GAELIC SPORTS WORLD Issue 28 – June 20, 2015 | Page 49

WHAT SKILL DO YOU STILL HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH?

I am still working on improving the power and range in my
hook shot.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT THE GAME?

It’s hard to pick one thing—I love fast action and the degree of
physicality and fitness required, as well as the competitiveness of
our teams.
HAVE YOU RECOMMENDED THE SPORT TO YOUR
AMERICAN FRIENDS?

Friends, soccer opponents, strangers on the street — anyone
who looks like they’re fit enough or could be with some trainings!
HOW WAS LIFE AS A MEMBER OF THE DALLAS CLUB?

I had a fun time playing with long-time soccer teammates of
mine, and I really enjoyed traveling to some away matches with
the Dallas team. I was still just scratching the surface of the sport,
though.
WAS THEIR MUCH OF A CHANGE WHEN YOU BECAME
AN AUSTIN MEMBER?

It took a while for us to recruit enough players to feel like a
team—we started with just five players. From the start, though,
Pat Doab took a very systematic coaching approach to teach
us the game from the ground up using the GAA’s standardized
coaching curriculum. The energy in those first few months was
fantastic—every week it seemed we added a couple of players to
our group and many of those early players are still with the club
today.
WHAT DOES THE AUSTIN CLUB MEAN TO YOU NOW?

Helping to start our ladies’ football team has been one of the
most rewarding things I’ve done in my adult life. I’ve never been
part of a team I loved so much, but also, beyond that, our club has

various social events and charitable projects that really help
build community among all our teams and our families, as
well. I can’t imagine life in Austin now without being part
of the Celtic Cowboys.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORIAL MOMENT ON THE FIELD?

The closing whistle of the second match of the Texas
Championship Series last year. Up till that point, Dallas had destroyed us every time we’d played—five or six
matches, I think. We’d been building our skills, fitness,
and strategies but the team hadn’t ever come together
to sustain the right intensity and focus for a full match.
That day, we travelled up to Dallas defeated them in
their home city, against a solid roster of Dallas players.
It felt glorious.
DO YOU THINK THE SPORT HAS SCOPE TO GROW
IN TEXAS?

Absolutely, especially among women. Young women
who’ve played soccer, basketball, lacrosse, or other sports
at a collegiate level graduate and find they don’t have
many good amateur options. Gaelic football is a natural
next step.
WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN OVER
THE NEXT 5 YEARS AS REGARDS GAELIC FOOTBALL IN TEXAS?

First, I’d like to see fully-developed ladies teams in
Houston and San Antonio. Regular competition among
our four major cities would take the Texas teams to the
next level in terms of our competitiveness on a national
scale. Second, Texas needs to see development of at least
one collegiate team — male or female — to help elevate
the profile of Gaelic sports with the general public. And
third, along the same lines, we should work to start a
youth development program in at least one of the major
Texas cities, to build for the future of Gaelic games in
our region.

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