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Some good luck at Croke Park...


Carson Letot

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As I counted up the days I had left to explore Ireland, I realized that the chances of getting up to Croke Park in Dublin to see the field and a game of Gaelic football were dwindling. But, just as I was losing hope, I saw a Facebook post from the GCSAI about open slots for volunteers for the match day on Saturday. Immediately, I contacted the organizer of the volunteers and I got a spot on the volunteer crew.

 

That was the easy part.

 

Getting to the stadium on game day proved more difficult. After missing a bus, taking another one twenty minutes too far, and walking around the entire stadium twice to find the right gate, I began to think I'd missed my opportunity. The Irish hospitality, however, came through in the clutch.

 

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A security guard pointed me in the right direction of the gate, a gentleman in the ticket booth gave me a wristband pass after hearing my story, and then directed me to the tunnel under the stadium, and a stadium garda showed me the ramp to the field. A human map if you will.

 

I arrived a bit late, but the other volunteers received me warmly, nonetheless. From there, the day flew by! I got a small tour of the main office for Pitch Management, I got to finally see the grow lights that I hear so much about on European fields, and I met Stuart Wilson, head superintendent, or, Pitch Manager here overseas.

 

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The grow lights at the ready, under the stadium.

 

Stuart set me up with my job for the day of fixing divots between matches and at halftime of each match. This gave me the perfect opportunity to see the field up close, and get not only pictures, but divots to study. I can't imagine a better way to see a field than to be on it, working the turf by hand.

 

Between matches, I got to talk a little turf with Stuart. He was the assistant manager at Emirates Stadium (Arsenal F.C.) and Aviva before coming to Croke Park. So we talked a little about both operations at Croke and at Emirates.

 

Croke Park is home to the Gaelic Sports in Dublin, and hosts over 75 different events during the year... from hurling to Gaelic football, to concerts like One Direction next year. With this kind of intense schedule, Stuart is not just maintaining a pitch for one game a week, he sometimes only has a one day turnaround to take the field from post-match condition to game-ready shape.

 

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Gaelic football.

 

Upon seeing the pitch up close, you can hardly tell it goes through such a rigorous season. It's a pristine stand of four different varieties of ryegrass that all work in harmony to bring out the best in the field no matter the weather. The turf however, doesn't do all the work, Stuart has three full time crew members, and ten 'divoters' who all work to keep the field in prime condition.

 

After going over the turf and the business of keeping up with a busy schedule, he shared a couple of the tricks he has implemented to have the pitch in top shape. A regular fertilizer program balancing slow release granular applications and spoon-fed foliar applications is the foundation, but a seaweed treatment with Seanypth brings out just the right color. A natural look.

 

On concert days, a plastic flooring called Rola Trac is vital for preserving the turf. Concerts take a heavy toll on fields, but the Rola Trac not only takes the brunt of the traffic, but acts as a small greenhouse for the turf underneath. He said it keeps a little warmth for the stand, like a grow mat for the field.

 

I eventually had to leave the stadium, but I didn't leave empty-handed. I met Johnny, Brian, Trevor, and Paddy... all superintendents in the east of Ireland, and great guys to volunteer with for a match day. And I had the opportunity to meet Stuart, a great mind in the field of turf, who manages one of the great pitches in Europe. Hopefully Ill get to come back up to work another match and soak up a little more of the hallowed ground. 

