Play Canberra Issue 29 November 2013 by Play Canberra

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Issue #29 November 2013

#29

Cover: Nick Kyrgios. Image: Joseph Purdam

ConTents 4. State of the play - AFL 6. AFL - Local matters 7. Cavalry - Asian Odyssey 8. Tennis - The Rise of Nick Kyrgios 10. Cycling - Team Quon 12. Raiders - New Membership Options 14. State of the play - Union 15. Brumbies - The Return of David Pocock 16. Cricket - Meteors and Comets seasons 17. Cricket - PM’s XI 18. Socials - The Events of the Month 20. Basketball - The Return of Nat Hurst 21. Events calendar - ACTEWAGL September Events 22. CState of the play - Football 24. Football - United’s Season Gets Underway 26. Sportenary - Events for November 27. Box’Tag - fun and training 29. Wellbeing - Is Sitting Down Ruining your Life? 31. Fitness - Summer is Here - Time to Get into Shape

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS & COLLABORATORS: Antony Perry Josh Matic Brett McKay Todd Davey Christopher Clarke Joshua Mercer Brendan Parnell Lyndall Parker Russ Gibbs Liz McPherson PHOTOGRAPHERS: Ben Coughlan Ben Southall: www.bensouthall.com.au Nudgepix Photography: www.nudgepix.com.au Fiona Brammall Joseph Purdam

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DISCLAIMER PLAY Canberra is a monthly magazine distributed to over 500 locations in Canberra on the first Thursday of the month. The opinions, view and comments expressed in PLAY do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or publisher. PLAY Canberra is not responsible for the information submitted in the ads by the advertisers. Issue #29 November 2013

Two heads better than one in new Brumbies coaching structure By Brett McKay The biggest sporting saga in the ACT in the last few months has finally been resolved, with the Brumbies confirming their coaching structure for the next two seasons in the wake of former coach, Jake White’s departure back in September. The Brumbies have promoted both of White’s assistants, with Laurie Fisher appointed to a Director of Rugby role, while Stephen Larkham becomes the club’s new Head Coach. Using a structure common to European rugby clubs, both Fisher and Larkham take on new positions with the Brumbies for the next two seasons. One of the Brumbies favourite sons, and with a grandstand already bearing his name at the renamed GIO Stadium Canberra, Larkham will continue his legacy at the club as Head Coach having spent the last three seasons as the Backs Coach (2012-2013) and Attack Coach (2011). Larkham will have greater input and involvement with the overall organisation of the team and play a bigger part in recruitment, while also maintaining control of backline training and selections. Larkham will also take on greater authority of the team’s overall attacking philosophies.

Describing their new relationship as being “just like a married couple”, Fisher says communication will be the key for the new partnership with Larkham. “Whether it’s a marriage, or whether it’s a rugby program, if you’re not talking about it, you’re going to struggle,” Fisher said. “It’s like any system. No one person in any environment determines exactly how it’s done.” Larkham agrees, and insists that methods implemented under White will hold them in good stead. “Laurie and I have worked extremely well together over the last two years. This new structure allows us to continue to deliver our coaching on the field, whilst sharing responsibility of it.” “Nothing is going to change in terms of how we run the team. Off the field, it’s going to be the same. Laurie spoke to the forwards, I spoke to the backs, and Jake oversaw that process,” Larkham said. “There’s robust discussions, and you put in your arguments to one another. It’s whoever argues the best point really, comes away with it at the end. We’re fairly logical sort of men, so we come down and understand where the other person is coming from.”

Larkham plans to remain stationed on the sideline, coaching the side from ground level, while Fisher will carry on as the eyes in the sky, observing the side from the coaches’ box on match day.

While the Brumbies did look outside their inner sanctum for initial ideas on how to set up the two-pronged system - including seeking the thoughts of former Wallabies coach Robbie Deans - the club said it soon became apparent that the best men for the respective jobs already had desks at Brumbies HQ.

Fisher will control the Brumbies day-to-day rugby operations with elements like staffing, elite and academy program development, talent pathways and training structures.

The fact that both Larkham and Fisher have long histories with the Brumbies, and long personal histories with Canberra and the Brumbies Rugby region was also seen as a plus.

Widely regarded as one of Australia’s best minds on the breakdown and general forwards play, Fisher will also maintain control of the forwards training, selections, and recruitment. Fisher has held various positions with the Brumbies over the last 15 years including Head Coach, Forwards Coach, Academy Coach, Brumby Runners Coach, and Assistant Coach.

Brumbies Chief Executive Andrew Fagan said the move will produce the best outcomes for the Brumbies moving forward, and described the appointments as “a win-win situation for us as a club”.

Brumbies and new Wallabies Captain, Ben Mowen, will retain oversight of the lineout set-piece, while Wallabies prop Ben Alexander will take charge of the scrum, with Dan Palmer now playing in France.

Beaten Super Rugby Finalists in 2013, Brumbies members, supporters, and the wider ACT and surrounding regions will be hoping the new structure can continue the club on its upward trajectory.

“Both Laurie and Stephen are passionate about rugby in the ACT and have proven track records of consistent success with teams they are involved with,” Fagan said.

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It now appears that the lovers of the rep game have gotten their wish with the series set to be revamped and reimagined under an audacious plan proposed by the AFL Players Association, which will see two teams mixed entirely of players from all different states and teams selected by opposing captains. The proposed match has raised plenty of eyebrows, in particular Collingwood president Eddie McGuire who stated the idea is ““It’s half arsed and … a pain in the neck” yet still believes the match will go forward. “I think it’s a bit further advanced than throwing it around, it’s going to happen,” McGuire begrudgingly admitted. It looms as an exercise in apathy, with the AFL Hall of Fame match with pitted Victoria against the Dream Team met with a general feeling of ambivalence; which begs the question: how did the NRL take the Aussie Rules concept and make it one of the most important contests in Australasian sport?

ALL-STAR CONCEPT AN ALMIGHTY MESS

Despite the popularity of the State of Origin in the NRL – an AFL equivalent is not feasible. Anyone who is familiar with Australian sport knows one of the showpiece events of this country’s football codes is Rugby League’s State of Origin.

STATE OF THE PLAY AFL

State of Origin pits New South Wales against Queensland in a three-game series that arguably overshadows the NRL season itself, however, even the most ardent Australian sports fan would be forgiven for not knowing that the native Australian code devised and implemented the representative fixture two years before their rugby league counterparts.

of interest that ultimately lead to the demise of State of Origin under the Aussie Rules banner.

The most baffling aspect of AFL representative football is the salivation the fans have for the concept, ostensibly pointing towards an envious respect for the NRL’s main attraction – which is ironic given the lack

It seems absence makes the heart grow fonder for Australian sports lovers though, with the constant allure of a possible return of SOO football being mooted for the past ten years.

with Todd Davey @ToddJDavey

Naming Rights sponsor for Canberra Stadium Canberra’s premiere sporting venue has a new namingrights sponsor. From 1 January 2014 the home of the Canberra Raiders and ACT Brumbies will be known as GIO Stadium Canberra.

least four years. And the length of the arrangement may see GIO as the inaugural naming-rights sponsor for the proposed new rectangular stadium to be built in Civic in 2020.

