Gaelic football provides a fun workout. Brien O'Donal
In the fourth largest city we have come to appreciate the vast number of cultures and the great diversity it has brought us in our restaurants, artwork, and celebrations; but how about our sports? The Houston Gaelic Athletic Association, founded in 2011, is a gateway to another culture in the sporting world. They have brought the sport of Gaelic Football to Houston in the form of the Houston Gaels. Their connection to a national network of other GAA’s and with the Irish community at large has opened its’ participants to the universal language of sport. Now, during the fall offseason in Gaelic Football the Houston Gaels are looking for you to join their ranks for the 2018 season.
Gaelic Football is one of the most interesting and intense games I’ve seen played. It has elements of rugby, soccer, volleyball, basketball and American Football. Anyone who likes to play any of these should make their way out to Memorial Park Soccer Field #8 from 10 a.m. to 12:00 on Saturday Oct. 28; Nov. 4 and 11; or their last day Dec. 2. These are the Fall Ball practices where they teach basic skills and scrimmage in small groups in preparation for next season. They are co-ed so all are welcome, but in the regular season the teams are split.
Multi-sport athlete and new player Patrick Moore described it as, “One of the most awesome sports. It connects all different games that are out there and combines them into one.” It’s well worth the effort, as he followed up by saying, “It’s fun because you have to try to remember all the different rules of all the different games and put them into one.”
Everyone I spoke to had the same words of advice, come out and try. There may be a lot of different skill sets, but if you have basics and knowledge of any of the sports that are combined into Gaelic Football, it won’t be too difficult to play. Passing the ball to other players is like hitting a volleyball. There are self passes like kicking a soccer ball to yourself (called keepie uppie), and even bouncing the ball like a basketball. The battle for position and spacing is like soccer and football. Scoring is done by putting the ball into the goal with your hand like hitting a volleyball or kicking it through the uprights like punting a football. But the play in the field is like rugby and Aussie Rules Football, very physical.
The Fall Ball practices are designed to teach you the rules and help you develop the skills to play the game. There is still time before the 2018 season starts, so learning now will allow all the players to develop chemistry.
The season consists of games against the other GAA’s in Texas; San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. Games are played about a month apart between January and May followed by the finals in May/June. This year the Texas finals will be held in Houston. There are also National GAA Finals and other tournaments across the country. The Houston Gaels chose to miss National Finals in 2017 in favor of a tournament in Denver.
If competing in the regular season doesn’t work for you, there is still reason to join the GAA for their fall practices. According to Adam Robertson, the 2018 Chairman of the GAA, “This sport is almost like a cross-fit sport. There’s constant play, it’s very physical, and it makes you run faster and jump higher.” If you’re into getting an intense workout then this is your sport
If all you want is to have a good time there are gatherings afterward for lunch and drinks. The practices are over around noon and many of the players migrate to a local spot to enjoy themselves after a hard day’s effort.
If that still doesn’t get you, maybe the community service will. The long-term goals of the GAA are to spread the game of Gaelic Football to Houston and surrounding areas but also community service. I spoke to Elaine O’Connor, one of the few Irish players there, about this and she said, “With the recent events of Harvey, we had a lot of folks in the club band together. We had tear down crews going around to different homes and help people move furniture and rip out sheet rock. Now we’re actually going through to help with the re-build.” She described the Houston GAA as an adult social network. “We do a lot of happy hours and social events and have an annual awards dinner where everyone gets all cleaned up.”
With so much to get out of joining the Houston Gaels and the Gaelic Athletic Association, will you be there for practice Saturday? You should be. Find out more information at houstongaels.com
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By any measure, from the official statistics to the informal eye test, top-ranked Texas' defense has been dominant.
The Longhorns rank No. 1 in total defense and scoring defense. They are top 10 in first downs allowed, tackles for loss and passing yards. Much of that is built against opponents starting former walk-on quarterbacks ( Michigan ) and freshmen ( Mississippi State and Oklahoma.)
But the level of quarterback play Texas will face, in both talent and experience, is about to get much better over the second half of the season.
Texas hosts No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night in the first matchup of top five teams in Austin since 2006, before playing the next week at Vanderbilt. Bulldogs senior Carson Beck was a preseason first team Associated Press All-America pick, and standout Vanderbilt transfer Diego Pavia has carried the Commodores to a surprising 4-2 start, including a historic win over then-No. 1 Alabama.
Quite simply, Texas hasn't defended this caliber of quarterback all season.
Beck is a player on the doorstep of the NFL, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.
“There's nothing in the throw game (Beck) can't do,” Sarkisian said. “He's played enough football now, too. It's kind of hard to confuse guys when they've played that much football.”
Texas (6-0, 2-0 SEC) has allowed just one team to pass for more than 200 yards this season. Beck passed for 459 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions last week in a 41-31 win over Mississippi State. His 36 completions set a Georgia record.
Even when Beck struggled early in Georgia's loss to Alabama, he rallied the Bulldogs to a late fourth-quarter lead. He finished with 439 yards in the loss where Georgia's rally ended with an Alabama interception in the end zone in the final minute.
Sarkisian recruited Beck when the Texas coach was an assistant at Alabama. Beck had initially committed to the Crimson Tide before switching to Georgia.
Beck is 18-2 in his career as a starter, and 6-2 against top 20 opponents.
