Sporting in New Zealand

Lately I have been doing a variety of sporting activities, and it's about time I updated my blog so here goes:

Last Saturday I had a surf lesson through Arcadia. They provided us with surfboards, wetsuits, and a kiwi surf boy for an instructor. Now, the conditions last Saturday were ridiculous. It was overcast and superbly windy, so surfing in the Ocean was WILD. I have spent 99% of my aquatic life in the Great Lakes, and that did not prepare me for this! The waves were so big, it was a struggle just to be in the water, let alone try to surf in it as a beginner. However, despite the giant waves surfing was so much fun. Since the weather was chilly our instructor had us do a warm up lap and with all of us jogging up the beach in our wetsuits it looked like a scene straight out of Baywatch. Then we did some on-land surfing technique exercises. Apparently I have a less than awesome sense of balance, because Isaac the surfing instructor was definitely laughing at me as I tried to practice hopping up on the board. I couldn't really do it that well...so I never quite got up in the water either, but I did get the hang of catching waves and cruising on my knees! I will be a pro surfer soon enough.

On Saturday night I went to a rugby game! It was so cool to be surrounded by people who actually understand the sport of rugby! It was the Highlanders, the local New Zealand team, versus the Sharks, a South African rugby team. Unfortunately the Highlanders lost, but it was a close match and fun to watch overall. One of the weirdest things about rugby over here is that mullets and rat-tails seem to be a very popular hairstyle for the players. Both are very terrible, so I really don't understand why they are so popular. Oh well, I just hope it never hits the States.

And finally, my last sporting event of this past week was...netball! I went to play with a couple friends who started a team, it was kinda like playing with an intramural team. The game of netball is probably New Zealand's most popular women's sport. It is a cross between basketball, handball, and ultimate Frisbee. There are 7 players per side at a time, and the goal is to shoot a basketball sized ball through a net, which just looks like a basketball net minus the backboard. There are designated positions, and each position can only go in certain parts of the court. For example, the Goalkeeper can only go in the first third of the court, and their job is to defend the Goalscorer, who can also only go in that part of the court. Once you have the ball you can't move, and defenders must be 3 feet away at all times. It was weird to get used to at first, but after a couple fouls for too closely defending I got the hang of it.

Now, this weekend I am off to either the Fiordlands or Wanaka, whichever one has less rain!