Sport and Learning in Australian Culture really opened my eyes to a bunch of new sports that I never even knew existed. Prior to coming to Australia, I have never heard of AFL, rugby league, netball, soccer was called soccer-I thought we only did that in America, how popular surfing really is, and lastly I thought cricket was only a sport played in the Middle East. All of these sports became what I watched on highlights when I saw a TV. I even went to a party for the AFL final. I learned not only the rules about each sport, but which sport is popular in each state, the rivalries between teams, and everything that goes with the sport. I am really glad I took this class because I have experienced way more than what I know of American sports.
AFL is unique, a sport that is only played by Australians, and a sport that is popular mainly in Melbourne. The first time I watched this game I thought that the players were just playing rugby, but then as soon as I saw the one of the players punt the ball as they were running, I knew it couldn't be rugby. I watched two AFL games live, one at the youth level, and a professional Sydney Swans game, and of course countless games on TV, including the grand final. It was great to see the differences in skill levels between the youth; it reminded me of when I played soccer when I was a young boy. At the youth AFL game, kids were just running around aimlessly, having pretty much no idea the sense of the game. When I played soccer, every kid tried to kick the ball, resulting in a big mob of kids just moving around in circles. It was great to see the game played at the professional level and see the tactics used to score. It was also my first time in a professional stadium while I was in Australia. It was interesting to be in a stadium with a field designed in the shape of an oval, because at home pretty much every venue is a rectangle.
The next game I attended was a rugby league game between the Roosters and the Sea Eagles. I also got the privilege to see this at the youth and professional level. But this time I saw the youth game at a youth National tournament representing all the states of Australia. These kids varied in size greatly, it was the age at which some kids mature much faster than the other. Each game I saw was similar and very fun. The professional rugby league game was very entertaining because I felt this is where all the fans were very into the game and cheering on their team.
Watching Netball was one of my most culture shock moments while I was here in Australia. Unlike rugby and cricket, I have never even seen a Netball court or basket. Each jersey had a different letter or number on the back, and it was great to see a sport that I have never seen or heard of before being played in front of my eyes. I was most interested in this sport because I did not know even one rule. Every play the girls ran I was learning at the time they performed it. After watching Netball that day, I reflected upon myself on the bus ride home. Her I am an American, who thinks every sport the world plays I have seen or heard of. It was at that time on the bus when I knew I should not hide myself from the world in my own shell. I knew I need to take in everything that Australia has to offer, and to open myself fully to another culture. From then on, I have been open to anything and have been taking in everything.
Another sport that I have heard of, but never played or seen a game is played is cricket. Cricket was a sport that I saw played in my hometown in New York, and was generally played by a small group of people from the Middle East. Right away I thought it was a sport only played on that side of the world, but again I was wrong. As soon as I stepped off the plane in Sydney, I saw highlights of this spectacular game on television. Again I was amazed because here was a sport that I thought only existed in the Middle East. About three weeks ago I got to experience Cricket first hand and even got to be the batsman. As soon as I picked up the bat, the Australians started laughing at me because I was holding the bat like a baseball bat, where the bat goes above your hip. I then was taught how to hit the ball, and to pitch the ball. It was a great experience learning how to play this fun and tense game.
Growing up in a beach town on Long Island in New York, I was taught how to surf by about the time I was seven years old. Surfing was very popular in my town, but as soon as you crossed the bridge to go into another town, people had no idea what surfing was. I knew the sport of surfing was popular in California, Hawaii, Indonesia, and Australia, but I never knew the magnitude of how popular surfing was here in Australia. Everywhere I look I see surfboards, cars with surfboards on top, and countless surf shops. I was particularly happy when I entered Sydney. Within two weeks, I bought a surfboard because I knew I would be surfing a lot while I was here, it was actually one of the main reasons I chose to study abroad in Australia. Being in the waters, surfing great waves, and meeting new people out in the water has been a great experience and it is neat to see the differences and similarities between cultures. I have surfed some of the best and scary waves while I have been here in Australia. It will be something I Hold onto my whole life and will never forget.
Sport and Learning really expanded to what I thought were the only sports being played in the world. I am grateful for enrolling in this course, because I would probably be going home not fully engulfed in a new culture. I have learned so much more about Australia through sport than I have ever imagined. I hope to take home what I learned in this class and tell it to my friends and maybe even get a pickup game of cricket, AFL, or rugby.
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