Words can’t even begin to describe how great it was to be home for 2 weeks. While I do love it here in Ireland, I loved spending the holidays at home and seeing my family and friends, which I haven’t seen in 4 months. It was so nice to see so many friends whom I haven’t seen in a while. While there is Skype, email, and text, nothing is quite the same as seeing someone face to face and being able to talk to them and catch up! I was even able to bring back a little bit of Ireland and have a one-sie party 🙂

I also got the opportunity to go back to my alma mater and cheer on my Greyhounds and see former teammates and friends! Go Hounds!! I was also very fortunate to be home to support and watch my dad coach Georgetown Prep, the high school boys team he coaches. Over the years and after putting in hours and hours of practice and drilling in that gym with those boys, Prep has become another family and home for me. So it was great to be able to go to their games and support them!

Time definitely did fly… It’s hard to believe it’s been two weeks and it’s time for me to return to Galway. My parents and Brandon took me to the airport to say goodbye and I’m not going to lie, there definitely were some tears. Saying goodbye is never easy, but it was time for me to continue my journey in Ireland! I love you all.

Victory Scholar: Nicole Krusen

Sport League: PATRIOT League

Present University: National University of Ireland Galway

Alma Mater: Loyola College

My previous blog on London was about the tours and presentations my class participated in. That was the International Business Workshop part of the trip. This blog is about the things outside of the workshop.

This was the first time my course has gotten together since exams ended on December 17^th.  It was good to catch up with everyone and hear about each other’s break. Last semester, my classmates and I were in 22 hours a week of the same classes together plus time together spent outside the classroom working on group projects and studying, so naturally we’ve formed a close relationship. One of reasons the trip to London was so great was because I got to spend it with my classmates.

Our days were busy with the tours and presentations but we had free time to ourselves. We used this time to go out and explore the city. This was my first time in London and it was amazing to see. I’ve been to New York City about 10 times and I love traveling to big cities. New York City and London are prestigious for their financial sectors and it is cool to have experienced both.  Almost all of my classmates had been to London before and they would make jokes about me taking so many pictures of the city.  They tried to be funny and act as a “tour guide” for me. We passed a bridge called, “The Queen’s Bridge” and my friend beside me says, “They call that bridge the Queen’s Bridge because the Queen built it by herself. Stone by stone. Took her 20 years.” The trip was hilarious with them and I am thankful for another amazing opportunity like this that would not have been possible without the Victory Scholar program. 

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

It is crazy to think that I have already been in Ireland for almost 5 months now and it has surely flown by quick! Now that school is finally done for this semester and the New Year is approaching, I have been able to do some travelling. This past weekend I travelled to Liverpool then to Manchester; It was definitely an experience that I will never forget.

Liverpool was amazing and a beautiful city to visit. I got to do a lot of sightseeing, shopping and went to the Liverpool museum where I learned a lot about the history of the city, the Beatles and about their two famous Football teams; Liverpool and Everton. 

I was then able to go that evening to the ice bar, ice-skating and get to try nutella crepes (it was delicious).

After spending a few days in Liverpool, I then travelled to Manchester for a day where I got to meet up with a teammate and now one of my best friends, Rosalyn. It was great getting to meet up and walk around the city with her before I headed home for Christmas break.

For a moment when I was standing in the middle of the city centre it was one of the first times I have had to realize how lucky I am to be where I am because of doing something I love. It has been a journey to say the least however the best is still to come…

Saying that, I’m very excited to finally being able to go home and spend Christmas and New Years with my family & friends. I’m looking forward to celebrating the New Year back home in Philly. I am beyond excited to see my family, friends and everyone back home in Philly!

Merry Christmas

Victory Scholar: Jessica Koci

Sport League: Atlantic 10

Present University: Institute of Technology Carlow

Alma Mater: La Salle University

The Waterford Victory Scholars, Katie Fox and I, decided to pay a visit to St. John of God National School to talk to the girls about the Sport Changes Life program. Insights about how Katie and I got involved in the program and how sport changed our personal lives leading us here in Ireland summarizes our chat with the four different classes. I mentioned to the girls how my teammates were my closest friends growing up influencing my drive to show up to training sessions and games. Besides my competitive nature and finding a lot of joy in basketball, having most of my friends on the team was another factor of me sticking with sport. Come to think of it, basketball has always been the common denominator with almost all of my friendships. Sport has interwoven these “strangers” in my life shaping me into the person I am today – without sport, my current life would be completely different and past memories I hold so close to me would be nonexistent.

