On Saturday the Galway Titans traveled to Carlow where we played three preseason games. Lucky for us, we had a lot of chances to learn.  Our team had plenty of chances to come away with victories in this tournament, but failed to do so. With our regular season opener less than ten days away, I am curious to see how much our team has learned in the weeks following our experience in Carlow. Also lucky for our team is that it is a very long season, one that has just gotten underway. One thing that I have learned time and time again throughout a career in athletics, is that it’s not where you start it’s where you finish. It will be a long journey for our team to get to where we want to be. However, I anticipate that in March I will be able to write a blog about how much progress and how much better our team has gotten through the course of the season. 

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

Ever had that one stuffed animal you slept with every night and took with you everywhere as a child? Well, my stuffed animal was a cow named “Mucca” (pronounced Moo-ka). A fact many people don’t know about me is that I was born in Naples, Italy and Italian was my very first language so the word Mucca in Italian means cow.

When I got to Ireland I was telling my teammates about my wish to milk a cow. Luckily for me, Cathy Kavanagh, the Wildcats’ favorite and only post player, grew up in the countryside of Wexford, Ireland and happens to live on a dairy farm. So this past weekend, I went home with Cathy. Early Sunday morning, Cathy took me down to the shed where I witnessed 8 Muccas getting milked by high tech machines at once. I even got the pleasure to squeeze out droplets of milk from the cows udder before putting on the mechanical millers. Cathy’s family not only welcomed me into their home, but I learned a great deal about cows:

• Cathy’s farm is relatively small as it is only 80 acres. Most Irish farms are a tad bigger with an average of about 100 to 120 acres. Very, very few farms are 500 acres since Ireland is such a tiny country.
• There are 70 cows on Cathy’s farm but some Irish farms may have about 100 to 150 cows.
• You must feed the baby calves two litres twice a day
• Cathy’s family milks their cows twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.
• Cows must be milked daily or they will get sick.
• Dry livestock are cows that don’t produce milk. Cows only produce milk after birthing a calf.
• Typically, Cathy’s farm produces 3 to 4 gallons in the winter, but in the spring they produce 8-9 gallons per day per cow. This is because each cow births a calf every year in the spring, so it is natural for the cow produce more milk initially and produces less in the winter since the calf grows and can ingest other things for food besides milk.
• Her family goes to Wicklow to sell or buy cattle from an auctioneer. Not only does Cathy’s family produce milk, but also they will sell their cattle to butchers. Farmers make more money if the cattle are less than 30 months or 400 kilos since consumers like their steaks small.
• Lastly, beware of pee and poop while you milk a cow because they show no mercy 🙂 

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

Staring at my plate
I was 30 seconds from breaking
You probably know the sensation
Eyes burning
Renegade tears starting to prick
Threatening to ruin a good meal and my make up
But it’s not polite to cry at Thanksgiving
Especially when I’m beyond blessed
I know this
But the holidays + family videos is the perfect recipe to make you homesick
Riding waves from tsunami emotions
So I gotta thank my #SCLFamily for keeping me floating
Keeping me focused
Sharing laughs help the coping
Cuz I never learned how to say, “I’m not okay.”
And they piece me back together when I’m feeling broken.

Special shoutout to Jamie for the conversation that led to this piece!

Victory Scholar: Marritta Gillcrease

Present University: NUI Galway

US League: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans

Alma Mater: Rider University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

Lillian McCabe, better known as Lil, is from Rye, New York and attended Davidson College in North Carolina.  She is no stranger to being far from home and shows a great energy for being chosen as a Victory Scholar.  She thoroughly deserves it as she is very hard working, intelligent, and very supportive in all aspects of life.

I experienced a very sudden and tragic death to a very close friend of mine, the day of arriving to Carlow. I’ve never had to deal with a death so close and did not know how to handle it. After hearing the news Lil immediately gave me a truly genuine hug and did everything she could to keep my spirits high. Herself, my coach and mentor Coach Kojack, every single Victory Scholar, and program staff individually held out a hand of support and love for the family and myself through this tough time.

I am beyond blessed to have Lil and every one of these Victory Scholars to get me through and continue on this journey God planned for me. I am also very grateful to have met and get to know Coach Kojack on a personal level and can not thank him enough for making this time much less stressful for me. They continue to offer anything I need to help and it’s all out of the kindness of their hearts. 

Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart to every single scholar and my coach for everything you do. You are my second family and you know I’m here for you when and if you need me.

God Bless You I Love You A.N.D.

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

Once a year, it is a tradition for Americans to celebrate Thanksgiving as an appreciation holiday. Most Americans believe it’s silly to dedicate one day out of the year to show thanks because appreciation should be shown daily. In my opinion, it is natural for us as humans to consume ourselves in our day to day routine making it extremely easy to forget to show appreciation towards life, our blessings and more importantly our family and friends. Thanksgiving, besides Christmas, is my favorite holiday because it is a great way for people to finally realize how many blessings they truly have. 

As a college basketball player in America, I usually spent my thanksgivings playing in basketball tournaments except last year. I was lucky enough to have some family time after spending three years without them. Last year was a tease knowing I would spend another thanksgiving without my loved ones this year. Yet, it is still better than nothing. My definition of family would be different than most as I grew up in a blended family. Many consider family as being blood-related. My idea of a family is surrounding yourself with people that genuinely care and love you unconditionally as much as a blood-related member. You see, that kind of family bond is pure and true as they choose to be in your life, not bounded by a bloodline and I have been lucky enough to experience such an amazing connection. 

As you may know, I have a family here in Ireland: my Sport Changes Life family. Gareth, Marc, Alan and the lovely Aimee coordinated for all 13 of us scholars to reunite and celebrate Thanksgiving the right way in Belfast. I always look forward to reuniting with the other scholars and Sport Changes Life members because they really know how to make you feel at home. We all enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and spent the evening catching up, enjoying each other’s company. As a surprise, Marc Mulholland created a special video of all of the scholars’ families wishing a special Thanksgiving to their sons and daughters all the way from America. It was a hilarious yet heart felt movie. Some may read this as me spending thanksgiving away from family but I actually think it is me spending a holiday with my Irish family.

Thank you so much to my Sport Changes Life family for creating such an amazing evening for us scholars, and thank you scholars for embracing me as a person after only knowing each other for 3 months. This is my family now for the year and I am extremely lucky to have been introduced to some great lads. And remember; don’t forget to be thankful from time to time not just once a year.

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

I sat on the bus on the way home from Belfast and couldn’t stop grinning from ear to ear. Two full days of non-stop laughter had left me: 1. cracking up in my own head for the whole trip home and 2. feeling unbelievably lucky and thankful. To start, the SCL staff put together an amazing Thanksgiving night and dinner for us, featuring videos of our families from home, delicious food, and a really talented live band. It was a night I will remember for a long time.

The next day, we spent the bulk of it at SCL headquarters taking care of some interviews and photoshoots for social media. But talk about making something out of nothing. Spending hours on end in the same place probably doesn’t sound like fun to many people. But us Victory Scholars know how to have a good time!

We decided to make a little music video to Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” and it was the funniest thing ever. (Check out my facebook if you have not seen it yet). Being around the other scholars means constant laughter, dances, singing, jokes, and great times. I feel like I’ve known them for my whole life.. and sometimes I just don’t know how I got lucky enough to be surrounded by such great people!

Big thanks to SCL for making such a great reunion possible 🙂 

Victory Scholar: Meghan McGuinness

Present University: Trinity College Dublin

US League Partner: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Meteors Ladies Basketball

Alma Mater: Niagara University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

This weekend, the coach of the Meteors basketball club had Emily and I over after our Saturday afternoon practice to grab some food and then to go watch a club game in Dublin. We got to spend some time with him, his wife, and his 3 daughters. His youngest daughter, a 6 year old, brought us into the living room and surrounded us with blankets and stuffed animals as friends. Sitting there by the fire, it’s safe to say Emily and I were basically in heaven.

After watching the game (which included some half time hide and seek), we went to Eddie Rocket’s, known in America as Johnny Rocket’s, for some late night burgers and fries. We sat there for a while laughing away at Mark’s hilarious daughters and exchanging stories. All in all, it was one of my favorite nights here thus far. It was so great to spend time surrounded by their family, who made us feel so comfortable and welcomed. Mark’s youngest daughter has already invited us over for some more playdates, so even though he doesn’t know it yet, we’ll be over there more often!!