The ACT Government and GIO Insurance have entered a commercial arrangement for four years, with the option to extend for another four. The deal is believed to be worth between $300,000 and $350,000 a year for at

The sponsorship allows GIO an increased presence in the ACT after moving into the market for compulsory third-party insurance this year. GIO, AAMI and the Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency, have been

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The bipartisan support is the main draw of State of Origin, with the polarising nature of the series something the AFL cannot replicate, given the vast and varied nature of draftees from every corner of the country. Another aspect the AFL will have a difficult time emulating is the passion exhibited for the three-game series, with fans investing so much of their energy into seeing their team succeed in the season proper, the threat of injury is far too great without the already established infrastructure of desire, dedication and loyalty to their native state that the SOO intrinsically instills in its players. If the game is treated in the nature it should be – an outlet for the best of the best to showcase their talents in a bruise-free environment to appease the fans, it has the potential to be an interesting novelty event, much like the NBA All-Star weekend. But it must be treated as such. Perhaps to the determent of the traditionalist State of Origin football in an Aussie Rules format will never reach the heights of the early 90s. Is a passionless, kick and giggle sideshow precursor to the season going to give the fans what they want or is it just going to aggravate them further? Only time will tell, but it seems the match will go forward in 2014, and all of our questions should be answered. granted licenses to offer compulsory third-party insurance in the ACT, ending NRMA’s monopoly. The Government is pleased to welcome GIO, a nationally recognised company, as the naming-rights sponsor. It believes GIO fits all the criteria in put in place during the process. The Government feels GIO is aligned with the corporate values of the ACT Government and Canberra Stadium, that they will drive economic growth for the ACT and that they are a reputable Australian brand with integrity. Issue #29 November 2013

with the horse, running around and patting and looking after the horse”. There is a lot of general horsemanship required to build a relationship with your horse. How do you get into such a sport? “I was into horse riding and I was at a horse riding camp and they showed us how to start doing it. I really enjoyed it, so started taking lessons” Rachael told me. She now trains twice a week at the National Equestrian Centre Kerrabee and the hard work paid off last month where a proud Rachael told me “I won the Nationals – which is a competition for the whole of Australia, I won the preliminary division which is walk compulsories and walk freestyle”.

10-years-old National Champion

Say hello to Canberra’s newest, and possibly youngest National champion – Rachael Mackey. Last month 10-year-old Rachael won the Nationals in the uncommon sport of Equestrian Vaulting. And just what is Equestrian Vaulting?

Vaulting has been described as the most spectacular of the equestrian sports and one that Rachael’s mum readily admits can be nerve racking to watch, “Yes I think mum gets more nervous than Rachael” she joked when I caught up for a chat.

Simply put, Equestrian Vaulting is gymnastics and dance on horseback. It requires the skills of both gymnastics as well as excellent horsemanship.

When I asked Rachael if it was scary at times she offered a quick “YES” but also mentioned how important it was to trust her horse. “Yes, a lot of time is spent training

I want a place that has the biggest schnitty in town.

The freestyle element is set to music and, as the name suggests, allows the rider freedom to create their own routine and exhibit their gymnastics and horsemanship skills to the music of their choice. The freestyle section is definitely Rachael’s favorite element, with the compulsory aspect being set moves that all riders must perform. Of course none of this would be possible without a couple of important elements, a good partner, in this case a horse named Jackson and the support of family and luckily Rachael has both of these. When asked what the future in the sport holds, Rachael said one day she would like to compete internationally and with the passion and commitment for the sport she showed me during the interview, I don’t think it will be long until that dream is fulfilled.

I know a place.

What a difference...

Dickson 2 Badham St Woden Launceston St/Furzer St thetradies.com.au For the information of members and their invited guests.

Issue #29 November 2013

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Our legendary schnitzels aren’t for the fainthearted. They’re massive and come with a huge range of toppings. So what are you waiting for? Get down to The Tradies and see if you can get through it. Or, are you chicken?

GIRLS YOUTH FOOTY ON THE RISE

Girls dreaming of kicking a Sherrin on hallowed turfs and in front of roaring crowds would have enjoyed a landmark year for Women’s AFL. By Christopher Clarke. 2013 saw the introduction of the first ever female draft and a new role model in top female draft pick Daisy Pearse. For girls in the ACT region, success has been a long road but one that has seen results, with the ACT representative team taking division 2 honours at this year’s National Carnival in Cairns. It’s encouraging signs for Woman’s football in the National Capital with two members from the ACT winning squad, Belconnen’s Heather Anderson and Eastlake’s Karina Demant making the 2013 Women’s All Australian squad. ACT woman’s senior coach Adrian Pavese is a believer that woman’s football is finally getting the development and attention it deserves. “It’s acceptance,” says Pavese. “Having more top line tournaments, more high performance facilities, the draft, the Woman’s nationals, the youth nationals, the more we provide the girls it shows them the acceptance, that it’s not a token sport, that they’re becoming an elite sport, elite players

and elites athletes within the AFL industry. After 22 years of coaching men’s senior football, Pavese says taking the reins of the Woman’s squad in 2011 has been a rewarding an enlightening experience. He was on hand at last month’s NSW/ACT youth carnival in Wagga Wagga where representative teams from North and South Canberra took on the best from Sydney and the Riverina. “I’m really keen to see what we got coming up through the youth girls ranks which will possibly be in the mix for the 2015 National carnival,” says Pavese. “I know there is some really good talent coming out of the Riverina, well there’s talent everywhere to be honest with you, but I know a lot of talent will end up playing with me at the senior level.” The carnival saw over 125 girls aged 13-18 participate. A panel that included Pavese was on hand to select 40-45 participants for the NSW/ ACT train on development squad. Canberra North took honours over their South rivals defeating them in a play off 6.1.37 to nil.

LOKAN LEAVES MAGPIES

The Matthew Lokan era has ended at the Belconnen Magpies.

The grand final saw Sydney Harbour Blue down the Riverina Cubs 4.1.25 to 3.4.22 in an exciting final match. The second year carnival gives the young girls interested in developing their football skills a goal to aim for. However there is still much to do in terms of grass root and development for junior girls football explains Pavese. “The ACT is still coming from a long way back compared to Victoria and Western Australia so for us it’s more about participation, the more girls we get to participate the stronger our high performance programs will be, so I know from an ACT perspective that we’ve started developing development programs over the summer that girls can come and train over the summer one night a week and work on their skills and understanding of the game.” With the right programs in place and a broader spotlight on a possible woman’s national league there is no reason to believe girls from the ACT wont one day run out in front of adoring fans. It’s an exciting g prospect and one Pavese hopes will come to light. “If we have a girls competition that develops into a seniors competition and that hopefully develops into a representative level and high performance and development programs, that would be the ultimate because to get to the draft you got to be the top of your sport.” Michael Horne midway through the season contributed to a less then desirable inaugural NEAFL season.

By Christopher Clarke.

Lokan’s arrival at the club at the end of 2011 from Port Adelaide in the SANFL was the breath of fresh air the Magpies were looking for.

After two years at the helm, the player coach of Belconnen’s senior side has returned home to South Australia where his wife is expecting their second child.

The 30 year old, who played 40 games and kicked 20 goals for Collingwood in his heyday, arrived at the club along with small forward Shane Harris also from Port Adelaide.

It’s unfortunate circumstances for Belconnen who will feel he leaves with unfinished business after leading the Magpies to the 2013 NEAFL Eastern Conference grand final loss to the Sydney Swans Reserves.

Harris would go on to win the coveted Mulrooney Medal for best and fairest player in the NEAFL Eastern Conference in 2012. As a footballer Lokan was an imposing full forward for Belconnen. He kicked over 60 goals this season and made full forward in the 2013 NEAFL team of the year along with winning the Eastern conference coach of the year award.

