The Merriam Webster dictionary defines luck as “success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.” I have found the term lucky and unlucky to be used rather loosely over here in Ireland. I know the term luck is normally associated with the Irish, hence the phrase which gave us the greatest Disney Channel Original Movie, The Luck of the Irish. I decided to look up the origin of the phrase and as it turns out it actually comes from Irish-Americans being uber successful during the gold and silver rushes of the 19th century. 

 

Where am I going with this? So I was reffing an under 13 boys game this past Saturday and I noticed that everytime a player missed a shot or turned the ball over the coach said “unlucky” or “hard luck”. Now at this age I understand it is important to continue to encourage as these are the formative years of basketball. However, I have noticed that this continues to the latter years and even on my Titans team the phrase is used way too often. I am a believer of hard work pays off and that nothing should ever be given to you, just like making a three pointer does not come from luck but rather countless hours practicing in the gym. Granted there are situations and instances where the phrase can apply but I think we are doing players in their teens a disservice if we allow them to believe the next shot will go in because how often can you be “unlucky”. 

 

I had a conversation with my teammate Emmet, who played on the Irish team his whole life, wondering if I was just being an arrogant American or if he sees where I am coming from. We both agreed that the term is thrown around way too often but there does not need to be negative repurcussions for a turnover or bad shot. Instead, I suggest that coaches encourage the players to make a better decision the next time down. I know parents or teachers wouldn’t say that a student was “unlucky” if they failed an exam, but instead of berating them they would encourage them to be more conscious of how they prepare for the next time. We are the only ones who can decide our own fate and I think the players would benefit both on and off the court the sooner they realize that. 

 

 

Baby Blues was quite the experience. I woke up bright and early at 8:30 AM on a sunny Saturday morning and was picked up along with two Limerick FC players, Prince and Ali, to go meet the kids at the indoor arena. All I knew was that there were a lot of them, and they ranged in age from 3 (I was given fair warning about taking the youngest group on) to 7. But to be honest, I like a challenge, so I got on immediately with the 3 year olds. An adorable bunch by any standards, the parents tagged along to help keep them organized. I am sure all who are reading know a few things about three year olds already. They are still learning to walk, they are still learning to listen and understand, and their attention spans are still relatively nonexistent. These may all seem like difficulties when running a smooth session. On the contrary. It made for one of the most fun sessions I have ever been a part of. I quickly decided that speaking to them and explaining things would get me nowhere at all. The key to their attention is laughter. Make them laugh, and you have their attention. Once they are laughing and engaged, then you demonstrate. You show by doing the activity with them, and they will follow. Less talk, more action. Put yourself in the mind of a 3 year old, show some energy, and don’t let up. That is the key to the session with these young superstars. Once I applied that, it appeared that the session was as much of a blast for them as it was for me. I spent half of the session in laughter and the other half chasing the munchkins around the pitch. So although it was pretty basic, I learned some concepts about coaching that I will keep in mind when coaching at any level. Funny how these things work. I absolutely can’t wait to go back next week and have a bit more craic with the Baby Blues.

Read what Huskies 12U players Fiona, Roisin, Amie, Dearv and Emily wrote about in their homework assignment on five sentences about why they enjoy playing basketball and coming to training:

 

Fiona (Point Guard)

“I get to meet new friends. It keeps me healthy. It’s the best sport ever. It’s really fun. I love playing matches against the other teams.”

 

Roisin (Guard)

“I enjoy playing basketball because you have fun and make lots of new friends. You learn cool new ways to play basketball!! I always look forward to the weekend because we have a match. I love that at the end of term we have fun days and there are bouncy castles yeeeaahh!! The coaches are fun and kind but can be strict sometimes but mean well.”

 

Amie (Guard)

“I like playing basketball because it is fun and I love the sport and I would like to improve by practicing and I would like to run more and not be tired after.”

 

Dearv (Guard/Small Forward)

“I enjoy playing basketball because it’s a fun jumpy sport. It’s something to look forward to during the week. We have lovely fun trainers like Marian, Cathy etc. Its fun and you get to make lots of new friends. It’s a good sport to keep you fit and going.”

 

Emily (Center)

“I enjoy playing basketball because I think it is a great sport to keep fit. The most important thing is to listen to the coaches so you can learn new skills in every training session. My old principle said listening is the most important skill you can have so I think we all should listen to what we are told then talk and shoot more layups and make great passes to each other. Help make more space in the court so the person with the ball can go for a shot and start winning more matches and getting better on defense and help our teammates on offense to get the ball up the court and to get us baskets so we can win and run more.”

