Mark and Katie are originally from Australia, but moved to Christchurch over a year ago so that Mark could pursue his career as a race commentator – harness racing that is. This sport is quite popular in New Zealand, and Mark ranks very high as one of New Zealand's best race callers. With Katie as my guide, we watched one race high up in the stands. There are typically about 10 races per day and each race seems to take place in about 10 blinks of an eye. It's quick! We were watching the Trots form of racing, where the drivers ride and steer from a carriage pulled by the horse. The races begin with a mobile start meaning that the horses are already running when they cross the “start” line. There's a lot to the race that I have yet to understand, but it was still exciting to watch! We watched a second race from the sidelines – up close and personal! You couldn't get any closer to the race without risking getting mowed over by the thundering beasts. And, for my third race, I got VIP access to the commenter box (aka Mark's office). It helps being friends with people up top! From here I got a full view of the race track and even got to watch Mark as he called out during the race and announced the winners at the end. If only I had placed a bet or two...
Over the weekend, I had my first lesson on the sport Rugby League via television with two Australian teams dueling for the big win - the Roosters verses the Dragons. Now, Rugby LEAGUE rules are quite different from Rugby UNION rules. I'm not going to bore you with all the differences (mostly, because I don't really know them...) but let me just say that League rules are much simpler and easier to follow.
* WARNING – THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE TO SOME AUDIENCES *
I like Rugby League more than American Football.
And here's why: Because it flows. It seems to me like football has too many timeouts and whistle blowing and clock stopping. Rugby, however, is like the Energizer Bunny. It just keeps going and going and going. And I like that. Plus, you can actually SEE the players as well. They're not all decked out in padding and helmets. Just good, ol' fashioned short shorts. Yeah, rugby wins :-)
And then there's netball. I learned the basics to this English sport last summer, but after some superb coaching from Katie, watching netball during the Commonwealth Games broadcast, and a 10-minute Netball boot camp, I made my NZ YMCA Netball Club debut! I crossed my fingers that I wouldn't bomb too much and put on my Wing Attack (WA) jersey. Turns out my 8th grade basketball skills came in handy, and I didn't do half bad! Not having to worry about dribbling the ball was a big bonus since I never did quite master that skill. And I only got penalized by the ref twice for stepping out of my designated “Wing Attack Area.” All in all, I had a darn good time out on the court!
Nevertheless, sports isn't the only thing that's been rocking in Christchurch. Aftershocks have been rippling through the city quite frequently since the 7.1 earthquake on September 4th. In fact, over 1,000 aftershocks have been recorded in the past month. It's been pretty common for me to be sitting in the house or lying in bed when all of a sudden I hear a dull roar and feel the entire house vibrate beneath my feet. The biggest one I've experienced here was scaled at 5.0 and the epicentre was just about 5-10km out of Rolleston. And even though I never get used to them (they take me by surprise every time), I kind of expect it now. Call me crazy, but I actually think it's pretty cool feeling the earth shift and settle right beneath my toes. You're completely at Mother Nature's mercy. Thus, I've come acknowledge each aftershock as a “count my blessings” reminder. A million blessings and counting! :-D
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