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blamebramptonYou need to know that when Australia plays New Zealand at Rugby, it's like England playing Australia at cricket, or the US versus the USSR at the Olympics in years past. Lives hang on the outcome.
So tonight, when New Zealand beat Australia in the normal rugby, there were groans from the pub up the road that could be heard inside our thick brick and stone walls. But they were watching the wrong game.
At the Paralympics, Ryley Batt, the Australian paralympic equivalent of Jonny Wilkinson, just brought home a victory against the Wheel Blacks that Jonny would have been thrilled to manage. After scoring somewhere between half and a third of his team's points, in the dying seconds he screamed around the whole Kiwi defence to slam his chair into a tiny gap, scoring the winning point. Now THAT was a game.
Now I'm watching the replay of the Aus-US women's wheelchair basketball game, and I have my fingers crossed for the Gliders who I have been supporting since Sydney 2000 (and Liesl Tesch and Kylie Gauci are STILL phenomenal), but I cannot bear to check online to see the outcome. I am in fear, because the US team budget is hugely more than the Australian.
When I interviewed some of the Gliders (and some of the Aus-Rollers, the men's team) in the lead-up to Sydney 2000, I was amazed at the level of training they were able to manage without funding, what money they did receive mostly went on equipment., I think things have improved a little since then, but not much.
And the US won. Bum. The score blew out at the end to 60-48, but was up and down within five points for almost all of it. I would like to take the money that gets put into Australian rugby for a week and give it to one of these teams. Hell, let's take it for a fortnight and give it to both. The sporting spectacle is better, the athletes more committed, and the wanker level very low.
In other news, only a small mystery baby update, apparently the mother had been taking medications that may have masked some signs of pregnancy. Father returns to work next week, so I hope for more details.
We voted in council elections today, which meant the festival of dogs took place at the polling booth. I liked the polite encounter between a foxie with bandana and a giant malamute. The Lord Mayor was returned, she is a decent politician with a good public transport plan that is slowly being implemented, it may be that I will one day cycle in Sydney again.
As for other Erko news, the nice French lady has a sick cat, which she has been carrying about in a backpack worn at the front, with little kitty face showing. I think everyone has given him a pat to wish him well. The horse festivals are next month, and I missed the deadline to have a sculpture picked up, due to flu, but will try to finish one up tomorrow and see if there is still an opportunity to have it fired. The French cafe/grocery had lamb as its special last night, so we consumed our first proper meal since becoming ill. Oh so very good. But we were too stuffed afterwards to think to buy any of the groceries we required today. Oh well.
Still sleeping a lot and somewhat coughy, but definitely on the mend!
So tonight, when New Zealand beat Australia in the normal rugby, there were groans from the pub up the road that could be heard inside our thick brick and stone walls. But they were watching the wrong game.
At the Paralympics, Ryley Batt, the Australian paralympic equivalent of Jonny Wilkinson, just brought home a victory against the Wheel Blacks that Jonny would have been thrilled to manage. After scoring somewhere between half and a third of his team's points, in the dying seconds he screamed around the whole Kiwi defence to slam his chair into a tiny gap, scoring the winning point. Now THAT was a game.
Now I'm watching the replay of the Aus-US women's wheelchair basketball game, and I have my fingers crossed for the Gliders who I have been supporting since Sydney 2000 (and Liesl Tesch and Kylie Gauci are STILL phenomenal), but I cannot bear to check online to see the outcome. I am in fear, because the US team budget is hugely more than the Australian.
When I interviewed some of the Gliders (and some of the Aus-Rollers, the men's team) in the lead-up to Sydney 2000, I was amazed at the level of training they were able to manage without funding, what money they did receive mostly went on equipment., I think things have improved a little since then, but not much.
And the US won. Bum. The score blew out at the end to 60-48, but was up and down within five points for almost all of it. I would like to take the money that gets put into Australian rugby for a week and give it to one of these teams. Hell, let's take it for a fortnight and give it to both. The sporting spectacle is better, the athletes more committed, and the wanker level very low.
In other news, only a small mystery baby update, apparently the mother had been taking medications that may have masked some signs of pregnancy. Father returns to work next week, so I hope for more details.
We voted in council elections today, which meant the festival of dogs took place at the polling booth. I liked the polite encounter between a foxie with bandana and a giant malamute. The Lord Mayor was returned, she is a decent politician with a good public transport plan that is slowly being implemented, it may be that I will one day cycle in Sydney again.
As for other Erko news, the nice French lady has a sick cat, which she has been carrying about in a backpack worn at the front, with little kitty face showing. I think everyone has given him a pat to wish him well. The horse festivals are next month, and I missed the deadline to have a sculpture picked up, due to flu, but will try to finish one up tomorrow and see if there is still an opportunity to have it fired. The French cafe/grocery had lamb as its special last night, so we consumed our first proper meal since becoming ill. Oh so very good. But we were too stuffed afterwards to think to buy any of the groceries we required today. Oh well.
Still sleeping a lot and somewhat coughy, but definitely on the mend!
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-13 03:10 pm (UTC)Team GB's cyclists received excellent coverage here, but I've only seen their games against Australia in most other sports. It's a good example of funding reaping rewards, though, as eight years ago team GB had the same issues that the Australians are still dealing with. I do not understand why the major commercial channels don;t at least cover the rugby and the basketball as they are infinitely more physical and exciting games than their everyday counterparts.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-13 03:12 pm (UTC)Yes, we hearda bout them, and some of the swimmers but ther est is through the local portions of the BBC website as human interest and not so much as athletes.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-13 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-13 03:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-13 03:32 pm (UTC)