Final Blog Report

I originally decided to enroll in “Sport and Learning in Australian Culture” because I thought it would be a fun and exciting way to experience an aspect of Australian culture that I might not have otherwise been able to experience. The class set up field trip opportunities for me that I probably would not have figured out on my own. I did not realize that this class would also have a huge element of history and social conflict behind Australia’s most popular sports. I also did not realize how much of the class would be devoted to the ups and downs of these popular sports being started in elementary schools.

This semester I have both attended and participated in a wide variety of Australian sporting events. I have attended cricket, rugby league, rugby union, a half marathon, and horse racing. The sports that I have tried during my time in Australia include surfing, snorkeling, sand boarding, cricket, and lawn bowling. All of these sports were brand new experiences for me and they made my semester here the best it could be.

From a very young age sports have been an enormous part of my life. It was one aspect of my childhood that my dad stressed very heavily as key ingredient to being successful in the other areas of my life. Because of that, every season I was busy playing a sport. Not only were sports a positive activity to fill up any leisure time I had, but also they allowed me to maintain my physical and mental health. Sports helped me to develop strong time management skills and to learn to work as a team member as opposed to individually. All of those useful lessons helped me become the person I am today. Both in and out of school I am able to apply the lessons I learned in sports to make myself the best I can be.

I believe that because I have such a strong background with sport, this class was really exciting for me. By learning about the history behind each sport, then learning the rules, and then watching it played live, I was able to fully experience a sport. This was definitely the most valuable way to learn the culture behind each of the popular sports in Australia. When I actually took that learning a step further to actually playing the sports, I was able to fully understand why these sports became so popular in the first place.

The first sport that I experienced in Australia occurred on a weekend trip I took to Jervis Bay. I had an afternoon surf lesson with my study abroad program. For some reason, while watching my instructors get up onto the boards, I thought the sport seemed really easy. I thought that I for sure would be able to pick the sport up quickly. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It took an hour of practicing both on the beach and in the water to finally stand up on the board. After attempting to surf all afternoon, I was exhausted and had a much greater appreciation for professional surfers. I had no idea how tasking it was on the body to get up on a wave. Experiencing a brand new sport this early on was extremely significant to my whole time abroad in Australia.

My favorite sporting event that I saw during my time in Australia was rugby. I had no idea that there was a difference between rugby union and rugby league. I also had no idea how many different age groups and skill levels competitively played rugby. I saw youth rugby, college rugby, indigenous rugby and professional rugby. Each game was completely different although the rules were essentially the same. It was amazing to be able to see where rugby skills started at such a young ago, to where they end up at the professional level. I had never seen rugby being played before I came here. I go to college in Hartford, Connecticut, and no one around there plays this sport. When I go home it is definitely going to be a part of my time in Australia that I will miss.

One of the sports that was talked up a lot before I actually saw it played was netball, and to be honest I was disappointed. I found the sport to be quite boring to watch and did not have any contact. I was really looking forward getting to know a brand new sport that is played mainly by women. All of the famous sports that I am used to watching are either co-ed or played only by men. There are not very many widely popular sports where women are the dominant sex. Netball was similar to women’s basketball, but from what I have seen from both sports, basketball is a much faster paced, and an all around more exciting game to watch.

Of all of the sports that I participated in, lawn bowling was my favorite. Before I went to play, I thought the game was only for older people and it seemed really boring. After hearing the rules and giving it a try, I quickly understood why so many people enjoy playing. It was similar to bocce ball; however, the ball was weighted on one side. This made the game have an interesting addition to a game that I was used to playing. It made the game much more difficult than I had anticipated.

Overall, I can confidently say that my semester abroad in Australia would not have been as amazing if it weren’t for the class “Sport and Learning in Australian Culture.” I got an inside look into the culture of Australia through examining different peoples relationships with sport. I was really lucky to be a part of this class. To be able to experience a brand new culture that is so involved with sport made my time in Australia truly memorable. This class was a blast and I would highly recommend taking this course to anyone studying abroad in Australia.

Sydney Half Marathon

Last weekend I attended the Sydney half marathon because several of my friends were competing in the event. We got to the race around 7am and decided to stand by the finish line to see everyone completing the race. There were way more people both watching and competing than I had pictured. I managed to get a really good spot along the fence to watch the competitors finish. It was really inspirational to see the men and woman finish a run this long. I have competed in shorter races before, but I had never seen a half marathon before.

My dad used to run in marathons and triathlons so from a young age I have been hearing about running and what a difficult sport it is. It was exciting to see a running event in a different country, and as I had figured, everything was exactly the same as at home.

My favorite part of the day was seeing the disabled runners compete. There was so much affection and support from the crowd and the other runners when they finished. It made me want to start training to compete in an event like this myself. This was probably my favorite sporting event that I saw my entire time in Australia.

