An immense love for sports makes Australia simply awe-inspiring.  After having spent 4 months, 25 000 km away from my Canadian home, it was inevitable that I would arrive at this conclusion. Of course, even before setting foot on Australian soil, I was positively biased towards sport. As a student of Physical and Health Education at home and a student of Human Movement and Health Education in Sydney, I tend to perceive sport as the cure to all human afflictions. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. With the Sport, Learning, and Australian Culture course I learned to view sports with a more sociologically critical perspective. Clearly, I am not saying that sports are detrimental to society. Instead, I believe sports must be used diligently to improve society. 

Upon my arrival I was hit with a slightly negative facet of Australian sport. That of nationalism embedded in sport. As a democratic country, similar in many aspects to Canada, I arrived with the assumption that every citizen is entitled to a free opinion, which is not to be denigrated by others. Unfortunately, intolerant fanatical supporters of Cadel Evans (the first Australian to win a Tour de France) demonstrated hatred through threats aimed at a blogger who politely provided her opinion. These events disenchanted me at first, but after integrating myself within the Australian culture, I understood that such negative behaviours are not exhibited by the majority of Australians. 

A positive aspect of Australian sport which I quickly noticed was the abundance of active participants. When taking walks to the botanical garden, the beach, and city parks I was able to witness 7 year old rugby players and elderly joggers outperform me! This realisation was certainly a pleasant surprise for me as I knew that sports provide participants with numerous physical, mental, and social health benefits (e.g., lower risk of contracting heart disease, increase in self-esteem, and possibility to communicate more effectively). Along with physical health benefits, I made the observation that an abundance of participants entails an abundance of supporters for professional sports. In theoretical circumstances, this would lead to a spike in costs for tickets. Fortunately, the profusion of football codes in Australia means that the supply of tickets is equally as large (if not more) as the demand for them. Ultimately, the result for me was easy access to cheap tickets to wonderful Rugby League and Aussie rules Football games.

Another positive benefit of sports that I encountered while in Australia was its capability to give certain minority individuals a sense of agency. For example, in a class lecture on Netball, I was able to identify feminine self-determination exhibited through a humorous video. This video depicted women athletes occupying central roles, while being supported by all-male cheerleaders. Throughout the semester, I also came to the sad realisation that sports does not always offer minority groups the help to escape unfortunate circumstances. When examining the history of Australian sports, it was not too long before I came across events in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were taken advantaged of. For example, Sharman’s famous boxing tents routinely exploited the vulnerable “black man” in order to reap additional profits.

This semester abroad also afforded me countless amounts of practical knowledge regarding sports. For example, after having been mystified by the exotic rules of Australian Football League, I was taught by a Sydney Swan fan at the ANZ stadium the intricacies of the wonderful sport.  Additionally, while accompanied by Australian mates I finally learned how to throw a rugby ball (with spin!). This obviously required my body to perform a range of motions quite different from the overhand Canadian football pass. Furthermore, I was able to discover the  rules for a game perfect for the scorching Australian heat, lawn bowling. During this field trip I realised that is not as easy as I thought to roll a disproportionally weighed ball a long distance towards a miniature white “joker” ball. Moreover, during numerous classes involving active participation, I was initiated to team sports such as cricket, netball, and rugby league.  

Above all other sports, the physical activity which most attracted my attention and dedication was without a doubt, surfing. This activity and lifestyle has indeed provided me with nourishment for my spiritual, physical, and mental self. Along with harbouring the magnificent sport of surfing, I have also seen how the beach is home to a variety of healthy activities. For example, it is the perfect environment for active family outings, sporty social gatherings, and passive relaxations. Unfortunately, despite the relative peacefulness of the beach setting, certain tragic events have nevertheless unfolded on the sand. For instance, devastating racial riots emerged between Anglo-Saxon and Lebanese groups in 2005 at Cronulla beach. While similar riots and injudicious anger spread to other regions of Australia, Maroubra was safeguarded for possibly two reasons. Firstly, the police barricaded the area and secondly, a media conference held by the Bra Boys surfing gang condemned the riots and therefore calmed tensions between the two groups (http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/when-two-tribes-go-to-war-a-culture-clash/2005/12/13/1134236064343.html?page=2, 2005). As opposed to common stereotypes held against the Bra Boys, such positive community activism describes more accurately their purpose. This I learned while watching the documentary Bra Boys: Blood is Thicker than Water. 

