Hi everyone, my name is Tess Wright and I am a sophomore Sport Management major in the Falk School. I am the last person to blog so I'm excited to explain our last two days and reflect on the trip!
On our 6th day, we had a packed schedule including visits to a physiotherapist and to the Na Fianna Gaelic Sports Club. Our day started with a walk through St. Stevens Park where we saw swans and beautiful scenery on our way to our first destination. When we arrived, the physio led us through some exercises as he explained his process when taking in new clients, how he decides how to treat them, and some of who is clients are. He also covered the business management side and how he's run his business. We found out later our physio was a hurling star!
After lunch, we headed over to the Na Fianna Gaelic Sports Club, who happen to be the reigning All-Ireland Hurling champions! There we were able to hear from the chairman of the organization about how things are run, his role, and how volunteers play a vital role in the clubs around Ireland to run Gaelic games. Additionally, we were able to try out both hurling and Gaelic Football! It was two intense matches between our students and made me better understand and respect the games! I personally liked Gaelic Football better. While at Na Fianna, we were able to meet Sephi, who makes "hurleys", which are the sticks used in hurling.
On our 7th day, we headed out early to visit Dublin City University, where we had a busy day of lectures. We covered topics varying from supplements for athletes, running injuries, and prevention of injury in Gaelic sports. My favorite part was the exoskeleton; DCU has a unique machine that helps people with neurological disorders relearn and try to walk. Specifically, they have two machines, but one is a smaller exoskeleton/robot that is designed for kids and is one of only thirty in the world. We heard from the team who is studying the exoskeleton and told us great stories of kids who had never walked before being able to hug grandparents for the first time in their lives by using the exoskeleton. Super cool:)
Overall, this trip has been an amazing experience. It has been amazing to hear about the unique way Irish sports are played, how people play for pride rather than money or professionalism, and learn about a different side of the industry, for me, through exercise science lectures. Visiting the cliffs, seeing sheep herding, and visiting the Guinness factory were some out-of-class highlights. Throughout this trip experiencing the Irish culture and learning about the language, troubled history, and developments that the country has been through have been fascinating. The sense of pride around their heritage is amazing to see. Adding onto that, another amazing part of the trip has been the group of 13 students we have and how well we've all gotten along. We have a great group of students from different areas and I've loved spending time getting to know everyone. I have loved this trip and I am grateful I was able to be a part of it!
No comments:
Post a Comment