Greetings everyone,

It will be nearly impossible to capture the following experience in a short blog post, in a way that truly conveys how profound it was. As such, I’m sorry for the inevitable length, in advance.

In an odd sort of paradox, since I’ve arrived here, I’ve realized more and more each week that I am blessed well beyond my capacity to realize how much I am blessed. I’m not just talking about the incredible opportunities that Sport Changes Life has given this group of scholars over the next 9 months. Having finally been introduced to some of the communities in which we’ll be working and coaching, I’ve learned of hardships and difficulties that I can never begin to fully comprehend. 

Back on UL’s campus, all I have to say to a classmate is “I’m going to be coaching and working in the community of Southhill this year,” and the looks I get (mixtures of shock and pity) tell me everything I need to know, even before the stories that follow.

Yet, for every description I’ve heard of drug-use, crime, and murder, I’ve encountered another two stories of hope and promise…in a community that feels disregarded and not-so-discretely alienated by the government and residents of the Limerick area. More often than not, these stories of hope arise in the form of individuals who’ve given up their lives and careers, to work in these communities, striving to help the residents (particularly, the young ones) find direction and purpose. 

This past week, Sarah and I finally met John, a soccer coach, and the man with whom we’ll be working throughout the year in Southhill – an impoverished community that seems to be a breeding ground for drugs, shootings, arson, and more generally, what the Irish call “antisocial behavior”. (On a sidenote, after two months here, I wish the Irish version of Microsoft Word would stop telling me to put a ‘u’ in words like ‘behaviour’…it’s annoying.) 

We got our first taste of this environment when we were driven through these neighborhoods and introduced to other individuals who are trying to make a difference, as well as some of the residents themselves.

Within 24 hours of this introduction, I learned a lesson that will stay with me throughout the rest of my life.

The day after meeting John, I went to watch him coach a soccer team made up of Southhill residents (his plan, and I agree, is to slowly and gradually involve us in this type of work). Walking down to the field, I didn’t know what to expect. How would individuals from an area prone to “antisocial behavior” actually behave on a pitch – in a structured athletic environment? 

Throughout the rest of my life, I’ll never forget what I witnessed over the next hour of training. The group was a mix of talent. There were some with skill and technical ability, but there was an apparent lack of tactical awareness in general, presumably attributable to a lack of structured coaching in the past. The session began with sloppy play, accompanied almost immediately by a barrage of yelling and profanity among the players. John had them playing a short-sided (8v8) game to small goals, and the initial result was difficult to watch, to say the least. The yelling and cursing increased steadily, and tensions were noticeably rising.

And then, with one sentence, everything changed. 

John shouted “Each time a player turns the ball over to the other team, he has to drop and do five pushups, while the game continues.” It was a very simple rule change – one that I’ve encountered in my own career with past coaches. Yet, in this instance, my initial expectations envisioned complete chaos. “There’s no way this particular group of guys will respond well to this…” 

I couldn’t have been further from the truth. In an effort to avoid the extra fitness, nearly every player began to focus his energy solely on possessing the ball within his team. Teamwork across both sides skyrocketed. The shouting and profanity gradually disappeared…well, almost disappeared. 

Instead of focusing on the other players, each guy focused on his own responsibility to keep possession of the ball. 

The style of play gradually transformed – from utter chaos into an impressive (and Barcelona-like) display of 1- and 2- touch soccer – as the ball was moved skillfully around the field. 

It took one slight alteration in the rules of the game to turn this practice into (believe it or not) one of the most attractive displays of soccer I’ve seen since I arrived in this country. At the end of the session, I overheard one of the players telling his teammate, as they walked toward the parking lot, that it was “one of their best practices yet”… 

More importantly, it made me realize how a small change can have a massive and echoing effect across a group. Whether or not this will serve as a microcosm to the contributions we make in this community this year remains to be seen. I only hope I can continue to learn from John and the others, and maybe, just maybe, change one life for the better. 

**This served as the first real testament I’ve experienced here in Ireland, to the impact sports and physical activity can have on the lives of those who don’t have much else. I’m sure that I’ve only encountered the tip of the iceberg in terms of hardships these communities face. But, this training session opened my eyes to the extraordinary influence one can have, if given the right tools and the right approach. Sport Changes Life and these other organizations are doing incredible work…and I’m beyond honored to be a part of it.

When going to a foreign country, it is quite obvious that you will come across things that are a little unusual to you.

 

This was nothing definitely the case during my first week spent in Northern Ireland. However, I quickly realized that there was nothing insurmountable that I faced in the first week of being in this foreign country. So here is my short list of tips and things I have learned from the start of my Irish journey.