At a time during my semester when home felt further than 25 000km away, it was comforting to realise how New Zealand’s scenery and culture is similar to the Canadian landscape. During my week-long trip to Kiwi land, I indeed felt closer to home; even though, according to Google map, I was further away. While visiting Australians’ neighbours, I also had the opportunity to experience what it feels like to support the world’s greatest Rugby Union team, the All-Blacks 

As I contemplate on my semester abroad I can only think about how I will miss the rugby,  OZ rules, netball, cricket, lawn bowling, and other (no longer) exotic sports. Fortunately, I will bring back the memories, understandings, and knowledge of Australian sport back home

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

Amid dawn and dusk Australian beaches are always active. I have held this belief ever since I have arrived in Sydney based on the assumption that whenever I arrive or leave Maroubra, the beach is always crowded. Whether on land, sea, or even air you can be almost certain that you will catch a glimpse of Surf Life Saving Australia members practising their skills, Aussie boys and girls kicking a rugby ball, Aussie parents running after their kids, tourists playing soccer, and courageous swimmers venturing into the still winter frozen ocean.  After having woken up at 7 in the morning (a taxing time for a University student like me) to witness the nippers in action, my initial belief that the beach is always active was confirmed. These 5 year old lifesavers in training astounded me as they battled against waves, jumped through hoops, and sprinted across the beach at high speeds. The beach is truly a phenomenal environment. It inspires the body (when jogging on the sand), the mind (while reading), and the soul (while contemplating endless waves).


Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

With the A-league debuting its season early this October, I thought it would be interesting to look at what soccer is like down under. Now in its sixth year, the A-league attracts, on average, 10,000 to 20,000 fans each game, an expected lesser amount than what other Australian football codes attract. Despite the National Time’s John Birmingham’s belief that “Soccer will never be anything more than a minority pursuit in Australia”, I observed on multiple occasions youths who took part in soccer games with substantial skills that would suggest otherwise (http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/blogs/blunt-instrument/soccer-in-australia-will-never-be-anything-more-than-a-lame-joke-20100614-ya1q.html#ixzz1ael0MWw3). On my way to school, I regularly witness rugby players, frisbee throwers, and dog walkers, but the most often played game at Prince Alfred park is without a doubt, soccer. 

In spite of having minimal soccer traditions (as opposed to Rugby codes), I believe Australia stands only to benefit from adopting more thoroughly the great game of soccer. The Australian government has already demonstrated its interest in the game by sponsoring the A-league. This is no surprise, as soccer has the unbelievable capacity to unite not only a community or even an entire nation, but the entire world. 


Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

While visiting Australia’s neighbour, New-Zealand, I encountered a potentially more football-crazed nation than the home country of the Wallabies. Throughout my travels across the southern-island of Kiwi land I was astonished to see so many enthusiastic ABs fans and flags adorning corner stores, houses, farms, and the entirety of New Zealand. Along with picturesque snow-covered mountains, golden deserts, and prussian blue glaciers, I was also able to enjoy a beer with friendly fans from competing countries. With these encounters, I realised that if a rugby game’s outcome were to be determined by the amount and quality of cheering, Ireland would surely become the top contender for New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. 

In the course of the all important match (to me), my hopes rose during the first few seconds of the game when the Canadian, Ander Monro, succeeded in obtaining the first kick and consequently the first 3 points of the game. Unfortunately, the game ended in a discouraging score of 79-15. Nonetheless, as a tier 2 team, I am proud of my Canadians for having qualified in the Rugby World Cup and having confronted the crackerjacks of Rugby Union, The All Blacks!

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

The care-free lifestyle associated with Australian surfers has been criticised by some since the early 20th century. Society’s belief that surf culture brings only the demise of an individual’s future led to the other erroneous belief that surfers cannot contribute to society and its economy. Because of this, absurd laws have already been passed, such as the banning of ocean bathing, the banning of bathing during work hours, and the obligation for men to wear surf skirts when swimming in the ocean. With such a history based on the discrimination of surfers, it is no wonder that certain subcultures of surfers have teamed up to rebel against law enforcers and society as a whole. One example of such “rebellious” gang is the Bra Boys, a surf gang from Maroubra beach. 

