Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / Interviewing Influential Women This International Women's Day on Alex Garrett Podcasting 3-8-2024

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Interviewing Influential Women This International Women's Day on Alex Garrett Podcasting 3-8-2024 · OneLegUpAlex Media

0:06
It's International Women's Day, and I've got a very special podcast today on One
0:11
Leg Up with Alex Garrett featuring, of course the strongest woman I know,
0:16
my mom, Laurie supe Brockway. Then we go and hear from my grandmother
0:20
Didie, just a little sound clip from her two thousand and seven retirement party
0:25
in the Bronx. And then we turn to my fiance Gabriella Pisani. I
0:30
love it very much, hear what she's got to say about being a godmother.
0:34
And then of course, sticking with women in media, Joni Pelser and
0:39
Ligry what's the story? And then we get to hear from a very special
0:43
woman who's impacted my life for a long time, Mama Pat Jordan now on
0:48
my Instagram Alex g NYC One. I call mom a supermom, and that's
0:54
because she is more than just my mom. She is a kick ass journalist.
0:59
She is a writer, always writing and blogging, and of course she's
1:04
now on her way to become a master's degree recipient. And I'm so proud
1:11
of her every step of the way, through every challenge she's faced. She's
1:15
been strong through it all, and I want to share a little bit from
1:19
our podcast on Mother's Day twenty twenty one, maybe finding out why Superman to
1:26
become her idol if you will. You know, I had had an early
1:32
relationship in which there was some bad stuff happening, and I took Superman on
1:41
as my fictional hero as a way of protecting myself because I felt like I
1:47
was in danger. And every time I looked at Superman, I would just
1:52
get into the pose of Superman with you know, see him standing there in
1:59
his we still I'm a Superman poster that It was a six foot six foot
2:02
poster. I had them cut it out and posted on poster board, and
2:07
I felt like it really helped me. And when you were born, when
2:12
I was pregnant, I was using, you know, the energy of Superman
2:16
that gave me good vibes and a feeling in safety. And then I remember
2:23
my water broke while I was watching Superman the first movie, and just as
2:30
Superman swooped to pick up Lois, what would it like to have you to
2:35
this career put on a hold back When you were born, I was still
2:38
an active media person, and you know, people, people in media who
2:46
were friends of mine would ask me to tell your story. And I remember
2:52
I ran into my editor at Child magazine who about two weeks after you were
2:58
born, and I had an assignment due to them. But she said she
3:02
saw me and your father out at this lunche and she said, you must
3:06
have nerves of steel to be out today with your son in the hospital.
3:10
And I said, well, you know, we're just trying to continue to
3:14
live our life so that he lives his life when he's born, you know,
3:19
like we'll go see him later, but instead of just sitting in the
3:23
hospital the whole time, we're still continuing to try to keep you know,
3:25
my work going and stuff like that. So there were a few things that
3:31
we did. We were invited onto this cable show when you were very small.
3:38
I can't remember the name of it. I just remember they sent a
3:42
limo for us and we talked about your early birth experience. I found that
3:49
a lot of my friends didn't understand. They were used to me being out
3:53
there and available and fun and running around, and you know, a lot
4:00
of people thought that I was putting too much energy into you, that I
4:04
was taking too much time, and they didn't understand what it was like to
4:08
have a baby who was in the niek you for seventy seven days and then
4:13
take them home with all these medical this medical equipment and learn how to be
4:16
a nurse after not being a nurse. So I felt I was a little
4:23
bit isolated in that regard. I did the best I could because I was
4:28
a freelance writer. I started my own news service, which I tried to
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keep going. Your dad baby said for you a lot. He took me
4:38
to work with him so I could write. There was a time where I
4:42
just had to completely change my schedule. You you used to go to bed
4:48
at two in the morning and wake up at six at one point, so
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I would get up, so I would work from two to like a quarter
4:58
to six, and then I would get up with you at six, so
5:00
I was working in the middle of the night. I just did whatever I
5:03
had to do to get the work done. You know, your dad watched
5:08
you in those early years, so I was able to do because I had
5:12
to travel for work, so I was able to do some of that.
