pain. I thought it was minor but after the game I began to worry about my wrist as I had limited mobility. I took ibuprofen and ice’d it all night in order to prepare for the game the following day for 2nd place vs Neptune Basketball Club.

 

The next morning when I woke up I couldn’t move my wrist at all. I was very concerned but I wanted to play. After icing al morning and taking more Ibuprofen meds, I suited up to play. I went through warm-ups and realized I couldn’t catch the ball nor shoot the ball. I sat that game out and decided to see a doctor first thing the next morning. Right away I was diagnosed with a fracture in my scaphoid in my right wrist. I was very bummed about this because the recovery was minimum of six weeks. That means my playing in Ireland has come to an end.

 

I was extremely sad and felt like I let my teammates down. But the overwhelming support from the SCL staff, my support system back home, my coaching staff, other Victory Scholars and my teammates was very supportive and very encouraging. I know everything happens for a reason and I will never question God’s plan on my life. As for the next 6 weeks, I’ll be in a cast making the most of my life if you need me!

Of all the typical apprehensions about living in a foreign country, one trumped the rest for me before coming to Ireland: the weather. I figured I’d have zero problems adjusting to the daily life, cultural barriers, and academic/athletic differences. On the flipside, I was unsure about how I’d handle nine straight months of being soaked by rain or looking at the sky only to see perpetual clouds of darkness. After all, I’ve been on record saying that an ideal weather day is anywhere between 90 and 100 degrees (that’s Fahrenheit, not Celsius for all of my Irish people reading this) with nonstop sunshine. In my head before leaving in August, I prepared for the worst.

 

As luck would have it, according to my Irish friends, this year’s weather has been the best in decades. Washed out, rainy days haven’t been the norm and the temperature hardly drops below 40 degrees. Considering the fact that last winter in Galway saw 100 straight days of rain, I think it’s fair to say I came at the right time.

 

That’s not to say we haven’t seen our fair share of rain and darkness however. Let’s not forget it is Ireland. And on the days when it’s raining and dark, it becomes easy to let the weather dictate your mood. As my Irish friend noted the other day, “Americans let the weather get to them so easily”. Her point was valid and it made me realize that the Irish folks don’t even bat an eye when it comes to bad weather. In fact, the only time they mention the weather is when it’s a nice day; you’ll never hear them complain about a bad day. It led me to recall a quote that’s stuck with me during my time here, and it comes from a lady that I coach basketball with… “If you let the weather affect your daily decisions here, you’ll never get anything done”.

 

After thinking more about that quote, I recognized that it can be applied to situations other than the weather. It boils to down to this: if you let external factors determine your outcome, you’ll never get anywhere in life. All we can do as people is focus on our internal-selves and control what we can control. So the next time the weather is grim or something outside of your control is about to impact you negatively, just remember that only you have the ability to let yourself be influenced. In other words, even on the darkest of days, you have to find a way to make your own sunshine.

I cannot believe that the Super League season is coming to an end. Both of our last games are just two weeks away. Although I wasn't able to play for the majority of the season, I finally got clearance from the Physical Therapist! So I'm hoping to kick back into pace for our last two games! They happen to be back to back on a Saturday and a Sunday, so time to work extra hard in our training sessions this week. Thankfully I still have a tournament full of games for my college team coming up as well. Varsities is the big playoff and will be hosted by Trinity, which should be great!

I will definitely miss playing for Meteors though! I could not have asked for a more welcoming, friendly and positive club. Unfortunately our team's other American, Monet, also injured herself and went back to the states a few weeks ago as she wouldn't have been cleared by a doctor until after the season ended. Regardless of the challenges that we've run into, I'm so lucky to be with such a supportive group of people. It has been such an exciting and fun time cheering them on.

Another incredible opportunity we had the chance to participate in during our trip to Belgium, was the tour of the Coca-Cola Production site in Brussels. The sheer size and complexity of the operations was truly astounding and left our entire class in awe of the impressive production levels that the factory generates on a daily basis.  I was definitely surprised at the lack of manpower and human presence there was on the operational level, and it is scary in some sense to think how advanced the machinery and technology has become.  During our walk around the site, I couldn’t help but think that this rapid development in machinery is going to continue to take away more and more jobs from the blue collar working people.  I tried to imagine the same production site twenty years ago and in my head I pictured hundreds of men doing the same things that the machines were doing, but at a much slower pace.  The efficiency and speed at which the machines can operate to accomplish the many tasks that Coca-Cola requires on a daily basis to appease the massive production numbers that they display, is unmatched by any form of human assembly.  This is a trend that has taken over many, if not all industries, and has taken jobs away from millions of individuals worldwide, and will continue to do so as technology advancements progress on a daily basis.  However, it allows companies to multiply their production levels while also being more efficient and even more economically friendly in some cases, which benefits us all in a way. 