• – Cars are tiny, not ideal for a 6’7” guy.
• – Don’t exchange money in an airport. I got robbed by a little old lady at the foreign exchange desk.
• -“Wee” is a synonym for small… I think.
• -The Titanic was built in Belfast.
• -Giant snails live in Ireland.
• -Fudge means caramel.
• -Biscuit means cookie.
• -Irish chocolate is “quite nice”

 

While none of these will make or break your trip to Ireland, knowing some of them in advance could prevent a “wee” bit of confusion. 

 

Victory Scholar: Cory Starkey

Present University: NUI Galway

US League: Patriot League

Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans

Alma Mater: Bucknell University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

 

Greetings everyone,

It will be nearly impossible to capture the following experience in a short blog post, in a way that truly conveys how profound it was. As such, I’m sorry for the inevitable length, in advance.

In an odd sort of paradox, since I’ve arrived here, I’ve realized more and more each week that I am blessed well beyond my capacity to realize how much I am blessed. I’m not just talking about the incredible opportunities that Sport Changes Life has given this group of scholars over the next 9 months. Having finally been introduced to some of the communities in which we’ll be working and coaching, I’ve learned of hardships and difficulties that I can never begin to fully comprehend. 

Back on UL’s campus, all I have to say to a classmate is “I’m going to be coaching and working in the community of Southhill this year,” and the looks I get (mixtures of shock and pity) tell me everything I need to know, even before the stories that follow.

Yet, for every description I’ve heard of drug-use, crime, and murder, I’ve encountered another two stories of hope and promise…in a community that feels disregarded and not-so-discretely alienated by the government and residents of the Limerick area. More often than not, these stories of hope arise in the form of individuals who’ve given up their lives and careers, to work in these communities, striving to help the residents (particularly, the young ones) find direction and purpose. 

This past week, Sarah and I finally met John, a soccer coach, and the man with whom we’ll be working throughout the year in Southhill – an impoverished community that seems to be a breeding ground for drugs, shootings, arson, and more generally, what the Irish call “antisocial behavior”. (On a sidenote, after two months here, I wish the Irish version of Microsoft Word would stop telling me to put a ‘u’ in words like ‘behaviour’…it’s annoying.) 

We got our first taste of this environment when we were driven through these neighborhoods and introduced to other individuals who are trying to make a difference, as well as some of the residents themselves.

Within 24 hours of this introduction, I learned a lesson that will stay with me throughout the rest of my life.

The day after meeting John, I went to watch him coach a soccer team made up of Southhill residents (his plan, and I agree, is to slowly and gradually involve us in this type of work). Walking down to the field, I didn’t know what to expect. How would individuals from an area prone to “antisocial behavior” actually behave on a pitch – in a structured athletic environment? 

Throughout the rest of my life, I’ll never forget what I witnessed over the next hour of training. The group was a mix of talent. There were some with skill and technical ability, but there was an apparent lack of tactical awareness in general, presumably attributable to a lack of structured coaching in the past. The session began with sloppy play, accompanied almost immediately by a barrage of yelling and profanity among the players. John had them playing a short-sided (8v8) game to small goals, and the initial result was difficult to watch, to say the least. The yelling and cursing increased steadily, and tensions were noticeably rising.

And then, with one sentence, everything changed. 

John shouted “Each time a player turns the ball over to the other team, he has to drop and do five pushups, while the game continues.” It was a very simple rule change – one that I’ve encountered in my own career with past coaches. Yet, in this instance, my initial expectations envisioned complete chaos. “There’s no way this particular group of guys will respond well to this…” 

I couldn’t have been further from the truth. In an effort to avoid the extra fitness, nearly every player began to focus his energy solely on possessing the ball within his team. Teamwork across both sides skyrocketed. The shouting and profanity gradually disappeared…well, almost disappeared. 

Instead of focusing on the other players, each guy focused on his own responsibility to keep possession of the ball. 

The style of play gradually transformed – from utter chaos into an impressive (and Barcelona-like) display of 1- and 2- touch soccer – as the ball was moved skillfully around the field. 

It took one slight alteration in the rules of the game to turn this practice into (believe it or not) one of the most attractive displays of soccer I’ve seen since I arrived in this country. At the end of the session, I overheard one of the players telling his teammate, as they walked toward the parking lot, that it was “one of their best practices yet”… 

More importantly, it made me realize how a small change can have a massive and echoing effect across a group. Whether or not this will serve as a microcosm to the contributions we make in this community this year remains to be seen. I only hope I can continue to learn from John and the others, and maybe, just maybe, change one life for the better. 