Victory Scholar: Meghan McGuinness

Present University: Trinity College Dublin

US League Partner: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Meteors Ladies Basketball

Alma Mater: Niagara University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

This past weekend Maynooth University held the annual Freshers Tournament.  A previous blog of mine mentioned having tryouts and picking my team. After 7 weeks of 7:30 a.m. practices we were finally ready to put our best effort on the floor.

Our first game was at 9 a.m. on Saturday and they certainly didn’t play like it was an early morning game. They came out firing on all cylinders and controlled majority of the game for a great win.

Our second game was very exciting and we played a much taller team than we were. We held our own rebounding and managing the game but let it slip with just minutes left.

Sunday held another nail biter between two evenly matched teams. We ended up winning by a few points and secured a spot in the plate final. We went on to fight and claw our way through the entire game. We came up a bit short despite 2 half court buzzer beaters by our point guard and captain, Benny Carroll.

I’m beyond proud of my entire team for the heart, fight, and sportsmanship they showed throughout the 7 weeks and the tournament. My first real coaching experience was a complete success and I can only thank my team and Coach Kojack for giving me the opportunity!

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

They said I needed you.

Victory Scholar: Marritta Gillcrease

Present University: NUI Galway

US League: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans

Alma Mater: Rider University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

 I find it crazy that it is me that has the chance to live this life changing experience in Ireland. Without the support of so many, but in particular my parents, I would not have been given the opportunity that is now a reality for me. Being here is only possible because of the many values that are now engrained in me by the people that raised me. I feel like my parents should be the ones living out this surreal reality. But instead because of all they have given me and the sacrifices they have made for me, I am the one who gets to experience this for an entire year.  The qualities that Sport Changes Life looks for in a Victory Scholar are the same qualities my parents have raised me with. This is why it was so special to have them visit me for 10 days. To me, my parent’s trip to Ireland was a chance for them to reap the benefits of raising me like they did.  I couldn’t be more thankful for my family and the others that have supported me. My parents’ recent trip to Ireland so clearly reminded me of how fortunate I really am.

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

There’s a park down the street from my apartment that I like to visit. I head down to the water when I need some alone time outside, bringing the essentials along: a coffee, my mobile wifi so I can listen to Spotify, headphones, and my journal. The calming surroundings put me at ease – I enjoy the music while writing, my favorite cathartic activity, occasionally looking up to observe the group of swans that swim in the area. 

Carlow isn’t exactly full of hustle and bustle that I need to escape. Rather, I find that the serene setting settles my busy mind. I take all those thoughts swimming around in my head and put them on paper. 

Sitting there the other day, I got thinking about the concept of a “happy place.” There are a lot of physical places that I associate with a feeling of calmness. Places that are separate from my everyday life, where I can escape routine and enjoy intentional alone time. These are places that incite reflection, a necessary activity for me.  

I wondered if it is possible to find a happy place that is not physical, a mental place to visit. Do I really need to change my physical location in order to clear my thoughts? While I was thinking this, I realized that I do have a happy place within me. A place in my thoughts that I can visit when I need to smile and feel at peace. And those are my memories of and love for my family and friends. When I’m feeling down, I can always brighten my day by visiting memories – remembering a hug from my niece or laughing about locker room dance parties at Davidson. I’m lucky to have so much love in my life, love that gives me a happy place wherever I go.  

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

After getting settled into our apartment, classes started rolling on with a rapid pace. I was ready to get started but also nervous to see the differences in regimen. My schedule is jam packed with classes that I find very interesting and some that I never thought I would get the opportunity to learn. 

After my first week of classes my nerves have settled drastically and I have a better idea of what is expected of me.  I also reminded myself that I’ve done this for 4 years now and this is new but I should be used to it by now, and I am.

I am really looking forward to my applied psychology, youth justice, and addiction studies courses. I have had an introduction to all of these areas in my undergraduate work and now get to dive in and explore more in depth.

I am excited to further my education and contiue to grow in my field through Child, Youth, and Family Studies. Bring it on!

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

With Thanksgiving Day being only two days away I am constantly thinking about my family and all of the ways I have been blessed this year.  This will be another year that I will not be spending thanksgiving at home.  I have missed spending time with family and friends but I am thankful for the opportunity to be in a place where I am positively impacting the lives of others while I continue my own personal development. 