One of the biggest things that I took away from the tour, was the presence and importance of innovation in a factory setting such as this.  Companies like Coca-Cola that have such enormous production and packing sites are always looking for ways to improve their efficiency and productivity, and rely on innovation to do so.  Throughout the tour, I was able to relate some of the innovation techniques that I recognized in Coca-Cola, back to the ideas we discussed in our Innovation Module last semester.  We constantly emphasized the simplicity of innovation and potentially large benefits from the simplest of changes.  Things such as the double fork lift that the company uses, or the bottle packaging system that has been constantly modified over time, are just some of the examples of innovative techniques that can help a company run more effectively.  However, the biggest innovative achievement that I recognized on our tour, was the transition from cleaning the bottles using water to cleaning the bottles using air.  This idea of improving current methods, rather than experimenting with new methods all together, is usually the most effective strategy of innovation.  Rather than coming up with a whole new process or way of going about cleaning used bottles, they simply rethought their current methods to come up with a more efficient and better method to go about it.  While I am in no way assuming that this innovation was simple, and it probably required brilliant scientific minds to develop, it demonstrates the concept of analyzing what you are currently doing in order to focus on improving that through innovation, rather than looking externally for solutions.  This is something that not only applies to the business world, but is also something that I hope to apply to all aspects of my life.  Whether it be basketball or my personal development as an individual, I hope to use this as a method to continue positive growth in my own life.  Self-analysis is a major factor in personal growth and can sometimes be the best way of moving forward or getting through tough times when challenges arise.  The simple changes that Coca-Cola made in their cleaning process, have gone on to save them billions of dollars and has even done wonders for the environment through cutting back their water output.  I hope that I can successfully make self-analysis a part of my life to improve my own habits and promote growth moving forward. 

Today marks SIX MONTHS that we have been living in Ireland. HALF OF A YEAR PEOPLE. I can hardly believe it myself. As I take a scroll through all of my previous blogs, I’m amazed at how quickly time has eluded me. I’m different than who I was and feel like I’ve had such enormous growth throughout this six-month journey. It’s interesting how when a person goes through change, whether it’s from the ending of a chapter or a new beginning, it feels everlasting. But when it does pass and you’re able to look back, you surprise yourself at how far you’ve truly come. And I believe it’s times like these that make life so special and unique to each individual. Each person has their own story and their journey is all their own. Nobody is perfect, but the path you take through life is perfect for you and only you. And I’d say that is something pretty special in itself. As people grow and mature, I think one of the biggest and most important realizations is that they should live their lives staying true to who they are and what they want instead of trying to be what everyone tells them they should be. But enough with all that deep talk. This blog is meant to be about the adventure Lace and I took to celebrate how far we’ve come. I bet you’re wondering where we went and got that incredible-looking pizza and burger as shown in my blog photo. A couple different people had told us about this awesome place that sells delicious burgers and pizzas and the name is pretty clever; Burrza! Since the weather was so lovely, we decided to plug it into our phones and make the 38-minute walk (which wasn’t bad at all). Haha the exercise actually made us feel a lot better for what we were about to eat! We wanted to try both the pizza and a burger so we ordered both and split. I ordered a pepperoni margherita pizza and Lace ordered “The Grazer” burger. It was stuffed with cheddar cheese, topped with mozzarella, bacon, and Burzza relish. It was oh so yummy and I’d eat there every day if I could! The whole time we just reminisced about the memories we’ve had so far and talked about how life would be in less than 3 months when we would be moving back home. After eating, we made our way back to the dorm but passed an ice-cream place so it was only right to try some dessert. I’m really thankful to have had Lace as my roommate and we’ve definitely built a friendship that will extend far after the program ends. I’m excited to take on these last couple of months!

During our class trip to Belgium, we got a chance to tour the Duvel brewery in Brussels.  As someone who is a big beer fan and has done several brewery tours in the United States, I was extremely excited for this experience.  It was interesting to learn about the different processes they use to make all the different kinds of beers they have to offer.  I was especially impressed with their extended fermentation process that takes place throughout multiple steps in different locations.  This is one example that represents their quality over quantity mindset, which was made clear throughout the tour.  This reminded me a lot about the travel company I am currently working with, and while the beer industry and the travel industry are very different, there was still a correlation between the quality first mindset that is present with both.  While many factors play a role in a company’s success, this mindset holds true to the underlying concept that if you can provide a high quality product or service, the demand and interest will always remain present. 