**This served as the first real testament I’ve experienced here in Ireland, to the impact sports and physical activity can have on the lives of those who don’t have much else. I’m sure that I’ve only encountered the tip of the iceberg in terms of hardships these communities face. But, this training session opened my eyes to the extraordinary influence one can have, if given the right tools and the right approach. Sport Changes Life and these other organizations are doing incredible work…and I’m beyond honored to be a part of it.

As a Business Master’s student at Waterford Institute of Technology, I have heard all about the high quality of the Business School at WIT from my lecturers, classmates, and from Waterford residents in general. Now you might be thinking that these people are a little biased, being from the Waterford area and having attended or taught at WIT, but I can honestly say that they’re not! So far throughout the past six months studying at WIT, I have been through a rigorous schedule of academic theory and real world experience. Last semester I completed a marketing plan for a real company; this semester I am working as a consultant for two start-up companies, putting together creativity and leadership workshops, and most recently, starting up my own microcomputer company.

 

Okay, the last one isn’t completely true. But one of the modules on my course is a Business Simulation class in which the class is split into four groups who each run a simulated microcomputer business. The entire game is online in a virtual global market. We create our business names, design various computer brands, create our own advertisements, and much, much more. We have to take into account demand projections in order to decide how much factory space to buy, undertake Research and Development to add new features to our computers, decide how much to pay our workers, and figure out how much we can spend on our various costs without going bankrupt. It really is a comprehensive game that has tested my sanity more than once—especially because it is competitive. We are all competing against each other for market share, profits, and customers. Then our companies are ranked from best to worst performance each week.

 

Most recently, our companies had to make a Tactical Plan for the next three quarters of our operations. We basically had to plan every decision we would make over the next three weeks and project the results of these decisions. We then had to present these Tactical Plans to the “Dragon’s Den,” a panel of lecturers who decided which Tactical Plan was the best. Based on how well each group presented their tactical plans, the Dragons awarded the best company $4 million to spend in the game. The rest of the companies would be awarded a lesser amount, with the last place company earning $3 million.

 

So last night, after practicing my spiel for the Dragons about 100 times until I got it perfect, I went into the Dragon’s Den. It was a nerve-wracking experience; after each presentation, the Dragons asked some very tough questions. If you had any mistakes on your Tactical Plan, be assured the Dragons would find it! Nonetheless, my group did an excellent job and came away with an investment of $3.5 million.

 

Although I was extremely relieved when the Dragon’s Den was over, I think it was an incredible learning experience. Our business savvy was put to the test as we competed with the other companies throughout the game. Then, our ability to present our business plans to a panel of lecturers was really a great test to see if we knew our stuff and could speak about it confidently. Overall, the experience proved to me why people talk about the WIT Business School with such high esteem; it does an excellent job of placing students in real life situations to provide them with a experiences unlike those of any other business school.

 

 

Victory Scholar: Katie Fox

Present University: Waterford IT

US League: NEC

Club/Community Partner: Waterford Wildcats

Alma Mater: St. Francis College

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

CHEERS to a new beginning, an opportunity, the courage to try something new and being brave enough to leave your comfort zone. The young men that come to E-Hoops every Wednesday night and I have a lot in common. As I have been flown over to Northern Ireland to seize an opportunity and leave everything I know behind in the States, these young men get on a bus and head over to Jordanstown and leave there life in Rathcoole behind for a couple hours and explore something new and different from what they know. Of course when I came over to Northern Ireland I was unsure of what was ahead of me and I believe these guys felt the same. But the fact that they took that leap of faith and put themselves in a position where they can better there life and the lives around them, I have great admiration and respect towards their intentions. 
As the first female to work at E-Hoops, many were a bit on edge to see how the boys would react to my presence in the gym. I could not have asked for a warmer welcome from this group of guys. The amount of laughs we have is remarkable and the chats we get to have mean so much to me. They accept me for who I am and I do the same. The concept is that simple. It has only been three weeks and I feel such a connection already. They are helping me grow as a person just as much as I am helping them. I look forward to Wednesday night E-Hoops every week because of the energetic atmosphere and the people that I surround myself with. 
My Mom has always told me to “bloom where you are planted” and I believe the E-Hoops program gives these young men the opportunity to do so and I plan on doing the same.

Before coming to Ireland I had trouble describing to people what I would be doing and even more trouble describing why I was doing it. It wasn’t until after my first eHoops program that I was able to answer these questions.

eHoops is a program that takes disadvantaged youth in Northern Ireland and aligns them with basketball players from the United States in order to provide an avenue out of their current situations. The reason why victory scholars are here, in Northern Ireland and Ireland, is to provide mentorship and leadership to youth across these countries and to provide them with something outside their usual routine, which may include crime, drugs, poverty and sometimes just simply a break from their community.