But there is no doubt that Lokan was instrumental in pushing the Magpies to the top of NEAFL ladder in 2013 and returning the club to former glories. In two seasons he took the cellar dwellers of 2011 to NEAFL Eastern conference grand final, along the way producing two Mulrooney medalists in Shane Harris and James Bennett. “Lokan came into a team that was basically down and out in terms of the want to play footy after our 2011 year finishing at the bottom of the ladder and having our former senior coach walking out halfway through the year,” says Belconnen Magpies general Manager Cameron Campbell. “Players just were not enjoying their football.” “He brought a variety to training and stripped the 6

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It was versatility as a swing player, being able to play keys roles up forward and in defense that made him a key player in the Magpies playing group. playing group back for a very basic first year in terms of what we needed to do to improve on 2011. “Then in his second year things really kicked off, we improved in all areas in all facets of the club.” “But I knew home was calling him at the end of the year, but in saying that I definitely thought we had one more year with him.” 2011 was a bad year for those involved with the Magpies. A coaching staff exodus that included senior coach

“This year he was instrumental in our forward line as a player,” explains Campbell. “The amount of goals he kicked and obviously he takes the best defender every week, so he did extremely well to manage on field playing ability with off field coaching.” While the Lokan era may be over, Belconnen should not be discouraged. Leaps and bounds have been made at the club in two year. Issue #29 November 2013

While the Golden Eagles have a range of stars that will be heading to Taiwan, including the Most Valuable Player of championship series, Manabu Mima. Mima went 11 and two thirds scoreless innings in two starts in the series, tallying wins for both game three and the decisive game seven victory. The Cavalry will have a lot to deal with in the pitching roster of the Golden Eagles. The outcome of the first round of games determines the schedule for the rest of the series, but with so much in front of them the team will need to stay focused and not worry about later games.

Cavalry to be tested in Taiwan

The Canberra Cavalry will head to Taiwan for the 2013 Asia Series. The Cavalry will be facing championship teams from the host country, Japan and Italy.

The Cavalry’s first opponent will be Taiwan’s EDA Rhinos. The Rhinos made the Chinese Professional Baseball League Championship Finals last month before losing to the Uni-President Lions. The Rhinos made international news when they signed former major leaguer Manny Ramirez before the season. While Ramirez left the team in just three months into the season, but there was definitely enough talent left to carry them into finals.

Rhinos pitcher Juan Morillo, currently holds the record in CPBL for fastest pitch at 159.97 KPH (99.4 MPH). Morillo is also a former major leaguer with Colorado Rockies. Some experts believe that though he can pitch fast, Morillo has little control over his pitches. But he’s not someone Cavalry hitters can overlook. The second scheduled game for the Cavalry is against the Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball League Champions Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles were the Cinderella story of the NPB this year. They beat the reigning champion Yomiuri Giants, shutting them out in game seven of the best of seven series.

“We’ll show up and play some ball,” says Cavalry General Manager Thom Carter. “It’ll be a good opportunity for these boys to see where they are on a world stage. It’ll be great for them to play in front of crowds this size.” The games will be played in Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium and Taoyuan International Stadium. Both stadiums hold a maximum of 20,000 people. The crowds are likely to be large and rowdy, but after playing at the Fort, the boys know rowdy. It’s a matter of keeping their cool on a larger scale. Upon their return the Cavalry will be suiting up at home for a four-game series against the Brisbane Bandits starting 22 November. Those wanting to cheer on the Cavalry as they return home for the first time in almost a month, tickets are still available. For more information go to www.canberracavalry.com.au/tickets or call 6295 8379.

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Issue #29 November 2013

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#NKrising

His never-say-die attitude has served him well.

“Work until your idols become your rivals.” That’s the motto Canberra tennis player Nick Kyrgios is taking into 2014. With a breakthrough 2013 behind him, Kyrgios has every right to be thinking big. By Lyndall Parker. Images by Joseph Purdam. This time last year the Watson teenager was ranked 840 in the world. He had just won two Grand Slam junior doubles titles and signed with an international management company.

my first ever Grand Slam is an amazing achievement and playing Davis Cup as well for Australia at 18 is a great feeling.”

Fast forward 12 months and the achievements are many.

He has his own website (nickkyrgios.org), a twitter account with 3550 followers (and counting) and endorsement deals with Nike and Yonex.

World No.1 junior. Australian Open Junior Singles Champion. Youngest player in the top 200. And, to top it off, Australian Davis Cup player.

Not surprisingly, his profile has risen accordingly.

In January, he became the fourth Australian to win the boys’ singles title in seven years - and the second Canberran after Ben Ellwood in 1994. In March, he was the youngest ATP Challenger title winner since Rafael Nadal when he beat Matt Reid in the final in Sydney. Throughout history, only 15 players have won their first challenger before they turned 18 – and their names read like a Grand Slam honour board: Djokovic, Nadal, Hewitt, Del Potro, Safin. Combined, those 15 players have won an impressive 192 titles and 22 majors. “It’s great to be compared to those guys. It’s still a long way away, though,” he says.

Not even Kyrgios, renowned for his self-confidence, can quite believe it.

Former professional and current Head of Men’s Tennis Todd Woodbridge says Kyrgios has “the X-Factor”.

“It definitely excites me, if I could do that for tennis it would be a dream come true. To be remembered as one of the great players would be everything I worked for, ever since I was working with Todd [Larkham] to now.”

“I’m sort of just getting my head around it now since I’ve been back getting in my normal routine,” he says. “Just thinking about beating a former top 10 player in

“He has a little bit of mongrel in him,” Woodbridge says. “He’s the one who will go for the big shots, he won’t die wondering.”

Relative to his contemporaries Kyrgios, who is one of just four players aged 20 or under ranked in the top 200, is way ahead of the game.

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The right-hander is regarded by many as the future of Australian tennis.

Issue #29 November 2013

But he always has been. Growing up, the AIS scholarship holder has always been the No.1 Australian junior in his birth year.

for improvement across the board. This will remain the case, regardless of what transpires over the month of January.”

Few in his inner sanctum were surprised when, at the French Open in May, he won his first Grand Slam match in emphatic style - beating former world No.8 Radek Stepanek in straight sets.

He says the former world No. 1 junior’s transition into the men’s game is only “just beginning” and sees his progression and development as very much a “work in progress”.

Winning that match, he says, “was a feeling I will never forget”. Although he lost to Marin Cilic in the following round, the 18-year-old with the thunderbolt serve and booming forehand had announced his arrival.

“There have also been some tough times for Nick in 2013,” he says, “and we know that inevitably there will be some tough times and some struggles ahead as Nick’s career continues to take shape.”

In September, the former Daramalan College student again showed his love of the big occasion when he qualified for the US Open (losing in the first round to world No.4 David Ferrer). Later that month, in perhaps the biggest surprise of all, he became one of the youngest players to represent Australia in the Davis Cup.

With the game faster, stronger and more physically demanding than it’s ever been, Rea says Kyrgios will be the first person to tell you that he still has great scope for improvement physically and mentally.

When Kyrgios, the 103rd player to achieve that honour, heard his name being announced as he was walking out on to the court against Poland he “got goosebumps”. “I was so excited,” he says.

“Nick needs to continue to work towards the very high standards that he aspires to, in order to give himself the best chance to build the type of platform that will enable him to experience sustained success in an incredibly demanding profession.”