In addition to fighting against society’s desire to turn every surfer into a productive citizen, soul-surfing (surfing as deep play) has suffered internal attacks by a derivative of surfing, the competitive version of surfing. Legendary surfers such as Bob Pike suggests that “Competitions are all against the spirit of surfing, which is supposed to be a communion with nature rather than a hectic chase for points” (in Australia’s fifty most influential surfers, p.88, 1992). 

After having lived a portion of the experience which so many “rebellious” Australian boys take part in, I whole-heartedly agree that surfing and surf-culture has the potential to complete an individual, whether that be physically, socially, emotionally, or even spiritually.

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

Despite its name, lawn bowling is more similar to pétanque than indoor bowling. Having witnessed pétanque numerous times at camping grounds all across my home province of Québec, I was accustomed to the carefree and relaxing style of the game and more specifically, its reputation for being a sport played by the elderly. During a field trip to the Rock n Bowl club, I was able to experience firsthand the Australian relative of pétanque. Upon my arrival, I was deceived by the players already on the lawn to think that the game would be a breeze. After having received a short lesson on how to accurately throw the bowl, I started to grasped the hidden complexities of the game. Rather than having an equalized weight, the bowls are heavier on the side held by the pinky, which makes it inevitably curve to one side as it rolls across the lawn. At first attempts, this fact made the game increasingly more frustrating, but with encouragements and team spirit, everyone got the hang of it by the end of our session (at least compared to our starting performances). 

This experience has led me to  reconsider how changing environmental constraints causes an individual to adapt their actions in order to obtain the desired result. Such concept is exceptionally important for physical educators to remember when teaching students how to modify their movements during physical tasks. 

On a he main goal of the game is to set as many of your team’s bowls closest to the joker (small white ball). Its is consequently important not to over roll your bowl into the small ditch at the end. Additionally, it is important to avoid throwing the ball, instead it is best to release the ball closest to the ground. 

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

Sport in the traditional sense is often defined by scholars as rigorous physical activity performed in the course of a competition for an external reward. I prefer to broaden (and quite possibly distort) the definition of sport by saying it is a moderate to rigorous physical activity in which one has the possibility of gaining or maintaining physical, emotional, and/or social health. Outdoor education happens to fulfil all aspects of my refined definition of sport. Australian physical educators, health professionals, and policy makers have understood this and have made outdoor education a mandatory course for all future P.E. teachers in New South Wales. Additionally, all or most high school students are able to enjoy the benefits of this lifestyle during day-long trip(s) or week-end camp(s). I admire the ingenuity and persistence of the individuals who have created outdoor education programs, which make it possible for the Australian youth to learn through experiential learning. Unfortunately, Canadian policy makers have not yet grasped the importance of outdoor education and it is therefore not a requirement for apprentice teachers. In an attempt to fully appreciate outdoor education and experience the joys of Australian nature, through the sport of hiking, I set out to explore the Blue Mountains trails. 

The adversity which individuals encounter throughout challenges are the catalysts which trigger growth, whether it be physical, mental, or social. As a great Italian climber, Walter Bonatti once said, “Mountains are the means, the man is the end. The goal is not to reach the tops of mountains, but to improve the man”. Amongst other life lessons, this statement brings to light the fact that the combination of physical activity and the outdoors can create an exceptional environment for teaching.

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

exploring the Blue Mountains

At first glance the disproportionally large number of aboriginal athletes in boxing rinks, rugby, the Australian Football League, and netball seems to demonstrate that the Australian Aboriginal community is well represented within society (or at the very least in sports). Unfortunately, these glimpses of Aboriginal participation only blinkers society so that it sees only the few selected elite athletes. In reality, “the dominant experience of Aboriginal athletes in Australia has been of exclusion, restriction, and discrimination [...]” (O'Neil, 2005, p.22). Sport teams such as La Perouse, which have integrated white and non-white players within their roster since the 1950s, are in actuality only exceptions (Footy The La Perouse Way, 2006). Typically, vulnerable Aboriginals in sports were taken advantaged of under circumstances such as Sharman’s famous boxing tents. More often than not, Aboriginal athletes had to struggle through numerous societal, legal, and economical obstacles in order to succeed in sports and not be exploited. 