Rabbitohs vs. Tigers Rugby League Game

Last weekend I went on the class field trip to the Rabbitohs vs. Tigers rugby league game. This was the first professional rugby league game that I had ever attended. The first thing I noticed was how empty the stadium was. I had assumed that the entire stadium would be filled because rugby is so popular in Sydney and the rest of Australia. However, there were full sections of the stadium that had zero fans in it.

The second thing i noticed was how little security was present on the field. It would have been so easy for any fun to run out onto the field. Every professional sporting event that I have been to at home, such as Football, made it nearly impossible to get out onto the field. I am assuming that fewer security is needed here because fans running out onto the field is less of a problem than it is in the United States.

The professional rugby league game was really exciting to go to because I had only seen rugby at the youth and university levels before. I had seen professional rugby on TV but it was far more exciting to watch a live game. Now that I understand rugby, I wish there was more rugby being played at home in America. It would definitely be something that I would love to regularly attend.

Sydney University Rugby Union

Last weekend I went to a rugby union match between University of Sydney and a Northern Sydney team. The game was held at night on oval one on campus. The first thing I noticed was how few people there were. I am used to attending a very small university of 2000 students, so I assumed that a university this large would have an enormous amount of students in attendance.

Although there weren’t as many people at the game as I had expected, the game was really exciting to watch. The more rugby I watch, the more I enjoy and understand the game. I had always thought that rugby was a slower moving game than football, however I realize that it is just the opposite. Each play last much longer than a play in football, and there is very little stopping. Each player is continuously running for almost the entire game. University of Sydney ended up winning the match, which everyone around me seemed to be expecting. I am excited to attend the professional rugby game next weekend to compare university players to professional players.

Junior Sports at Nagle Park

Over the weekend, I went to the class field trip to Nagle Park to watch junior sports. I watched both junior rugby and junior netball. The first thing I noticed was how much the park reminded me of going to soccer practices every Saturday morning when I was younger. There were tons of kids, both girls and boys, and of all different ages. It was a social event for not only me, but for my parents and coaches as well. Similarly to my experiences as a child, all of those experiences seemed to hold true for the parents, coaches, and kids participating in the junior sports at Nagle Park over the weekend.

In addition, it was exciting to watch competitive sport that had started at such a young age. It makes it very clear why sport is so important to Australia's culture. Kids grow up watching and playing sport that is naturally becomes one of the most important things in their lives. All of the kids, although seeming to be having a lot of fun, seemed to take the game and its rules incredibly seriously. I am really glad I was able to see the junior sporting events.

Emirates Doncaster Day

My friends and I dressed up for the races!

The Randwick race course!

Saturday, April 16, I attended the Emirates Doncaster Day races at Randwick. My friends and I looked up pictures online beforehand to see what was the appropriate attire. I had never been to large horse race like this so I did not realize how fancy of an event it was. The races started at 10:30 but we arrived around noon. Everyone was extremely fancy, wearing gorgeous hats, and drinking. Like other sporting events I have seen here, it is directly connected to a drinking and social scene. There were judges walking around picking out the best dressed people. The races were not as lively as i pictured them being because it rained practically the entire time we were there.

I was surprised when I found out how high the prize money was for each of the races. The first race had 2 million dollars of prize money! I know how much money is spent on sports in the United States, but I was under the impression that this much money would exist in Australian sport. Some of my friends made a few bets on the horses but didn't win any money. The races are definitely something I want to try to go see again while I am here. Hopefully the next time I go, it won't be raining and I can get the full experience.

Indigenous Rugby League game

Indigenous Rugby League Game!!

This Sunday I went to an Indigenous Rugby League game at the Coogee Oval. The only other rugby games I have watched have been between club teams at my home university in Connecticut. The games that I have seen have all been rugby union so my experience at the Rugby League game was vastly different.

The first difference I noticed was the size of the field. The rugby league field was larger, yet skinnier, and had different markings. The second thing I noticed was the different amounts of points allotted for tries. A try is worth 5 points in rugby union and 4 points in rugby league. I addition, there are different points awarded for drop goals and penalty goals. Lastly, I noticed that in the rugby union games that I have watched, someone gets lifted up to receive the ball that is being thrown onto the field. That did not happen in the rugby league game.

There are other differences between the two types of rugby games that I did not notice while watching the few games that I have been to. I look forward to seeing a professional union game to further my understanding and appreciation for the game.

Moreton Island

This weekend I went with a few friends to Moreton Island to go Sandboarding and Snorkeling. We flew into the Gold Coast then took two buses and a ferry to get to the island. We drove across the island which was covered with trees and wildlife to get to an area called "The Desert." It was so strange to see such drastically different landscapes just minutes apart. Our tour guide demonstrated the proper technique for riding the wooden boards down the sand dunes both for our safety and for maximum speed. I first slid down the dunes on my stomach, then I tried standing on the board. I even went down with someone else on my back! It was such an awesome experience.

"The Desert"

Me standing up on the board!

Tandem Sandboarding!