5:15
But you know, we wanted to keep doing what we were doing so that
5:19
you would have a model for people who were working and you know, doing
5:27
good work even in difficult circumstances. I did not know about any of the
5:32
things that you were born with. I hadn't heard of any of them before.
5:38
And you know, as a reporter, I really I remember, you
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know, I forced them to take me into this room where the doctor came,
5:46
the NEEQ you doctor came to evaluate you. And they didn't want to
5:49
take me out of my bed because I had lost a lot of blood during
5:53
childbirth. And I was I said, you are rolling me into that room,
5:57
and I forced them to bring me in those I could see you because
6:00
they kind of took you out of my arms within just a few moments of
6:04
your birth, and you know, because there were a number of problems that
6:10
they detected early on. And when a Niku doctor was explaining all these things
6:16
to me, I was just wait a minute, I need my reporter's pad.
6:20
I need to write these down, and you know, and then they
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took you to another hospital and I had to stay at the hospital. I
6:29
was in for, you know, for two full days. And so the
6:31
minute they let me out, we went running to Saint Luke's Roosevelt and you
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know, I mean it was I just couldn't wait to see you. And
6:46
the minute I saw you, I just sat by your bedside and touched your
6:50
head, and you were in an open isolate, so I was able to
6:54
do that, and then in a very short amount of time, you know,
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you had had major search on the within twelve hours of being born,
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so they put you in you know what we used to call an isolate,
7:09
which is an enclosed plastic container baby or babies, and it has a little
7:17
hole in the side where you can put your hand in. And at the
7:20
time, I was friendly because through my friend Lexi, who was dear friends
7:27
with doctor Lee Soth, who was the famous baby doctor. You know,
7:30
I knew him through my work with Lexi, and I called him and I
7:36
told him that my son was in anee cue and I was not allowed to
7:42
hold him because they wouldn't let me take you out. They wouldn't let me
7:46
hold you in my arms. And I told him that I was so afraid
7:48
that you were going to be traumatized by this early birth experience where you wouldn't
7:54
be able to bond with me. And he said to me, just go
7:58
to the isolate every single day and touch him wherever you can touch his hand,
8:03
touch his head, put your hand in the isolate, talk to him,
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tell him that you're there, sing to him and just you know,
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be there with him. And that's what your father and I did every single
8:16
day. Tell us about my grandmother's impact on you, and you know your
8:22
mom and what she was like, and then once she was like as a
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grandmother to your kid. Well, my mother, Shirley was a remarkable person.
8:31
She moved until one hundred and she didn't have her first fall until she
8:37
was ninety where she broke her hip in her arm. And I got her
8:41
into the Margarettes which is just a few blocks from our house, so that
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I could see her every day, so that you could see her every day.
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And Mom, I would say, she helped you become Laurie Sue Brockway.
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Happy International Women's Day, Mom, and speaking on my grandmother. Here
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she is on internet a Women's Day. You knows that I love a microphone.
