Sunday, April 15

Maie and Kevin gave us their season tickets to the Sydney Swans game – Australian Rules football – so that we could have the experience of going to a live sporting event. So, after our morning cycling, we headed for the Sydney Cricket Ground in anticipation of our first “footy” game. The SCG is a historic facility that has been in use for about 150 years. Part of it is being renovated, but that didn’t stop the “members” (fans) from pouring into the stadium, all dressed in the team colors of red and white. It was a sell out game, with the Swans playing the Brisbane Lions. It’s an interesting game – I won’t go into the nuances here – but suffice it to say it’s very fast, with lots of action and as one fellow behind us said “more turnovers than a cake shop.”

After being down 12 points in the 3rd quarter, the swans came back to outscore the Lions in the 4th quarter with a resounding victory. Australians love their sports teams, so it was wonderful to participate in the celebration. Here are a few photos of Tom enjoying the “sport within the sport”, the reaction when the swans made a goal, and the fans on the field after the game.