 

Well said girls!  Some of the main themes are centered on making friends, having fun, staying fit and playing matches. I started laughing when I read Roisin’s statement about the coaches being strict sometimes, but mean well. They are starting to understand the seriousness of the sport, but also know that they can have a really great time. I think this assignment helped the girls self-reflect and practice went really well today. I would also like to give a special shout out to my teammate, Aisling, for joining the coaching crew. 

Hiya! Hope everyone is having a great week thus far!  This week was my first time working with the SportABILITY Program.  This program works directly with Disability Sports Northern Ireland (DSNI). It is a program based on disability awareness designed to promote integration and inclusion between disabled and able-bodied children through physical activity and sport. We spent Wednesday morning at Holy Trinity Primary School, where we played a wide array of games. Needless to say, running around with twenty 10-year olds was exhausting, but definitely worth it!  They always bring joy to my day, in the questions they ask, the stories they tell me and how much fun they have playing the games.

 

Wednesday night we had our seventh week of EHOOPS. I’m working with the new West Belfast site.  I have to say this was my favorite session yet.  During the first hour, we spent time in the computer lab.  I sat with two great guys, who kindly answered all my questions.  As a group, we all spoke about who inspires us most in our lives and why.  Mostly all of the guys picked different football players (and I’m embarrassed to say I have never heard of most of them – I really need to step up my game on my knowledge of the game!) Next, we had a session on basketball.  For most of the guys, this is like trying to introduce Gaelic to us in America.  Most of them have never played before, but they really seemed to enjoy it. I know I did! We ended the night with some pizza and good conversation.  All the guys were really appreciative after the session, and that’s what makes it all worth it!  Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I am going to title this past week in Limerick “Relief Week” because after being in Ireland for a month, I finally feel like I am settling into my new life here.

 

This past week was the first official week of classes at UL and things are in full swing on campus. Some necessary things were completed, such as class registration and immigration paperwork, as well as some other important things, such as FINALLY filling up our cupboard with food and making friends in my Master’s programs. The roommates and I even started a morning routine of cycling (which is MUCH harder than I anticipated) and yoga classes at a bright and early time of 7 am weekday mornings. The icing on the cake during the week would have to be when I met with the women’s soccer team on campus and practice begins Monday! It has been almost a year since my last soccer game, so it’ll be fun to start up again.

 

On the weekend, Marian and I did a little more exploring of Ireland and took a trip to Killarney, Kerry, visiting the Ross Castle and the Torc Waterfall. Hiking up around the steep steps of the Torc Waterfall was a workout in itself, as well as a dangerous excursion. Running down steep, slippery staircases in running sneakers probably is not the best idea, and I nearly gave Marian a heart attack when I lost my footing more than once (at least I now know that the roomie loves me.) Oh and Ireland weather, the most confusing thing I have ever experience; only in Ireland does it go from rainy, foggy and complete overcast to sunshine with no clouds in sight in just a few short hours. Regardless of the sporadic weather, Ireland truly is a beautiful country and I’m looking forward to the next chance we get to explore.

 

I am off to bed; tomorrow will be a busy day filled with group meetings, forcefully reading over 100 pages in articles, and soccer practice! Until next time!

After practice last night, I gave my girls a homework assignment. I said “I want you to write five sentences on why you enjoy playing basketball and what motivates you to keep playing.” I knew there would be some objection and of course Aoife shouts “Oh , but we already have a lot of homework!” I laughed and told them if they did a few sentences a night, then they would be grand! I also told them they needed to bring it to practice on Saturday morning.  What I hope to get from this mini assignment is a better understanding of why the girls enjoy playing basketball. Most of them come to practice every week, unless they are involved in other sports (which I absolutely love and encourage because I was a three-sport athlete in high school), but sometimes they lose focus so easily in practice.

 

I remembered when I was 12, I had already started thinking about college and I was very much focused on competing with my teammates and peers. On the other hand, sports are different all over the world. Views are different and the outcome athletes expect to get can vary too. I think I would be able to help them engage more in practice if I knew the reasons behind their interest in playing basketball.  I also want them to learn how to be students of the game and self-reflecting on what the benefits of sport are and how they can help. The girls want to win games and its time to step it up in practice with more intensity, so stay tuned to see what inspires the 12U huskies. 