9:05
I want to thank my son in laws day, my good looking sound
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and law. My good daughter. One is working. I could not get
9:16
away. She works for Channeld five. They wouldn't for Fox, they wouldn't
9:20
let her go. Today, my granddaughter Jessica sitting there and my little great
9:26
granddaughter who couldn't even talk to me, think to me. I thank my
9:33
family for coming up. I really am surprised, and that's also through Petra's
9:37
arrangement. One girl wonders at California she couldn't come, and the other one's
9:41
working. But I'm glad the white jess A grich Oh. I have to
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thank my twelve grandchildren and my fifteen and my fifteen great grandchildren. So if
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you believe I'm only thirty nine, okay, I have oneful family and you
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have been my second family. Those are the two strongest women in my life
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to this day, and I know did He's looking on both of us,
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my mom and I and our entire family on this day, March eighth,
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twenty twenty four. Now, of course I want to get to my lady
10:22
in Red, Gabriella Pasani, with this reminder that you know she is the
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godmother of all and I am so proud to call her my fiance. Well,
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it's the Super Bowl, Christmas thanksgivings, the yeah see by see front
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row by. Yes, I'm the god mother, pree ipc. Gabby,
10:48
keep being you don't ever change. And by the way, she'd want me
10:52
to remind you that she was completely sober on Super Bowl Sunday. That was
10:54
just off the cuff and I had to get that on tape. Isn't that
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great? And I just got off the wall with before I put this up,
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and she wanted you to know there was also a joke. Now to
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the women in media, of course, I want to start out with my
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uh, everyday colleague at AIM nine in the answer, Miss Joni Pelzer,
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Joni, welcome to the show one leg up on International Women's Day. Thank
11:18
you so much. As an honor to be with you on a very special
11:22
day which is kind of a national holiday. Well, you are executive producer
11:24
of a couple of shows on radio on AM nine sev of the answer,
11:28
of course, but I want to know more about Joni and what this day
11:31
means to you. Oh, thank you. Yes, I love working with
11:35
you, Alex. It's a pleasure and I love your podcast. So International
11:39
Women's Day it you know, it feels odd that we have to have one
11:43
day for women like women. That's why it's the whole month too. You're
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right about it. Yeah, it's just like, why is it a day
11:50
or a month? Why can't it just be equality for everybody? It just
11:54
kind of sometimes it feels awkward. That we have to have a day as
12:00
opposed to just a living situation. I was in a peace corps in Russia
12:05
and for two years. Unfortunately I haven't been able to go back, especially
12:09
because of what's going on. But when I was in Russia in the peace
12:11
corps, it is a national holiday. Everyone takes the day off, Everyone
12:16
shares stories and sweets, send flowers with each other. Not just men giving
12:22
women or they giving they, but women giving women. And it's really a
12:28
special, beautiful way of just celebrating who we are and how far we've come,
12:35
but the fact that we had to come as far as what kind of
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you. I can't help but say, oh, it gets me a little
12:41
bit. Recently, my mom came into the city and spent some time with
12:46
me, and I really wanted to celebrate who she was and who she's made
12:50
me become and how it came from her family. My grandma on both sides,
12:56
my both grandma's Grandma Lil on my dad's and Grandma Josephine on my mom's
13:01
side, were both extremely strong women. I mean, my grandmother on my
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dad's side changed her name when she was eighteen. She was Mary Elizabeth,
13:11
and she changed it to lil when she was eighteen, who does that at
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that time? And then my other grandma, she was actually Josephine, but
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my grandpa called her Joni, which is how I got my name. And
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both strong, powerful women who didn't let the world stop them. They didn't
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have huge careers. They were all about taking care of their families and that
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was what was important to them, taking care of people. And my mom,
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my mom is just an amazing woman. So are many of the women
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I'm surrounded with, my neighbors, my women that I work with at the
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theater, women I work with at the radio station, at the law firm
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at Gotham. It's just an incredible way to be here. And Gabby,
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by the way, and your fiance, Gabby amazing woman as well. And
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it's just it's nice to be able to celebrate. I just wish it didn't
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have to be that. It was not because we were equal, you know
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what I mean? Well, and I know in radio, you know you're
14:11
always at it as a producer, and how was that job for you as
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a producer? Talk about but that because I know it's a challenger at times,
14:18
it's phenomenal. It is challenging. Everything in life is challenging. If
14:24
it's worth it, it's challenging. You know, every day is different,
14:28
which is what's nice. The thing that sometimes gets you is you're listening to
14:33
the news every day and the news is not always positive. So listening to
14:37
the news every day to try and give bits and pieces and find the stories
14:41
that you want to tell and the way you want to tell it, and
14:43
find the guests you want to tell those stories with. You know, sometimes
14:48
you want to turn off and you don't want to have to hear what's going
14:50
on in the world. So that's the only the only thing I would say
14:54
that's a challenge is that not always being able to turn off. But you
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know, I do take the days like we all do. We all try
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to turn off and take that time. But I love being a producer.
