Catching-Up, Go Tigers
Allow me to apologise to anyone that has
been waiting on the edge of his or her seat for another instalment in this
fantastically intellectual blog. I have been quite busy, as you will see from
my next few entries. Between footy and tourist activities, my friends and I
have taken every opportunity to enjoy the ever warming weather of an Australian
spring.
I would like to begin with a bit of sport,
as my Aussie pals have would describe their national pastime, rugby. Rugby in Australia has taken over almost
every aspect of athletics, with only minor differences between the main two
leagues, Union and League. While Rugby Union is that which any American would
be able to relate with, Rugby League doesn’t offer many differences save for
the lack of ‘rucks’. Australian
rules football (AFL) is another monster entirely, which I will be sure to
inform on once I wrap my own head around it. Though I personally prefer Union, it just so happened that
the first game, which I had the chance to attend, was a League game.
When we set out from home, all that we knew
was that we were going to see the Wests Tigers play the St. George Dragons. Not
knowing whom either team was most of us dressed in neutral clothing, though bit
heavier because the forecast that night was for rain…and rain it did. Not long
after we arrived and the game kicked off did we realize that this would not be
a normal game situation. Along with the drastic changes to the game, that the
rain caused, were drastic changes to the fan base. Instead of a crowd huddled
as close to the field as the turnout would allow, we saw the masses huddled
underneath the awnings, with only the die-hard fans braving the elements in the
front rows. Being the sports fans that we are, my friend Kathryn and myself decided that the rain wasn’t going to ruin
our first bout of Aussie sport. Soon we met the Wests faithful fans and were dubbed
supporters for life. Their stunning come back victory definitely played a part
in our devotion. By the end we were soaked through to our bones and hoarse from
screaming and celebrating with our new comrades. It was quite the first
experience, one that I plan on following up at every opportunity.