After a couple hours of Sandboarding, we drove back through rainforest type area to the beach. We ate a quick lunch then suited up in our Snorkeling gear. We had to wear wetsuits to protect us from the temperature of the water and from any harmful sea creatures such as jellyfish or sharks. The wetsuits were also very buoyant so the acted at flotation devices. We wore protective gloves on our hands, flippers on our feet, goggles around our eyes and snorkels in our mouths. The area where we went snorkeling was near 13 old shipwrecks. The shipwrecks attract an abundance of fish and coral, and create a safe bay for snorkeling purposes. We saw a ton of sea life including the Wobbegong Shark! It ended up raining for most of our snorkel but we had an awesome time anyways. I am looking forward to Snorkeling again soon.

Several of the Shipwrecks.

My Snorkeling group.

The Wobbegong shark!!

Lawn Bowling

This afternoon I joined the Australian Sports class to learn the game of Lawn Bowling. After a confusing trek to the Lawn Bowling courts in the pouring rain we finally made it. Unfortunately we had to sit inside for a while for it to stop raining outside before we could go out and give the sport a try. While we were waiting we were able to catch some rugby on TV. I do not fully understand the game yet but I am excited to go to a game soon! 

After the rain stopped, we broke into teams of 5 or 6, and practiced the lawn bowling roll. I thought it was going to be like Bocce, but it was very different. It was difficult to say the least. I had no idea that the ball was going to be weighted on one side and it took me a bunch of tries to understand how hard and fast I needed to roll the ball. After many rounds of playing different teams, my team managed to be the only team to score 0 points. Although we were unsuccessful, we improved a lot the more we played and had a lot of fun. I definitely want to go back on my own time to play again.

Me right before my first Lawn Bowl.

My Lawn Bowing team! 

Women's Netball

This week I watched Women's Netball on TV.  At first, it seemed a lot like Women's Basketball but with no backboards on the baskets. After I watched for a longer period of time, I noticed that not all players were moving to every area of the court. It seemed as though different players were restricted to different zones. There was also a large pause by the semicircle around the basket before a player would shoot. After watching for some time, I decided to youtube the rules of the game to better understand what I was watching. This is the video I watched:

After watching the video, everything was a lot clearer. It made it very clear to me that it is important to know the rules of a game before watching it on TV or live. Both with netball, and with the cricket games I watched last week, I enjoyed the game a lot more when I knew what I was watching. I am excited to see netball played live later in this course. 

Cricket

This past week I attended two cricket matches between different residential colleges on campus. I had heard a lot of things about Cricket like "it's a boring sport," and "it's similar to Baseball, but worse." I really wanted to see for myself what this game was like.


Throughout the first match I watched, I was completely confused. I was watching with other Americans who clearly didn't know what was going on either. I didn't know that the cones along the outside of the field were for, what the three sticks behind the batter were for, and I really didn't understand why the entire hour I was there, the two teams never switched positions.  To be honest, it was hard for me to enjoy a game I didn't understand.


A few days later I decided to go to another match. This time, I went with Australians who explained the rules of the game before we went. With knowledge of the different positions, ways to get out, and other specifics of the game, it was actually quite enjoyable. However, I don't think that I would be able to ever watch an entire game because I was told games have lasted several days before!


I would definitely go back to another game now that I know how the game is played. Overall though, the game seems like it would be more fun to play than it is to watch.

Jervis Bay Surfing

Me waiting to catch a wave!

My group learning how to paddle and catch a wave on the beach.

This past weekend I went on a surfing trip in Jervis Bay. My group woke up early in the morning on March 12, 2011 to hit the waves. First we had a short safety lesson about what to do when encountering different marine animals and how to take on the rips. I learned how to signal for help if the rip carried me out too far into the water and what was considered proper surfing etiquette. I then was sent into the water to catch and wave and simply lay on the board as it carried me to shore. This showed me what the speed and feeling of a wave carrying my board would be. I then went back to the beach to practice the transition from paddling to actually standing up on the board. My group was taught how to surf on extremely long boards so the process of standing up would be a lot easier. 

After a short about of beach practice, I was sent out into the ocean to attempt to ride my first wave. After multiple attempts, I was unsuccessful. My instructor told me that when it was time to stand up on the board, he would yell "NOW!" So, I walked my board towards a wave. I grasped my board with two hands and leapt onto it. I made sure I wasn't too far toward the front of the board to prevent myself from nose-diving. I start aggressively paddling as I feel the wave start to pick up speed. Before I knew it, I heard my instructor confidently yell "NOW!” As quickly as I could I pushed my body up onto my feet and carefully balanced on the board as it carried me to shallow water. It was such a thrill.

As soon as I got up onto the board one time, I knew the timing of when to stand up for my future attempts. I successfully stood up four more times before my two hour lesson was over. I can understand why surfing is such a widely loved sport. The freedom I felt first standing on the board was a feeling that made me crave more. I wish I lived in an area closer to the ocean than Buffalo, NY, because I would love to continue practicing to surf when I get home. Overall, it was an awesome experience that I can't wait to have again.