While he admits he was “gutted” to lose the doubles rubber with Chris Guccione in five thrilling sets, Davis Cup captain Pat Rafter hailed his performance as “one of the most positive experiences I’ve seen”. “We’ve got one of the great Davis Cup players coming up right now,” Rafter said of Kyrgios after the 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-4 loss. “What I saw today is exactly what I want to see in any young kid coming up.” His coach for the past year, Simon Rea, says it wouldn’t

“His willingness to knuckle down and put the work in is always first-rate and this will continue to be a priority for him over the remainder of his career,” he says.

surprise him to see the Watson teenager winning matches over the Australian summer. “Some of that will be dependent upon what price Nick is willing to pay over his pre-season training period,” Rea says, “but I’m excited about what January could look like for Nick. “Regardless, the big picture is always front and centre in my mind and there is an enormous amount of scope

While an elbow injury prematurely ended his debut season, Kyrgios is back at home trying to do the “little things” so the big things can follow - a lesson he learnt from Davis Cup teammate Marinko Matosevic. “It’s an exciting period,” he says of the Australian summer. “If I’m fortunate enough to do something special there it would be a great way to start off the year. “The main goal so far is to get ready for that, and give everything I’ve got for the Australian Open.”

IT’S YOUR SERVE Clocked at over 200km/h, Nick Kyrgios’ booming serve will be for all to see at Canberra Velocity’s Asia-Pacific Tennis League double header. While his thunderbolt averages 194km/h - more than world No.2 and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic - Canberra prodigies have the chance to see where their serves rate against the game’s best, at North Woden on November 16-17. There will also be a jumping castle, face painting, a Brumbies tennis exhibition, Cardio Tennis, MLC Tennis Hot Shots and AO Blitz, a national competition that gives people the chance to win major prizes and have an Australian Open 2014 player represent their community. Kyrgios, who made his Davis Cup debut in September, will again lead Velocity in the fiveround competition which will feature the best and emerging talent from around Australia. Issue #29 November 2013

He will be supported by local players Jake Eames, James Frawley, Alun Jones and Todd Larkham. On Saturday, they meet Stanmore Wyverns, headlined by former world No.1 junior Todd Reid, Jay Andrijic and Michael Tebbutt, while on Sunday the men’s team face Macquarie Uni Warriors, led by David Barclay, Marious Zelba and Shoki Hachiya. Locals Alison Bai and Ashley Keir will spearhead Velocity’s women’s team, which finished sixth in the inaugural competition last year. Once again they will be joined by Sydney baseliners Nicole Hoynaski, who only lost one singles match in last year’s competition, and Tyra Calderwood. The women play City Lizards (Lucie Kriegsmannova, Jess Engels and Lejla Husic) on the Saturday, and Sydney Uni Lions, consisting of Hayley Ericksen, Bianca Chidrawi and Rachel Assef, on Sunday. Team manager and former professional Todd Larkham

said the Canberra Velocity teams will need to play really well this year to progress to the National final in January. “The NSW/ACT Conference is much stronger than last year,” Larkham said. “On the men’s side, there are no weak teams and there are several more high profile ex-players as well as seasoned pros in the competition. And the women will be strong favourites to do well again.” He said the double header is a great weekend for the whole community. “It’s a rare chance for Canberrans to see highquality, live tennis and some genuine stars in the making competing,” he said. “Nick is obviously the stand-out player. He’s our home-grown star with a huge future ahead of him. It’s not often we get a Davis Cup player competing in Canberra.” playcanberra.com.au

the end for me. I was devastated.” Like so many promising athletes who suffer recurring knee injuries, McCallum took up cycling as a way to keep fit and healthy. And he quickly discovered he had a talent for his newly chosen sport. “I started riding casually with local semi-professional cycling outifit, Team QUON. They suggested I ride with them in Canberra’s cycling criterium series over the summer of 2012-13.” McCallum started in the lower grades but quickly shot up through the ranks with wins almost every week. So strong was McCallum’s performance that he was eventually crowned Canberra Cycling’s Criterium Champion after winning the series on points. “I was pretty surprised to win it outright, especially given it was my first season,” McCallum says. “I learnt a lot during this time, but the biggest lesson was that cycling is as much a team sport as hockey is. If it wasn’t for Team QUON there’s no way I would’ve won it.”

Local hockey player-cum-cycling champ defends title When local professional hockey player Brad McCallum was forced to retire from the sport with a debilitating knee injury, he described the moment as being the lowest point of his life. As a gifted athlete, McCallum had played for many ACT

representative teams and was even eyeing selection for the 2012 Olympic games in London. “Hockey was my life -- every minute was dedicated to the sport,” McCallum says. “In 2010, I tore my cruciate ligament for the fourth time and that was pretty much

Women’s Gridiron catching on in the capital By Joshua Matic @MaticJm Women’s gridiron has come along way in the Australian Capital Territory in just one season, and with another three teams in the territory on the verge of forming, the Tuggeranong Tornadoes club can tick off great success.

Image: Naomi Kroll Photography

A huge squad of 20 made the journey down, along with head coach Cody Field and three assistants.

Played in three 15-minute sections, the short match was approached as a warm up for the NSW season, but was taken more seriously by the Tornadoes.

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“We had a number of girls leave our team to start up another team called the Sirens…they’ve been trying to get that up and running [affiliated with ACT Gridiron] since about July now.”

“We’re looking to have four teams hopefully come on, so we’re really happy with it.”

opted out of playing full matches due to concern about the Tornadoes.

In September they played a combined scrimmage match against two teams from NSW in Sydney, who

“We’ll try and start a proper season in about June next year,” she said.

“We’ve got a proposal from the Gungahlin team, the Wildcats, that they want to try and start up a women’s team too, so that will mean we have four women’s teams.”

They first travelled to Melbourne to meet the Western Foxes, in what was the first full game the girls played together.

The occasion proved a great success for the first female team from the ACT, taking a six point win in double over time against one of the strongest regional female gridiron sides in Australia.

Canberra’s 2013-14 Criterium series runs every Wednesday night at Stromlo Crit Track.

“About a month ago we had the Centurions start up a women’s team called the Diamonds, and they’re having open days and things too.”

In December last year, the Tornadoes took it upon themselves to form the very first women’s team in Canberra, and after a successful initial sign up day, had the vision of taking on teams from Queensland, NSW and Victoria. Not having any other teams to form a regional competition with in Canberra, this was the only way they could make their while with a women’s team.

McCallum is not the only local sporting identity to ride for Team QUON. Over the years, the team has boasted Olympic triathlete Simon Thompson, ITU professional triathlete Gareth Halverson, former Canberra Gunners basketballer, Nick Johnson, former junior world cycling champion, Dean Rogers (brother of Tour de France rider Mick Rogers) and Mongo.

They took an unofficial win from the occasion and did not concede any points. Tornadoes women’s coordinator Danielle Degroot said the successes from this year should lead to the ACT’s first regional female gridiron competition in 2014.

The Tornadoes will begin pre-season training at the end of November, and still have a squad of between 15 and 20 women. The Sirens and Diamonds already have squads of 10 and will be ready to train in March, while the Wildcats are still assembling their own squad. Increased exposure, sponsorship and fundraising by the Tornadoes this year have caught on with the other ACT gridiron clubs, and Degroot was highly confident an eight round plus finals competition would be a reality next year. If you would like to play gridiron send a message to womensgridironact@gmail.com Issue #29 November 2013

Following a fifth-place finish at last year’s Paralympic Games, Bellis and Ross finished 2013 with an outstanding performance to win gold at the World Rowing Championships. Crow’s trail blazing season follows on from her silver and bronze medal performances at last year’s London Olympics, making her the most successful Australian rower at the Games. Just over one year later Crow became the first Australian woman to win a World Championship Gold in the single scull. “There are so many fantastic people in the rowing world and it’s a real honour to receive this award,” Crow said.