The reason why I personally am here is because basketball has provided me with an avenue to accomplish things that wouldn’t have been possible without sport. Basketball allowed me to go on to get a college education at Bucknell University, which would not have happened without basketball. It has also given me the incredible opportunity to spend a year in Ireland playing basketball, while getting a master’s degree, and trying to teach youth in this country an important message. Sport has changed my life. Because of this I am here so that I can enable others’ lives to be changed by sport just like my life has been changed by sport. Basketball has provided me with an outreach, now it is my job to provide others with the same opportunities in sport that I have been given. In a meeting with children ages 15 and above, I was really able to understand how victory scholars can have an impact on these young people’s lives as I learned what challenges they face in their everyday life. Sports can give them something quality to do in their free time. This helps develop skills like discipline, work ethic, and team work which can be applied in all walks of life.

I have enjoyed my time working with the youth in Belfast, but am looking forward to the new challenges I will face in Galway over the next nine months. 

 

Victory Scholar: Cory Starkey

Present University: NUI Galway

US League: Patriot League

Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans

Alma Mater: Bucknell University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

 

Hey everyone!

After a couple of sessions with my U16/U18 girls, I think I am beginning to form a relationship with the girls. Each session I see them becoming much more open and comfortable with me as their coach, and I am definitely seeing small improvements in some of the girls. For example, boxing out and rebounding is something that I have really been stressing, and I think a lot of the girls are starting to understand the importance of actually hitting someone on a box out. More work is definitely necessary, but I’m happy to see this minor improvement after only a couple practices. 
One of the major difficulties with this group however, is getting them to focus on basketball during the entire session. There are moments when they will do exactly what I ask them to do, but then there are a lot of times when they have no idea what is going on because they were talking on sideline. This group definitely loves to talk, but only when they are 

off the court! As soon as they step over those lines onto the court, they don’t say a word! Even though this can get a little frustrating at times, I can relate in some way. I was never always a huge talker on the court, especially in the beginning of my college career. I think the one thing that will help these girls become more vocal on the court is my encouragement. So I have been focusing a lot on telling them when they do something right. I’ve noticed these little words of encouragement actually have a huge effect on them, and hopefully in a couple weeks I will have the entire team talking when they step on the court and cheering on their teammates when they are on the sidelines. Needless to say, I am very excited to see how they all grow throughout the season!

 

This week at the end of my ‘Insurance & Risk” class the teacher reminded us to show up early for our class next week because we will be having our mid-term exam. Mid-term exam? Already? It feels like the semester just started! My semester is 14 weeks long with 12 weeks for lectures and 2 weeks for final exams. We just finished week 5 so it makes sense that next week is mid-term week but I just can’t believe how fast the semester has gone by. It seems like yesterday that I first arrived in Ireland and now it is already half way through 2^nd semester.  Looks like I’ll have a weekend full of studying!

 

 

 

Victory Scholar: Staats Battle

Present University: University of Limerick

US League: ACC

Club/Community Partner: UL Eagles

Alma Mater: North Carolina State University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

 

Passing. The art of knowing the proper techniques and skills to throwing a good pass to your teammate is often overlooked. It is usually assumed that, as a coach, you would think the players that your coaching would know how to throw the different types of passes (bounce pass, chest pass, overhead pass etc). This isn’t the case for a lot of the kids that we have been coaching down here in Galway. It is important to us, to make sure that they do get the basic techniques to throwing good and efficient passes to their teammates. I try to stress to the kids how important it is to deliver a good pass to your teammates. It can be the difference between your teammate being able to get a shot/layup off or giving the defense more time to play good contain defense. So some of the drills that we put them through were simple groups of pairs where we would go through the different types of passes and we tried to emphasize the importance of making a good pass. Simply after one day of focusing on passing, the kids were already improving. That is something that we as coaches are going to continue to build on. It was great to see the little improvements in some of the players. It really gives me the sense of pleasure that the kids are actually listening to my coaching and attempting to apply the new knowledge. Thats it for my blog this week, check in next week to see how things went. Take care!

Anyone who knows the game of college basketball in America knows that making sure that the players are having fun is not really one of the main priorities. Not to say that it isn’t fun- it is one of the most exciting games ever in my opinion- but the players are under a lot of pressure because of the time commitment, the mental toughness needed, the physicality of it, and the serious nature of both the coaches and players. I did not really realize how serious the game of basketball had gotten for me until recently.