One of my BESTEST friendships (who is more like my sister) was established through basketball as she was also my college teammate. Marlena “Mar Mar” Tremba scored her 1000^th point in the Tribe’s conference game against the University of Delaware this past week. Already missing her big 21^st birthday, I am yet missing another significant event in her life being roughly 3,000 miles away in Ireland. Depressed about this, I was fortunate enough to have my other close pals and former teammates, Kyla and Brooke, there to support Mar’s success despite their game loss. I was so delighted to receive pictures of the three girls hugging after the game, girls I call my family.

Not only does playing sport build relationships but coaching sport does as well. Here in Ireland I have become so close to the young Waterford Wildcats I coach every week. Getting to know one another as people about our families, basketball, or even pop culture has definitely impacted my Irish experience positively; some of the girls even asked for my American address so that they can communicate with me after I depart back to the States. Yet again, sport does not fail me in the aspect of building relationships with people, continuing to change my life forever.  

Sport has and will always impact and direct my life. Sport has taught me people skills, communication skills, teamwork, leadership, but more importantly, has given me the best friends ever and I am infinitely indebted to sport. 

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

After coaching the U18 Old Leighlin team to a 40-point victory this past Sunday, I got to spend some time in the small town. First stop was the small cathedral, built on the site of what was once one of the foremost monastic houses in Leinster (according to Wikipedia).  The quaint grounds were beautiful for walking around.

Then my hosts, the Dooley family, invited me over for a delicious dinner at their home. I loved playing with their adorable kitten and being in the familiar setting of a family home. The hilarious sibling banter had me laughing and thinking of my own brother and sisters. On our drive back to Carlow, I got to see one of the many weirs of the River Barrow and an old center of hydropower on the water.

I’m so thankful for this family in particular, who have made me feel so welcome in this community. From them I come to learn all the things about Ireland that I can’t read in a book – about its culture of hospitality, about what exactly are TY and leaving certs, and about how gosh darn delicious homemade crumble is. Experiences like this make me feel like I am not just studying, playing, and coaching abroad – I am living abroad. 

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 decided in August that I’d stay abroad for Christmas and New Years this year because I would probably spend every Christmas for most of my life back in the states. Being away from my parents, brother, and niece isn’t always the easiest thing… this will be the first christmas I don’t get to watch my niece run down the stairs and open all the presents Santa left for her.

This year, I’ll get to wake up and enjoy a peaceful Christmas morning with Ryan. Thanks to the handy time difference, we’ll have five hours to ourselves before I get the FaceTime of wrapping paper flying everywhere back in Pennsylvania with tiny glimpses of my family in the background. 

We had initially planned to spend the holiday in Europe, but decided to put off the travel until January because of the enormous price decrease. Instead, we’ve been invited to spend Christmas at the Maguire’s house.  I don’t know how to thank that family enough for everything they’ve done for me (and many others) this year.

Gareth tells us that we don’t know what difference we are making with the kids here until later in life through our work, and I’d say that he and Deirdre don’t know what difference they are making in the lives of so many, either. They’ve given me the opportunity of a lifetime, they’ve allowed me to share it with those I love, and they’ve facilitated my work with youth here that has a trickling effect within the community.

They created all of this based on, as Deirdre explained to me, “the scholarship package they would have wanted” at our age. I know, in addition to Ryan and I, they’ll be hosting several other victory scholars (past and present) this Christmas. If that doesn’t prove that SCL really is a family, I don’t know what does. 

As soon as Christmas is over, I have my best friend, Barb, flying over for a week to celebrate New Years. I know Thanksgiving has long passed, but I can’t help but feel more grateful than ever. They say home is where the heart is, and although I’ll be missing my family back in PA this holiday, I know I’ll be surrounded by enough love and joy to feel right at home here in Northern Ireland. 

