Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Irish Exchange Program Benefits All Involved
3/17/2017 5:02:00 PM | Football, General
In addition to being a special year capped by a win in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl, the 2016 Northwestern football campaign marked the second season of an innovative exchange program with Ireland's Athlone Institute of Technology, spearheaded by Wildcats Associate Athletic Director & Head Athletic Trainer Tory Lindley.
"About a decade ago, students from Ireland and a couple of other places started to request opportunities to spend time in an internship-type environment in the United States," said Lindley, "[Athlone] reached out to us and asked if we would be interested. I thought it could bring a lot of mutual benefit for us to do this here at Northwestern. They have a very, very strong program in physiotherapy and athletic therapy, and a long tradition of producing good students. Athletic training is becoming very international, and we are the international leaders. The countries that are the most developed, and have programs that are roughly educationally equivalent, are really limited right now to Canada, Japan and Ireland.
A long-distance interview process means that Lindley and his staff are reliant on their Irish counterparts at Athlone to help find the best fits for an intensive, four-month exchange program in the United States.
"First, we have to ensure that we have someone who is motivated to be here for the entire term," Lindley explained. "It's a major personal adjustment for a student to study abroad, away from their comfortable environment, and to see it through from start-to-finish. The ability to adjust quickly not only to the culture, but our systems, procedures and policies is critically important. You've got to really want to absorb as much as you possibly can. We have to heavily rely on their faculty to determine whom they believe is a good fit for coming overseas, and we conduct a basic interview process to fill in some of the necessary blanks. The first time through [ahead of the 2015 season, when Northwestern welcomed three Athlone students] was the most important interview process. Once you have one class go through the process, now the program is selling itself through former students."
The three young men who spent the 2015 campaign in Evanston returned to Ireland after the season to share rave reviews with friends Sadhbh Gavin and Leigha McDermott, both of whom had their eyes on opportunities in the United States.
"When I applied to go to college, one of the big things [at Athlone] is when you're a senior, you might get to go to America," Gavin explained. "For four years, I'd been waiting to go to America. My three very good friends that were here last year loved it. They said, 'If you're going to go anywhere in America, definitely try to go to Northwestern.'"
"When they came home, they told us of their experiences and they raved about it," McDermott added. "They said it was the best thing they ever did, they said it would be perfect for us. Coming to university in Athlone, we were always told that we had the opportunity to study abroad, be it in Spain, or England, but I always had my sights set on America. Athletic training is so well-established here compared to at home, and I wanted that new experience."
The young women arrived in Chicago during the first week of August, just prior to the start of the Wildcats training camp.
"It's not necessarily by design, but we don't allow for a lot of adjustment time," said Lindley. "They get over their jetlag, and it's time to go. In some ways, I think that helps, because they don't have any time to second-guess themselves. They follow the instincts of what they've learned and what they already know, just in a different sport and a different setting. The adjustment period just doesn't really exist."
"When you're around the program, [training camp] is just what we do," he continued. "If you're a part of this, how much we accomplish in a single day in August is something you almost take for granted."
"Right from the start, everything was so intense," said McDermott. "It wasn't intentionally intense, but I was just so overwhelmed by everything. I barely remember the first week."
Managing the students' immersion is something that is top of mind for Lindley and his team for a very critical reason.
"By the time we start practices a few days after they arrive, we need to be sure they didn't just shake their head and smile and nod, but aren't actually prepared for an emergency situation to occur. They have an important role, and that role needs to be executed precisely as we've practiced."
In conceiving of the exchange opportunity, Lindley decided that focusing on the football team made the most sense for the students for a variety of reasons.
"We have found that it's not only the most intensive environment, but it provides the most volume of everything," he explained. "There's an opportunity every day to see 15 new injuries, illnesses or conditions, while other sports with smaller rosters may not get that in a month. It's also a unique attraction for the Irish students, since football isn't very established back home, and it's an equipment-intensive sport which they may not encounter in Europe."