 

So many times I have coached kids who are maybe forced to work out by their parents, who do drill after drill without cracking a smile, who over train themselves or get over trained by a coach, etc. But in just the five days that I’ve been in Belfast, I have had some of the best basketball encounters in my life. The most fascinating thing to me is how genuinely interested some of the people are in basketball, when they have no clue what the game is about. A 20-year-old girl asked me today how many players are on a basketball court at once. When I told her 10, 5 on each team, the look of shock on her face was priceless. She said, ”I thought it was 11 on each but I suppose the court is a bit small for that.” But she asked me that question and you could just see in her eyes the spark of interest. This same girl jumped up and down and cheered when she perfected the right footwork to make a lay up and made everyone in the gym smile.

 

I have to say it is such a relief to see sparks in eyes and gasps and cheers and fascination in a person. It isn’t too common in our world of technology and everything new and improved, but it surpasses all of that by miles.

 

Victory Scholar: Meghan McGuinness

Present University: Trinity College Dublin

US League Partner: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Trinity Basketball Women

Alma Mater: Niagara University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland 

My Life in Belfast

As I got off the plane in Belfast, Northern Ireland I really didn’t know what to expect. I had heard many things like: the food wasn’t good, the weather sucks, etc. What I didn’t hear is all the positives of living in Northern Ireland. As I expected, the things I heard from various sources were completely WRONG! Of course there are things that are different in Northern Ireland than in the States, but sometimes change is good, and in my case change has been great.
My life here in Belfast has been awesome! As an African-American male here in Belfast, I am automatically very different than anyone else here. It also doesn’t help that I am 6’5 and 210 pounds. It has been different, but a very good different. For example, every day I walk to class or even in the city of Belfast, I feel like all eyes are on me. I get looked at differently, stared at constantly, and even get an occasionally high five from an Irishman who thinks I am s

omeone famous. I feel like celebrity sometimes with all the high fives from random people while Jim, Caroline, and I walk around. In the states I tend to blend in with all my friends and family, but here in Belfast, there is no such thing as me blending in which is good for me. As a result, of this I am a lot less shy and more open to people while in group projects for school or just hanging out in the student union. 
The culture here is very similar to how it is in America, but there are definitely some things I have had to get used to. One of them, believe it or not, is the dialect. I have had to get used to phrases like “What’s the Craic?” or calling the trunk of the car a “boot” or even calling basketball shoes “boots”. It has taken some time to get used to, but I am starting to get it now. I am even starting to call our basketball practice “a training session”, so I am starting to adapt pretty well in just 2 months. Another thing that caused Jim and me trouble when we first got here was how the shower worked. I have always just turned on the shower and water came out, but in our dorm rooms we have to flip a switch (like turning on the light) in order for the water to work. It was just a small culture change, but it caused us headaches as we had to walk to the gym or “sports centre” to shower. 
Overall, my life in Belfast has been more than I could ever expect it to be: The people here are so friendly and very nice to you, the kids are very respectful, the food is good (Mr. Gareth and Mrs. Deirdre are amazing cooks), and the weather isn’t as bad as people say. My life in Belfast has been very different, but I have had a blast and can’t wait to see what else Belfast has in store for me!

 

Generally, my Saturday’s are spent either on the court or at the Academy with some of the liveliest young people I’ve met this year. On particularly busy weekends, I do a little of both. Yet, last Saturday I had the opportunity to do something a bit different. I spent a few hours volunteering with Special Olympics Connacht.

Originally, all the athletes were scheduled to have games, but after a two teams pulled out only the guys had the numbers to support a mini tournament. Thus I had 12 ladies all to myself. We worked on passing, shooting and eventually scrimmaged but my favorite part of the day was our segment on defense. We did the ‘Coach’s Drill’ including foot fire/fast feet, rebounding, taking charges and diving for loose balls.
They laughed so hard during the whole thing and really enjoyed getting down and dirty. It was such a pure moment and nice change of pace to be able to share the love of basketball with a new group of girls.

 

 

Victory Scholar: Marritta Gillcrease
Present University: NUI Galway
US League: MAAC
Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans
Alma Mater: Rider University
Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

“Coaching is nothing more than eliminating mistakes before you get fired” – Lou Holtz

This is the pressure I felt while coaching my first Ulster Elks U16 girls basketball game as we faced a two point deficit with ten seconds remaining on the clock. These girls have not lost a game in nearly two years and I do not want to be the coach when this streak is broken. That is why I jumped with unbridled joy as we hit a buzzer beater to tie the game up. The bench players rushed onto the floor, tackled their new hero that hit the clutch jump shot and used that momentum to get the win in overtime. Of course at the U16 level, coaching is about teaching the girls basketball and having fun, but no one can argue that winning makes having fun much easier!