Victory Scholar: Ashley Montecchio

Present University: University of Ulster

Alma Mater: Rosemont College

When I say that Jazmen and I are spoiled here in Waterford, I really mean it. I’m not just talking about the fact that we absolutely love the community here. Or that our teammates on both WIT and Wildcats are awesome. Or that we are receiving a high quality education at WIT. Or that John and Jillian Hayes have treated us like we are their own family since the night we arrived. Or that we get to coach the cutest, most enthusiastic little girls throughout the week. Nope, what I’m referring to here is how Jazmen and I are spoiled in Waterford by our Wildcat’s sponsor, Maxol.

Everyone knows that the way to any athlete’s heart is through the stomach. Well, Maxol has found its way right into my heart (living up to its slogan, “At the heart of it”) by sponsoring Jazmen and I a free meal every single day. A sandwich, a drink, and a piece of fruit are all included in our meal. So as you can see, we are spoiled rotten.

Not only does Maxol treat us with food, but Maxol also sponsors our team by providing the club’s uniforms and travel suits. So we have high quality gear that represents the value of both Maxol and the team itself.

Finally, Valdas, the man in charge of the Maxol sponsorship agreement, is our biggest supporter and number one fan. He attends all the games that he can. He has been in charge of Maxol’s sponsorship of the Wildcats for the past few years and has supported the club through thick and thin. Recently, when we were knocked out of the National Cup in the semi-final game, Valdas told us that it did not matter that we lost. Instead, he said that he was proud of how hard we played and the passion that we showed on the court. He said that we did not lose the game; they just won.

Having the support of Valdas and Maxol is heartwarming as a player. It is a great feeling to know that we have supporters who recognize that we put our hearts and souls into the game, and who will stand behind us whether we win or lose. And of course, it’s always nice to grab a Maxol sandwich whenever I am feeling a bit peckish!

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

The first semester of my masters in Sports Management is complete and I enjoyed every, or at least most every, second of it. There is one thing I can’t understand. Why is the actual finals period after the holiday break? Fortunately, I only have a finance final, and it is in the second week of the finals period. The educational experience was a stark difference from my psychology major at Davidson College, a small liberal arts school. Everything I was learning at Ulster University was very much applied. This was quite a change, and change is not always a bad thing. I really enjoyed this new educational experience.

In finance, we had an opportunity to analyze two businesses of our choosing. My group picked EasyJet and Roche. We evaluated annual reports, financial statements and ratios from the last two years before constructing a detailed report. In Sport Policy, we learned about the various roles of policy makers and how they generally focus on the development of sport or the development through sport. The course concluded with group presentations and proposals for funding to run a sports program.

The third and final module was enterprise and creative ventures. The basic premise of this module was that each group got £100 and had to come up with a business idea and make money. Generally, groups focused around Christmas themes, as the trade day was in December. My group decided to develop something independent of Christmas. This led us to create a viable business which we then partnered with a large corporation with a location on campus that reaches over 10 million people annually. (I will elaborate more on this business in my next blog). It was a great application of the applied knowledge I’ve learned while being here.

Victory Scholar: Ryan Ansel

Sport League: Atlantic 10

Present University: University of Ulster

Alma Mater: Davidson University

My hometown experienced a record blizzard this past weekend.  They named it Blizzard Jonas and dumped 31 inches of snow in some regions of the east coast including my backyard.  Schools are still closed as travel conditions are still too dangerous. 

I certainly don’t miss having to shovel and clear my car and driveway. However, I do miss school cancellations and taking advantage of days off with my friends on snow days.  As a child, waking up early to my mom telling me that school was cancelled was like waking up on Christmas morning.  That was one of the best feelings as a kid. 

I’ve been asking around about the frequency and amount of snow that Ireland experiences. The main answer is not to bet on it and if it does happen, don’t expect much. At the same time, it has been significantly dry compared to the perceptions and advice I was given before I came. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what the weather has in store for us this winter season. 

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

Here in Belfast Christmas spirit has been in the air since back near Thanksgiving. But it finally feels real! My mom and brother arrive in Belfast this Saturday morning! I can’t wait to show them Belfast for myself and then take a wee trip to Vienna, Austria where we will spend Christmas together.

As I was planning our days in Belfast I asked all of my friends, teammates and SCL family for some ideas of what to do. Luckily the Christmas Market’s last day open is the day my Mom and brother arrive! So we will be spending some festive time at the market trying some delicious food. I think I may trick my brother into trying the Kangaroo burger!!

