Basketball Legend

G'Day mates, friends, family, fans, and acquaintances of mine. Today I am going to share with you a day that we had in Melbourne a few weeks back, but also one of the most memorable days on the trip. The day began with a walk through Melbourne as we were able to see the beautiful views of the city. After our walk we took a bus to the Melbourne aquatic center. This was by far the most impressive sports complex that I have ever seen. Inside was a designated room from ping pong, swimming, badminton, dinning, basketball, weight lifting, and classes. They also had a water slide and a wave pool. After touring the building we had a lecture about a program that is trying to get kids more involved in sports that live in more rural areas as well as a few lectures about the marketing and sales involved in Australian sport. The real excitement of the day came when we were introduce to one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. He sits above Carmelo Anthony as the all time points leader in the Olympics. He goes by the name of Andrew Gaze and resembles a Larry Bird type figure. He was a very well spoken man as well as very humble. Not once did he talk about his achievements or how many points he scored but instead talked about achieving our own goals. After taking photos with him we had the opportunity to use the facility. We all went separate ways, some of us using the pool and water slide, others running towards the basketball court. It was a fantastic day and one that I will never forget.

Cheers!

Sebastian Brogan

G'Day friends family and fans. Last week I took my talents to Sydney where there was an open gym for some of the best veteran basketball players from all around the country. I was fortunate enough to get to play with some of these Australian veterans of the game. Among the players was also all time great ex Australian Basketball League commissioner, Rick Burton. During the game Burton connected on a 3/4 quarter quart shot which he swished in and casually walked back on defense. This was one of the highlights of the trip for me as I was able to play a different style of basketball and learn how the Australians play hands on. The difference would be that Australians tend to play more of a team game whereas the Americans play a one on one, pick and roll game. It was a great learning experience and a great way to interact with another culture on a more personal level. That is all for now as I am off to play my fellow student is a friendly game of pool followed by a cool down in the hot tube.

Cheers!

Sebastian Brogan

G'Day mates! The trip has been amazing so far and has offered us a insight to a whole different sports culture from the American one that we are all so familiar with. Today I woke up at 9 and cooked myself an egg sandwich in the very accommodating kitchen that we each have in our rooms. Most people did the same, others enjoyed a buffet breakfast in the surf club. After breakfast we all met in the surf club for two lectures about the sport industry in Gold Coast. Through all the lectures we have heard over the past few weeks I have noticed one overall trend in the Australian sport culture that is greatly different form the Unites States sport culture. This is that many athletes in Australia do not attend Universities. Instead, most are funneled through Olympic training programs(which we were able to see) or clubs then right into professional sports. Unlike the States where some of our favorite sports  teams are college teams and many of us spend countless Friday nights screaming at bad calls made in college football games, Australian college sports are almost unheard off. It has been interesting to see the differences in the sport culture of the two countries and what seems to work better. For now that is all, as I am off to the beach!

Sebastian Brogan   

Exploring the Daintree Rainforest

This past Friday, our group visited the Daintree National Rainforest which is actually the oldest tropical rainforest in the world (yes, older than the Amazon).  We set out for the rainforest in hopes of seeing some of the native plant and animal species that only live in this region of Australia.  One animal we were constantly looking out for was a giant flightless bird called a cassowary, which sort of looks like a black ostrich with a blue and red neck.  Apparently, these birds are quickly becoming endangered since they can only live in this part of the world.  The number one danger that threatens cassowaries is getting run over by automobiles.  Therefore, dozens, if not hundreds, of signs and speed bumps are placed throughout Daintree roads in order to caution drivers.  Unfortunately, while we did not see any cassowaries in the wild on Friday, we did see a pile of their "droppings" on a pathway which Allyson was unfortunate enough to step in.  

The best part of the day occurred at a secluded rainforest swimming hole which was home to crystal clear fresh water and a couple rope swings.  For some strange reason, the only people willing to jump in and enjoy the swimming hole were myself, Sebastian, Rob, Katie, and of course Professor Burton.  We all had a blast jumping off the rope swing while everyone else looked on from the shore.  I tried to do a backflip off of the swing but failed miserably and came crashing down with a stunning lack of grace, which everyone else found quite amusing.  Still though, it was a great part of a great day, where we got to see strange and exotic crocodiles, snakes, birds, and plants.  The Daintree Rainforest is certainly unlike any wildlife I've ever experienced before.

First Day in Sydney!

            On Tuesday, we had to wake up super early to catch a 7:30 AM flight from Melbourne to Sydney.  Once we got into Sydney, we headed straight for the National Rugby League Head Office and attended a lecture from on the rules, history and structure of Rugby League.  Michael Johnstone, marketing manager for the NRL, gave the talk.  Next, we walked through the NRL Heroes & Legends Museum and learned more about the game’s past, present and future.  Our next stop was the iconic and beautiful Bondi Beach and the Bondi Icebergs Swim Club.  This was an amazing club located right on the cliffs overlooking the water and the rest of the beach and was home to multiple swimming pools, a gym, exercise areas, and a café where we ate lunch.  After lunch, a longtime club member named Lofty told us about the history of the one-of-a-kind club and why it is so important to the Bondi neighborhood.  After hanging out at the club for a few hours, we departed for downtown Sydney, where we enjoyed sightseeing tours by boat in Sydney Harbor as well as by bus.  It was tremendous to see the iconic opera house and Sydney Harbor Bridge in person.  We finally got to our hotel that evening and ate dinner in the hotel bar and restaurant in the lobby.  My favorite part of the day was experiencing Bondi Beach firsthand.  As an action sports enthusiast, I had previously heard about the beach as a popular destination for Australian surfing and skateboarding.  This turned out to be true as there were skateboarders and surfers everywhere.  It was also a pleasure to walk around the Icebergs Swim Club and witness the amazing views from all around the club.  Lofty was a very entertaining individual and it was fun to hear him speak about the club.

Breathtaking views of the southern ocean, encountering with furry koalas, capturing pictures of the prehistoric like landmarks

I finally arrived in australia.

-Mohammad

Touring with the Zombies!

Day 1 of Australia was an amazing experience for everyone. Although our flight had a 2 1/2 hour delay, that didn't stop our group from having a full day ahead of us. After a long 15 hour flight our Australia journey began with a lecture on Aussie football where we learned the ins and outs on how Aussie football. After the lecture we went on a terrific tour at the National Sport Museum where we learned about famous athletes who had a huge impact on Australian Sport. We had a 2 hour grace period to ourselves and then headed to a real Aussie football game. The game was great but being on a 15 hour flight going into "the future" coming from America you can imagine that the sleep was just as great. I personally look forward to what is in store for our group on this trip and I am pretty sure that this will be a life changing experience! Go Orange!

 

Blog 1 - Trip Starts Tomorrow

Hey y'all ... looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow night at LAX as we start our Australian adventure.
Big shout out to Prof. Pat Ryan for helping us get this blog started.

Everyone is going to join in the process so you might as well start now adding your thoughts and hopes and dreams and general excitement.

Professor Burton (The Rhabbi)