Being a primarily American sport, learning the game of football was a part of the learning curve for both Gavin and McDermott.
"I'd watched the Super Bowl when I was in my first year of college because Beyoncé was the halftime show," recalled Gavin, who played field hockey back home. "I really did not know a lot, my first two or three weeks here were tough."
"I knew nothing about football," added McDermott, who did her best to research the game online before coming to Evanston. "I think I had to experience it before I understood it, and there's still a lot of it that I don't understand. I've played Gaelic football, which is nothing like American football, since I was about six. It's big in Irish culture, my whole family played."
While the game is different, the reason the students are a good fit for Northwestern's athletic training department is because their education has provided a foundational skill set to build on during their time in Evanston.
"Like the students that we accept from other athletic training programs in the U.S., they're in a clinical rotation for athletic training," said Lindley. "In that role it's a combination of executing certain things clinically under supervision, never autonomously, as well as being in an intense learning environment – both formal and informal - with our athletic training staff and team physicians. They're evaluating injuries, providing working diagnoses, talking through care plans and executing rehabilitation under the supervision we provide day-to-day."
"Everything that I learned at home, I've intensified it," said McDermott. "I'm so much more confident in my abilities after being here. Tory, Ryan [Collins] and Alexa [Bannerman] sat me down in Kenosha and told me, 'We know how good you are, you just have to prove it,' and I really took a lot from that. I'm quite passive sometimes, so I made an effort to put myself out there and take more initiative and it's really paid off. My parents came to visit me during the season and said, 'You're a different girl'."
Gavin echoed that sentiment of development.
"When I first came here, it wasn't that I was slow, but I wasn't at the same pace as what happens here," she said. I've improved considerably. I've definitely learned to become more independent. I guess I am an independent person, but being on your own you have to rely on yourself a bit more. I definitely have learned to put myself out there, and not be afraid to mingle with people that I don't know. I didn't know anyone here, I could have spent four months stuck to myself, but I decided not to. I decided to open up a bit more, and I'm happy I did, because I've met such incredible people."
The benefits, however, flow in both directions according to Lindley.
"Diversity in any form is hugely positive," he said. "For our staff and our student-athletes, as well as our athletic training students and sports medicine aides, it has greatly improved cultural competency. Our student-athletes have really embraced it, they truly enjoy getting to know the Irish students, learning about their lives and backgrounds and culture. Watching that unfold in our office has been really amazing to see."
In reviewing their time Gavin and McDermott were effusive in their praise for the Northwestern athletic training staff, particularly Lindley's focus and awareness in the most intense moments of a football game.
"At times he's at the opposite end of the sideline from us, and you'll hear him over the radio pointing out something in front of us that we missed, but he saw from that distance," Leigha recounted. "He's what all of us trainers aspire to be, he's brilliant."
The experience in Evanston has helped both of the young women chart their future paths more confidently.
"Coming here I did not know what I wanted to do," said McDermott. "I'm a senior now, so in a few months time I need to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, and coming here I had no clue. I was geared towards physiotherapy because I thought it was the safest option, because it's better established in Ireland and there's more likelihood of me getting a job. But now I'm applying for graduate school here in the U.S., for athletic training, kinesiology."
"When I go home, I hope to do a master's in physiotherapy," Gavin added. "I think I want to work more on the hospital side of things, but that could change in an instant."
So if, as Lindley explained, the program is now selling itself through its alumni, what is the verdict from this year's duo?
"It sounds cheesy, but it's been life changing," said McDermott. "I could have never imagined what it'd be like, I was quite apprehensive coming here. It's more than just an internship. Everyone makes sure you're ok, and everyone knows if you're NOT ok, because everyone knows each other so well. No matter what you need, there's someone to help. Being so far from home, that's a big deal. Tory's been so welcoming, anything we've needed he made sure we knew we could ask for it. It was special."
Gavin agreed.
