Beach Day! ~ June 17, 2012

 The only thing that kind of sucks about where we stayed in Cairns is that there isn't a beach.  You need a car to get to a lot of the cool things to do in this part of Australia. We had to ride a bus for an hour to Palm Cove to layout on the beach.  The beach was really nice though, we relaxed and explored the cool little shops along the cute street that bordered the cove. 

Aboriginal Culture Center - 6/16/12

 

 Didgeridoo

 

Aboriginal song and dance

We learned how to use weapons used by the Aborigines, which included throwing a boomerang!! To properly throw one, you hold it at the 1 o'clock position, step and throw.  The trick is mostly in your wrist.  

Sunny beaches here we come! ~ June 15, 2012

Today we walked to the University of Canberra and discussed  our projects with Sandy and Disa.  My project is comparing a system where sports and school are combined (like we have in the U.S.) with a system where they are completely separate (Australia).  It was interesting to discuss with someone from Australia, who had good insights on the system where sports and school are separate.

After discussions, we went to the airport and were finally on our way to Cairns!! So excited for the warm weather! We had a stopover in Sydney, so I got to see the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge from the air. It was beautiful and I hope to come back someday to explore Sydney.

Crocodile Dundee hat

AIS ~ June 14, 2012

Last full day in Canberra! Can't wait to get to the warm, sunny beaches of Cairns! Today wasn't bad though, we had very interesting lectures all day. We had ones on coaching techniques, strength and conditioning, and finished with my favorite yet, biomechanics! I think I've found my dream job. The technicians test the performance of athletes using high speed cameras and other equipment to help the athlete improve technique and also determine how much power they are producing through a specific motion. One student working in the lab was a mechanical engineering student working on finishing up his sports engineering degree (such an awesome degree!!).

Special indoor track with sensors under the mat for testing

More cool testing equipment at the AIS in the Biomechanical lab. This particular video was from a test done on an athlete shooting in field hockey.

 

Australian Institute of Sport ~ June 13, 2012

Today we got a tour of the AIS. Their training pool is one of the most technologically advanced I've ever seen. They had sensors on the starting blocks to measure the force generated from the athletes and windows around the bottom to get a good view of technique from under the water. That's just to name a few of the cool things it had to offer.







Next, we got to watch the women's gymnastic team train for a few minutes. This included gold medalist, Lauren Mitchell. We also got to see the volleyball and strength training area.
After lunch we had a training session with two of the girls from the women's basketball team. They were so down to earth and kind, and I had an amazing time. They ran us through drills and then we got to scrimmage.



This guy was shooting around while we were playing in the gym

Later, we got to talk to the setter from the men's volleyball team, who just qualified for the olympics! He was 6'7" and one of the shorter ones on the team. He talked to us about how he lives 8 months out of the country playing for professional clubs and 4 months in Canberra playing for the national team. Each year he plays in a new country and only gets to see his family 2-3 weeks out of the year.  He told us funny stories and how he deals with training and traveling virtually all year long. I think its cool how humble and nice all of the athletes I've met here at the AIS are. He still says hi to us when we see him in the dining hall, its safe to say I'll be cheering for him and his team in a month :).  I still can't believe I've been having dinner and watching the NBA finals with olympic athletes!

Brumbies vs Wales Rugby game ~ June 12, 2012

Hey guys, sorry I'm a few days behind for anyone that is actually reading them. We had a few lectures at the University of Canberra and got to see the campus.
Later, we went to a Brumbies vs Wales rugby game. It was a little hard to follow and keep track of where the ball was, so I personally enjoyed the AFL game much more, but it was good to see what it was all about. I couldn't even begin to tell you all the rules but I can tell you it is COMPLETELY different from AFL. Its a little more like American football, which is not popular at all here in Australia. The guy that explained rugby to us actually made fun of American football quite a lot. I think it is very interesting how different cultures and places (even cities within countries) have very different views on sports. Even in Australia there are different forms of "footie" that are the most popular depending on the city you're in.  In Melbourne AFL was the dominate sport, in Canberra its rugby.  There are also 2 different forms of rugby played in Australia, Rugby Union and Rugby League, that each have their own set of rules.