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All nations have shameful pages in their history and considering our Imperial past I think the British have relatively few but Ireland is truly our most shameful page. We maintained the fiction that Ireland was a part of the British Isles, whereas it was in fact treated for what in reality it always had been, a part of the British Empire and treated worse than any other part of the Empire. I agree that the speech is a masterpiece because inevitably, considering the closeness in time of events. it was composed mainly of understatement and euphmism ( the British are unsurpassed at both ) but so well expressed that it still commanded respect and adherence. ie car insurance

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1. Chief Blair has a leak in the 911 Centre2. CBC accepted the CONFIDENTIAL leaked information3. Did CBC offer the leakers protection? This is suggested in the CBC Ombudsman's report4. Did the leakers go to CBC on their own with the info, or did CBC approach them5. Has CBC had a leaker(s) in the 911 Centre and or the Police HQ for a while6. A few days ago the Appeals Court ruled that a person can sue if their personal information has been breached specifically in the area of electronic databases and has been harmed.CBC and those that supported and enabled the leakers to disclose private info from the confidential 911 system just might have put themselves in a position to be sued. Could there be a case against them filed by the Mayor, City of Toronto, Chief Bill Blair and the Toronto Police? Oh and could the Ombudsman also face some consequences if he knowingly mislead the public with his response? CBC's use of the confidential 911 call should worry all Toronto citizens, because if you are high profile or someone who disagrees with CBC or the leakers your privacy becomes fair game to be breached and used against you. In many ways the leakers and CBC leveraged confidential information for political purposes and there should be consequences for what they did. category insurance car

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I’m one of those 50 year olds that are just getting back into biking after a 20 or 30 year hiatus. I was in high school when the original Bikecentenial rolled. At the time, I dreamed of making the ride someday. College, a career, a wife and kids, all have a way of changing your outlook through the years. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but priorities do change as you go through life. 20-year-olds like yourself can’t even imagine all the twists and turns your life has in store for you.So, why don’t Americans like to travel abroad? I’m in the Air Force Reserves, so I actually do get to travel throughout the world more than most people; it’s actually one of the best benefits about the job. I tend to go out and mingle with the natives more than most of my compatriots, but I still have to be conscious about security. Like it or not, believe it or not, in today’s world Americans are targets. 99% of the world’s population are open and friendly to those of us that treat them with respect, but that last 1% can’t be ignored. In many countries, westerners (not just Americans) are valuable as hostages.Do I let that 1% keep me at home? Of course not. But with so much variety to be found in this country, I certainly understand why some people would rather not bother with the hassles of foriegn travel until the political climate improves.As I’m getting closer to retirement, the call of the TransAmerica Trail is once again being heard in the distance. Before that, though, I’m planning a ride from Independence Missouri to Portland Oregon along the original Oregon Trail. This ride will combine my love of history, travel, photography, and biking into one Big Adventure. One last piece of advice; Never Grow Up! No matter how many candles you have on your cake, when you stop growing, you become stagnant. Decay sets in, and you whither away. Death will eventually get us all, but it has a harder time catching a moving target. Roll on! insurance car florida

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It’s a function of education and culture. I was raised and lived mostly in the States but have lived in Spain now for years. When I talk to strangers in the US I realize their awareness of what’s happening as the history of other areas in the rest of the world is dismal.If my schooling in central Florida is indicative of the rest of the country kids don’t get much of an inkling of “what’s out there” beyond our borders nor is such an interest developed. Rather than curiosity, I think fear and/or disinterest takes over.In other words, the US is insular. Such insularity creates fear, resistence and/or lack of interest in the rest of the world. I think a lot of people are content just to watch the National Geographic channel and leave it at that (if they watch the National Geographic channel at all!). In Europe the awareness of language, culture, and current events extends at least to the other countries on the continent and perhaps elsewhere (such as issues regarding Morocco or norther Africa in general for Spaniards, Portuguese, French, Italians, Greeks). In fact, I’m pretty sure the average European is more aware of current events in the US than the average US citizen is aware of current events elsewhere. That’s not to say there aren’t other countries that are insular as well. There are, but I think most of them are insular because of a lack of education than anything else.Of course, generalizations like the above are, well, generalizations. Most of my US friends are quite aware of world issues and love to travel overseas but they are well educated. Still, they remain the exception.It would be interesting to see some stats like what percentage of the population of a variety of countries has visited other countries, speaks another language, is aware of events across the globe, etc. That would be fascinating. free car insurance quate

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