15:05
I love being able to get my voice in there, not only with me
15:09
talking, but with the content that I'm helping produce. It's a challenge and
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it's a gift at the same time. I just love what I do.
15:16
It's something I feel like I was always meant to do and been doing since
15:20
I was a little kid, and then in college and I just didn't want
15:22
to go live somewhere else to be able to do it. I wanted to
15:28
stay in New York, where my family is, and so now I've got
15:30
that opportunity. I actually produced my own show for six years. It was
15:35
a once a week show on an internet radio station called talk Radio dot NYC
15:39
with Sam Liebowitz, and he and I did it for six years. I
15:43
had one host and then a different host with me, and we ended up
15:48
doing it after a while. At the end, we ended up doing it
15:52
in my apartment because then COVID hit, So that was exciting. Now I
15:56
get this platform. I wanted to know when your personality really really started to
16:00
shave. Was it when you're like five years old, six years old?
16:03
Like I feel like you were born with this personality of upbeat and always positive.
16:07
Judy Ah, thank you. I appreciate that because you're the man that
16:11
I always see, Alex as the glass half full. The glass is never
16:15
half empty when I see or talk to you, And that's such a gift.
16:18
And you've been handed a lot of challenges in life which you turned into
16:23
gifts. And I know it's with the help of your mom, which is
16:26
a blessing, and your dad, your two dads your your biological dad,
16:30
and then you're naturalized dad. Mine, it's funny, mine. Actually,
16:37
the first memory of feeling strong and powerful came when I was in grade school
16:44
and I was cast as the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, and
16:49
I'm on stage. My grandmother made my gorgeous costume for me. She was
16:53
a seamstress. She had arthritis in her hands. They were bent because of
16:57
arthritis, but she was still sewing and making things for me. And I
17:03
had a scepter with a heart on top made of wood, and I was
17:07
saying off with her head and I hit that scepter into the air and the
17:12
heart flew into the audience and the show must go on, and it did.
17:18
But I realized that that act of throwing my hands in the air made
17:23
me feel powerful. And I think that's kind of where it started. And
17:26
I want to say that was first or second grade. Yeah, I want
17:30
to ask you exciting real quick. You have your amt theater as well.
17:33
Does that help you with your expression? I know you're a little more behind
17:36
the scenes, but you get on that stage as well. Right, I
17:38
have been on the stage since the Queen of Hearts. Actually even before that,
17:41
when I was a little kid doing shows in the basement with dolls and
17:45
with friends. AMT Theater is very special to me. We're on forty fifth
17:51
Street and Ninth Avenue, Amttheater dot org, and it's it's a gift to
17:56
have this theater. It's an off Broadway community. We just recently had a
18:00
huge benefit with Bobby Moresco who won the Academy Award with Paul Haggis for Crash
18:07
for writing Crash and directing. And then Colin Quinn, the famous SNL star
18:14
comedian who has had shows on Broadway. With Bobby Moresco, they've done it
18:18
together. And then Dan Lauria from The Wonder Years, he stepped up and
18:23
he sed the event talking about how important it is to have a theater that's
18:27
not just spectacle and not just big shows, but it really develops shows.
18:33
And that's what we try to do at AMT Theater. And I know you've
18:37
been there with us. It's a special place where we can do things to
18:42
help the community. We have children's theater and classes, we have adult theater
18:49
and classes. You don't have to be a professional to come there and be
18:53
part of a community and We've ingrained ourselves in the community, in not only
18:59
the local community, but in the theater community. And we're also members of
19:03
the Broadway Association, which our mutual friend Christine Nicholas runs, and we're so
19:07
grateful to be part of that and the Broadway. The Broadway Association is not
19:12
just about Broadway. It's about the theater community and what makes business affect the
19:18
theater community. And we love it. We love being part of it.