Then I want them to see the titanic quarter and we may also take a trip to the peace wall. I also got a recommendation to go to Crumlin Road Gaol and a few classic Irish restaurants! I have experiences Belfast in my own way as a long term resident but look forward to being an extreme tourist with my family this weekend in the spirit of Christmas! Stay tuned for a blog on my wee trip and Christmas spent in Vienna.

Victory Scholar: Caroline Murphy

Present University: University of Ulster

Alma Mater: Gettysburg College

The other day I read a tweet from Stephen A Smith that read “The moment you start treating every day like it is a blessing, it will become one.” I am not a big fan of his I find him to be kind of a know it all but this quote really intrigued me. Life is beautiful and it is a blessing but it’s easy to forget when you have a lot going on. 

With the new semester starting this week and talks of internships and jobs in the summer I find myself worrying about the future. I have so many aspirations and at times I feel like if I don’t fulfill them I won’t be happy. That leads me to big questions in my life right now. Where does true happiness lie for me in the future and when I look back on my life 20 years from now what will I be proud to say that I did? 

Will I find satisfaction and joy in landing a nice job in the sports industry making enough money to support my family? Will I regret it if I don’t push myself as hard as I can to continue playing basketball professionally? Or is true happiness found in always knowing you tried to be the best person you could be? Maybe the relationships we form along the way will hold more value than any accomplishment.

I guess for now I’m gonna try my best to treat everyday like a blessing because it is one, and enjoy this experience and treasure it. I’ll leave the future up to the man upstairs. He always has my back.Thanks for reading folks. 

Victory Scholar: James Zuccaro

Present University: Ulster University

US League: Skyline Conference

Club/Community Partner: Ulster Elks

Alma Mater: College of Mount Saint Vincent

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

 I can finally say that I am officially finished with the first semester of my Master’s of Science in International Management and Global Business! (It’s a mouthful I know). The last couple of weeks have been dedicated to nonstop studying and reviewing for the essay based exams (no more multiple choice!), as well as pushing through for a great finish before the break for the 12u, 14u and SuperLeague UL Huskies teams! With the steadily rising level of stress for myself and my classmates, basketball always serves as a great outlet and much needed break away from it all.

In the last two weeks, my SuperLeague team won our second regular season game and also advanced to the Semi-final round of the National Cup by defeating the WIT Wildcats! We’ve shown so much progress so far through the season, and can’t wait to pick it back up in January. For our youth teams, we also had some big wins in a home tournament against our rivals – the Rockets! Scott and I have been preaching spacing, pass-and-cut, help defense, and AGGRESSIVENESS to our teams, and they definitely delivered!

With the end of exams and a break from basketball, I will be heading home to North Carolina to spend my break with my family and friends! Needless to say I’m going to miss Ireland while I’m gone (especially my teammates and girls I coach), but I can’t wait to come back refreshed and ready to take on the New Year.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!

Victory Scholar: Kelsey Harris

Sport League: SOCON Sports 
League

Present University: University of Limerick

Alma Mater: Elon University

This season I’ve been coaching the 14u Junior Elks girls team. Looking at our record alone, it looks like we have had, to put it gently, a really tough go of it. We are 6 games into the season without a W to speak of. As to be expected, our team’s first year after a move up from the development league has brought some ‘growing pains.’

However, if you saw my team after our last contest, you wouldn’t have found a team defeated. You would have found smiles and an energy like we just won the match. Why were we so excited after a loss by 20? Well, you would understand if you watched the first time we played the Tigers in October.

You see winning comes in lots of different ways. Small moments can create the feeling of winning. Winning is about measuring success and these girls have grown so much that I am proud of their success.

Playing our league schedule a second time through has been a barometer for just how far the girls have come since September. Yes, we still lost the match. But by a much smaller deficit than the first time around! The road to winning is just as important to becoming a winner. For the girls, that was something to smile about and for the coach, a reason to be very proud of them!

I’m looking forward to seeing just how much the girls will continue to improve in these last weeks of our season.

