Lions, Tigers and Eel… Going on an Adventure in Parramatta

Australia’s a sport-crazy country and while I’ve been to see Aussie Rules Football and Rugby Union, I had yet to check out Rugby League.

In a very surprising turns of events and unexpected surprises, this past Friday (July 1) I not only saw my first rugby league game between the Parramatta Eels and the Brisbane Broncos but I also met some of rugby league’s greatest players!

Travelling back from a vacation and on her way to the Sydney Airport Long Term Parking lot, Sandy met Roy Spagnolo, the CEO and President, of the Parramatta Eels and several of its players. Through this connection Sandy was able to secure us free tickets to the game.

We were expecting general admission tickets to the game and were totally flabbergasted when we picked up our tickets and were escorted to box seats in the Ray Price suite!

What amazing generosity! We had canapés, wine, dessert and most importantly meat pies and sausage rolls in the suite! Meat pies are a tradition at league games so in spite of trying hard to watch my carbs, I had my first meat pies and found they were very saucy and tasty!

And using her keen observation and celeb spotting skills, Kate pointed out that Ray Price was also in the suite (how ironic, Ray Price was in the suite named after him). Only afterwards, when I’ve told people I met Ray Price do I understand what a big deal this is – he’s a legend in both Rugby Union, Rugby League and he’s even been recognized as the first rugby league player to win the Order of Australia Medal (OAM).



The game itself was very spirited and a close game until the end when the Broncos pulled a last minute try and won. The biggest difference between rugby union and league is that in the latter a team only has 6 attempts to move the ball down the field and if they don’t score a try, they have to kick the ball into their opponent’s end zone (in union there is no limit). Now that I’ve watched a few rugby games, I’ve noticed how symmetrical the game is – all the players are lined up, making a wall which their opponent tries to penetrate. There are no long passes (they only throw short passes to the player running alongside them) and not a lot of ground gained in each play as there are no running backs that are weaving around trying to get open for the quarterback to throw them a pass.

After the game, we went to the local RSL (reserve service league) to watch the presentation of the team and met another famous league player named Eric Grothe, Sr. who won four premierships when playing for the Parramatta Eels.



On final note, when I think of names of sports teams I think of ferocious animals and intimidating characters like the St. George Dragons, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bears or the San Diego Chargers. But eels? I know it’s my Japanese heritage that makes me think “unagi” (eel in Japanese) which is an incredible delicacy BBQ’s in a flavorful sauce and served over rice. I just can’t imagine a team mascot that’s an eel! What I’ve since learned is that the town of Parramatta has a river and evidently there are a lot of eels in the river (yikes, won’t be swimming there).

Nevertheless, what a HUGE and LEGENDARY night it was – Go Eels!

Cringe-worthy, but for a Good Cause

There was only one item on the “List of the Oddest Things in Australia” and that was the cane toad racing earlier this year up in Port Douglas. Now I’m adding the #2 Oddest Thing I’ve seen here in Australia.

I was invited by friends to a fundraiser for a young lady with cancer last Saturday, June 25. While they had the typical things you’d expect at a fundraiser like raffle tickets and a live auction, there was also one of the oddest and most cringe-worthy things I’ve ever seen. A male coworker of the young lady volunteered to have his chest waxed to help raise money.

While it was clearly a very generous act and helped raise much needed money for the young lady and her family, for me it was like watching a scary movie. You really don’t want to watch, but somehow you do anyway.

It was hard to believe how many people jumped at the chance to pay anywhere from $20-$30 for the chance to wax this guy!

It’s Called the Bondi Icebergs for a Reason!

Last Saturday (June 25) I had lunch with friends at Bondi Icebergs, an iconic Sydney landmark, because of its location on the famous Bondi Beach. We were in luck as the sun was out, we could sit outdoors and the views were amazing. We event saw whales playing out in the ocean!

Dori joined us for lunch on Saturday and invited me back the next day to swim as her guest in the Bondi Iceberg Winter Relays.

Now, in addition to having a great location, the Bondi Icebergs is also a world famous winter swimming club with a rock pool” that’s built off the cliff side rocks of Bondi Beach. It’s literally built right in the ocean so the waves, sand and seaweed crash over the rocks into the pool – so it’s really cold.

Dori’s a member and trains with the Bondi Icebergs because the water’s so “English-channel” cold it’s the perfect training for the double crossing she’s planning (she’s already swum across the English Channel twice before and now she’s aiming to do a round-trip or “double crossing”). And as a Bondi Iceberg member, Dori must swim at least 3 weekends a month every month from May-October (these are the winter months in Sydney) for at least 5 years before becoming a permanent member.

As the weather was so amazingly beautiful and sunny that weekend, I thought this was great opportunity to get some bragging rights on “swimming with the Bondi Icebergs”.

When I arrived on Sunday the pool was jam packed with people and the races had already started so I didn’t get a chance to jump in the water for a warm-up. So when I jumped in to do the 40 meter swim, my first thought was “**** this water is cold!”

I swim in the heated outdoor pool at North Sydney during the winter at night and this was during the late morning and the sun had been out all day so I didn’t think it’d be that bad. I had no idea it’d be so cold!