19:21
We go to every luncheon that they have and they support us full on.
19:26
What's nice about our space is that anyone can come and use it. We
19:30
now have video screen. We have a beautiful screen. We're going to be
19:33
running films. We're actually going to do wonderful evening. I can't announce it
19:37
yet when, but Bobby Moresco is going to show some of his films.
19:41
He was Million Dollar Baby and Crash. So we're going to have to eat
19:45
bobbys for that, right. Yeah, they're going to have to to hear
19:49
that yet or your podcast will give you a little exclusive. But yeah,
19:53
you know, for me, it's a gift. I do get to get
19:56
on stage. I've auditioned for things, I've done things, I've m seed.
20:00
I love both sides of the house. I'm not the best at project
20:07
managing it. I'm the best at marketing it and being that connector person.
20:11
So when we do an event or we do a show, I'm the one
20:15
that brings it all together and says, yes, this is and getting excited,
20:18
this is what we're doing and this is why we're doing it, and
20:21
you guys got to get get involved. And I know people love that energy.
20:25
So I can't help myself. It is who I am. Like it
20:27
or not, it is who I am. Jonah, you have a lot
20:30
of friends. I'm sure a lot of those friends might have a daughter that
20:33
wants to break into media. So, as a woman in media, what's
20:37
your message to those that are coming up through the ranks of your that want
20:41
to be where you're at as a producer on the radio, what's your message
20:44
today? Say yes and take a chance at anything, even if it's not
20:48
what you think you want to do, because you don't know until you try
20:51
it, and it's always an experience. You get an experience by doing something,
20:56
and once you do it, you can say whether or not you still
21:00
want to do that, but at least try it because you don't know.
21:03
You know, I never knew if I wanted to produce something until I tried
21:07
producing, and then I realized what I like about it, and then I
21:11
do those things that I'm good at and what I don't like about it,
21:14
I find people to help me. Well, there you go, Joan Pelser
21:18
with a lot of wisdom today. Thank you as always, And I know
21:21
you have a social media page plug that fir ust to follow. Yet oh
21:23
my gosh, my social media is not very good lately because I do it
21:27
for other people. But you can find me at JOA N P E l
21:33
Z E R N YC. Well, thanks for joining me on the International
21:37
Women's Day and we'll see on the radio, Joni. Thank you, Alex
21:41
G You're the best. Always a pleasure, Jony, And won't talk tonight
21:45
on the radio, I'm sure. But staying with women in media, I
21:48
want to now get to a longtime friend and Ligori. She's been a big
21:53
supporter of the Viscardi Center, not just at the center but on w FA.
22:00
And you know what's the story in Ligory. She actually gave me a
22:03
bit of a backstory on how her sports career and her journalistic career intertwined.
22:11
You were an athlete as well, and maybe those who follow your journalistic career
22:15
maybe don't know that you had the sports career as well. Tell us about
22:18
that. Sure, So, yeah, I was always very athletic in high
22:22
school. In junior high, there were no sports. They grew up in
22:27
a small town in Ohio, and when I was a kid, all the
22:32
guys pretty much in the neighborhood would come and we had a big backyard and
22:34
we'd play sports in the backyard. I had an older brother, and you
22:38
know a lot of times I was the first one picked to play on the
22:42
baseball in the games whatever, played kickball, baseball, softball, whatever,
22:48
because I could run faster back then, right, So I was always used
22:52
to competing with the guys. And then I got to junior high and there
22:56
were no sports for girls. It was so disheartening, nothing but cheerleading.
