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.