Crow crowned best in the world Canberra-based Kim Crow has been named the best female rower in the world this year by her sport’s governing body. Crow was recognised for her outstanding 2013 at the World Rowing Awards dinner in Tallinn, Estonia. 28-year-old Crow went through the year undefeated in the single scull, winning two World Cup events and the World Championship title.

She was voted the world’s best female crew by the World Rowing Federation, FISA. In a golden night for Australian rowing the Trunk and Arms Mixed Double of Gavin Bellis and Kathyrn Ross were awarded the 2013 World Rowing Para Crew of the Year.

“Congratulations to all the other winners and nominees. Rowing is very much a team sport, even in the single scull, and there have been a lot of people that have been a really important part of my journey. “Thank you to my coach Lyall McCarthy, my family and friends and everyone behind the scenes.” Since the inaugural awards in 2002, an Australian crew or athlete has only won on two occasions, both in the Male Crew of the Year category – in 2003 with the Men’s Pair of Drew Ginn and James Tomkins and in 2007 with Drew Ginn and Duncan Free, again in the Men’s Pair.

Rodrigo crowned Darters best Former Australian U21 representative Keely Rodrigo has been named the 2013 Canberra Darters Player of the Year at Netball ACT’s Awards Presentation night.

“Her effort to represent Australia is a message to all young netballers that if you work hard enough you can achieve your goals.”

The winner of the Player of the Year Award is also inducted into the Darters Hall of Fame.

The Darters Player of the Year award is determined by the player who received the most votes in the Australian Netball League (ANL) MVP award.

Rodrigo was a solid performer for the Darters in this year’s Australian Netball League earning high praise from her teammates and opposition players. “It was fantastic to have Keely back playing for the Canberra Darters this year, after spending the previous season at the AIS and she is a worthy winner of the Player of the Year award,” Darters coach Melinda Clarke said. “She has a great determination and defensively reads the play so well.”

Votes are awarded by opposition coaches after each ANL game. Current Australian Diamonds player Sharni Layton attended the Netball ACT presentation night providing an insight into representing her country. Other Netball ACT award winners included: ACT U17 coaches award (Ainsley McGrath), ACT U19 (Emily Kaye) and ACT U21 (Lara Bowyer). Rodrigo was also awarded the Darters coach award.

DFO Shop T102 I 337 Canberra Ave Fyshwick 2609 0403734739 I www.facebook.com/capzcanberra Issue #29 November 2013

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a new era for the green machine: on and off the feild

As the dawn of a new era for the Canberra Raiders is upon us, it’s not just the coaching staff and board that has seen changes. Membership offerings and packages have had a compete overhaul in the off-season. The Canberra Raiders have released a whole new system and variations of memberships for 2014 that will provide members with many advantages and rewards for joining the Green Machine and being part of the team. “The Raiders memberships have been completely overhauled, primarily because we realized they were too simplistic in term of how they were rolled out, only offering covered and uncovered seats. We wanted to make them more attractive to the Canberra community as a whole” explains Jason Mathie, the Commercial and Marketing Manager at the Canberra Raiders. “We have focused on a large amount of research in the last 12 months, as to what our consumers actually wanted and then we put all the information together and came up with a model that now, instead of offering 2 forms of memberships, we offer 5. It’s basically all encompassing to try and satisfy as many people as we can”. Details on the various packages can be found the new fully dedicated membership website – www. weareraiders.com.au. A main concern generally mentioned on NRL chat sites is pricing. This year the Raiders are offering packages that genuinely suit all budgets. The introduction of a Bronze membership allows a Junior member (aged 5-15) to see all 12 home games for $100 or roughly $8 a game, while an Adult bronze member will get to see all 12 home games for $140 or 12

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roughly $12 a game. The Bronze family membership will allow a family of 4 to see all 12 home games for around $32 a game, you’d be hard pressed to find a cheaper afternoon/nights entertainment. Another initiative is the ability to pay by instalments. Membership can now be paid off with automatic monthly payments. But it’s not always about money as Jason explains, “We undertook surveys of game day attendees, both current members and casual ticket purchasers. We wanted to understand why people didn’t make the commitment to a season ticket up front. Price was a big consideration, but people also felt they weren’t valued as well as they could be. Once we delved a little deeper we found out they wanted things like the best seats allocated to those that committed for 12 games, better access to players and more opportunities away from the game to interact with the club. They just wanted to be valued more and wanted us to look at developing loyalty programs. So now we are taking it to the next level.” “We have moved onto a new NRL database management system to get more specific information about each member we sign up, so that we can have more meaningful and personable interactions with each of them going forward”. The NRL will be the first to admit they are behind other codes in membership offerings and services. With this

in mind, they have progressively made investments into the membership space. The Canberra market is unique and that adds to the task the Raiders face in getting new members on board. “It is very different to the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane market – we are conscience of the fact that people come to Canberra (for Government work or to study) and they like rugby league but aren’t necessarily Raiders fans. That’s why we are offering a membership package that is not just specifically for Raiders membership - it’s more a rugby league membership, where people can sign up to attend 3 games but they don’t have to have the Raiders merchandise that goes with it. Additionally, Regional Members can now subscribe to 5 games for only $100”. The club has a long term strategy to better reward members in future seasons and Jason points out the clubs renewed philosophy on membership “A lot of people think membership is just a ticket to the game, but it’s more than that – It’s about belonging, pledging your support to the club and allowing the club to give you more than other people experience. “Next year for example we are developing a special jersey, it’s called a Legacy Jersey, that has the names of Raiders players that have played at NRL level printed on the jersey. It is our intention to only offer this to Club stakeholders to purchase – like our Sponsors and Club Members. Those that commit to the Raiders Family from now on, should not only feel more valued going forward but get entitlements over and above non-Club Members”. Having seen a prototype of the Raiders Legacy jersey I can attest it is worth becoming a member just for the opportunity to obtain one!! For more information on the membership options head over to WeAreRaiders.com.au Issue #29 November 2013

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Never mind that the Wallabies haven’t managed a Grand Slam (beating all four Home Nations - England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales - in a single tour) in nearly thirty years. Don’t worry about the mere detail that this current Wallabies side is a long way off the quality of that 1984 side led by some proper legends of the game: Farr-Jones, the Ellas, Campese, Lynagh, Poidevin, ‘Topo’ Rodriguez, to name just a few. The feeling is there, and it’s genuine. With England currently ranked third in the world on the IRB standings, and all other sides ranked below the Wallabies in fourth, the underlying presumption is that the Wallabies’ biggest test comes first up.

Image: GETTY

Ewen McKenzie isn’t game to rank one team above another, but he is only speaking in terms of winning every game on tour. For his own record - two wins from seven starts, as at the commencement of the tour - he needs those results to continue the honeymoon period afforded any new coach.

Onwards and hopefully upwards for the Wallabies

Despite a less than ideal start to the Ewen McKenzie era, the Wallabies did manage to finish the Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup portion of a long season with a couple of performances to rekindle the fires of supporters. The Wallabies’ impressive 54-17 win over Argentina was followed by a third Bledisloe loss for the season, in Dunedin, but it was the attacking intent shown in the 41-33 loss to New Zealand that has fans wondering if we are about the see an upward swing for the fortunes of the national team. The Wallabies scored more tries in those last two games of the southern hemisphere international season - ten in all - than they had managed in the previous eight outings combined. Suddenly, with no obvious trigger, the Wallabies played with more vigour in attack, with more starch in defence, and with much more intensity at the breakdown. It’s very difficult to pinpoint what has prompted this rapid change of intent, but there is a lot to like about the way the Wallabies are going about things regardless.

