Practically Pro

With a sliotar and hurley in hand, just call us amateur hurlers! We finally got our "taster" session of hurling with the Waterford team coach and it was phenomenal: we are all addicted. Suited with a wooden hurley and tight helmet, eight American girls set out to learn the ropes of this brutal game. Turns out, we are "naturals". Through a series of hand skills and feet positions, we learned the basic motions needed to succeed. A combination of hockey and baseball, we had to adjust to our hands being opposite how we would hold a stick or bat in the US.  We also had to gain awareness of the "flicking" motion needed in our wrists! Unlike baseball, it is more of a wrist action to hit the sliotar.  We were given the basics: get the sliotar between the goalposts (one point) or under the crossbar into the net (three points), catch the sliotar with hand, only four steps without handling, only hand passes allowed(no throwing), and be aware. After various drills and practicing, we had our own mini game and vowed to continue this tradition of Hurling back at Mercyhurst.