Hurling taking American roots

If you walk around the hallowed grounds of Stanford University these days, you just might come across a few lads pucking a sliothar about. Seriously.

And if you don't believe that, the first-ever U.S. intercollegiate hurling game took place in February when Stanford lost to Cal State by 3-09 to 3-10. I'm not joking!

Thanks to the curiosity and interest of one student, and the help of a west coast GAA stalwart, the game has taken off in the prestigious school.

Stanford student John Mulrow was so impressed by hurling on a visit to Ireland that on his return he decided to learn how to play the game. After getting educated at the San Francisco GAA information booth at a St. Patrick’s Day event, all he needed now was some coaching.

Cue Eamonn Gormley, San Francisco GAA games development administrator Paul Bayley and other volunteers who started to coach Mulrow and fellow students who liked the look of the game. Soon the sport was off the ground at the university.

Stanford is not the only university to have been bitten by the hurling bug. Two Purdue students who spent time at the University of Ireland Galway returned home and founded a club there in 2005, and  California State University at Monterey also got a team together. Berkeley and UCAL are seen as prime locations where the game could flourish.

“College campuses are low-hanging fruit for the GAA,” says Gormley. “It’s a close-knit community in which word spreads fast about new and exciting activities among people who have time on their hands to try them. The disadvantage is that students move on quickly and move to other cities upon graduation.”

For Gormley, a web developer in Silicon Valley, tapping into American interest in the game is key to the survival of hurling in the U.S.

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Nster.com