STATE OF THE PLAY RUGBY UNION

Brett McKay undoubtedly be preyed upon by thewith Home Nations. @BMcSport Yet despite this, these last two Wallabies performances have instilled a surprising level of confidence among fans. It’s still hard to know whether this confidence is well-placed, or if it’s the misguided faith Australian rugby notoriously latches onto in otherwise underwhelming times.

But that’s not to say things are perfect. Indeed, far from it.

This all coincides with the Wallabies heading to Europe for a gruelling five-week tour, where over consecutive weekends, they’ll take on England in London, Italy in Turin, Ireland in Dublin, Scotland in Edinburgh, and Wales in Cardiff.

The scrum and defensive realignment issues pervade, and in Dunedin the All Blacks were again able to profit from the Wallabies’ inability to realign their defensive configurations beyond the first phase of attack. The issues show no evident signs of resolution, and will

The prevailing instinct among Wallabies fans is that if the Wallabies can fashion a win against England at Twickenham first up - the game will have been played by the time you’re reading this - a remarkable Grand Slam tour result could be achieved.

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Regardless, he is speaking in honest terms. McKenzie doesn’t offer up a number of wins on tour he would find acceptable, because he wants to win every game he sends his team out in. Suggesting he’d be happy with a lesser number of wins would be akin to allowing mediocrity in his squad, he says. And that’s fair enough. There have been some good signs from the Wallabies of late, but it won’t take much for the questions to resurface. It’s vital for the Wallabies to continue with this upward trajectory.

O’Connor watch: London calling Last month I devoted the State of Play column to the fortunes - or perhaps, misfortunes - of James O’Connor, and concluded with this statement: “How, or even if he bounces back from all this is now entirely up to him.” What I should’ve included in that statement was the word, ‘where’, because it’s now emerged that the answer to that question is not in Australia. O’Connor, still not 24, was unveiled late last month by English Premiership club London Irish, where he has signed a short-term deal for the rest of the 2013/2014 season. The deal will rule O’Connor out from a return to Super Rugby in Australia next year, effectively ruling him out of playing for his country as well. Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie wasn’t exactly thrilled about the news, but by the same token, it doesn’t sound like he’ll lose a lot of sleep over O’Connor’s decision. “He’s made his own decisions there, I’ve had a lot of discussions with him about what I think is important, but ultimately he’s in his shoes and has to make decisions about his life,” McKenzie said from London, as the Wallabies prepared for the first match of their European tour. So long, James. Or so it would seem. Issue #29 November 2013

Full training now, did you consider making yourself available for the Wallabies Spring Tour? “Yeah, it was something I talked to the surgeon about, but [Dr] Peter Myers has got a bit more experience when it comes to knees, and he wanted me to do a preseason, so I’ve done that and long term, I think it’ll be a lot better for me [not rushing back for the Wallabies].”

Hard to give up, you’d want to play every Test you can, but the long term gain in not playing?

Back and stronger than ever

When David Pocock went down injured in Round 4 last season the Brumbies faithful let out a collective moan. The biggest signing in recent years was out for the season. Now 8 months on, he’s back and stronger than ever. David faced the media for his first press conference of the 2014. “Yeah, good to go. Second week of pre-season and it’s all good so far. The guys are working really hard, and I guess that’s what you want in pre-season. There’s plenty of cobwebs to blow out, but it’s a long way to the [start of] the season.”

How’s the knee - getting it more used to match-type conditions? “No, it’s been good. I mean, you do so much work in the six to... however long it’s been, eight months, that you’re just keen to get out there. It’s been good, doing a bit of contact stuff and getting amongst it.”

Training would be a bit more social now? “Yeah, it’s a little bit isolating when you’re by yourself with the rehab coach, so it is a lot more fun [training with the group].”

So you have plenty of personal optimism? “Yeah, it was a very short season, 2013, for me. A long time watching, a long time to think about it, so it’s good to get back amongst the group and not be running laps on the sideline.”

Is there a different feel about the Brumbies at the moment? “I think pre-season’s always a bit of a different feel with the Wallabies away. This year there’s a lot more of them away, but that doesn’t change the approach we’re taking. ‘Bern’ and Laurie are still running the training and it’s been good so far.”

This is your first pre-season in a long time, you’re usually away with the Wallabies. “Yeah, my last one was 2007, so it’s a been a while. They’re a little bit dreaded as players, it’s a really long, hard slog, but I think they’ve structured this one really well with a couple of three-day breaks here and there. I think that’ll freshen us up.” Issue #29 November 2013

Talk us through the mental journey in 2013. moved to Canberra for fresh start, season over in four games. What was it like? “Long-term injuries are always tough, and this is the longest one I’ve had. I guess, moving to a new club, you arrive here with a lot of expectation, and you really want to repay the organisation and the coaches for the faith they’ve shown in recruiting you, and I guess obviously the supporters as well, so not being able to play was tough. “But being part of the Brumbies this year, with the way we played as a group, and getting to the Final, I think there’s a lot of positives to come out of it, and I’ve certainly enjoyed my time in Canberra so far.”

That would have been your first Finals series too, makes it tougher as well? “Yeah, personally it’s tough, but you always want to see the team doing well. I think one of my biggest disappointments was not getting to play alongside George [Smith] a bit more. I was really excited when he was recruited for the season. Having said that, Colby [Fainga’a] got a great opportunity and we saw him shine in a number of games.”

You never want a long injury, but has the break helped? “Yeah, I guess you’ve got to look for positives in injury, and that’s one of them, you get to work on things that you don’t get a lot of time to when you’re playing every week. “I spent a lot more time at home this year than I have over the past number of years, and I’ve spent a lot more time with the group that aren’t travelling, and I think you get to help out a lot more in that respect.”

I’m sure i speak for all rugby fans when i say that I’m looking forward to seeing a fit and healthy David Pocock run out in 2014.

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cricket in this talent laden area.” Meanwhile, the Comets have announced their squad for the 2013/2014 season. The Comets’ Futures League campaign begins in Hobart, where they will take on Tasmania from November 4-7, and continues from November 18-21 when they play South Australia in Hobart. The main notable departures of Eastlake opening bowler Nick Winter (to South Australia) and Queanbeyan top order batsman Aaron Ayre (Victoria) have been somewhat offset by the relocation from Adelaide back to Queanbeyan of young bat Dean Solway, and the return to Canberra of former SA player, Mick Delaney.

Meteors and Comets seasons underway Cricket ACT’s senior representative sides, the Meteors and the Comets, have commenced their 2013/2014 seasons to mixed success so far. The Meteors kicked off their season with a comfortable win in a heavily rain-reduced Women’s Twenty20 opener against the Western Fury at the WACA in Perth in early October, but found themselves on the receiving end of a heavy loss in the return clash. In between, the Meteors also lost the opening match of the Women’s National Cricket League one-day series (WNCL) too, losing their last six wickets for 64 runs to fall well short of the 229-run target set by the Western Australians. Across the weekend, the Meteors were well served by Sally Moylan with the ball, and Sara Hungerford, Kris Britt, Kate Waetford, and Laura Wright with the bat, but couldn’t put the partnerships together when needed. Fury captain, and last season’s joint WNCL Player of the Year, Nicole Bolton, was a class above across the three games.