After quite an eventful day learning the ins-and-outs of Sports Changes Life and some good ol’ fashioned pick up, we headed over to the Cos’ Cafe for our first bowl of Irish Stew. It wasn’t nearly as rustic as people make it sound but it was quite hearty and a nice distraction from the icy rain that picked up. We made a not-so-quick trip to Tesco and thankfully made way to the showers before we were able to spend our night off in the common room. After Meghan’s music started the laughs came soon after. Emily decided I look more like a RiRi and Lilian effectively told us, “By the way, it’s Lil” during our rounds of cards and stories with former Victory Scholar Ryan Ansel until the wee hours of the morning. Hard to believe it’s only the end of Day 2 and it is even harder to believe we’ll have to separate for  the year when we’ve been having such a great time together. 🙁 C’est la vie. 

 

Victory Scholar: Marritta Gillcrease

Present University: NUI Galway

US League Partner: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: NUIG Mystics

Alma Mater: Rider University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland 

 

 

GUTS AND GLORY. Jim and I had our first U16 Elks game on Saturday. It was the most intense game I have been apart of in a while. It reminded me why I love the game, the people, the passion, the life. We went into overtime and got the W. We were a lot smaller than the other team but it didn’t stop our girls. They dug in and showed everyone in the gym that they are some tough chicks! These girls are always at practice on Friday night ready to work and all there hard work paid off on Saturday. The game also exposed the meaning of a real team, everyone contributed to the victory, whether they were on the court in the last minutes or cheering their hearts out on the bench. My college coach always told us that “great teams are made up of great benches”- and she could not have been more right on Saturday afternoon. I am so proud of our girls for having the confidence and mental toughness to start off the season with such a memorable win. Lets keep it going ladies.

I love this picture that Harrison captured from my game on Wednesday. We were playing against IT Tallaught for the Division 2 college semifinals. Our team had a lot of fun that game, and won by about 60 points. In this picture, I was telling my teammate Ciara that I wanted to see her take a 3-point shot during our next possession. She is such an effective penetrator that she rarely takes far shots, and the lead we had was the perfect opportunity to try something she would rarely do. I laughed, as the picture shows, when I told her, “And don’t forget to make it, I want an assist.”

 

The image reminds me of what my dad used to tell me before every game, “Don’t forget to smile.” The phrase would often come after a brief discussion of tactics, of reviewing that it was important for me to rebound, or bend my knees more on my shot. But before going on the court, these words were the last thing I would hear, a reminder of why I was stepping on to the court at all. These college games at Carlow, when our team is working hard and having fun, I’m reminded of what basketball used to be for me – a reason to smile. And it’s incredible to feel it become that once again.

 

 

Victory Scholar: Lillian McCabe

Present University: IT Carlow

US League: Atlantic 10

Club/Community Partner: ITC Basketball

Alma Mater: Davidson College

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

I am confident now that the kids we work with here in Galway are starting to really believe we are here to help make them better in every way we can. Slowly building trust, to me, is the most important thing we can do to get through to these kids as mentors. It is a beautiful thing to know you have players looking up to you, and I feel blessed to be in this position to give back to them any way I can. Coaching multiple teams/clinics makes it a little tougher to build the strong relationships I would like to have with these individuals, but I can honestly say the ones I able to consistently see at the trainings I lead/assist know that I am here for them. I believe thats important to both of us. I love that I am beginning to see players doing the little things I preach to them on their own, like ball handling drills on the side before practice, or running up to show me the new move they mastered that I previously taught them. Its great to see it now in a few players, just need more to start catching on!

Growing up, I always cherished the moments I spent with my family. They say you don’t get to choose your family and I will admit the odds worked out in my favor because they are a huge influence to who I am and the core to my life. Even though each family may not be perfect, creating relationships based on true love and trust as well as caring for another more than life itself are priceless and everlasting. Moving forward in my life, I admired people, institutions, or businesses that promote family or family-oriented environments because feeling belonged and cared for is relieving. I received my undergraduate degree from The College of William and Mary, and for those that know my college understands that it embodies the “One Tribe One Family” mantra. Whether you encountered a professor, administrator, or student, they all made you feel at home. Attending William and Mary was one of my best life decisions ever as an athlete who loves family values and basketball.