After sorting out our car issues on Saturday, we hit the road for a 2 plus hour journey to Carlow. This preseason tournament was split into two groups, one team in our group dropped so we only had two games to play. One game was against fellow Victory Scholar Jess! As anticipated, the rules and reffing are much different. I immediately was confused when girls were freely walking in and out of spots during foul shots. NCAA should know that the one touch “warning” before a reaching foul does not exist anywhere but college basketball. The physicality was on a whole new level, which I personally enjoyed. When we got into team fouls, two shots, not a one and one. The lane is also on a slant and in my opinion gives the offensive rebounder more of an advantage then the defensive. All these things were minor but still took some getting use to.

Our first game was extremely close. Back and forth with one minute to go we tied it up on foul shots. Then we made a mental mistake and fouled the other team on the sideline with about 3 seconds to go which resulted in them getting two free throws that they made. Tough loss, but definitely not a bad start for game one. Next we went to play Jess’s Carlow team, which we knew would be tougher. With only eight girls, fatigue also set in during game two. With another American on the court things just were that much tougher. Jess and I battled in the post, and Carlow was up by about 8 at half. We let the lead spread and ended up losing by close to 20. Carlow was a strong team but we once again learned a lot and picked certain things to focus on improving. I personally thought for having a total of 4/5 practices just once a week on a Monday night, the results weren’t bad. We have two games under our belt as we head into this coming Saturdays preseason tournament in Belfast at Queens College.

It was pretty interesting watching the biggest American sporting event of the year in another country. I was able to view the game at one of the few pubs that was showing the event in Galway after returning from my basketball match in Kerry. It was so much fun and to my surprise there was a very large turnout. There were an array of American football jerseys and the atmosphere was great. The only downside of the TV broadcast of the game was that they didn’t show any of the commercials! 

Everyone became quiet and the volume was turned up as America The Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner were performed and I immediately got the chills. It may sound corny but it gave me a sense of pride to be across the world where locals were so enthralled about a game that is so important to Americans. I know that I would be watching this game with my family and friends at home and probably wouldn’t think twice about hearing the national anthem. But in this context it meant so much more to me. It’s funny to think that having time away and being deprived of things actually makes you appreciate them that much more.

That moment made me appreciative of the opportunity I have to experience life in another part of the world and at the same time made me proud of where I come from. It also brought to light the main concept of what I’m doing here in Ireland. “Sport Changes Life,” I believe this is true in many different aspects. Whether you’re influencing children by encouraging them through sport or simply bonding together while watching the Superbowl, both are bringing people together in a positive way.

Although a blow out of a game, I still enjoyed the camaraderie of it all. It was certainly a great way to end the weekend, even though it would have been a whole lot sweeter if my Eagles were in it! But there’s always next year! 😉

This week was my last free time week for a while. It gave me the opportunity to see some more of what Belfast offers. I visited the Botanic Gardens, it was a beautiful site to see… I love flowers… I mean what girl does not lol Right next to the Gardens was the Ulster Museum which gave me a better understanding of Northern Ireland from the past to the present. I am looking forward for this week coming up… Mission 6: Orientation Week… I can not wait!

A couple weeks ago I was nervous that I was going to have to watch the Super Bowl on my lap top! Then one of our teammates told us that there was a big gathering at a local pub in Belfast where everyone went to enjoy the game. This turned my mood around instantly. Every year I watch the Super Bowl at my house or one of my friends houses with a bunch of my friends and its always a good time. I was excited to get the chance to watch it on a big screen with my fellow scholars in Belfast this year. Not only that, but I was curious to see how the environment would be around here since “American Football” isn’t that popular.

Before the Super Bowl even started I was talking to my dad and he thought the Seahawks were going to win because of there defense, a typical response from a coach (Defense wins championships). I, on the otherhand, was going with the Broncos because of there record setting and electrifying offense. There offense was far from electric that night, scoring a dismal 8 points against the tough Seattle D.

Even though I was wrong with who I wanted and thought was going to win, the atmosphere of the pub made it one to remember. The upstairs and downstairs were both packed with people having a good time and screaming between every snap of the ball. They also had burgers being made during the game and a raffle going on so anyone could win prizes. We got to see a bunch of people from our Masters program at school as well so it was nice to hang out with them outside of the classroom. The entire environment was unreal and I’m glad I got to experience it with the other scholars!

 

 

Fun Fact: Seattle Seahawks fan got a tattoo of them winning the Super Bowl BEFORE the season even started! That’s confidence!