Another area where the quality over quantity strategy was apparent, was in the description of their globalization process.  Even though our tour guide’s insight was limited in to the specific marketing techniques or specific expansion methods, it was very clear that Duvel is relying on the quality of their product to expand markets and will not compromise this quality to expand quicker.  She did mention that they pursue a local workforce when expanding in to new markets in order to utilize their potential connections and better understanding of the customer preferences.  She did not go in to much detail about the global marketing campaign and what kind of marketing adaptations they make in order to appeal to different market preferences or restrictions.  Based on the discussion, I got the feeling that limited adaptations are present in the different marketing techniques that are being used in different markets around the world.  However, as has been the case with other beer companies that participate in the global market, there are potential legal/political issues that may force changes to be made in marketing techniques for Duvel as they expand in to different countries.  However, the pride and regard that Duvel have for themselves and their product was very apparent, and definitely carries through in their marketing techniques on a global scale.  This was made exceptionally clear when our tour guide described their expansion process as a tool for allowing their loyal national market to still be able to experience Duvel during their holidays in different locations.  For these and other reasons, I think Duvel definitely sways more towards the standardization method rather than the localization method in relation to their globalization process, and may need to incorporate different methods to gain further success in other markets.  This is always a difficult task, especially in the beer industry where customer preference can vary widely from region to region.  For example, in America, the national preference tends to favor more of a light beer, while Duvel is more of a heavier, full beer that is more preferred by the European market.  It still remains important for the company to stay true to their core and never compromise on the quality of their product, but I definitely think that they may need to take these factors in to account when creating marketing techniques throughout their globalization process. 

            Regardless, I am definitely a big fan of the Duvel company and thoroughly enjoyed tasting the different beers they have to offer.  Between the classic Duvel, the cherry “lemonade”, the triple distilled beer, and the Belgian white, they have a wide variety of great beverage options and it was extremely interesting to see behind the scenes of how they were made.  I will definitely be trying to get my hands on a Duvel Belgian White again sometime soon.

This past week, my Master’s class traveled to Brussels for a week to learn about the European Union as well as other information regarding the economic state of Brussels.  We stayed at the Leuven Institute which is an Irish owned former monastery located just outside Brussels.  In general, staying at the Leuven Institute was a very cool experience.  The combination of classic and older buildings mixed with some of the new additions that have been added more recently, made for a very comfortable and cultural experience.  The short tour we received from our host of the first day was very informative.  It was cool to learn about the Institute and its history before spending the week staying there.  I was unaware of the establishment of Irish colleges throughout the world, and hearing our Irish host talk about their history and creation was extremely informative and interesting.  I was also very intrigued by her description of the Irish “marketing” that took place during their time studying here.  She described how in the past, once the Irish students arrived and studied in Leuven, they came to realize that the perception of Irish people was not as good as they had assumed it would be.  Upon realizing their country’s image was not as positive as they expected, they not only did their best to improve it, but relayed that message back to their home country to make their peers more aware.  As an American living in Ireland, I can directly relate to how these students were feeling.  While I was not naïve enough to think that everyone loved America, I have definitely been surprised at the negative image that being an American has brought along during my time here in Ireland.  This is almost soley due to the recent election of Donald Trump and his portrayal in the media, but I have learned a lot about the direct affect it may have on my Irish friends.  As someone who genuinely dislikes politics as a whole, the constant questioning about my thoughts on the election has gotten old very quickly.  However, I have enjoyed discussing the election’s effects on my Irish friends, and have definitely become more aware of the ramifications it may have on those I have met over here.  While I will always defend my country from anyone speaking poorly towards it, I am not happy about the potential of Donald Trump’s policies keeping Irish citizens from continuing doing J1’s in America.  Not only do I think it is a great opportunity for them to gain international work experience, but I think it is important for people to experience the different cultural opportunities that America has to offer.  I know the time I have spent in Ireland has had a significant impact on my life, and I can only hope my Irish peers will get a chance to experience my homeland in a similar fashion.