"I'd tell [anyone considering the program] to jump on it, definitely come here," she said. "Everyone has just been so welcoming, it's like a family. I've only been here for four months, but it feels like it's been years. I couldn't have asked for anything more. It's been a lovely place to spend four months, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm so grateful to everyone here. It's been incredible."
"About a decade ago, students from Ireland and a couple of other places started to request opportunities to spend time in an internship-type environment in the United States," said Lindley, "[Athlone] reached out to us and asked if we would be interested. I thought it could bring a lot of mutual benefit for us to do this here at Northwestern. They have a very, very strong program in physiotherapy and athletic therapy, and a long tradition of producing good students. Athletic training is becoming very international, and we are the international leaders. The countries that are the most developed, and have programs that are roughly educationally equivalent, are really limited right now to Canada, Japan and Ireland.
A long-distance interview process means that Lindley and his staff are reliant on their Irish counterparts at Athlone to help find the best fits for an intensive, four-month exchange program in the United States.
"First, we have to ensure that we have someone who is motivated to be here for the entire term," Lindley explained. "It's a major personal adjustment for a student to study abroad, away from their comfortable environment, and to see it through from start-to-finish. The ability to adjust quickly not only to the culture, but our systems, procedures and policies is critically important. You've got to really want to absorb as much as you possibly can. We have to heavily rely on their faculty to determine whom they believe is a good fit for coming overseas, and we conduct a basic interview process to fill in some of the necessary blanks. The first time through [ahead of the 2015 season, when Northwestern welcomed three Athlone students] was the most important interview process. Once you have one class go through the process, now the program is selling itself through former students."
The three young men who spent the 2015 campaign in Evanston returned to Ireland after the season to share rave reviews with friends Sadhbh Gavin and Leigha McDermott, both of whom had their eyes on opportunities in the United States.
"When I applied to go to college, one of the big things [at Athlone] is when you're a senior, you might get to go to America," Gavin explained. "For four years, I'd been waiting to go to America. My three very good friends that were here last year loved it. They said, 'If you're going to go anywhere in America, definitely try to go to Northwestern.'"
"When they came home, they told us of their experiences and they raved about it," McDermott added. "They said it was the best thing they ever did, they said it would be perfect for us. Coming to university in Athlone, we were always told that we had the opportunity to study abroad, be it in Spain, or England, but I always had my sights set on America. Athletic training is so well-established here compared to at home, and I wanted that new experience."
The young women arrived in Chicago during the first week of August, just prior to the start of the Wildcats training camp.
"It's not necessarily by design, but we don't allow for a lot of adjustment time," said Lindley. "They get over their jetlag, and it's time to go. In some ways, I think that helps, because they don't have any time to second-guess themselves. They follow the instincts of what they've learned and what they already know, just in a different sport and a different setting. The adjustment period just doesn't really exist."
"When you're around the program, [training camp] is just what we do," he continued. "If you're a part of this, how much we accomplish in a single day in August is something you almost take for granted."
"Right from the start, everything was so intense," said McDermott. "It wasn't intentionally intense, but I was just so overwhelmed by everything. I barely remember the first week."
Managing the students' immersion is something that is top of mind for Lindley and his team for a very critical reason.
"By the time we start practices a few days after they arrive, we need to be sure they didn't just shake their head and smile and nod, but aren't actually prepared for an emergency situation to occur. They have an important role, and that role needs to be executed precisely as we've practiced."
In conceiving of the exchange opportunity, Lindley decided that focusing on the football team made the most sense for the students for a variety of reasons.
"We have found that it's not only the most intensive environment, but it provides the most volume of everything," he explained. "There's an opportunity every day to see 15 new injuries, illnesses or conditions, while other sports with smaller rosters may not get that in a month. It's also a unique attraction for the Irish students, since football isn't very established back home, and it's an equipment-intensive sport which they may not encounter in Europe."
Being a primarily American sport, learning the game of football was a part of the learning curve for both Gavin and McDermott.
"I'd watched the Super Bowl when I was in my first year of college because Beyoncé was the halftime show," recalled Gavin, who played field hockey back home. "I really did not know a lot, my first two or three weeks here were tough."