Rene Farrell had put her hand up with two handy innings over the weekend, but ultimately, the Spirit’s experience and talent shone through. Australian star Meg Lanning caused headaches for the Meteors all weekend, and coach Andrew Dawson was left to lament a series of performances that already threatens the Meteors’ season. The Meteors now host Tasmania from November 8-10 at Chisholm Oval, and it was announced last month that the Meteors’ homes series against New South Wales would be played at Robertson Oval in Wagga Wagga from November 22-24. Cricket ACT CEO, Mark Vergano, was thrilled to be taking top-class women’s cricket into the Riverina for the first time, and sees the move - partially funded by Wagga City Council - as a another major step in strengthening the Cricket ACT development area.

The Meteors then had a rough time of it in their tripleheader weekend against Victoria Spirit in Melbourne, too, losing both T20 matches and the WNCL one-dayer in between, but even worse was losing their captain Kris Britt to a back injury in the middle of the second game.

“These matches between The Tradies Meteors and the champion NSW Breakers is a promotion to encourage young female cricketers in the Riverina region to see their heroes and participate in the game,” Vergano said.

Britt had again been one of the Meteors’ better players in the first T20 game, but developed back pain while batting in the WNCL game and had to retire hurt. Britt was ruled out of the third game of the weekend, and it told, with the Vics cruising to an eight-wicket win.

“The collaboration between Cricket ACT and Cricket NSW in developing the Riverina and southern NSW zone as part of its regional development strategy is an exciting concept and the bringing of major matches to the region can only help promote and grow the game of

There are five new faces added to the full member squad list including Delaney, Wests/UC batsman Matthew Condon, former Newcastle fast bowler Josh Bennett, Wests/UC all-rounder Ethan Bartlett and Newcastle left arm fast bowler Greg West. Delaney, 25, is a former South Australian Redbacks fast bowler and has relocated back to Canberra, taking up the position of Captain/Coach with Weston Creek Molonglo Cricket Club. Delaney represented the ACT Comets and ACT U19’s side before moving to South Australia to take up a professional contract in 2010-11. 18 year-old Condon is a talented left handed top order batsman who was last season’s grade cricket leading run scorer for Wests/UC, and also impressed with the ACT under-17 team. Former Newcastle fast bowler and NSW Country Cricketer of the Year Josh Bennett has ignored interest in Sydney and relocated to the ACT after impressing in the final round of last year’s Futures League match against Queensland. Former Wagga Wagga cricketer and last year’s Greg Irvine Medallist for player of the First Grade Grand Final Ethan Bartlett has also gained selection after strong performances in grade cricket last season for Wests/UC. Rounding out the new additions is left arm fast bowler Greg West who has been elevated from a rookie to full squad member. West represented the Comets last season against NSW before he suffered an injury. He has previously represented the ACT U19’s and has attended the annual Cricket Australia Centre of Excellence fast bowling camp.

Merinos take on Canberra Stadium Canberra Stadium had a visit from a team of Merinos from Glenroy Station. The team of woolly Bredbo locals joined MIX 106.3’s Cam Sullings and Ben Pollack for a live broadcast. The Merinos munching on the turf will mark the beginning of the MIX 106.3 Canberra Stadium Local Supporters Scarf. Canberra Stadium’s Neale Guthrie is excited to be 16

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involved in the Local Supporters Scarf. “The Stadium is an iconic part of the Canberra community, and this is a great opportunity to support the team at MIX 106.3 in this charitable initiative. I can’t wait to see the sheep grazing,” Mr Guthrie said. It will be twelve months before the Merinos fleece will be shorn and then knitted into supporters scarfs in Raiders and Brumbies colours. These history-making scarfs will

be then distributed to local charities to auction off at their fundraising events. Issue #29 November 2013

The key components of the upgrade include a new cricket pitch and outfield. Van Dam said the high clay content of the soil would give the new pitch more bounce and pace with a cracking surface to provide variable conditions for bowlers and batsmen alike. Along with resurfacing the pitch, the Oval will also see new drainage and irrigation installed, as well as extra seating for 1400, which will increase the ground’s capacity to more than 15,500. A number Cricket ACT are confident of hitting at PM’s XI match against England in January.

PITCH PERFECT FOR THE PM’s XI

The cheer of a capacity crowd at Manuka Oval will sound a little louder in 2014, when Australia takes on England for the PM’s XI match on January 14. After five months, Manuka Oval’s major upgrade is nearing completion. And with a fixed deadline of January 14 for the annual PM’s XI match, there’s no room for delays. According to head curator Brad van Dam it’s been an enormous job, however he’s confident the pitch will be perfect when the Poms arrive in January.

‘The whole ground had to be dug up, including the old cricket pitch and old surface,’ he said. ‘About 24,000 or 25,000 cubic metres of soil has been removed and taken to Mt Stromlo and the National Arboretum and now we have been rebuilding the surface slowly.’

The PM’s XI has become a prestigious event for many organisations to be associated with in Canberra and a great day out for the average punter. Details of corporate hospitality packages available at cricketact. com.au and general admission tickets are available through Ticketek.

win win win

PLAY has 5 double passes to the PM’s XI to give away this month. All you have to do is like our Facebook page: facebook.com/playcanberra and keep an eye out for our PM’s XI question

Don’t let your clients get lost in the crowd. The Prime Minister’s XI is set to take place in Canberra on Tuesday 14th January against the old enemy England in a day/night 50-over fixture. Another sell-out crowd is expected for Manuka Oval’s first international match under lights in 2014. The PM’s XI has become Canberra’s iconic corporate entertaining event of the year, with a range of packages available for all group sizes and budgets. The day/night match starts at 2:20pm, so there is no need to take the day off work for the “must attend” corporate event in Canberra. Contact Maree Philip Ph: (02) 6126 5900 M: 0435 835 815 or Maree@theearlybird.com.au regarding corporate hospitality packages. Or visit cricketact.com.au to download package details.

Issue #29 November 2013

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Launch of Adobe woden Image: Ben Coughlan

Nick Georgalis and Andrew Barr

Kurt Steel, Jason Mathie and Kate Gallegos

Lessely Abraham, Peter Demoor, Andrew Woodman & Graeme Swinton

Narelle Stanifort, Lauren Johnstone and Christine Gould

Sonya Georgalis and Glynis Rathbone

Sports trivia night The Woden Traides Image: Ben Coughlan

Simon McGuinness, Terry Campese and Ben Pollack

Liam Early, Mel Eveille, Liz Cucchi and Mark North

Rebecca Percival, Glenda Darling and Melissa Cook

Jennifer Cook, Aaron Isfahani and Tanna Winter

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Legends

S P A N I S H 18

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Will Sackett and Liz McPherson

R E S T A U R A N T Issue #29 November 2013

Weston Creek Woden DODGERS Basketball Club reunion The Woden Tradies Image: Ben Coughlan

Kate Fisher and Geoff Fisher

Brian Grahame, Mary Grahame, Holly Franklin and Brian Franlin

Ted Pettigrove, Jenny Pettigrove, Gary Pettigrove and Lee Reod

Tony Jackson, Tony Charge and Mark Cartwright

Bruce Minerds, Andrew Barr, Sarah McAppion and Brian Franklin

GWS Grand Final Lunch national arboretum Image: Ben Coughlan

Steve Carter, Kate Lundy, Charles Lundy & Taryn Langdon

Scott Dooley, Robert DiPierdomenico & David Matthews

Peter Mitchell, Simon Huszar & Matthew Whittaker

David Cox & Tom Hill

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Neale Guthrie & Ayesha Razzaq

Legends

S P A N I S H Issue #29 November 2013

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thoughtfully reveals, “even though it was great fun and we had lots of success.” Thankfully for the sport and the Capitals, Nat eventually resumed playing with Canberra’s pathway team which was then supported by the ACT Academy of Sport in the NSW Waratah League. Pretty soon Carrie Graf came calling and as Nat so succinctly recalls, said “Let’s do this.” Slotting straight back into the Capitals team, she was promptly part of the city’s first Championship since her sabbatical and then took a step up the next year in their triumph over arch rivals Sydney University. Then after quarter-backing the Capitals to the their most recent title and her seventh in 2010, Nat decided to move to Europe to test herself against some of the world’s best, playing professionally for French club Aix en Provence and most recently in Hungary for Uni Gyor.