Another cool aspect of staying at the Leuven Institute was becoming more aware of the Irish history.  Upon learning I was coming to Ireland, I had a list of specific things I wanted to accomplish during my time here.  One of the first things I put on the list was to learn more about St. Patrick’s day and the history behind it.  I can honestly say, I never thought that this would be accomplished during my time in Belgium.  Even though St. Patrick’s day is an Irish holiday, it is passionately celebrated in America and known as one of the bigger party holidays in the states.  However, in typical American fashion, we celebrate the holiday without knowing much about the tradition or history behind it.  Instead, it has turned in to an excuse for Americans to spend the day getting belligerently drunk while wearing something green with an Irish flag.  While I can’t deny having been guilty of this myself, I have made it my mission to learn as much about the history and meaning of St. Patrick’s day during my time in Ireland.  Which made it quite an incredible experience to visit the actual room where St. Patrick’s Day was created and the date was selected.  Experiences like this remind me how important it is to invest in learning about other cultures to further my knowledge of the world and the amazing people that live in it.

     Recently, a long-time personal idol, women’s basketball icon, Stanford All-American, and 8-year WNBA player, Candice Wiggins participated in an interview about her experience as a player in the WNBA. Despite being the 3rd draft pick in 2008, being named the WNBA’s sixth woman of the year in her rookie season and winning a WNBA championship with the Minnesota Lynx in 2011, Wiggins’ interview detailed an experience that was much more grim than would appear on the surface. Citing the “harmful” culture of the WNBA, Wiggins said that “It was a depressing state in the WNBA. It’s not watched. Our value is diminished. It can be quite hard. I didn’t like the culture inside the WNBA, and without revealing too much, it was toxic for me. … My spirit was being broken.” (Leonard). She also alleged that she was bullied in response to her unashamed straight female identity and felt that she didn’t fit in well with the masculine culture of the WNBA. Furthermore, Wiggins made some very questionable claims, stating that “98 percent of the women in the WNBA are gay” and that “Nobody cares about the WNBA. Viewership is minimal. Ticket sales are very low. They give away tickets and people don’t come to the game.” (Leonard). Even though the number of gay or straight players in a league should be irrelevant, other statistics might suggest that the proportion of lesbian women in the WNBA is closer to between 40 and 50 percent, making the 98% assertion look a bit far-fetched. 

     Since the account of her interview was published in the San-Diego Union Tribune, many former and current WNBA players, gay and straight, have responded, refuting this bullying culture and proclaiming the positive, inclusive and uplifting experiences they have had during their time in the league. While no one account should be marginalized based the conflicting experiences of the masses, it is interesting and provocative to explore why these differing accounts have arisen. For her grievances, I extend my deepest condolences and hope that others will take her concerns seriously and try and reflect on the ways they can positively contribute to the culture.  

     My knowledge of the intimacies of the WNBA is limited to a summer experience as an intern with the Seattle Storm. I was quite taken with the diversity within that organization, from race, to age, to sexual orientation, to style, to family structures, to personal lifestyles and aspirations. I felt so inspired and enriched just by listening to, talking with, and watching these incredible women play. There was an atmosphere of love and accountability and there were clear and common goals that drove the vision of the program. Being in the presence of such excellence and grace was inspirational as a young woman and as a collegiate basketball player. I would be remiss to speak further on the culture of the WNBA because I am not in it and my view was quite limited; however, the other aspect of Wiggins’ accounts that I found troubling were her references to the masculinization of the sport and the lack of success of the league. I don’t find these assertions troubling because they lack factual evidence, but because they don’t give enough context as to why the league faces the challenges that is does.

     Candice and I will agree that the WNBA, a league founded 20 years ago, has struggled to substantially grow its attendance, fan base, revenue or popularity since its inception. Where we may disagree is the why. In my opinion it is of the utmost importance to clearly differentiate between the outcome and the underlying mechanisms. I think this lack of success is NOT the fault to the WNBA or of the players. Why? Because the league’s talent, athleticism and competition has skyrocketed, and anyone who actually takes the time to watch it would recognize how incredible it really is. The WNBA is a league that started out with 16 players and has expanded to encompass 12 teams that play in large arenas in big cities, with a draft every year. Naturally, one would expect this continued growth in competitiveness and ability to be accompanied by a proportional growth in success, by means of a rise in popularity, attendance, and profit; but unfortunately the WNBA continues to struggle in generating the profit growth that tends to define organizational success. The WNBA and its players defy society’s acceptable realms of women in sport because it is largely dominated by strong, black women and despite its varied make-up, it is frequently interpreted as “one big lesbian party” according to WNBA star, Seimone Augustus (Katz). This statement is only partially justified by the 40% of the WNBA’s players that identify as lesbian (Evans) as well as by their biggest fan base, lesbian women.  The WNBA recognizes the social predicament that this portrayal creates and as a result has tried to extend its marketing strategies to appeal to a more heteronormative population. In America, where white men run the country, and “sixty percent of the television viewing audience is male” (Evans), supposed macho black women are not a product they want to see and therefore the white male and male fan base as a whole is largely absent from the WNBA. The emphasized masculinity of the WNBA, combined with and driven by the race and perceived sexuality of the players, has continued to limit the success and marketability of the WNBA, thus making it a league predisposed for limited success in American society.

