Adam making the most out of American dream

MAKING the most out of the American dream is former Abbey CBS student Adam McCann Gibbs.    

Mr McGibbs, who at the start of this year departed from  his school friends at the Abbey, has been making the most of the opportunities afforded to him by the Leader Kicking programme. 

 Leader Kicking, which is the brainchild of Galway man  Tadg Leader, offers elite Irish athletes such as Adam the opportunity to travel to the United States  on scholarships to study and play football at a college level.

 It was through this exact pathway that former Glen GFC member  Adam was afforded an opportunity to travel to the university of North Carolina, with the Sheepbridge native describing life as being great during his first fortnight abroad.     

Fantastic fortnight

“I’ve been here for about two weeks now and life is great” said Adam

“Obviously you’re here and your loved ones are at home, missing your parents, family and friends but you just know they are supporting you at home and know this is an incredible opportunity that only a few people have.

“It’s been a bit of a culture change to be honest adjusting to some of the food and adjusting in general to living by yourself at 18 years old in a different country. It has been tough but I’m learning new stuff every day.

“Also, the jump from being in the Abbey CBS less then a month ago and going straight into college life has been different but not too difficult yet. Yes I’m enjoying the experience right now it’s been great meeting people and them trying to understand your accent is hilarious but it’s been amazing and you get to meet people from across the US.”

Transferrable skills

With Adam’s skills as a team sportsman having been honed ever since he first laid hand and foot upon a Gaelic ball when he played for Glen’s under 6, skills which saw him through to being on the winning team which claimed the Seamus Heaney cup in 2024, it is no wonder that the North Carolina Athletics squad wanted him for their lineup.

However as one would expect there is a considerable degree of difference when it comes to training for a Gaelic match and gearing up for the adrenaline laced excitement that is American football.

“At the minute my training regime at North Carolina is a bit different to training in Glenn

“At the minute it’s a bit of a breaking in period to get guys ready for the season ahead and getting guys use to the physical demands needed to play at the high level.

“You have running every day, and in the gym doing different activities every day which is amazing as you constantly feel like you’re getting stronger and fitter.

“ At the elite level everything is monitored, and every item of equipment that you could think of is available to you. When you’re in the gym there are always eyes on you to make sure you are completing all of the work and not missing reps. Also some of the guys here are incredible athletes and it’s definitely a bit of a change compared to home.

“Kicking 45’s in Gaelic definitely was the skill that was very transferable over to American football and allowed me to start this journey. So by being able to score free kicks off the ground and 45s translated very well but with an American football being a different shape and a bit lighter in weight I had to change a few things such as my steps to the balls.

“In Gaelic I would of had a big 8 steps back and for American football it’s more compact as timing is very key - Or else you will be blocked so American football was 3 steps back and 2 to the side. Also in Gaelic you try to get under the ball to get height but an American football has a different sweet spot about a 1/3 of the way up the ball so I had to change where I was hitting the ball which was hard at the start but I’m getting the gist of it now”

Professional ambition

Staying true to the spirit of the American Dream Adam’s ultimate ambition is to play American Football at a professional level with his potentially four year tenure at the University of North Carolina serving as the ultimate tester of this young sportsman mettle.

However in addition to wanting to experience the glory of playing the game he has committed himself to under the gaze of the adoring crowds in America Mr Gibbs also wants to act as an ambassador for the sport back home in Ireland, an opportunity for which will present itself this Summer.

“My ultimate goal at the end of my journey is to play to the highest level which is the NFL. I feel I have the talent and ambition to go on and play at that level but there’s a lot of work to do in the next 3/4 years. The University of North Carolina is an amazing program where I can showcase my skills every weekend and my short term goals are to get on the field in Dublin this year for my debut in the college football classic where we will play TCU in the Aviva (it will also be my 19th Birthday) and show everyone in America and Ireland what I’m about and what I can do. “Another thing is, I want to be an ambassador of the sport and promote the game in Ireland as American football and Leader Kicking has provided me this amazing opportunity that has changed my life and changed my families life so I want to help other lads in Ireland who are unsure about taking the next step to be able to be confident to go and show everyone what the Irish lads are about and perform infront of crowds that are unheard of at home”