The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1) will need another exceptional game from him Saturday. A second SEC loss could threaten any chance of playing for the SEC championship, and raise the alarms on the College Football Playoff as well.
Texas has all but overwhelmed opposing quarterbacks so far.
In last week's 34-3 thrashing of rival Oklahoma, the Longhorns sacked Sooners freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. five times, and held him to 27 yards on 20 carries. Texas allowed just 225 total yards.
Hawkins was the first Sooners freshman to start at quarterback against the Longhorns in the 120-year history of the rivalry and was quickly swallowed up by a relentless pass rush.
By the numbers, the Longhorns program is on pace for a historic season. Sarkisian has said his favorite stat is points allowed, which is not many.
Texas has surrendered only three touchdowns all season. Opponents have snatched four turnovers inside Texas territory, but none have produced points.
That ability to snuff momentum can drain an opponent, Sarkisian said.
“We're so composed as a defense,” Texas safety Michael Taaffe said. “We're so confident, that no matter what happens, everything is going to be alright.”
The only time Texas has trailed this season was a 3-0 early deficit against Oklahoma. Several Longhorns starters were still on the field when the Sooners' final drive stalled at the Texas 6-yard-line as the game ended.
The stars emerging for the Longhorns have been second-year linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons.
Hill leads the team in total tackles (42), sacks (4 1/2) and tackles for loss (8 1/2). His sideline-to-sideline speed and move this season from the edge to the middle of the Texas defense has drawn comparisons to former Longhorns All-American Derrick Johnson 20 years ago.
Simmons has four sacks and 7 1/2 tackles for losses, second on the team in both categories.
“Size, speed,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in summing up the Texas defense.
“They’re the complete package on defense," Smart said. "The consistency you watch them play with, it reminds me of some of our best teams here.”By any measure, from the official statistics to the informal eye test, top-ranked Texas' defense has been dominant.
The Longhorns rank No. 1 in total defense and scoring defense. They are top 10 in first downs allowed, tackles for loss and passing yards. Much of that is built against opponents starting former walk-on quarterbacks ( Michigan ) and freshmen ( Mississippi State and Oklahoma.)
But the level of quarterback play Texas will face, in both talent and experience, is about to get much better over the second half of the season.
Texas hosts No. 5 Georgia on Saturday night in the first matchup of top five teams in Austin since 2006, before playing the next week at Vanderbilt. Bulldogs senior Carson Beck was a preseason first team Associated Press All-America pick, and standout Vanderbilt transfer Diego Pavia has carried the Commodores to a surprising 4-2 start, including a historic win over then-No. 1 Alabama.
Quite simply, Texas hasn't defended this caliber of quarterback all season.
Beck is a player on the doorstep of the NFL, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.
“There's nothing in the throw game (Beck) can't do,” Sarkisian said. “He's played enough football now, too. It's kind of hard to confuse guys when they've played that much football.”
Texas (6-0, 2-0 SEC) has allowed just one team to pass for more than 200 yards this season. Beck passed for 459 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions last week in a 41-31 win over Mississippi State. His 36 completions set a Georgia record.
Even when Beck struggled early in Georgia's loss to Alabama, he rallied the Bulldogs to a late fourth-quarter lead. He finished with 439 yards in the loss where Georgia's rally ended with an Alabama interception in the end zone in the final minute.
Sarkisian recruited Beck when the Texas coach was an assistant at Alabama. Beck had initially committed to the Crimson Tide before switching to Georgia.
Beck is 18-2 in his career as a starter, and 6-2 against top 20 opponents.
The Bulldogs (5-1, 3-1) will need another exceptional game from him Saturday. A second SEC loss could threaten any chance of playing for the SEC championship, and raise the alarms on the College Football Playoff as well.
Texas has all but overwhelmed opposing quarterbacks so far.
In last week's 34-3 thrashing of rival Oklahoma, the Longhorns sacked Sooners freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. five times, and held him to 27 yards on 20 carries. Texas allowed just 225 total yards.
Hawkins was the first Sooners freshman to start at quarterback against the Longhorns in the 120-year history of the rivalry and was quickly swallowed up by a relentless pass rush.
By the numbers, the Longhorns program is on pace for a historic season. Sarkisian has said his favorite stat is points allowed, which is not many.
Texas has surrendered only three touchdowns all season. Opponents have snatched four turnovers inside Texas territory, but none have produced points.
That ability to snuff momentum can drain an opponent, Sarkisian said.
“We're so composed as a defense,” Texas safety Michael Taaffe said. “We're so confident, that no matter what happens, everything is going to be alright.”
The only time Texas has trailed this season was a 3-0 early deficit against Oklahoma. Several Longhorns starters were still on the field when the Sooners' final drive stalled at the Texas 6-yard-line as the game ended.
The stars emerging for the Longhorns have been second-year linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and freshman edge rusher Colin Simmons.
Hill leads the team in total tackles (42), sacks (4 1/2) and tackles for loss (8 1/2). His sideline-to-sideline speed and move this season from the edge to the middle of the Texas defense has drawn comparisons to former Longhorns All-American Derrick Johnson 20 years ago.
Simmons has four sacks and 7 1/2 tackles for losses, second on the team in both categories.
“Size, speed,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said in summing up the Texas defense.
“They’re the complete package on defense," Smart said. "The consistency you watch them play with, it reminds me of some of our best teams here.”