The thanksgiving holiday reminds me of how blessed I am bringing me to an emotional place of gratitude focusing on all the positive things that are happening in my life.  We often get side tracked focusing on all of the things we don’t have, places we haven’t been, and goals we want to accomplish that we lose focus and appreciation for all that we have been blessed with.  Let nothing take your focus away from what you have already because no matter how big or small you may think it is remember that it is yours and yours alone. “To God Be The Glory”  

Victory Scholar: Jonathan McNair

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 

James and I spend our Thursday afternoons coaching a group of boys at Abbey College. On this particular Thursday it rained. A lot. We were midway thru Texas layups when it suddenly sounded like a tidal wave crashed onto the roof of the sports hall. The old ceiling couldn’t take the downpour and before long, small puddles began forming all over the court. Along with the water from the roof, a handful of students came into the gym from outside to avoid the rain. So we split the court in two and while the team scrimmaged on the less-wet half of the court, the boys who escaped the rain used the other half after raiding the gym’s storage closet for something to play with.

Sitting on the bench overseeing the scrimmage, I caught eyes with one of the youngest regulars at the basketball sessions. Christian, who is too young to scrimmage with the older boys, found an American football from the storage closet. He stood next to me holding the football and ordered me to stand up and go long for a pass. Without hesitation, I stood up and ran a route. We passed the ball back a fourth, trying to perfect our spirals and punctuating each catch with a touchdown dance. On my walk home, I reminisced about the days when a simple game of catch would keep me endlessly entertained. All it took to keep my brother and I occupied was a quiet side street and a tennis ball to pass back and forth. It was great revisiting that feeling with Christian playing catch with the football. He found the same enjoyment I once did as a kid as he celebrated each spiral and catch.

Yes, the rain threw a monkey wrench into basketball training. But if it hadn’t rained, I would have missed out on an epic game of catch with a new mate.

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

Today I got the chance to meet with MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. I might be biased but the MAAC is my favorite conference 🙂 It made me excited to be able to represent my alum Niagara University as well as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference which NU is a part of. There are so many people who helped me get to Niagara, and then so many people from Niagara and from the MAAC who helped me get to Dublin through the Victory Scholar program. I want to thank them for doing that by being the best mentor, coach, student, and player I can be while over here in Ireland.

After many months of coaching, I finally experienced coaching a few matches. Although along the way, I have coached a few friendlies, this weekend in Maynooth, I coached the UL “Freshers” (the freshman team for the Americans). The “Freshers” tournament is a weekend full of basketball, where all the universities in Ireland bring their freshers teams to compete for a championship.

Prior to the tournament, we had been practicing since the beginning of the school year and we were all excited to finally compete. Not only was I excited to finally coach in a proper tournament, but also I was excited to finally hang out and get to know the girls on the team a little bit better.

Overall, the weekend was a great success. In pool play, we went 1-1, which qualified us for the Plate. Winning the Plate is the equivalent to winning the runners up pool. So although we got eliminated from Cup play, we had goals to still win a final. In order to do so, we had to win both games on Sunday. After winning the first game on Sunday pretty handily, we unfortunately fell short in the second game. Therefore, earning second place in the Plate final.

Although we did not win the plate, the tournament and season was far from a failure. It was an amazing opportunity to coach such amazing girls who not only loved the sport, but also were a lot of fun to be around. It was great to finally spend time with them off of the basketball court, and get to know them on more of a friend basis.

Not only were the girls so enjoyable, but I also had such a great time coaching. Being in such intense games, and competing for the Plate was awesome. I loved coaching in high-pressure situations like that, which is something I had never gotten to do prior to this. This weekend opened my eyes to another dimension of coaching for me that I had never gotten to experience before; and I absolutely loved it.

Although we didn’t quite win as many games as we would have liked, this weekend was a great experience. I learned a lot about myself as a coach, I was able to meet so many awesome people in the basketball community, while also getting to hang out with a great group of girls from UL that I not only can call my team, but also my friends. 

Victory Scholar: Sarah Benedetti

Present University: University of Limerick

US League: NEC

Club/Community Partner: UL Huskies

Alma Mater: St. Francis College 

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

As a college student, I have come to realize that there’s nothing quite like a home cooked meal. Because I’m going on my fifth year living away from home, I have only come to appreciate home cooked meals more and more. That is why I was so thankful when John Hayes, the manager of the Wildcats Club, invited Jazmen and I over for dinner one night this week.