"I knew nothing about football," added McDermott, who did her best to research the game online before coming to Evanston. "I think I had to experience it before I understood it, and there's still a lot of it that I don't understand. I've played Gaelic football, which is nothing like American football, since I was about six. It's big in Irish culture, my whole family played."
While the game is different, the reason the students are a good fit for Northwestern's athletic training department is because their education has provided a foundational skill set to build on during their time in Evanston.
"Like the students that we accept from other athletic training programs in the U.S., they're in a clinical rotation for athletic training," said Lindley. "In that role it's a combination of executing certain things clinically under supervision, never autonomously, as well as being in an intense learning environment – both formal and informal - with our athletic training staff and team physicians. They're evaluating injuries, providing working diagnoses, talking through care plans and executing rehabilitation under the supervision we provide day-to-day."
"Everything that I learned at home, I've intensified it," said McDermott. "I'm so much more confident in my abilities after being here. Tory, Ryan [Collins] and Alexa [Bannerman] sat me down in Kenosha and told me, 'We know how good you are, you just have to prove it,' and I really took a lot from that. I'm quite passive sometimes, so I made an effort to put myself out there and take more initiative and it's really paid off. My parents came to visit me during the season and said, 'You're a different girl'."
Gavin echoed that sentiment of development.
"When I first came here, it wasn't that I was slow, but I wasn't at the same pace as what happens here," she said. I've improved considerably. I've definitely learned to become more independent. I guess I am an independent person, but being on your own you have to rely on yourself a bit more. I definitely have learned to put myself out there, and not be afraid to mingle with people that I don't know. I didn't know anyone here, I could have spent four months stuck to myself, but I decided not to. I decided to open up a bit more, and I'm happy I did, because I've met such incredible people."
The benefits, however, flow in both directions according to Lindley.
"Diversity in any form is hugely positive," he said. "For our staff and our student-athletes, as well as our athletic training students and sports medicine aides, it has greatly improved cultural competency. Our student-athletes have really embraced it, they truly enjoy getting to know the Irish students, learning about their lives and backgrounds and culture. Watching that unfold in our office has been really amazing to see."
In reviewing their time Gavin and McDermott were effusive in their praise for the Northwestern athletic training staff, particularly Lindley's focus and awareness in the most intense moments of a football game.
"At times he's at the opposite end of the sideline from us, and you'll hear him over the radio pointing out something in front of us that we missed, but he saw from that distance," Leigha recounted. "He's what all of us trainers aspire to be, he's brilliant."
The experience in Evanston has helped both of the young women chart their future paths more confidently.
"Coming here I did not know what I wanted to do," said McDermott. "I'm a senior now, so in a few months time I need to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life, and coming here I had no clue. I was geared towards physiotherapy because I thought it was the safest option, because it's better established in Ireland and there's more likelihood of me getting a job. But now I'm applying for graduate school here in the U.S., for athletic training, kinesiology."
"When I go home, I hope to do a master's in physiotherapy," Gavin added. "I think I want to work more on the hospital side of things, but that could change in an instant."
So if, as Lindley explained, the program is now selling itself through its alumni, what is the verdict from this year's duo?
"It sounds cheesy, but it's been life changing," said McDermott. "I could have never imagined what it'd be like, I was quite apprehensive coming here. It's more than just an internship. Everyone makes sure you're ok, and everyone knows if you're NOT ok, because everyone knows each other so well. No matter what you need, there's someone to help. Being so far from home, that's a big deal. Tory's been so welcoming, anything we've needed he made sure we knew we could ask for it. It was special."
Gavin agreed.
"I'd tell [anyone considering the program] to jump on it, definitely come here," she said. "Everyone has just been so welcoming, it's like a family. I've only been here for four months, but it feels like it's been years. I couldn't have asked for anything more. It's been a lovely place to spend four months, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm so grateful to everyone here. It's been incredible."
••••••
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