     And yet this predisposition does not mandate failure. If it did, then no one who was un-athletic would become a professional athlete, no poor person would become wealthy, and no black person would survive or thrive in America. We know that individuals and organizations can defy the norm, can rise above their limitations and can do great things. That is why I think it is important to celebrate the WNBA, an organization who I believe has the odds stacked against them, and yet has managed to stay alive and continue to produce great basketball and provide its fans with an ultimate experience. In 2016, the WNBA saw record-breaking attendance numbers, increased ESPN and ESPN2 viewership by 11%, increased League Pass subscriptions by 24%, elevated its social media presence and following, and had record breaking sales via WNBAStore.com (WNBA Website). So while the growth may be slow and at times feel stagnant, The WNBA and its players have been resilient and that should be commended. Furthermore, I think it is paramount that people understand all that the WNBA and and its players are up against – a struggle of race, sexuality, hegemonic masculinity and femininity and a culture where sport has been relegated as a male entity. 

     Within female athletics there is a constant pull between being a dominant athlete and retaining femininity. Women are sometimes forced to sacrifice their ability in an effort to retain their femininity (Carty 138). This issue creates a dichotomy in which female sport is either hyper-masculinized or hyper-feminized. Sports serve an important role in supporting and promoting “conventional social values” of masculinity and consequently limit the ability of female sports to be seen as normal or acceptable (Griffin 16). Sports are not just athletic games that encourage competition and perseverance but also serve as profit machines that drive national and communal pride. In this country sports have been a vehicle for fostering a culture of hegemonic masculinity through the perpetration of dominating and masculine values, which are displayed by intense competition and physical toil (Griffin 17).  In other words, sport has long been seen as a “training grounds” for masculinity (Griffin 17). Women in sport threaten this masculinity because if “women in sport can be tough minded, competitive, and muscular too, then sport loses its special place in the development of masculinity for men” (Griffin 17). While some female sports have complied with society’s call to femininity through their attire, lack of peak physical strength, and/or a continued promotion of their more feminine qualities, the WNBA faces a unique challenge – as there are no aspects of women’s basketball that have an explicit feminine appeal. Further complicating the issue of hegemonic masculinity and femininity are the constructs of race and perceived sexuality. 

     In the essay "Queering Whiteness: The Peculiar Case of the Women's National Basketball Association" Mary McDonald analyzes the ways culture can be learned through sports, and how race plays a role in creating that culture. McDonald discusses how the media portrays white female athletes, in particular, former WNBA player Suzie McConnell-Serio as a “good white girl” (McDonald 382).  McDonald discusses the way that Suzie fits perfectly into the picture the media loves to portray of female athletes- blonde, white, heterosexual, and motherly. McDonald points to many articles that treat McConnell-Serio’s success as a WNBA player as secondary, making her motherhood of four and marriage the most important part of her success story.  These representations of the WNBA were the most successful and popular in bringing “normalcy” to the league. Suzie’s ability as a (perceived) rare, white, and heterosexual WNBA player made her the poster child of their success (McDonald 382). There have been extensive scholarly conversations about how the constructs of race, sexuality and gender norms influence and affect female sports, but few of these have looked at the interplay of these constructs. Modern day representations of feminine WNBA players reinforce the societal norm that the female sports can only be celebrated and promoted when the femininity and heterosexuality of the athlete is not compromised by that athlete’s participation in sport. Take for example, Candace Parker, a storied player with an extraordinary record of achievement and success in the game. Candace Parker has, deservingly, become a feminine face of the WNBA. Among the countless articles written about this superstar and supermom is an article by ESPN with a subtitle stating that Candace is  “the total package: your sister's pal, your brother's prom date, supermom-to-be” and in which the first line describes her as “Beautiful. Breathtaking, really, with flawless skin, endless legs and a C cup she is proud of but never flaunts” (Glock). Once the article finishes advertising her most relevant traits of femininity and heterosexuality, it begins to mention her basketball superstar status and her revolutionary contributions to the game. But as we see by the first line of the article, it is not her skill alone that makes her marketable; rather, it is her beauty, heterosexuality and normativity combined with her extreme basketball ability and athleticism that has created a sellable package in the WNBA player of Candace Parker. Articles like ESPN’s are not uncommon because the media continues to perpetrate American societal norms in order to promote products of social worth. 

     In a country birthed in racist views and values, femininity and masculinity in America are more complex than just man and woman, dominance and submission, because they are equally influenced by the social construct of race. While all female athletes have to assert their femininity, black female athletes also have to prove their lack of sexual deviancy in addition to their ability to possess social normalcy. In America the definition of beauty is centered around thin, white, blonde females because they are seen as normal, attractive women who are non-threatening to the throne of white male dominance and who instead aid the existence of a male dominated society. Seventy-five percent of the players in the WNBA are black compared with the fifteen percent of the league that is white (Lapchick). Additionally, American history and ingrained racial prejudices allow little room for black females within the definition of hegemonic femininity. Instead, since the time of slavery, black women have often been portrayed as “sensual, promiscuous, and deviant,” especially in comparison to their white female counterparts. The beauty and femininity of black players is generally superseded by the representations of their large muscles and strong bodies (Carty 147). Somewhat contrastingly, black women have also been portrayed as animalistic, barbaric, and lacking the ability to be controlled. Therefore, black female athletes are often seen as more aggressive and less feminine, and are subsequently less marketable. The American society we live in places white women in a position of privilege in that at the root of the “basic definition of whiteness is its superiority to blackness” (Pettyman 83) and thus black women are instantaneously at a social disadvantage with respect to everything, and in this case, with respect to their sexuality. According to King, black women have never been able to give voice to their sexuality, hence rendering it an abstract of deviancy without a label and resulting in the extreme tendency towards ignoring the black female regardless of sexual orientation. Consequently, American society has little concern and places hardly any importance on the existence of black lesbians (King 280) because their narrative fits nowhere into society’s constructions of sexuality and race. So, while female blackness has been largely undefined, the homosexual narrative has been even more of an anomaly – something that has made black lesbian players unmarketable to many groups.  

     So, yes, Candice, the WNBA has faced many challenges with regards to turning a profit and marketing itself successfully, but much more important than this fact is that DESPITE the barriers of trying to market perhaps the most marginalized group of women in American society, the WNBA remains, and continues, slowly but surely to grow and to produce excellent basketball consisting of the highest level female players in the entire world. I am a huge fan of the WNBA because I think it is made up of an exceptionally diverse and complex array of phenomenal ballers, competitors, women and human beings and I feel inspired and empowered daily by these women, including you. It is important to recognize that the league’s popularity, revenue, etc. is not growing as it should be, but to leave it at this sells these phenomenal women (of which you are one) short. And if men don’t want to watch the WNBA because it threatens their masculinity or doesn’t have enough hot chicks in it (even though I think there are lots of beautiful women in it), then so be it, lets get more WOMEN watching the WNBA. Lets target a broad female fanbase that could be out there but does not yet exist. Lets recognize barriers and propose solutions. Is the pay in the WNBA too low? Absolutely. But in order to change that we have to find ways to generate the revenue that these women deserve. I think there is a huge difference between having value and being valued. I believe the WNBA has value and at the same time I think we need to find ways to make it more valued. 

 

Works Cited

Aitchison, Cara. Sport and Gender Identities: Masculinities, Femininities and
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Bowen, Fred. "The Score: Women's Sports Deserve More Attention on TV."
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Burford, Michelle, and Sheryl Swoopes. "A League of My Own." Essence Magazine
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Carty, Victoria. "Textual Portrayals of Female Athletes: Liberation or Nuanced Forms
      of Patriarchy?" Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies 26.2 (2005): 132-72. Print.

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Evans, Jayda. "The WNBA's Delicate Balancing Act." The Seattle Times [Seattle] 28
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Glock, Allison. "The Selling of Candace Parker." Is Candace Parker the Female Jordan?
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Griffin, Pat. Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport.
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Katz, Michael. "Lynx Star Opposes Gay Marriage ban." ESPN. ESPN Internet
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Mary G. McDonald. “Queering Whiteness: The Particular Case of the Women's
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     2002): 379-96. Web.

