sports – The Coach Diary Football Blog

Colaiste Ide: ‘Set me up for Life’, A Jon Carroll Story

I spent two years at Colaiste ide studying sports and like Jon still have contact with some of the guys a hung out with. If you have an interest in Sports, Fitness or even Coaching, then this might be the course for you.

Here’s Jon’s story, from Colaiste Ide to life as a coach.

Colaiste Ide is today known as one of the best resources for American college coaches looking to recruit players to play in the college setting. Jim Conroy and Danny Crowley have to turn people away due to the courses popularity in Ireland. The groundwork was put in by Jim, originally running the course on his own back in the early days of the program. After doing my Leaving Certificate back in 1999 I had no clue what I wanted to do. My points on the leaving had me half way to being a doctor. So close! After seeing a special on Irish television highlighting the purpose of the course my mind was made up.

Everyone who attends Ide will come across a number of things that will stay with them forever. Jim’s no nonsense attitude and the craic between everyone on the course. I can only speak for my year but to have characters like Niall McGuirk, Karl “Munchkin” McCabe, Jimmy McEntee and Stuey Murray, we were blessed for people to keep us entertained. Niall was particularly good at keeping us entertained. There was also different types of characters who made up the rest of the team. It was a team with huge morale and confidence.

You can read the rest of his post here Colaiste Ide

Jonathan has also written a book about Scholarships to the USA “Earn and Keep a Scholarship to the USA”

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We must keep kids in sport!

Tonight I attended the Spike Milligan public speaking competition which prompted me to write about some of the things they discussed.

The number of children in Ireland suffering from social dysfunction, withdrawal, depression and other mental health issues has risen because of the recession.

The number of people under the age of 18 coming forward for treatment at some frontline clinics has increased by as much as 30 per cent in the past two years.

Children under 18 years comprise 25% of the population i.e. one million. Overall, 1 in 5 children in Ireland have a mental or behavioural disorder at any one time. We must keep kids in sports!

‘Its all in the mind, you know. Spike Milligan’

Exercise helps prevent and improve a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes and arthritis. Research on anxiety, depression and exercise shows that the psychological and physical benefits of exercise can also help reduce anxiety and improve mood.

For that reason alone we must encourage kids in sports and become mentors to keeping them involved for the rest of their lives. This year I have decided to get involved in the community games for my area. You too can get involved, by helping out with a team from your own community.

For more information visit Community Games Website, this is a great way to get kids back into sport and representing their community.

Depression and Younge People: by Aware.ie

Coping with depression when you’re young

We all feel low at times in our life. We can feel like no-one understands us, that others are putting too much pressure on us or that our friends are more popular or better than us. Depression can be a very physical experience with extreme fatigue in body and mind. It’s natural to feel bad sometimes, but when we feel like this for weeks at a time with no break, it’s possible that we may have a bout of depression and we need to get help with it.

Depression is a really common condition that affects up to 10% of teenagers at any one time. It affects how we feel about ourselves and others, makes us feel tired all the time, causes us to lose interest in hobbies, school and friendships, and it makes us want to hide away from the world.
Although depression can be hard to deal with and we can feel scared, it’s important to remember that thre are many ways that we can help ourselves and many supports that we can access to help us get through it.
Talking to your parents is important. You may think that they can’t possibly understand but it is vital that you give them the opportunity to help. Finding the words to describe what you’re feeling can be hard, but it’s really important to try.
As with any health problem, it’s important to see a GP to find out exactly what’s going on. Some physical health issues can cause similar symptoms to depression and no matter what the cause is, help is available. Hormonal changes that we go through in adolescence can have an impact on mood too, so checking in with someone who knows about these things can give us a lot of reassurance.
Exercise and spending time outdoors is important to help lift our mood and reduce stress and anxiety. It can be difficult to find the motivation to exercise so try to built it into your everyday routine – can you walk to school? Take a brisk stroll around the block at lunchtime? The more you practice, the more it will become part of your routine and it will make you feel better.
Eat a balanced and nutritious diet. Sugary foods lead to a sharp drop in blood sugar later and this leads to energy and mood slumps. Caffeine causes increased heart rate and interferes with sleep; remember fizzy drinks like Coke contain caffeine too.
Alcohol is a depressant and can prove a potent trigger to low mood, especially in individuals prone to depression. The human brain is still developing until the age of 25 so street drugs like cannabis can have a devastating impact on mental health as well.
Many people find writing useful and it can have therapeutic benefits. Don’t worry if you don’t consider yourself a writer: simply writing a few sentences at the end of each day can help to relieve some concerns, and looking back over things you have written previously can show how far you have come. No one need ever read what you have written. If you need help getting started, check out our Mood Diary template.
Above all, do not try to deal with depression on your own. Reach out to family and friends, and where help and support is offered, take it. Remember – you are not alone.

For more information visit Aware.ie