Greetings from Ireland!  My name is Gunnar Krupa and I am a Junior in the Sport Management Program. Today, I am going to share my experiences from Day 4 (March 10th) of our Sports and Culture in Ireland trip!  Today was a busy, fully scheduled academic day. 

The day began early, with a buffet breakfast at the hotel and an 8:15 AM departure via chartered van to University College Dublin (UCD).  Our first presentation was given by Dr Paul Rouse.  This was more of a question and answer session related to Irish Sports. He was open to discussing anything the group was interested in. We covered everything from Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to boxing star Katie Taylor, and the country’s love for her.  We discussed the history and differences in men’s and women’s sports, as well as how Dr Rouse is a big Packers fan and he very much wants to get tickets to the game at Croke Park in the fall. It was an engaging and interesting experience and definitely a highlight of the day!  

We then had a brief break before our next presentation with Strength and Conditioning expert, Dr Ryan Stewart. Dr Stewart talked about the extremely competitive scholarship program they offer to athletes.  He then took us to the training facilities and we had the chance to participate in some of the training activities such as jumping and hamstring drills.  We also learned about how they track the athletes metrics using state of the art systems.  The hands-on nature of this experience was great, and made for a great ending to the presentation.  Definitely another highlight of the day. 

We then had a lunch break and went to the cafeteria in the student center.  This was very similar to Syracuse’s Schine Student Center, though I dare say it was nicer and had better food options!  After lunch we walked back to class for our presentation with nutrition expert, Dr. Sarah Browne.  Although this is not part of my academic major, it was very interesting and Dr Browne is very knowledgeable.  She talked about Irish imports and exports, and I was personally intrigued by her reference to the Irish company, Kerry, as I work with some of their products in my job back home.  

Our next presentation was with Dr. Seamus Kelly, who has decades of experience with the GAA, as well as playing and managing Irish sports such as rugby and soccer. He shared valuable insights into how the GAA operates, including funding and volunteerism.  This was interesting, and got me thinking about how that compares to professional sports organizations within the United States.

Our final presentation of the day was with Dr Mike Cronin, who does work with Boston College.  He talked about the history of Ireland with an emphasis on the history of the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom.  He used athletes such as Rory McIlrory to demonstrate his point. Our day wrapped up with a trip back to the hotel via Ireland’s public transportation system.  

Overall, I think the day was a great success.  Although we had a packed academic schedule, it was well planned out, with plenty of breaks.  The presenters were personable and knowledgeable, and the subject matter was interesting and engaging.