John and his wife Nelly have been wonderful to us during our stay. On our first night in Waterford, they opened their home to us so we would have a place to sleep since our permanent accommodation wouldn’t be available until the following day. Additionally, John has been incredible, offering Jazmen and I a lift to wherever and wherever we need to go. He has shown us boundless kindness in his willingness to give up his time to drive a couple of yanks around.

Most recently, John and Nelly were kind enough to open their home to us once again, this time for dinner. Nelly made a lovely spaghetti bolognese and John “made” tiramisu for dessert, which looked strikingly like something sold in grocery stores… The food was delicious; Jaz and I were in heaven!

I don’t think they realized how much Jazmen and I appreciated their kindness. I think most college students who live on campus would agree with me when I say that no matter how nice their accommodation may be, there is just something special about being in a home. And—although Jaz and I are so thankful for the accommodation that we have—we were also very grateful that John and Nelly allowed us to be part of their home, even if just for a short time. A little kindness—and a good dinner—can go a long way. Jazmen and I left the Hayes home that night with our stomachs, and our hearts, full.

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

This weekend the Mystics were supposed to head up north to Belfast for a tournament. Unfortunately, we had to pull out due to low numbers but it was just as well because Katie had bought me a ticket to the silent disco. Now I had never been to one but I had heard good things and was hoping this cold I’m nursing could handle a night out. We met around 9:15 at Woodquay, cut down Shop Street, and made our to the west side to the Róisín Dubh. I was surprised to see it was set up more like a block party and not nearly as quiet as the term ‘silent’ implies. I was just enjoying the show–and believe me, some of the moves were a sight to see & lots of ‘shifting’– until ‘Respect’ came on and transformed me into Ms. Franklin herself. I had a good time, danced and jumped around until my knee hurt, but now I’m really hoping I didn’t catch Irish pneumonia in the process! Lol 

Victory Scholar: Marritta Gillcrease

Present University: NUI Galway

US League: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans

Alma Mater: Rider University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

While I’m here, I’m constantly finding new and different ways of looking at basketball and what it means to be a team altogether. Yesterday’s Titans practice was no different. I’m not sure how the conversation got started but I was informed by my team of a serious desire to do Zumba during practice time. An unforeseen request but as a girl who likes to ‘bust it down’ on the dance floor, I looked forward to the change. As luck would have it, one of my players, Ania, is a fitness instructor so we were ‘sorted’. 

The Westside Community Center is habitually frigid but after 2 warm up songs we were burning up. We sashayed to Enrique Iglesia’s Bailando and a slew of other latin songs. We took it uptempo to Iggy Azalea’s Black Widow and Daddy Yankee’s Gasolina. And at one point, we wound up in a Vegas-style chorus line (I have footage to prove it)! Besides being a great workout it was so much fun– or dare I say ‘good craic’.

It’s not often when the ‘student’ becomes the ‘teacher’.

It’s even far less often that we, as members of a team, get to step outside of our roles and shine in a different light. I think both of those instances happened last night and it was a beautiful thing.

Victory Scholar: Marritta Gillcrease

Present University: NUI Galway

US League: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans

Alma Mater: Rider University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland

I’ve seen my fair share of bad weather. I’m talking blizzards and hurricanes but Irish bad weather is different. Let’s call it mercurial. In the last 72 hours alone, I’ve been soaked to my knickers in icy rain, pelted with hail, nearly blown to smithereens by gusts of wind and tempted by clear skies to ‘just wear a light jacket’. 

So it came as no surprise to me when the ominous skies opened up and stopped just as abruptly just before I was set to coach my Pres girls. So I bundled up and headed to Galway’s West End ready to proceed as usual. But I arrived to the OLBC to find only 3 of my usual 10 girls. When I inquired as to the whereabouts of everyone else they responded in kind, saying they must’ve gone home because of the storm. I was met with decisive head nods (Read: resounding cheers!) when I asked if they wanted to stay. 

It wasn’t eventful by any means. We did a lot of form shooting which we don’t normally get a chance to do and had a few laughs. But what struck a cord with me was the dedication these 3 girls showed because they could’ve gone home as well but they did not. It’s moments like those where I really appreciate the full gravity of what Sport Changes Life has chosen us to do.

Victory Scholar: Marritta Gillcrease

Present University: NUI Galway

US League: MAAC

Club/Community Partner: Galway Titans

Alma Mater: Rider University

Sponsored by: Teamwear Ireland