23:02
And so we organized a track team and my dad drove us around to all
23:07
these track events with the Amateur Athletic Union and we organized the team from my
23:11
school and we competed in track, and then I played tennis. We joined
23:18
the club and I was able to take tennison then play a lot of tennis.
23:21
But this was all independent of school. But by the time I got
23:23
to high school time and I had passed a couple of years. Finally they
23:29
were VARs based sports programs for girls. So in the fall I played volleyball,
23:33
in the winner I played basketball, and in the spring I did both
23:38
track for the girls track team. I was a sprinter and a long jumper.
23:41
And then I also played tennis on the guys team. We were able
23:45
to double when our schedules, you know, didn't conflict. We were able
23:49
to double in two sports back then. So I played number one tennis my
23:55
senior year at the boys tennis team because we still didn't have a girls team
23:57
back then. And then I also ran track for the girls teams. So,
24:02
you know, earned t barcy in high school and was quite busy as
24:07
you can imagine, but it was really good training, I think, to
24:11
do what I'm doing now. How'd you end up in the journalism world after
24:14
doing all these sports that you had done. I always wanted to be a
24:17
broadcaster. I always wanted to That's when that was my first love. I
24:21
never had any I didn't even know you could become a professional, you know,
24:26
back then, the communities for kind of slow coming for girls. Now,
24:32
it would have been a whole different story, because you know, girls
24:33
grow up with all these opportunities and just become athletes, which I think is
24:37
great, But back then we didn't really have those opportunities. So but I
24:41
always wanted to be a broadcaster, and I thought, with my athletic background,
24:44
I would go into sports, and basically that's what I did. I
24:47
studied broadcast journalism at the University of South Florida and Tampa and then came to
24:51
New York right out of college on a a fellowship program that was sponsored by
24:56
the International Radio and TV Society, And I came up out of college and
25:00
basically never left. So I started my career in Manhattan. Can you believe
25:03
it? And here I am. I'm still I'm still going strong. I
25:07
hope not gun would oh yeah, And you know what they say, if
25:11
you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. But you know,
25:12
you're just talked about, oh oh, well, a while ago,
25:15
how there were no sports for girls. I've got to ask you this because
25:19
the you know, Augusta finally opened up to women. And when you first
25:23
got that news, what was your reaction? Well, that happened a number
25:29
of years ago, Alex when they opened up, and kind of Lisa Rice
25:36
was one of the first there are three in her class, one of the
25:38
first women to be asked to join Augusta National. So yeah, I was
25:44
very thrilled that that was the case. I'd been working there for years at
25:48
that point, and to cover golf at a club where there where women members
25:55
were not allowed was very awkward and uncomfortable. But I have to say they
25:59
always treated me wonderfully at Augusta National. But obviously it's much better now that
26:04
they have women members. Now they're not going to promote who there were women
26:07
members, who their members are, and how many more they've they've added hints
26:11
because it's a private club and they feel that it's no business. But I'm
26:15
glad that you know, we do know that there are a few female members.
26:21
And Pine Valley in New Jersey that just a couple of weeks ago,
26:26
I remember talking about this on my talking Golf show on w fa N.
26:30
Pine Valley, New Jersey said that they were going to open up their doors
26:36
to women members. So there are still you know, there are still quite
26:38
a few clumps out there that restrict that have a restrict of membership. I'm
26:44
glad that Pine Valley in New Jersey, which is you know, it's anytimes
26:48
voted the number one golf course in the country by Golf Didets and other golf
26:52
publications, and it's good to hear that they are opening up their doors to
26:56
female members as well. All Right, I don't know everybody's ever asked this.
27:00
I'm sure they have. What's your favorite course to play golf? And
27:03
if you do play tennis, have you ever played in any of the big
27:07
you know, tournament, you know, courts like in Bowen Garos or Wimbledon
27:11
or even the US Open. Funny that you asked, because in tennis,
27:15
when I was in college, I had this bizarre experience where I was able
27:21
to get on the practice court at Wimbledon. My girlfriend and I were studying
27:26
in a summer college program, studying abroad in London, and we picked up
27:33
our tennis rackets and put tennis clothes on, and we were gonna go to
27:36
wildon and watch tennis. Now why we thought we'd have to bring our rackets.
