Lawn Bowls at Clovelly

I decided to write about this sport experience because I was not able to make the Lawn Bowls field trip because it conflicted with our Blue Mountains trip with Butler. It was a beautiful and sunny day as I set off on the cliff walk from Coogee to Bondi Beach with two of my friends. The views of the water and the cliffs were spectacular. We came across a few small beaches tucked into coves along the walk. Little did we know, we would come across a social game of lawn bowls at Clovelly. We paused to watch three groups of elderly people play against each other. Historically, lawn bowls was considered a recreational sport only for the elderly. Lawn bowls is suitable for the older generation because it is a non-contact support that can be played non-competitively. Bowls, however, has also emerged as a highly competitive sport between young men and women in countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Bowls is played at the Commonwealth Games with the next Games in Scotland. Players try roll the black balls as close to the small white ones, referred to as the "jack" or "kitty". I was not surprised to discover that bowls is related to bocce, which is a semi-popular recreational sport in the United States. It was nice to see couples playing together on the same team. Overall, it looked like everyone was enjoying themselves. The scenery was so stunning that I wish I could have played too!

Cricket!

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to go to not one, but two cricket matches. The first match was between St. Andrews and St. Johns, and the second was between two other residential colleges on campus. Students, dressed in their team's rugby shirts, sat on the grassy lawn to watch between classes. The game of cricket resembles American baseball in a lot of ways. There is a designated pitcher, catcher, and batter, whose goal is to hit the ball as far as he can in order to maximize his runs. However, there were also gleaming differences between the two sports. Instead of running around bases, the batter just runs back in forth, which is not very fun to watch in my opinion. I found cricket to be much less exciting than baseball, which is surprising since I find American baseball to be boring as well. A majority of the players just stood around and were not really involved in the action. I was impressed, therefore, that the player's friends were there to cheer their mates on during these otherwise uneventful games. I want to learn more about the rules of cricket so I can understand and therefore, hopefully enjoy the game more. I enjoyed watching the end of the matches when the fans surrounded the team in a huddle and sang their respected songs. The hats worn by the players were cool too! 

The Nippers take on Maroubra Beach!

On our first field trip this past Sunday, we went to watch the nippers at Maroubra beach. I immediately noticed the immensity of the waves crashing down on the beach. Maroubra is a category 6 beach, which means that it can be very dangerous. This is why I was so shocked at how young the nippers were. Most of them were only 6 or 7 years old. I felt comforted by the fact that these children were staying close to the beach while being closely supervised. I learned that the purpose of the nippers at this age was more focused on learning how to handle the surf and gaining confidence in the water. One of the fathers present said it was important for his kids to be nippers because living on the coast means it is essential to learn about water safety and navigating the surf at a young age. It was obvious by watching the children that they also really enjoyed being there (see picture below). They were laughing and playing with their "mates", while waiting their turn to plunge into the ocean. A friendly community spirit was present rather than a competitive atmosphere. Seeing all of the dads supervising the children in the water reminded me of the Saturday mornings spent on the soccer fields as a kid. They were our coaches, our managers, and our most dedicated supporters. And they did it out of love for the children and the community. The nippers operates in the same way, just different sport. 

Surf's Up!

My name is Catherine Flynn and I am studying abroad at the University of Sydney for the semester. Having traveled here from Boston, Massachusetts, I have grown up watching and cheering for the core four: the Boston Celtics, Red Sox, Bruins, and the New England Patriots. I have now realized that there is a good chance that I will never see a basketball, baseball, or hockey game here. And hopefully from this class, I will learn why Australian football players are not covered head-to-toe in pads.

My first hands-on experience with Australian sports was surf camp, which I attended during my first week here. This was also the first time most of us had seen the ocean in a very long time and combined with all of the snow back home, let's just say we were all VERY excited to get into the water. The instructors taught us how to body surf, paddle board, and surf. One of the instructors was even younger than me! Body boarding was not a foreign activity, and I was also already familiar with paddle boarding from summers spent on a lake back home. However, paddle boarding by the ocean was a whole different experience. I also learned that it's is a professional sport that is becoming very popular in Australia. Previously, I thought it was just a recreational sport fit for relaxing and exercise. Surfing, on the other hand, was completely foreign to me. With a little bit of instruction, I was able to get up halfway a few times. Ultimately, I wouldn't say it was a success. I had no idea how much upper body strength it required. If I was going to become a real surfer by the end of my stay, I would need to put in a lot more training and practice. The instructors were great though and were really happy to help us experience the sport of surfing, which Australians call a way of life.