#getbetter

Victory Scholar: Clare Sullivan

Present University: Ulster University

US League Partner: Patriot League

Club/Community Partner: Ulster Elks

Alma Mater: The College of the Holy Cross

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

My team, the Oblate Dynamos have officially made it the Cup Semi – Finals!  The Cup is considered the Championship of the league and we have made it to the semi-finals, which will be played in early January. This is a huge deal for us and taking the steps to reach this goal are important right now! (I can’t promise I won’t be eating every single Christmas cookie I lay my eyes on though…)

After our game on Saturday we exchanged gifts through “Kris Kindle”, or as I know it, “Secret Santa”. I was given an awesome Irish mug as well as other girly goodies. Our head coach, Terry came through the locker room door with a huge Santa bag for all of us!! He was passing out boxes of candy and other sweets and I was given the sacred snowballs that everyone “fancied”. They are a magical blend of creamy and thicker marshmallow middle covered in coconut and chocolate. As of right now they are in my suitcase (only missing 3!) to share with my mom and sister because they love coconut and I would feel guilty and probably sick if I ate them all myself.

Terry also gave each of us a specially made Christmas Tree ornament with all of our names, and “Go Dynamos!” on it. I couldn’t help but get a little emotional! – it was so special and I will have it forever to remember this team, the experience and year spent with these girls. Respect, love, a push to reach our goals and doing it as a whole is something that my team values, and they have taught me just that.

Victory Scholar: Jennifer Morabito

Sport League: MAAC League

Present University: Trinity College Dublin

Alma Mater: Canisus College

Every Tuesday and Thursday a couple of my fellow victory scholars and I visit Monkstown Community School to coach basketball to their 13-14 year-old boys.  The boys have a lot to work on but they come with great attitudes and as coaches, we can tell they really look up to us. This week, the boys had a scrimmage against a nearby school and they didn’t expect us to be there.

Their gym teacher, Mr. Kennedy, normally steps in as their coach during games and scrimmages, but we’d talked to him and planned to surprise them. We showed up just as the scrimmage began and we could tell a lot of the boys were excited to see us but trying to hide it. We coached them through the scrimmage, making substitutions and talking them through the time-outs.  

It was good to see them having so much fun and it was great to see them compete against another team. I was already coming up with things we could work on during our next training session based on things I saw in the game, which was surprising because I never thought I had an interest in coaching before.

A couple of nights ago, Caroline and I had a game at Ulster University vs. Maynooth. Not many people come to watch our games other than a few parents and sometimes the other victory scholars, so I never really feel any pressure. When I looked into the stands this time, however, I saw four of the boys from Monkstown seated at the top corner, ready to watch.

They’d gotten their parents to drop them off just so they could see Caroline and I play. I couldn’t believe they’d taken the time out of their nights to come watch a women’s basketball game since most of them tell us how they only watch the NBA or they spend all their free time on their xbox’s. As soon as I saw them I felt extremely motivated to play my best and we ended up winning the game.

I could hear them cheering the whole time. Of course, Caroline and I had our “moments” during the game… Such as myself getting blocked by the shortest girl on the other team, and the ball going off my head and out of bounds, and then Caroline getting a foul shot stuck in between the rim and the backboard. Needless to say there was a lot of banter at the next training session at Monkstown based on those moments, but it was all in great fun.  The boys told us that more of them are going to come to our game next week.

My experience coaching at Monkstown so far and building relationships with the boys has really made me reflect on my time here so far in Northern Ireland.  Basketball has taken me so far in life, but I never felt like I would enjoy coaching. I remember talking to the other Victory Scholars about it when we arrived here, and I’d found out I was the only one with no coaching experience at all.

When I’m in the gym with the Monkstown boys however, it comes naturally and I love doing it. Most of the time I’m strict with them and I force them to push themselves harder than they want to, but I saw it pay off in their scrimmage.  I can tell they respect me as a coach but we’ve also built such a comfort level that we joke around all the time and I really think of them as my little friends.  It’s taught me that there are a lot of things I think I know about myself, like I’ll never enjoy coaching the way other people do, or I’m not meant to coach… but obviously I was wrong. 

Had I stuck with that mindset and SCL had never given me the opportunity to venture outside my comfort zone, I would have never coached the boys at Monkstown. I’m still clueless as to what I’d like to do for a career, but this revelation alone has changed my mindset. Eventually I’ll find something that I’m both good at and passionate about, but I think I’ll only get there if I stop having reservations based on any preconceived notions I have about myself. 