27:38
It's really just to me all these years later, very amusic. But
27:44
we're on the way London to college too, and this young British guy came
27:49
up with and he saw us pictures of ourselves on our way to Wimbledon,
27:55
and he said, you want me to take your photo and we said sure,
27:57
so we gave him my camera. He took pictures of us. So
28:00
we started talking to him and he said and we said, well, we're
28:04
going to willle It and he said, we'll have tickets and he said and
28:07
we said no, we thought we'd just queue and buy tickets. Said,
28:14
oh, well, you know that might take you days and days to sit
28:18
in that line, and you probably won't be able to get tickets because they
28:22
sell out. He said, I am a member of the All England Club.
28:26
Why don't you come in as my guests? Imagine this stroke of luck.
28:32
I mean, this is just so bizarre. As we're riding the subway
28:36
out to Wimbledon. We went in as his guests during the Wimbledon tournament and
28:41
we ate in the player's lounge and we watched matches and Benny even said we
28:47
could go and play on the courts out there, the player's courts and the
28:52
practice courts and hitting next to us with Billy, Jean King and Tracy Austin
28:57
well, that was a great conversation and Ligory. You can find the full
29:00
version in the description below with the full podcast from that weekend. But I
29:07
want to also let you know she's got a book out. That's right,
29:11
She's got a book out, and I suggest you get it. It's called
29:15
Life on the Green, Lessons and Wisdom from Legends of Golf. And by
29:19
the way, great timing for the show today because if you're in the area
29:26
tomorrow in Palm Beach and Ligory will be at Palm Beach par three golf Course
29:32
with a book signing ten am to one pm Saturday, March ninth. That's
29:37
at twenty three forty five South Ocean Boulevard. Go and meet Anne and greet
29:41
Anne and get to know what her story is behind. What's the story and
29:48
Ligory and speaking of green, you know it is Saint Patrick's Day month,
29:53
and we got to include another woman that's been impactful in my life from a
29:59
very young age age, Mama Pat Jordan. Let's hear what she's got to
30:03
say about the games, about the Irish trip and being Mama Pat. I
30:07
don't think people realize how important these games are actually, these children, the
30:12
ones I go on here every year? Right? How many years were you
30:17
there? Every year? Every year? Yeah? Minus two thousand and nine.
30:21
Let me get that on the record because of H one N one Viscardi
30:25
could not compete that year, but basically every year. And I gotta say,
30:30
do you do you know that you've impacted this generation, like my generation
30:34
of athletes, Brianna to make me cry, sane Addie, all of us,
30:40
like you've your experience like this changed so many lives. Me cry.
30:48
It went to my pleasure though, and it was life fun. And it's
30:52
all the same people who've been doing this for years and years these games,
30:56
you know, like Sudie Wyne is still there every year, right, yeah,
31:00
Susan gor and Ryan we got Sue Maxwell of course when they gotted it
31:03
right, she did, she did, And so many of the volunteers have
31:11
been there since the beginning, right, thirty years We volunteered for thirty years.