 I had no idea what to expect of the scholars or staff members in the Sport Changes Life program. See as an applicant, I understood that the program had a mission to incorporate sport development with young people in the communities of Ireland. Furthermore, the program used teamwork and dedication to completely change the lives of the children with the game I absolutely love. Now the feeling to be accepted and to be a part of such a prestigious program lacks words. But witnessing the love and values of the program through its website, social media and other technologies was not completely satisfying since seeing from a distance and actually being in the moment are two different things.  Landing in to Ireland was mind blowing and was far from any thing I could possibly imagine from another country. The accent did take some adjusting where meeting Aimee, this “wee” ball of fire with so much energy, was the highlight of my first day. When the second day ended, I was completely enthralled at how 13 scholars and a few staff members can make one feel like part of one big family and at home in just 48 hours. Experiencing an amazing past couple of days makes me even more optimistic for what this year will bring…

 

Victory Scholar: Jazmen Boone

Present University: Waterford IT

US League: CAA

Club/Community Partner: Waterford Wildcats

Alma Mater: The College of William and Mary

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland 

 

Building relationships, that’s what this entire experience thus far has been about. It has been my constant effort to attempt to build strong and healthy relationship with the kids. It has always been an important part of any relationship that I have had with all my coaches. The reasons why building an strong and healthy relationship with the kids is so important to me is because then, there is a greater opportunity for there to be a mutual trust. I want the kids here to trust that I am here to truly help them become better basketball players and people in general. That has been the results of all my experiences in relationships with my coaches before, along with them making me a better basketball player, they have allowed me to become a better person as well. I can see already that I am making some headway with a few of the kids. We are slowly building a relationship. It’s only a matter of time that the trust will develop as well. Thank for tuning into my blog this week. Take care and I talk to you next week.
-Dre

Alvernia University Mens Basketball will always hold a special place in my heart, just like everyone’s alma matter will. All the memories, championships, and most importantly all my teammates that have become family to me, make my college basketball career a truly unforgettable one.  My teams were very successful all four years, with a regional championship my freshman year, followed by three consecutive conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances. 

 

This year they secured the #1 seed in the conference playoffs and hosted the semi-final.  They played a very tough game but came up short in the end.  Although they won’t be playing in the conference championship, I am very proud of this team and especially the seniors.  They showed a lot of resilience and heart throughout the season. 

 

Huge shoutout to Chucky, Adam, and Tom on a great college career.  They are the epitome of team basketball and model student-athletes. They have racked up three consecutive conference titles and have a chance to win a regional championship. Adam has made our team, and me in particular, much better because of how hard he competes in every practice.  He will graduate next year with a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy. Tom has been the ultimate team player, as he participated in all activity with the team despite a serious injury which put him on IR his whole senior year.  Lastly, Chuck capped his college career with his second listing on the All-Conference team, 1,000 point scoring bid, and owner of the most iconic shot in Alvernia history.  You three should be proud of your accomplishments and I thank you for all you’ve done for me as a person and a player. 

 

 

 

Victory Scholar: Harrison Deyo

Present University: IT Carlow

US League: MAC

Club/Community Partner: IT Carlow Basketball

Alma Mater: Alvernia University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

 

 

 

Evening everyone…. 

For some reason, prior to my arrival in Ireland, I had never envisioned a “colorful” Irish fall. I guess Google images and Wikipedia had conditioned me to assume that I would see green 365 days a year. Yet, while it may not quite look like an autumn in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, Ireland has somehow become more beautiful in the past few weeks…the leaves have change

d color, and cold(er) weather is settling in….I attached a picture of UL’s campus in the fall. 

After weeks of rest, rehab in the gym, and enough bags of ice to build a spacious igloo, I’m pleased to say that it looks like I’ll be stepping back onto a field this week. Today’s 7am run through the fog to the city confirmed that the knee and hamstring are doing well, and are almost match fit. The team has started the season with 3 straight wins (first two were friendly matches), and the level of play has been exceptional to watch. I’m looking forward to joining what seems to be an outstanding group of guys on the field soon…

My classes and research at the University of Limerick have offered an amazing perspective into a new field of study for me, as well as the unique experiences that come with studying in a foreign country. Regrettably, due to the rigors of college soccer back in the States, I was never able to study abroad, so this year has been a further blessing in that sense. 

I was fortunate enough to find a program in UL’s business school (Work and Organizational Psychology) that aligns with my undergraduate work in psychology and my future aspirations to pursue a PhD in sport/performance psychology. The professors/advisors at UL have been amazing – the classes are small, and discussion based, and there is an obvious sense in which the faculty members are truly enjoying themselves – it’s been a rewarding experience to say the least. 

After several meetings with my advisor, and a few weeks of research, I’ve settled on a still-to-be-refined thesis topic: a qualitative (interview) analysis of creativity and the “flow experience” in secondary school teachers. For those interested few, here’s a general overview of “flow” (it’s fascinating and applicable to athletes, performers, employees, teachers, etc.): http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html. 

On the coaching front, I’ve been able to help coach a local u16 club soccer team…leading me to conclude that Saturday morning soccer games in the sun, with laughing kids, and hovering parents is as rewarding and magical in Ireland as it is back home. 

