Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Field of Dreams

It is dusk on Tuesday evening, just waiting around for people to show up to practice. This is the Little Bay basball field, immediately adjacent to the field hockey rink where Peggy plays. I love these warm nights when the floodlights illuminate acres of grass. Makes me feel like I live in Kansas, or somewhere comprable in the mid-west. Beyond those light towers is some brush, a few hundred meters beyond that, the cliffs plunge into the ocean. You can always smell the salt in the air here, with the on shore winds blowing from the East. I think that there is still some storm activity in the Pacific that is causing some turmoil.

Being able to play on a sports team has been such a benefit of living here. That's not to say that we couldn't have back home, but here in Oz there is a more concerted effort to stay active in sports beyond one's teens. The people who play on these club teams are amongst those who compete in the Olympics & other international competitions. Yet, all squads maintain lower grades to ensure funding, participitation and support. Much less commercialization of collegiate sports increases the accessibility significantly, allowing the community to participate. One doesn't have to be a student to even play on the team, as both Peggy and I play for UNSW. When we practice, all grades group together, so us 'lower ranked' players really benefit from the advanced grade's expertise. Difference is, we get to play in our respective games like everyone else. not regulated to just being on the practice squad.

posted by ncawthon at 6:17 PM