American dream can be a reality

THE chance to follow a sporting dream and live and study in America is one Westport’s Shona Kennedy grabbed with both hands. The talented young woman took up a rugby scholarship in Central Washington University in 2018 and says it was the best decision of her life.
Now, she is encouraging other young women to follow in her footsteps and the first step of that process can be taken on Saturday, September 9 when she hosts a women’s rugby scholarship trial event alongside FirstPoint USA at Creggs RFC for those with ambitions to play and study Stateside.
FirstPoint USA is the leading sports scholarship agency who helped Shona secure her place at Central Washington in 2018 and she looks back on the experience with great joy.
“It was the best choice I ever made. Being able to live out the dream experience of being a full-time rugby player while also walking away with an internationally-recognised degree in Sports Psychology has been invaluable to me and it’s the key factor in my desire to work with FirstPoint USA in offering that same opportunity to other young girls across Ireland,” explained Shona.
However, moving to America to study and play rugby might be seen as a challenge, but Kennedy says it is also a huge opportunity.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect at first. Of course, the thought of moving across the world without your family is going to be intimidating for anyone at 18 years of age, but it also presents an incredible opportunity for you to really embrace your independence and grow as a person.
“It sounds a little clichéd, but it really is like being part of a huge family,” she added.
“When you’re over there, your team-mates and coaches are the people you spend every day with. You eat, train, and spend every waking minute as a collective unit and that camaraderie is so unique to being a college athlete. The experience is unlike anything else in the world,” she told The Mayo News.
For aspiring young players pursuing a student-athlete career in the USA, the demands of a dual-purpose schedule provide a real-life experience of training and living as a professional athlete, with the added bonus of working towards a valuable education.
“The schedule is tough. It’s certainly not for the faint-hearted, but like everything in life, if you’re willing to put in the time and work, you’ll absolutely reap the rewards of that,” she added, while encouraging young female players to come along to the event on September 9.
The trials will give female players the chance to showcase their rugby talents and challenge themselves under the close tutelage of FirstPoint’s coaching team, as well as learning about the opportunities that allowed Shona follow her own rugby dreams across the pond. 
Successful candidates from the trial will then be invited to progress to the next stage of the process with a view to earning themselves a funded scholarship place at some of the United States’ best colleges and universities.
Rugby is the fastest growing collegiate sport in the US, and with the increased profile of Major League Rugby, combined with staging the men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in the next decade, there’s never been a better time for prospective student-athletes to consider the US as a career option. 
FirstPoint USA, whose Director of Rugby is former Scotland international captain John
Barclay, are well positioned to support talented young players, working with some 150 different collegiate rugby programmes across the States.
The company work across the globe to scout the best talent, with assessment trials also recently held in Australia, the UAE, Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Dublin.
Anyone interested in learning more about the opportunities, or to register for the September 9 event in Creggs should visit www.firstpointusa.com