I was also able to help Sarah with her u16/u18 girls basketball practice on Saturday (all the while, pretending that my 5’7” stature and soccer warm up pants, weren’t raising any suspicion concerning my basketball expertise). More importantly, however, it looks like Sarah and I will begin our community coaching this week, after much waiting and anticipation. We’ve partnered with the local semi-professional club, Limerick FC, and will be going to local schools in at-risk communities one or two nights a week to tutor/mentor kids for an hour, followed by soccer or basketball sessions with them on the pitch or court. I’ll also probably be helping to coach one of the Limerick FC youth academy teams on Saturdays. I can’t say how excited I am for this phase of the Sport Changes Life experience to start. 

On a final note… we were invited to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving with one of Sarah’s classmates last week (I had never heard of an alternative version of this holiday, but apparently it also comes with chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, bread, and apple pie – so, well played Canada).

Gear. warm up songs, crazy student sections, most hated opponents,  best/worst performance,  pregame rituals, etc…..we’ve talked about it all.

 

This is my first week as part of the Sport Changes Life family and I am having an absolute blast. It hasn’t even been one week here in Ireland and I already feel like the other Victory Scholars are part of my family.  On every bus ride, at every meal, and in every training session, there is never any “awkward silence” or times when we struggle to have a conversation with each other. This is because we all have an immediate connection and a conversation starter through the love of basketball.  We have been sharing hilarious experiences from reminiscing about our first college practice as freshmen to describing the toughest away arena we’ve played in. Basketball is not just a sport we are using to change the life in others but it is also a sport we are using to connect with one another.  I would write on this blog everyone’s funniest story I have heard but I don’t want to have the longest blog in Victory Scholar history…. so you’ll just have to ask me about it next time you see!

 

Victory Scholar: Staats Battle

Present University: University of Limerick

US League: ACC

Club/Community Partner: University of Limerick Lions

Alma Mater: North Carolina State University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland 

‎”Patience is a virtue”. I’ve often heard this quote over and over again throughout my life. And I always considered myself as a patient person. But arriving to Galway and coaching these kids who have never played the sport of basketball was really going to put my patience to the test. What I learned from my experience thus far with the kids that I coach, is that you have to be extremely patient with them. They may not get whatever lesson or technique that you teach them the first, second or even tenth time! But if their effort is there and you don’t give up on them, they will eventually get it. That’s where patience comes into play. I have been often put in that situation since I’ve been down here in Galway. As the weeks have gone by, I can see myself becoming more and more patient. I chose to write this weeks blog about patience for a specific reason. I wanted to show that even though I am here in Ireland to help and teach children, I can and will mostly likely learn a lot from them as well. I’m am learning techniques to staying patient from my interactions with the kids weekly. This along with the many other qualities and lessons I plan to learn before I return to the states are certainly going to stick with me forever. With that being said, I hope you all have been patient with me as well, with my lack of blogs the last couple weeks. I have been busy with my academic work load. My apologizes! I will make a greater effort to keep you updated with my many wild and memorable experiences here Ireland. Until next time, take care.
-Dre

As much as Katie and I enjoyed coaching the girls at Mercy Primary School every Wednesday and Thursday, our time has come to a melancholy end. The Mercy Primary School brings in a sport expert to teach the young girls over a seven-week grace period. Already in their school year they have mastered the techniques of swimming and gymnastics, and the past seven weeks I believe it’s safe to say that Katie and I have transformed these Mercy girls into “ballers”. Before leaving the school premises, a young Mercy student and her teacher stopped us in our tracks to praise us for our work. Then the young girl, well now “baller”, pulls out a card to give Katie and I with these words inscribed on the inside:

 

“To Jaz and Katie,

 

Thank you both for being great basketball coaches. Thank you for giving up your free time to show us how to….dribble, shoot, do a lay-up, pass, knock out and HAVE FUN!!

 

Enjoy the rest of your time in Ireland!

 

From the teachers and students of Our Lady of Mercy.”

 

Just when the good-bye was getting difficult, the principal and staff wanted Katie and I to meet in the teachers’ lounge to give us a proper farewell. All of the teachers were very pleased with all of the work us Waterford Scholars have done with the girls and for the school, delivering us a box of chocolate as a gift of appreciation.

 

It’s not just all of the fun we had over the seven weeks or seeing more and more faces from the Mercy Primary school sessions turn up to Saturday morning basketball camps and Super League home games, but their love and thankfulness for Katie and I’s presence is probably the most gratifying sensation for us as coaches. So thank you Mercy!!! xx

 

Victory Scholar: Jazmen Boone

Present University: Waterford IT

US League: CAA

Club/Community Partner: Waterford Wildcats

Alma Mater: The College of William and Mary

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland