PARALYMPIANS RYAN AND GARY GET READY FOR THE RIO GAMES
LIFELONG friends Ryan Nolan and Gary Messett grew up next door to each other in Kilbride Grove and their respective mothers, Laurna and Jackie, will travel to Rio together, along with Ryan’s girlfriend Fiona, to cheer on the two men as they wear Irish shirts and represent their country in the Paralympics.
Gary (28) and Ryan (24) are both on the Team Ireland soccer squad for the games. They also play for St Fergal’s FC. For Gary, this is his third outing to the Paralympics, while this is the first time for Ryan.
Gary and Ryan will leave on August 25 for the adventure of a lifetime.
‘Nervous, excited, all emotions bunched up into one,’ said Ryan, when asked how he feels about the challenge ahead.
He has been a member of the Irish team for four years alongside teammates from all over the country, including Cork, Dublin, Derry, Louth, Monaghan and Dundalk.
They train every Saturday with the coaches at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, and the team members meet in Blanchardstown every Wednesday for their own session.
While in-season, the St Fergal’s FC training takes place on Tuesday and Thursday nights in Ballywaltrim.
On top of all that, Ryan works fulltime hours in Aldi.
However making sacrifices to dedicate himself to the team is all part of it for the Bray man.
‘I’m not going to have this experience again,’ he said.
It was Gary who encouraged Ryan to start playing. The two boys had played football together out on the street as kids. Gary noticed some paperwork from Cerebral Palsy Ireland in Ryan’s house, and asked about it. He hadn’t realised that Ryan would be eligible for the Paralympics.
‘Every since then I never looked back,’ said Ryan. ‘I’ve travelled the world – we’ve gone to Barcelona, Spain and Portugal.’
Gary has been capped 67 times for Ireland and is the team’s top goal-scorer, with 34 goals to date.
He has seen Paralympics action in Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.
He was seen playing football on the side of the road one day by the Paralympics chairman. He asked the young man if he would be interested in playing for Ireland. After a chat with his parents, Bobby and Jacki, Gary agreed, went out to the training venue to meet the manager and got selected for Athens.
‘My parents never told me they were coming over,’ said Gary. ‘In the first match against Ukraine, the manager pointed up and my mother and father were there. It was one of those moments you’ll never, ever forget.’
2016 is a momentous year for Gary. On top of preparing for the tournament, he and his partner Holly are expecting their first child in the coming weeks.
Gary has also earned a qualification in soccer studies and gym instruction at BIFE, while working at his job in Tesco, and doing all of the training.
Fresh from a pre-paralympic tournament in Salou with Brazil, Britain and the USA, Gary said that while they didn’t perform to their potential in a number of games, there were positive aspects to the tournament.
In the midst of athletes backing out of the Olympic games due to Zika virus fears, Gary said that it didn’t occur to him to do so.
‘Holly would probably kill me if I didn’t go to Rio,’ said Gary. ‘She knows it’s important to me.’
The games may be a ‘ last hurrah’ for Gary, who would consider sticking to doing a bit of coaching in the future.
‘We have a baby on the way and obviously I want to be there to support my girlfriend,’ he said.
‘I’ve been involved for over 12 years. ‘I’d like to look back on what I have achieved and see what’s next.’
This Saturday, July 16, Coffee Delight’s on Bray’s Southern Cross is holding a benefit night for expenses for Rio. Tickets are €25 and available to purchase at the Coffee Delights till. The ticket includes a threecourse meal and live music. There will also be a raffle on the night.
Any money raised at the benefit night will go to the soccer team’s logistics manager for whatever is needed in Brazil this summer.