Reflection Blog

Taking this class about Sport and Learning in Australian Culture did not really appeal to me at first. I was never too interested in sports growing up, but I was required to play at least three sports a year from my seventh year of school until my twelfth year of school. I also played soccer from when I was three years old until I was about twelve. So I had a lot of experience with sports and the culture that surrounds American sports. However, I can’t say that I was much of a sports fan. I can definitely say that if it weren’t for this class, I doubt I would have ever watched a rugby game or learned to play cricket. The best thing about taking this class is that I was forced to do things that I know I would have never done in my own free time in Australia. It is so crazy how important the sports culture is amongst people in Australia. I would have missed out on a vital part of life in Sydney if I had not learned about the sports culture here.

The field trips for the class were also so much fun. We got to see everything that we were learning about in real life and be able to see with our own eyes what a rugby game looks like, or how surf life saving lessons look, etc. It was such perfect timing to learn about rugby as well, since the Rugby World Cup was taking place at the same time as the class. It was fun to compare the culture of American football to that of Australian rugby. I was a cheerleader in Texas, so we take football so seriously and it was funny to see the same thing happen in Australia with the Australian love of rugby. When the Wallabies lost to the All Blacks, I saw the frustration in people’s eyes around me that I can remember feeling when my high school team lost the championship. Sports really bring people together no matter what country you are in. When a game is on, it doesn’t matter that the person next to you is a complete stranger, if they are cheering for your team, you are high-fiving that person all night and cheering right along with them.

I also learned so much about surfing and the surf culture that began in Australia. Instead of only being able to tell my friends that I surfed for the first time at Manly Beach, I can tell them all about the history behind the surfing counter-culture and commercialization that occurred here in Australia. I’m sure they won’t care very much, but I feel so full of knowledge and understanding now that I took this class. I am a nursing major at my university at home, so I know that I never would have had the opportunity to learn about sports culture in Australia! I am so thankful that I took a leap of faith and signed up for this class despite the fact that it didn’t appeal to my interests initially. I have now officially played a game of cricket, a game of netball, and a game of lawn bowls. Not many of my friends at home would be able to say that they have played those sports. They probably wouldn’t even know what lawn bowls or netball is!

Now I have a very different perspective of sports in general. I used to think that the main point of sports was to encourage children and adults to stay healthy and fit and to work on the importance of teamwork. However, now I see that even sport viewers gain a sense of mateship. Also, kids can learn about the importance of good sportsmanship and other important lessons that come along with teamwork. Playing sports is also good for a child’s development as a person because it gives them a sense of identity and a group that he/she can belong to. I still remember the great memories from playing on my soccer team, the Hotshots. We won first place in our division and got beautiful trophies! I will never forget how hard we all worked and how happy we were when our hard work paid off in the end.

I can’t believe that my time here in Australia is almost over. It is pretty crazy that four months can seem so long at first, but now looking back, four months has gone by so quickly! I really don’t think I’ll forget all of the fun times that I have had during this amazing semester abroad. I learned a lot of things that I never could have learned back home with a nursing degree. I’m so glad that I got to experience every part of Australian culture possible, as well. It is going to be weird to go home now that I am so accustomed to the Aussie way of life now! I can guarantee that my friends will laugh at me for saying “keen” and all of the other funny words that I have picked up along the way too! When I come back to Australia one day, I’ll have to be sure to go check out a Sydney Swans game or go and see the good old Wallabies playing! I know for certain that I will never look at a surfer the same way again after knowing that surfing is so much more than just a silly sport. This class has somewhat changed my view on quite a few things. It has broadened my horizons and given me a new appreciation of the sport cultures of certain countries.

Thank you for such a wonderful experience inside the classroom, as well as outside of the classroom on our fabulous field trips! I had such a great time getting to know you and everyone else in the class. So happy that I picked this class and got to experience something new and different that I would not normally choose to do back in Fort Worth, Texas!

Learning About Surf Life Saving

In the class before we went to Maroubra to watch surf life saving, we learned the specifics of surf subculture in Australia and how it fits into society here. Surfing was originally seen as a druggie or slacker sport, but over time became culturally accepted as a family-friendly sport. Aboriginals were also included in the history of the surf subculture in Australia. Tommy Tanna was the first person that showed people how to body surf. We also learned about the three types of boards that people use to surf. The paipo is a four foot board, the alaia is between 7 feet and 12 feet, and the olo is between sixteen and twenty-four feet, which is only used for "surf royalty." Surf Life Saving is very different than the typical surf subculture because it is taken very seriously. The surf subculture is a very laid back and relaxed lifestyle, but surf life saving involves people's lives in danger. The surfing youth had their own music, language, fashion, hair styles, etc. It really took on many subcultures in itself and created a new lifestyle for Australian youth in the 1960s. Since the 1970s, there has been a growth in the number of surf competitions around the world and a definite growth in the amount of prize money that is offered. In Australian history, surfing is seen as a symbol of freedom. I think surfing is such a beautiful culture and it is so much fun in America to be able to see surfers in California or on the North Shore of Hawaii. They brave the water and just have such an adventurous spirit to want to find that "perfect wave." However, Surf Life Saving is something I've never known about before, so it was really unique and interesting to learn a little bit about the importance of it in Maroubra. So many people wish to take part in something so important and so honorable.

Surf Life Saving - Day at Maroubra

Last Sunday, we went on a field trip to Maroubra Beach to learn about Surf Life Saving. It was such a unique experience seeing the kids training to become life guards! They were doing races and showing their abilities to be a good future life guard. We learned that it is somewhat of a way to give back to the community as an Australian. On the weekends, the life guards are volunteers and they look out for the swimmers and surfers between the flagged area on the beach. The kids were pretty young who were training as well. They must have been around 5 years old and all the way up to older teenagers. I ended up staying on the beach after hearing about the rules of Surf Life Saving. I saw some amazing cultural aspects of beach life in Maroubra. I saw groups of Bra Boys with "My Brother's Keeper" tattooed on their chests, I saw younger Bra Boys in the making trying to fit in with the older boys. It was crazy how they all run around in packs and enjoy a nice Sunday on the beach. They tended to stay on one area of the beach as well. It was so fun watching people on the beach at Maroubra. I also got to see the older surf life saving people taking the red life saving boat out into the ocean. It looked like a lot of fun, but I know that they were taking it more seriously than that. I've noticed that surf life saving is a very important part of Australian culture and that the parents of the children learning to be life guards were pushing them very hard to become a surf life saver. It is seen as an honor and a part of the volunteer community in Maroubra.