It’s safe to say the Monkstown boys have already had more of an effect on me than I’m sure they care to know about, and I can only hope that by the end of my time here I’ve reciprocated that in some way for them.

Victory Scholar: Ashley Montecchio

Present University: University of Ulster

Alma Mater: Rosemont College

This past Sunday I coached my sixth game of the season for my under 16 boy’s team.  We lost the game, however I was very pleased with our teams development.  The majority of the boys on my team are only fourteen years old and do not have much experience playing organized basketball.  I have an amazing staff of assistant coaches who work extremely hard; former players Daniel Cosgrove and Michael Breen are my full time assistants.  Our staff has placed a lot of emphasis this year on player development and team chemistry.  We understand that the boys are young and will have another full year together playing at the Under 16 level.  Sunday’s game really allowed me to see some significant improvement as a team.  This was our second game against the number one team in the league and we definitely matched their intensity.  I am excited about our future as a team and look forward to seeing how much better we will be come playoff time.  Thank you for reading my blog and have a blessed day. “To God Be The Glory”  

Present University: Ulster University

US League: East Coast Conference

Club/Community Partner Ulster Elks/ Andersonstown Tigers

Alma Mater: St Thomas Aquinas College

Sponsored By: Teamwear Ireland

For Thanksgiving, Sport Changes Life hosted all the scholars, staff, donors and many others and their families up to Belfast for a turkey dinner!  It was the first time all the scholars had been together since our two weeks of training in August when we first arrived. I have seen many of them through the three months whether we were playing each other in a game, or coaching in the same town. It was special to be together on the holiday and good to have a mental break from final projects and exams coming up!

After most of us ate (I was still eating because I may be the slowest eater ever) we were surprised with a little video message from home! We all sat together and watched and listened to a clip from each of our families and friends from home. We got to see Christine’s favorite brown couch that she is dying to get back to, Ryan’s bunny, and jaws dropped when they saw that my mom is actually my twin.

After getting back from Thanksgiving I handed in one last final project and began preparing for my six exams in six days! Wooo!! I established a great study space at our kitchen table and had hot water always ready to make my endless cup of tea! If I was not in there, you could find me in the “Reading Room”. The reading room is better described as a Harry Potter styled circular quiet room with a loft around the top where computer are set. 

These past couple weeks have been busy getting the end of semester work done; fun to see the scholars and SCL staff for Thansgiving; and rewarding working with the kids at Kubs. My club team has another game before break and the last one before our cup semi-final game!

Victory Scholar: Jennifer Morabito

Sport League: MAAC League

Present University: Trinity College Dublin

Alma Mater: Canisus College

Every month, the Park Hotel awards a Waterford Sports player who has performed outstandingly for their sport with great achievement. Many of the respective candidates that have won the award are phenomenal as they have broken records or brought great recognition to the city of Waterford. However the Wildcats club was quite familiar with the December 2015 recipient.

Sinead Deegan, Waterford Wildcat’s fellow captain, earned the Park Hotel Award. This past weekend, the Park Hotel hosted an elegant gala to properly deliver the awards to all of the recipients and you can bet some of her fellow Wildcats teammates and special club members attended the evening in support of their favorite player. The celebration was amazing. Hearing about the accomplishments achieved by each Waterford sports players’ as well as their interviews then looking across the table at Sinead and how she’s roped into such an unbelievable group – I couldn’t be more proud.

The city of Waterford has only seen a glimpse of the Wildcat basketball club life recognizing her efforts for the month. Coming on to the Wildcat’s team as a new teammate and fellow American, Sinead made it a priority to make Katie and I feel welcomed where someone with her character deserves a lifetime award. Even Sinead’s immediate response after hearing about the news about how the award was a team award and Waterford admired the club’s six game winning streak does not come as a shocker for those that get the opportunity to be around such a great person as she is extremely modest and humble. Her dedication and passion for the club goes beyond words. Yes, the wins the Wildcats won were team wins but an extraordinary leader like her led us to those victories and no other deserved such a reputable award more than Sinead. I’m so proud to be apart of a great club led by a great leader where the club, our team, and myself could not thank her enough.

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