 

 

 

Last weekend I traveled to Kojacks home of Port Laiose for a club basketball tournament.  We had an early start and arrived at the gym for 9 am for our first game that commenced at 10am. Playing in the morning was an adjustment for me because I haven’t played a basketball game before 3pm in over 5 years.  On top of that, I haven’t played more than one game in a day in more than 5 years as well.  You could summarise the performance of the team in tournament by one word: “Kaizen.”  The origin of the word spawns from the Japanese, and simply means steady growth or improvement.  It was created in response to the devastating ruins of WWII, and was used to inspire the people to progress and not be held back by the past. Despite our undefeated record of 4-0 in the weekend, we started out slow in the first game, and did not particularly play well.  But as the day progressed we woke up, came together, and won the right way.  We won each game handily on average roughly at a 10 to 15 point margin.  Due to the growth from playing with each other all day, it was awesome to see the balanced score sheet with everyone contributing both on offence and defense.  The championship game was a real team win.  It was also impressive with how well we played over a span of 9 hours despite our short bench of only 7 active players compared to the full teams we competed against.  Going forward, I have a strong feeling that the team will only get better the more we train and the more we get to know each other. In summary, it was a great team effort that was rough around the edges at the start, but smooth and together in the end.  

The Super Bowl is the popular name for the championship game of the National Football League (NFL) which is better known as American football. It’s annually the most-watched single-day sporting event in the world, and with that being said, myself and the rest of the scholars in Belfast went to The “Belfast Trojans Superbowl XLVIII” Party at Madison’s Hotel. It was good craic!!!! (Craic simply means fun in Ireland, don’t worry Mom 🙂

 

“Talent alone won’t make you a success. Neither will being in the right place at the right time, unless you are ready. The most important question is: ‘Are you ready?’”

 

― Johnny Carson

 

After reading this quote by Johnny Carson, I began to reflect on last night’s Superbowl game. In the first play of the game there was clear miscommunication between Denver quarterback Peyton Manning and center Manny Ramirez. This caused a high sap into the end zone. However, Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno was able to fall on the ball in the end zone to prevent a Seattle touchdown. The miscue staked Seattle to a 2-0 Super Bowl lead. This was just the beginning of a night full of errors on the Bronco’s behalf and victories for the Seahawks. So I ask the most important question, Where the Broncos ready? No they weren’t. They didn’t score until after half time and the final score of the Super Bowl was Settle-43 Broncos-8. I always try to relate sport to life, and from this lesson, just simply “Be ready!” for whatever comes your way in life. #iamready #victory #sportchangeslife #ready

Last week my father was selected to be the coach of the McDonald’s All-American Game. This is the most prestigious High School All-Star game in America. The best players are selected to play in the game. It is a great honor to be selected to coach an all star game with the best players in High School. Players such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’neal, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant played in the game when they were in High School. I don’t know any of the players on the team this year but I’m sure in the future I’ll be able to say “Hey, my dad coached them in the McDonald’s game”.

 

Alot of people mistake thinking that a coach is a person who trains an athlete or a team. A good coach is so much more then that; he/she is a leader, a mentor, and a role model. My father does all of this and then some more.

 

I see first hand every summer how players thats not even on his team come to him for help on getting into different high schools and colleges. Many coaches would just look them off because it doesn’t help their team.

 

Growing up I took for granted how great of a coach I had. My father coached me since I was 8 years old. I’ve been stealing some of his tactics and coaching style to use with the Junior Elks. It’s been paying off because we’ve had a succesful season thus far. Coach Britt and I are going to try our best to keep that going for the remainder of the season. I guess you can say I am trying to follow in his foot steps in becoming a great leader, mentor, and role model!!

I can’t make the trip to Chicago to see the game, but I’ll be sure to catch it on ESPN on April 2nd!

 

#Legend #Inspire #Victory

We have had a wee bit of down time, and I’ve used that time to explore what Belfast has to offer. Along with visiting some historic Irish sites, I’ve came across some people here that have something in common with me.

I happened to wear my Bowie State hoodie one day and what do you know, a lady says “I know all about Bowie, my mom went to college there.” WOW who would have thought the lads here in Ireland knew about Bowie.

And later on that same day I met a student who was from Maryland. We both agreed our Irish lads should try our Maryland Blue Crabs with some Old Bay!

Looking forward to meeting alot more new people this coming week during orientation and classes starts next week!

Losing to Glanmire for the Cup Final hurt, but watching the film and having a team meeting shortly after helped us learn from our loss. Personally, hearing the commentator say I was from Norfolk State University and representing the Sport Changes Life Organization further solidified my belief that there is more to basketball than 1^st or 2^nd place. Sure, every team wants to win and we all wanted to be the ones cheering after the Cup Final, but more importantly it is about the journey, experiences and a lifetime friendships.

 

Our team motto is “Live Life, Give Life”, and for me that means living purposefully to help not only yourself, but also others and to literally change lives. Sport Changes Life fits in with this because youth in the program get to experience sport and see how it can positively impact their lives. They also get to interact with some exemplary scholars, who are one-of-a-kind role models.

 

As a scholar, I enjoy coaching and talking to my players about all aspects of their lives, not just sports. It is about making a lasting difference and I feel more connected to the girls with each practice and game. Coaching has been a learning experience and a life-changing one too. As soon as I arrived to practice the girls were yelling, “We missed you Marian!” I missed them too and I truly wished they knew just how much they impact my life. It is like having a bunch of little sisters and it is my job to show them the way.

 

Lastly, I would like to wish a HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom, Keia Brooks. Today is her day and I hope she enjoys the edible arrangement I sent to the house!

Spread the love and Live Life, Give Life folks…

This week I had my first classes at the University of Ulster.  At Ulster, I am in in a master’s program where I am studying Sports Management.  My classes this semester focus on Finance, Enterprise Development and Spots Policy and Planning.  This first week was a new experience as I got accustomed to a new school, teachers and different style of education from what I experienced at Fordham.  This week was also my first full week of coaching in the schools, club and at Ehoops.  Prior to this week, I had mostly been coaching my club team and working with Ehoops.  I worked in two different schools: Monkstown and Whiteabby.  Monkstown was the equivalent of an American high school and I worked with the school’s basketball team.  We went through basic fundamental drills and also scrimmaged to gauge the skill levels of the players.  At Whiteabby we worked with children that were 9 and 10 years old.   While there, we did basic basketball drills, such as dribbling and shooting.  This week at Ehoops was probably the most receptive both groups had been to playing basketball.  Both the East and West Belfast groups played competitive basketball games.  Usually these groups only want to play soccer but they were actually open to playing basketball and seemed to enjoy the game.  Also this week the West Belfast group had its most efficient classroom session, where they discussed at length the issues affecting their community regarding their interactions with local police.  The conversation was informative for me as I learned about the issues affecting both the kids and police in West Belfast.  This session for West Belfast was emblematic of the purpose of Ehoops, which seeks to change lives through sport.  The guys engaged in a sport that seemed foreign to them and then had a discussion which allowed them to openly discuss the issues affecting their lives while working with the police to find solutions to these problems.  

Classes are back in session! People are finally back on campus! Soccer practice with the UL Women’s team is up and running again (thank God). I have been back at UL for a few weeks before classes, coaching, and soccer started, while my stellar roommate, Marian, and the Arsenal coaches I work with were in South Africa for separate reasons (at least Marian’s back!). But I don’t think I can adequately express how happy I am to get the ball rolling again.

 

So far, I have had three of my four classes this semester and I know the rest of my MSc classmates will agree with me in saying that we are looking forward to this semester’s projects. In one of our classes, we are doing an ethnography involving different participants in Limerick’s City of Culture 2014. I feel seriously lucky that we have the opportunity to do a project on this cultural event because it will be a productive excuse to get to know the city I live in a little more. A few of my classmates and I already bought tickets to see Fuerza Burta, one of the acts that Limerick is hosting in March, and we’re all really looking forward to that one.

 

Things are only just starting back up here in UL, but from the soccer playoffs kicking off in the next few weeks, to beginning mentoring sessions in schools with Marian next week, this semester will be in full swing in no time. My friend James and I are even starting Crossfit next week, a little taste of home in Ireland! Looking forward to being in immense pain for the month of February. I’m off to my last class of the week, until next time!

After the whirlwind of the holidays, traveling back to Ireland, and adjusting to my new schedule, I was able to conduct my search!  For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about I would like to refer you back to my blog from December titled “Airport Angel.” An unreal story about a man who’s name we now know is Conor Halpin.

 

I was able to use the business networking site called LinkedIn to narrow down my search and find Conor with only knowing his last name and country he may reside in. If it wasn’t for a small thumbnail picture on his profile that I recognized, I would have never found him after searching through numerous pages of results.

 

Once found, I learned he holds a respectable position for a software company in Dublin. I immediately sent him a detailed message first thanking him again for his amazing act of kindness. I then explained my victory scholarship and why I am in Ireland.  Afterwards I shared my blog with him and told him that this story proved to be an inspiration and great christmas miracle for everyone.

 

To no surprise his response back described the type of man that he is; humble, kind, and simple. His message read:

 

Michele Hi, 

 

Lovely to hear from you and delighted you were able to get home ok. I was happy to be able to help! Your blog is great, very sweet. You write very well! Ah! 15 second of fame : ) 

 

Hope you’re having a great time in Ireland and enjoying Galway! 

 

Cheers 

Conor

 

I’ve copied and pasted this response so that Conor can exceed his ‘15 seconds’ of fame because he truly deserves it. Such a sweet and kind hearted man that I will never forget. Conor you’ve certainty restored many people’s faith in humanity. One day I am absolutely going to return the favor to someone else in need.

Thank you. 

 

#PayItForward 

Well, needless to say my parent’s visit was not as relaxing as we anticipated. The day of their arrival, my sister got sick. After a few days in the hospital, the distance proved too much. She needed my parents back at home, and they needed the peace of mind of being with her. Although my big sister genes are also tugging me back to Worcester, Skype will have to do for now! She is doing better, but please keep her in your prayers!

 

The time we did have together, however, was full of adventures and laughs. We drove the Dingle Peninsula and the Connor Pass, which lived up to their reputation as one of the most beautiful places in the world. We visited a number of archaeological sights along the way, and were amazed at how little is understood about some of the sights. Because it goes back so many thousands of years, they believe these structures may have been used for many different purposes, and lots of unanswered questions. We saw the bar someone on my Grandpa Crowley’s side used to own and operate and met family on my Grandma Crowley’s side.  We also had dinner in Belfast with the Maguire’s and Belfast scholars, which was a treat! This program is going places.

 

Only hours after bidding my parents goodbye, Fresher’s Week began at Trinity—so about 70 societies spend the entire week recruiting new members in the main quad. It was quite the experience, and Shelby and I have signed up for about 6 different societies already, and plan to go back tomorrow morning before all of the freebies are gone! The highlight will definitely be Trinity Basketball. It does make me miss Merrimack and all of my over-involved friends! Hopefully I will catch up on some sleep after a mentally exhausting few days, and orientation for my course starts tomorrow!

 

Keep Christine in your prayers. Slan!

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t us. It wasn’t Titans basketball. But we fought. And we scrapped. And we never gave up. And now I am proud to say the Titans are the Division 1 National Cup Champions.

 

We were down by as many as 12 points at one point in the fourth quarter. You could see it on the faces of some fans and this picture of our coach Paul Freeman could sum up some of the doubt. I knew we could turn it on and we eventually did, but Team Left Bank Kilkenny, led by former Davidson College point guard Puff Summers would not go down without a fight. With one minute to go I hit my fourth three pointer of the 4^th quarter to give us our first lead since 9-8 and the Titans supporters blew the roof off the National Arena. However, Puff had ice in his veins and came right back down and drilled a 3 pointer to flip the score back.

 

Now flash to Marine Park, Brooklyn where the whole family was watching the game on the new 62 inch television. Mom had the tripod set up recording the game, ya know because there would never be a copy of the national final game. She was also taking pictures of the screen, ya know because there would be no photographer at the national final game. (Just kidding Mom, I love the passion!) My nieces Blair (6) and Shannon (4) were yelling at my Dad to turn off the “stupid” game and put on Despicable Me 2. Janine (sister) and Chrysta (sister in-law) were making mimosas, cheering uncontrollably. Eddie (brother) trying to keep my goddaughter Alexandra (1.5) calm. With 17 seconds to go, Titans with a one point lead, my leg gets tangled with Puffs and I pick up my fifth foul. At that moment the game feed blacked out. While the family at home was going crazy not knowing what happened, Kilkenny sunk both free throws.

 

We call a timeout and draw up a play to get the ball to our dominant big man Thomas Mitkus. He scored and Kilkenny came down, got us to switch a guard on their big man who came up short on a hook shot. With a mad scramble for the rebound, Emmet Murphy squeezed the life out of the ball, making sure no one could get it. Emmet has been to four All Ireland Finals throughout his years (losing them all) and said they were going to have to cut off his arms to get that ball. We knocked down two free throws with 3 seconds to go and Puff came down, pulled up for three and it rimmed in and out.