Instead of finding a solution to the problem of exploitation, certain members of society choose to, or unknowingly, create heroes out of the Aboriginals who are able to pierce through society’s elaborate filters. For example, Evonne Goolagong Cawley (two-time Wimbledon champion) is remembered through a sculpture displayed each year at the Australian Open. With such a reminder in place of how Aboriginals are equally well treated in society, it is easy to forget that numerous others have failed, not because of a lack of motivation or ability, but because of unjust barriers. We must come to our senses and realize that commemorating a minority of athletes does not constitute a license to forget the numerous injustices perpetrated by an entire society. Instead, it is important to invest in the lives of fellow citizens by first admitting any discrimination being committed and then eliminating it. 

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

While observing my first Aussie-rules football game last sunday, I was initially too mystified by the exotic rules and tactics of the game to enjoy the event. After having continually interrogated a fellow Sydney Swan fan, my perplexed state soon became a state of astonishment. I was truly impressed by the all-around fitness of the athletes (and referees!). 

An individual’s total fitness is composed of five basic components, which AFL athletes seem to have entirely mastered. There cardiovascular fitness is continually tested as they run not only up an down but in all directions across an 175m by 120m oval ground. Their powerful muscular strength is needed to tackle down an opponent charging towards the goalposts. Muscular endurance is constantly required to not only kick but also punch the ball during 80 minutes of play (not counting stop time). Flexibility is also practiced during the teams’ warm-ups in order to avoid injuries and increase the athletes’ range of motion. It is also aesthetically evident that the body composition of an AFL athlete is within a healthy range (when using tools of evaluation other than the body mass index, which would incorrectly place the athlete as underweight). 


Along with these health-related fitness components, the sport-specific skills and maneuvers needed to perform at such an elite level were possessed by all the players on the field. It is no wonder then that Australian Football League games are so awe-inspiring and popular for Australian and international sport fans.

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator

A new of wave of feminism has emerged in the unsuspecting world of sports. According to Bulbeck (2001), “Young feminists no longer want to change the world; they want to be independent” (p.147). This desire to be autonomous is most explicitly seen during physical activity settings. In such scenarios it is common to observe women pulling their own weight while powerlifting weights, shooting a basketball, or tackling an opponent. The idea that females can exhibit a wide array of physical feats equal to or at times even superior to a male’s performance is a slight transformation of the thoughts of liberal feminists such as Mary Wollstonecraft. This 18th century liberal feminist argued for women’s right to freedom based on the fact that both sexes were equally rational. “This emphasis on rationality, however, can lead to a disregard for the body, and it may leave unchallenged the idea that women are physically inferior to men.” (Roth & Basow, 2004, p.246). 
 
Even today, the inequalities experienced by female athletes far outnumber those experienced by male athletes. For example, appropriate funding often proves to be much harder to obtain for female teams. On occasions, certain female teams (e.g., Netball Australia and the Canadian Biathlon Association) must revert back to (or take advantage of) their pulchritude, by producing semi-naked calendars in order to fund their teams. 

To overcome the challenges of inequality, certain female teams have understood that they must take control of their own destinies. Telstra and Netball Australia’s new marketing stunt, The Netboys, is one such tool of empowerment, as it positions women in the central roles of their sport. Instead of simply being admired on the sidelinesfor their cheerleading sex appeal, the female netball athletes can devote their energies towards achieving peak performances.
 
The long list of high-ranking Netball team personnel also attests to how women are taking control of their own game. For example, characters of feminine agency include: the Coach (Norma Plummer), assistant coach (Susan Kenny), specialist coach (Nicole Cusack), and managers (Margaret Molina and Donna Monteath). The key to obtaining equality between sexes in sports remains the same ancient solution of empowering those who are marginalized and enabling them to empower themselves.

Yours truly,

A thoughtful Physical and Health Educator