I think I'm Gonna Hurl....

Today was the Gaelic Athletic Association Championship Final Hurling Match! County Kilkenny was defending their 8 year title against County Galway who had never won the Leinster Senior Hurling Club Finals before.... and guess who went... me! We were told we were in for a great game, and despite weather I was pumped to go! 

Once we arrived at Croke Park we waited in line for our tickets and talked to the people around us to try and get a feel for the game. The man behind us told us even though Kilkenny was favored to win, he was rooting for Galway. I asked who the underdog was, and upon hearing it was Galway I knew who I was rooting for... and with that it was time to hurl... ? -- I'm still not sure how you are supposed to say that... 

I realize that the stadium looks pretty empty... keep in mind that Croke Park holds 90,000 people and this was an amateur sport... even so we heard there were supposed to be 40,000 there. 

If you have never seen a hurling match... you Must!!! It is like baseball, lacrosse, soccer, football, hockey fights, and Awesomeness all clumped into one! Anyone that knows me knows I can't really sit and pay attention to sports, but this had me hooked from the first minute. 

I love the kid with his arms crossed watching the match... 

What made the experience even better were the fans around us. We picked the right team for the section we were in. If you were to think of an old Irish man sitting in a pub, having a pint and yelling about a match... we were sitting right by him. You would have thought he was friends or a parent to every man on the team listening to him talk about them... and yell at them... What he yelled isn't quite blog-friendly, but you better believe you can hear him in every video I got of the match. 

When the match began Galway quickly took the lead, but by the end it got close. The stakes were high, the fights were often, and man their shorts were tiny... 

The scoreboard has the county names in Irish. The top is Galway, the bottom Kilkenny. 

We bought some yarn "headbands" to support Galway.

Just as we had hoped Galway won!! For the first time ever, ending the 8 year Kilkenny streak... it was a historical moment and we were there to witness it. Thats pretty cool if I do say so myself... 

When the match was over the good ol' boys from Galway rushed over to welcome me to my first hurling match and thank me for cheering for them despite the odds.... 

I wish!... Hey, a girl can dream right? 

Even though that didn't really happen the whole experience was brilliant... probably one of my favorite things I've done in my whole time here. 

I couldn't have asked for a better day! 

Until Tomorrow... 

Cheers, 

   Becca :)