31:17
Wow, that was two years ago. That well, let me ask
31:18
you, we could, but we can't. When you guys started the Irish
31:22
American Irish American Youth team, did you think of it longevity wise or did
31:29
you take it? Here? Let me tell you that first? Gee,
31:32
why here close to you. Yeah, go for it. Okay, I
31:36
hope you have a long podcast. Yeah, Patricia, you know Patricia my
31:41
daughter, Yes, yep, she and Mark we both worked with Susie Royan
31:45
and this guy. Susie met this guy at when the Friendly Sun things and
31:52
she was telling about the games in law and he said, oh, he
31:56
could get your kids from old together and bring them over, so sure,
32:00
why not? And he did, and then they got here and us as
32:06
Patricia if she would stay with them, so that I guess they would here
32:09
two weeks then I don't remember, and you know, show them around your
32:15
drinking taste with you know. She's sure, why not? So she went
32:19
to Hopster. Now I was away that weekend. I think it was Memorial
32:22
Day weekend and I was away all right, And I come home and I
32:29
went to cook see her, and I said to Ed, think somebody robbed
32:32
a house, because well, my pots were gone, my nights in my
32:37
box, and most of my flights. She'll anything put off us. She
32:43
said, oh, no, they don't have anything we gotta eat. Yeah,
32:45
I had nothing in my kitchen. Alex soos up and she said,
32:50
oh, can we have your refrigerator? He did for the two weeks,
32:54
can we not my refrigerator? Give me a break? Well we did give
32:58
them a refrigerator that we had to go and that's what started Patricia being involved
33:02
with the artist team. Right at that point, I wasn't involved with them.
33:07
I was involved because I was still working at Riscardi, and I was
33:12
more involved with the games because Susie Ryan, Sudie Ryan is Ed's cousin Bry
33:17
the way just for the records, so you know, we're all in this
33:21
together, right, So that's how it started. And then I started getting
33:28
a little bit involved with them and a little bit more because I see them
33:30
more at the games and then at night I go over to whatever they were
33:34
doing. And then when I retired and Patricia by that time had Connor,
33:39
I said all right, I'll do it, you know. So we started
33:43
staying at Ostra and it was a great run, let me tell you.
33:47
Yeah, a lot of fun. We met a lot of nice people,
33:50
We had a lot of their few us to lift. Sometimes it's still outstarted,
33:52
so it's a lot of start visions. Yeah. After a few years
33:58
of them coming, they said, well, how that we go over to
34:01
Ireland? They take some kids. So the first group was about five kids.
34:06
I do believe Megan Katieri was one. Yeah she was with that yet
34:10
yes and and uh. But we had no monks, right, so that
34:16
we would stay down in Sounth of Wexford in the School for the Spine of
34:22
Business school it was, and we took in the classrooms and we did the
34:29
dunning hall. We had no money trading and the only transportation we had was
34:34
the police, the guards. They would drive us around the events. We
34:37
couldn't. But then when Brida came along, so I raised all that money
34:42
because we were richerly we got damned up here because if you remember, I
34:45
shouldn't maybe say that where we got our vents from. But the pl gave
34:50
us the instudents for the two weeks so we could get around. Wow that
34:57
Yeah, it all started a little bit and then it grew and then grow.
35:00
And how many kids did they send over their first year competing here?
35:04
I think of that baby, I have to ask Patricia, wait, I
35:09
think of that ten right, And then the chaperones and they do all the
35:16
cooking and everything else, and Hapstor is very good to it. So they
35:21
used to judge it. Then they don't judge it. Anymore. Well,
35:22
we don't come anymore, but they stop judging the games, which is good.
35:28
So there you have it. Six influential women who have had an impact
35:30
on my life over the last thirty years. Love you Mom, Missy DEDI
35:36
love you, Gabby. I love you so much and I'm so glad as
35:39
I said earlier to call you my fiance. You get us through thicken thing
35:43
because you are strong. Jony, my goodness. I always love working with
35:47
you daily at I am ninety seventy the answer and Ligory, what's the story.
35:52
And of course you can meet her tomorrow in Palm Beach. That'll be
35:57
pretty cool, and get her book on Amazon. And Mama Pat hopes he
36:00
had the games this year once again. And to all the women out there,
36:05
including my aunts and of course my sister Abby. Love your sister,
36:08
hope you're doing well. And Happy International Women's Day to you as well,
36:13
and of course to all the women out there, Happy International Women's Day and
36:17
keep rock in the world.