Muller, Tiffany. "'Lesbian Community' in Women's National Basketball Association
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Prettyman, Sandra Spickard, and Brian Lampman. Learning Culture through Sports:
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My school girls that I coach who started out as the most giggly almost uninterested girls are on their way to an All Ireland Final. I would just like a small moment to toot my own horn (toot, toot) for not only being a cool coach but also a successful one. In all seriousness, they worked so hard. It’s so crazy to just look at how much they’ve grown as a team since I first started working with them. They were all individually pretty good but their team cohesion was lacking. So I’ve been working to just use their good relationships off the court and their talent on the court to help fill that gap. And boy oh boy, they really have grown so much. It feels good to see that 1.) I actually learned something from my previous coaches and 2.) how easy it was to articulate my knowledge to them. In the past I’ve struggled with putting things in the right words. I know what I want to say. I know how I want the job done. But basketball has always been a just go out there and do it thing for me so coaching was a challenge in the beginning. It definitely gets easier when you get good results and the players can actually see/feel themselves getting better. Thankfully, they trust me and are come to training ready and willing. I really hope they win this game!! They want it so bad and their school has never made it this far. Even if they don’t win… I’m super proud of them and will remember this journey in the future. 

In reflexion, I’d say the biggest difference in living in Ireland and America is the way time is kept. In America, “If you’re early you’re on time, and if you’re on time, you’re late.” Even all throughout the years of undergrad time management was huge. Being a full-time student athlete meant keeping a tight schedule. I made a lot of to-do lists, I had calendars all over, and of course I kept a planner handy. It was engrained in me by coaches, teachers, and family that showing value to other’s time was also showing respect to that person. In Ireland, I find that time is just not that serious, haha. My professors come to class late. My teammates don’t come to practice 15 minutes early. Most meetings start 10 minutes after the official start time. Here, things are just a lot more laid back. It’s not something that’s ever really crossed my mind until I got here. I just think it’s funny how when you live somewhere for so long you just automatically assume that everyone else is living the same way. It works out here. It’s almost as if everyone has an understanding of sorts. I’m definitely enjoying the wiggle room now but hopefully I can switch back to old habits when it’s time to go back home.

This weekend I went to Dublin Arena with fellow scholars Nyasha and Ebony and we saw the one and only DRAKE perform live. We were so close we could basically smell his breath. The energy in there was amazing. I loved that it was a smaller venue it made it way more intimate. I will say that standing in a crowd of sweaty, stinky, strangers isn’t the most ideal situation but once Drake hit the floor nothing else mattered. I wouldn’t have been to many concerts in the past and definitely not so close to the stage so this was just a new experience. His energy was so lit. I literally knew every song and screamed all the lyrics at the top of my lungs. I left there covered in sweat, ears ringing, and with no voice. But it was so worth it!! Another experience to add to my time abroad! Shout out to Ireland!

On Thursday’s E-Hoop group, the members of South Belfast, get to experience 15 minutes with Ryan. Now you’re probably confused. I’m apart of E-Hoops on Monday and Wednesday nights. Since I’m injured, I can’t participate in practice. I went to the toilet during one of our practices and walked by the E-Hoops and introduced myself. I made up this whole story on how it was amazing to stop by and see them and it just so happened to be PIZZA TIME. I asked questions that challenged them in multiple ways and we all enjoyed our food together.

 

The next week my class went late and I missed the final 15 minutes with the group. The next day the SCL staff and Victory Scholars were telling me how everyone was asking about where I was and wanted to know what questions I was going to ask. I didn’t realize the impact I had made and from there on out made an effort to make it ever since! I was excited to get back the next week and meet all the new faces.

 

Some questions we’ve discussed:

 

-If you were stuck on an island for 3 months and could only take 1 thing, what would it be?

-Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

 

If you find yourself at UUJ on Thursdays stop by for “15 minutes of Ryan!”

Playing for my club team, Galway Titans, in the national league has been quite an experience up to this point. It’s given me the chance to continue playing basketball after college at a higher level, which is something I will always appreciate. On top of that, it’s allowed me to meet some great guys and travel all throughout Ireland. For those reasons and many more, in my eyes, the season has been a success.

 

However, if you look at our on-court record, it tells a different story. The last time we won a game was on my birthday, October 1st. Some games have been extremely close from the onset, some games we’ve clawed back from being down 30 to make it interesting, and some games we’ve gotten flat-out obliterated. The narrative of why we’ve been struggling to get ourselves in the win column apparently goes back a few years when most of the veterans hung it up after winning the league. What ensued, and what I’m currently helping to shape, is a major rebuilding process. Ironically enough, my NBA team is the Sixers and unless you live under a rock, you’d know they’ve been in a gigantic, ongoing 4-year rebuild. Just as all Sixers fans understand, the wins and losses in present time aren’t nearly as important as believing in the long term-plan, aka trusting the process. With that said though, that doesn’t mean each win shouldn’t be celebrated like it’s a game 7 NBA finals victory.