 

Now flash back to Brooklyn and the live feed comes back on, with Kilkenny being awarded their medals. The room that was once hectic instantly became deflated…Until the announcer say’s “and now for the gold medal winners, the Galway Titans.” I ended up being named MVP with 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t us. But the fight we showed and the outpour of support from all who made the trip east to Dublin, now that was Titans basketball. 

Less than an hour after returning from our induction retreat in Strangford, I had to be showered and packed to journey down south to Cork. I was headed to the home of Irish basketball to coach my U17 Ulster Elks club team. It was our first tournament of the season, and we were leaving Northern Ireland to go play the best competition the island has to offer.

As we passed University College Cork, we knew our hostel was nearby, but as it was around 11 pm at this point, we had trouble locating the hostel entrance in the darkness. We finally found the hostel and were all ready to crash, as we had traveling all day and hopefully the next day would yield 5 games. The Andrew Drumm Tournament, at Brunell Basketball Club, was an 8 team tournament, and the top 2 teams in each group would play in the semi-finals. We had our eyes set on making it to the championship. We didn’t come all this way to not get our money’s worth!
The hostel didn’t allow me the greatest night’s sleep, but in the morning I was buzzin’ and ready to go. Deirdre, whom I am lucky to have on the sidelines to assist and teach me (from her years of experience and boundless knowledge), pointed out the host of the tournament purposely scheduled to play us in the first game of the day. They expected us to be an easy first game since we were from the North where basketball is typically less competitive, in addition to the fact that we had the longest journey.The girls laced up and we were ready to play! 

(Read the next blog to see how fared!)

The first semester is in the books and the second semester starts tomorrow for the students at UUJ. I’m relieved that all the classes went well first semester and our Just Dye It sock business was a success.We all learned a lot from working in groups with each other and hope the skills we learned can transfer over to the classes this semester. Tomorrow, we have Strategic Management and I am excited to get to meet the teacher and get the classes rolling. After a long holiday break, I’m sure I’m going to need some time to warm up my mind but I look forward to another semester of learning!  I gotta get some sleep before my first day of class but I’ll keep everyone posted!

 

 

#STUDENTATHLETE #VICTORY #INSPIRE

My second semester of Grad School has begun. My first class was Strategic Sports Marketing. Although this is the only class that I have been to thus far I can tell it will be my favorite already. The ratio from student to teacher is 8:1. This hands on experience should be very challengeing to say the least, but I am up for it! I love how the classes here are so diverse. Not only is the class size small but it is very diverse. We have 3 people from here in Ireland, 2 Canadians, Ben from London, Yohann from France, along with me the only American in the class.

 

There were so many organizations back home that I thought of during class that could benefit from some of the things we discussed in class. Which happened to be one of our coursework assignments. I am anxious to get started.

 

My next class is Thursday, so we will see if the other two classes can compete with my early favorite class so far, Strategic Sports Marketing! I’ll keep you updated!!

 

#STUDY #VICTORY

Get engaged, but don’t get married. That was the advice one of the coaches in the Titans program gave to the under 20 team I assisted him with. He was talking about playing help defense of course…I have noticed my new Irish family will find a good saying for everything and for my friends at home, they know I strive for a cheesy/witty saying any chance I get. Another one that he said was, “who can tell me what denial is, other than a river in Egypt.” I think these are brilliant. So I am slowly starting to collect these phrases and begin to add them into my coaching repertoire. 

Speaking of coaching, this past Saturday I took the under 20 team down to Cork for a very competitive tournament. It is a little weird that I am coaching three guys that also are my teamates on the national team, but they showed me nothing but respect and took in every word I said. I keep forgetting about the certain rule differences that FIBA has, so I am berating the referee for not making a five second call and one of my players taps me on the shoulder and reminds me that it doesn’t exist. Oh well, there went any credibility I had with the referees. We lost in the semi-finals to the hometown Cork team but almost pulled off the upset. Blame the coaching! Last years Galway scholar, Andre Tongo, came back to visit this weekend before heading off to France to coach, play and work. It was great walking around Galway with him, he knew someone wherever we went. That has me excited for the year ahead, knowing this place will always be a home to come back to. I will check in with you guys next week, but until then, REMEMBER kids get engaged but don’t get married!