Some of the first sports I encountered here in Australia were beach and water sports. Among these is perhaps the most popular water sport in Australia - surfing. I was fortunate enough to participate in surfing lessons at Manly beach on one of my first weekends in Sydney. Although I did not blog about this, it gave me a background and appreciation for the sport before I attended the Boost Mobile SurfSho at Bondi beach. Filled with tourists and local fans alike, the beach was crowded with activities and excited people to watch the world's best compete. It was especially new for me as surfing is not popular where I am from in the Mountains of the United States. This was also a competition that was primarily in place for the fans. Although I am sure there was competition among the participants, it was more for fun than the prize. This can be used as a good lesson for youth fans. Without stress placed on the participants to win, it can show kids how sometimes it is good just to compete for fun even at the highest level of the sport.
This led me next to sailing and snorkeling, which are two other water sports in Australia that are unique in the way I experienced them. Although typically not thought of as competitive, sailing can be a very intense and challenging sport as well as a recreational hobby. I have had many opportunities to sail and snorkel in multiple places here in Australia, although only as a hobby primarily. The water is some of the best in the world, especially around the Great Barrier Reef. I took a trip around parts of the reef in the Whitsunday Islands, both in and out of the water, which showed me why these sports could be so attractive for someone to want to compete in. There are many factors that go into the challenging sport of sailing. I have met a world class captain on the trip and many university competitors as part of the Sydney Uni Sailing Club. My experiences with them have allowed me to understand how difficult the sport can be and to not take for granted even the physical and mental aspects that are necessary for racing competitively. This has driven me to explore the possibility of competing in sailing in the future.
The next few sports that I was able to view are best looked at in combination. These include Rugby League, Rugby Union, and Australian Rules Football (AFL). I saw each of these sports in the order above, which was great because I liked each next one better than the previous. Starting with Rugby League, I saw the Roosters play in Sydney Football Stadium. This was my first experience of this sport in any form and it was an exciting match. By not knowing much about the rules, I was fortunately able to watch the game and fans to learn much about the sport. It was a day filled with beer drinking fans, but with specific alcohol-free zones the children in the crowd were still able to get a sheltered viewing of the game. This allowed them to still interact and learn the rules of the game with some more sheltering from the drunken behavior. Overall, the event was well-organized and it ended up with a great result for Sydney, winning handily at 24-6.
The Rugby Union game I saw (Waratahs vs. Western Force) was a much closer game, which is perhaps why I found it more exciting. I have also had some experience watching this style of rugby in the U.S. With a more open and free style of play, this allowed for some quicker and unexpected transitions in the game, thus increasing the excitement. By the end of the match, however, even with the 'Tahs down in the score, they used their size advantage to slowly push through the defense again and again until they scored. It seemed as if the fans were expecting this to happen,which took some of the excitement out of the sport for me. This final drive at the end for the win also made me realize how important size and strength is in some sports, compared to skill in others. In Australian sports, there is a good mix of similar sports here that allow players to maximize their success by choosing the one that suits them best. This is great for youth participants especially, as success is a huge reason for them building confidence and continuing with sports and fitness throughout their life. This is again shown in AFL, which I personally found to be the most exciting of the three. Being known for much more high scoring and wide open matches, although the players are not as big it can certainly get just as physical when the game is on the line. This intensity shown in all three footy sports is a huge testament to the importance of sports in Australia. As consistent with the Uni Rugby match I watched, Australians take their sports (footy especially) very seriously. The uni supporters provide an example of the pride that Australians take in the success of the players and teams they support.
This example of pride can be seen in the sports I participated in as well, including casual basketball and soccer in Sydney. With casual basketball, I play against many local Aussies and this intensity and desire to win comes through when we play. However, with the soccer, it is mostly Europeans that I play against, which creates a much more laid back style of play. Both are fun for me, but on different levels. This has taught me that there is a time and a place for everything and sometimes it is good just to play for fun. In the lawn bowls field trip (minus the rain), it was fun just to have a relaxed time playing, but with a competitive spirit. Also as noted in my blog about the youth soccer and rugby practices, it is good that the kids get to choose what they want to play without the stress of parents pushing them to succeed. However, the coaches do keep a good level of discipline in order to allow the kids to develop and improve as well. These experiences have given me a new outlook on sports as a whole, and helped me to understand their role in Australian culture. By no means will this be the end of my development, as I hope to continue to learn and study sports in my own culture more in depth when I return.
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