Things are due to kick off again soon though, with the Australian Boomers getting ready to start their FIBA 2010 World Championship campaign in a few days, with the women’s team, the Opals, starting their World Championship defence in just a few weeks.
Since my last post I’ve been to just two live sporting events. The first was great, the second was, well, fun for something different.
Shortly after leaving Vancouver I arrived in Seattle with my main aim to watch Lauren Jackson and Tully Bevilaqua compete for the Seattle Storm and Indiana Fever respectively, in the WNBA. This was my first experience watching the WNBA live, and it was a good one.
Tully and LJ share a moment before the game
Everything about the game was entertaining. The game itself, featuring two of the better teams in the league was of course top notch, but I was also very impressed with the game nigh presentation and the enthusiasm of the crowd. Women’s basketball cops of a lot of criticism throughout the world, but this was far from a second tier event.
Lauren Jackson was of course, the star of the show, while Tully also played some great basketball, and overall I left the game very happy with what I saw.
The other live sporting event I witnessed recently was once I got to Ottawa. With the AFL getting close to finals back home, I was craving a bit of Aussie Rules Football action, so after finding a local team, the Ottawa Swans of the Ontatio AFL, I convinced my friends to come along and watch. It wasn’t exactly highly skilled action, but it was kinda fun to see a bunch of fellow expats running around chasing the leather.
On a personal note, a recent transaction by the Toronto Raptors makes me even more eager to see the coming season, as they acquired Australian Boomers big man, David Andersen via trade. Having a player from my own country (and my city) represent the team I support will make it extra exciting when I make the trip down to Toronto this season.
The best part of the sporting year is approaching soon. The NHL, NFL and NBA are all getting ready for their coming seasons, while the AFL and MLB are getting to the business end of theirs. In no time we’ll be back to wall to wall sports coverage, and I cant wait.