 

Well, the same goes for the Titans. And last night in mid-February, 4½ months since our last win, we finally had a little taste of victory. We won our game by about 15 and since it was in Galway, we were able to celebrate in town. Much like the Sixers, the Titans will be back to prominence in a few years since the program has a slew of younger guys with some promise but that wasn’t the headlining story last night. Last night was a celebration of a long overdue win and how far we’ve come as a team. It was enjoyed by all.

This past Thursday, Jim and his wife, Joan, had invited Lace and I over for dinner at their home. And when I tell you that it was one of my most treasured moments in Ireland, I truly mean it.

Jim came by to pick us up at 6pm and we arrived at their lovely abode soon after. Jim and Joan’s place has such a warm and cozy feel to it. It’s the perfect escape from the college “lifestyle”. As we walked through the door, Joan immediately stood in the hallway with open arms ready to greet us. She is one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my entire life. She lead us to the kitchen where she had a beautiful dinner prepared for us. We first started with huge plates of spaghetti and garlic bread. Lace and I could barely make a dent in our plates. Joan offered to pack it up for us to take back and then she brought out her delicious homemade apple tart with vanilla ice cream; my mouth is watering just thinking about it. She warmed it up and everything! That’s one of my favorite desserts if you couldn’t tell. After dessert, we made our way to the living room area and as soon as we sat down on the comfy sofa, Joan offered to make some popcorn with maltesers for us. To me, maltesers are like the whoppers candy in America. I had never had this mix before and although I was stuffed, my curiosity urged me to say yes. She then said she would make us tea and there’s no turning down tea when you’re in someone’s home in Ireland. The popcorn and chocolate was so amazing and drinking the warm team next to the fireplace was really comforting. At this point, I was in a food coma and ready for the best sleep of my life. Jim put on a movie and the next couple of hours were spent sharing stories and laughs. Before we knew it, it was 10:30pm and about that time for us to head back to the dorms. We gave Joan another heartfelt hug and loaded up into the car. Before telling Jim goodbye, we thanked him a million times for the hospitality and for making us feel at home. Jim and Joan, you two have left a forever lasting impression. “Thanks a mil.”

So today, my sister and her friend, left to go back to the states after a busy and eventful week in Ireland. It was great to see them and we had a blast, traveling and visiting all different spots of Ireland. I was glad to have the week off from school, as I was able to indulge in a couple excursions with them. We had the chance to visit Dublin, Cork, and Galway all in the matter of a week, which you can imagine how tired and sleep deprived I am. However, those trips were all well worth it and the girls will have memories they can talk about with others for the rest of their life.

 

With them being gone, it was now time to step back into reality. However, reality kicked in way too fast for my liking. After dropping them off at the airport at around 6:30 am, there was little to no time to even think about going back to bed. I helped out and coached at a basketball clinic for younger kids from 8:30 to 10 am, then had a game to coach with my own 14 and under boy’s team at 1pm. Following that game, which the boys played great and won, I had practice with the Celtics men’s team at 4pm. Running on fumes, I made it through and finally had the chance to go home to relax, or so I thought. After showering, I remembered the work I still had to do for school, with a big project being due on Wednesday of the upcoming week. So finally, it’s around 11pm and I’m FINALLY able catch my breath and prepare myself for the week ahead. Safe to say, reality hit me very hard today, especially after a week of adventure and fun.

 

This upcoming week, has a lot in store. Thursday morning, February 23rd, I have a huge college semi-final game for LIT up in Dublin. I expect it to be an exciting game, with so much on the line, and a trip to play in the finals at the historic National Basketball Arena. Following this game, later that night I have a game for the Celtics, with a chance to clinch first place in our local league division. It would set us up for a great seeding and position going into the playoffs, the following week. On Friday, I am coaching the 14 and under boys down in cork, in what I could imagine, will be a competitive game, as the cork teams are always very good.

 

I am looking forward to all of these exciting things happening in a short span of time, especially as the weeks seem to be going faster and faster these last few months. Embracing every moment is a goal of mine for the next few months, and what better way to do so than with these big upcoming games.

 

Hopefully LIT and Celtics can pull off some big wins. Will keep you guys updated.

 

DB