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Nat comes full circle back to Canberra Natalie Hurst is certainly not the first person to sit back and marvel at just how she got to where she is today. | SAT 5 OCT | 3PM AIS ARENA The starting point guard and spiritual leader of The Tradies Canberra Capitals is the true home grown CANBERRACAPITALS.COM.AU success story as her earliest recollection of the game confirms.

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“My very first memory of basketball was at 5 years of age being thrust into an Under 10 team my sister was coaching when she was short of players,” Hurst explains. “I cried the whole game but from then on they couldn’t keep me off the court.”

Nat’s dad Les was a very successful junior coach which is often an indicator of future potential, but in this case it seems that the child was left to form her own ideas. “My dad and I are so similar that we butt heads a lot, but when I needed him he was there,” she says. “It was all about what I wanted to do and if I wanted help he obliged, but he never made me do anything I didn’t want to do.” It’s fairly well known that Nat’s career with the Capitals started as a 16 year old bench warmer for the Championship winning team in 1999/2000. It’s probably not as well remembered that she played just 53 total minutes and took 4 field goal attempts throughout the entire season. She is quick to explain that at that stage there was no real future career planning in place for her basketball 20

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“In a way I wish I went to Hungary before France as the south of France is such a beautiful place to live,” she says. “But I loved the basketball in Hungary as I got to play in EuroLeague, travelling to different countries every week and competing against the top European and American WNBA players.” Nat clearly identifies that experience she gained in Europe as being a key factor in her ability to take on a leadership role with Canberra this season. “Over there it’s all about you,” she explains “the coaches don’t make you do individuals, they don’t make you shoot, they just expect you to perform and once you get used to that you’re OK.” Whilst the Capitals had a disrupted preparation for the current WNBL season, Nat sees the mix of young and old players are gradually creating the right chemistry for success. “We can’t afford not to work hard every day and there is still lot of learning ahead, but give us another month and we’ll be firing better.”

and that amazingly, after being a part of her third WNBL Championship in the 2002/03 season, she stopped playing entirely. “It’s not that I wasn’t coping with the basketball,” she says “but things were changing in my life, my friends were doing different things and I thought if I can’t 100% commit to basketball then I won’t play.” It’s hard to grasp in this age of single minded and almost obsessive focus on elite sporting careers that one of Australia’s potential Rio Olympians took a break from her sport at age 21 for almost two years. “In hindsight starting so young with the Capitals is something I maybe wouldn’t do again,” she

Beyond a possible return to Europe at some point in the future there sits the Holy Grail of Olympic representation. And with new Australian Head Coach Brendan Joyce having used Nat as the starting point guard in the recent World Championship qualifying series, the early signs look promising. “It’s a matter of continuing to work on what I know he [Joyce] wants me to do, thus putting myself in the right spot but there are some great point guards out there so it’s always going to be tough,” she said. Finally, when the subject of a possible future beyond her playing days is raised there is barely a moment of hesitation about her answer. “I’m hoping to be involved in basketball, as I love it and always think I have the best job in the world. I like coaching, have experienced it a tiny bit and think I have the head for it, but time will tell. Issue #29 November 2013

ACTEWAGL November EVENTS CALENDAR Week 1: 4-10 november Sunday 10/11

BASE

Bandits V Indians Aranda 3.00pm Vikings V Bears Viking Park 3.00pm Rebels V Eagles North Curtin 3.00pm

Week 3: 18-24 november Sunday 24/11

ABL

CANBERRA CAVALARY V BRISBANE BANDITS 11.00Am

BASE

Bandits V Vikings Aranda 3.00pm Eagles V Indians Kambah 3.00pm Rebels V Bears North Curtin 3.00pm

Week 2: 11-17 november Tuesday 12/11

BASE

Vikings V Indians Narrabundah 7.00pm

Wednesday 13/11

BASE

Bandits V ACTAS Narrabundah 7.00pm

CRIC

ANU V Western District ANU North Oval 11.00am Tuggeranong Valley V Eastlake Chisholm 1 11.00am Weston Creek Molonglo v North Canberra Gungahlin Stirling 11.00am Queanbeyan District V Ginninderra Freebody 11.00am

Saturday 16/11

Sunday 17/11

GRID

JUNIOR BOWL CENTURIONS V SPEARS Greenway Oval 1.30pm

GRID

CAPITAL BOWL SPEARS V TORNADOES Greenway Oval 5.00pm

CANBERRA UNITED V WSW FC McKELLAR PARK 3.00pm

BASE

Bears V Bandits Majura 3.00pm Vikings V Eagles Viking Park 3.00pm Indians V Rebels Stirling 3.00pm

Week 3: 18-24 november Tuesday 19/11

BASE

Rebels V Bandits Narrabundah 7.00pm

Wednesday 20/11

BASE

ACTAS V Bears Narrabundah 7.00pm

Friday 22/11

ABL

CANBERRA CAVALARY V BRISBANE BANDITS 7.00PM

Saturday 23/11

ABL

CANBERRA CAVALARY V BRISBANE BANDITS 4.00PM

Saturday 23/11

ABL

CANBERRA CAVALARY V BRISBANE BANDITS 7.00PM

Saturday 23/11

CRIC

BASE: ACT Baseball Competition ABL: Australian Baseball League CRIC: First Grade Cricket

Week 4: 25-1 november/december Tuesday 26/11

BASE

Bears V Vikings Narrabundah 7.00pm

Wednesday 27/11

BASE

Indians V ACTAS Narrabundah 7.00pm

Saturday 30/11

CRIC

Tuggeranong Valley v ANU Chisholm 1 11.00am Eastlake v Western District UC Kingston Oval 11.00am North Canberra Gungahlin v Queanbeyan District Harrison 2 11.00am Ginninderra v Weston Creek Molonglo Kippax 1 11.00am

Sunday 1/12

BASE

Bandits V Eagles Aranda 3.00pm Bears V Indians Majura 3.00pm Rebels V Vikings North Curtin 3.00pm

*All details correct at time of printing

ActewAGL Athlete on the rise

Rachael Mackey - Equestrian Vaulting. 10 year old Canberra Girls Grammar student Rachael recently competed at the National Championships for Equestrian Vaulting. Not only did she win the National Championship for her age group, but she also came in second place with her Canberra team in the teams category. She hopes to one day represent Australia in international competition and trains hard to reach her goals. THE ActewAGL Athlete on the Rise recognises and rewards the achievements of our rising sporting talent. The award caters for athletes at all levels of competition. It is not only results that count, but good sportsmanship as well. Do you know someone that qualifies as an ActewAGL Athlete on the Rise? Send all nominations to editor@playcanberra.com.au

NET: Netball GRID: ACT Gridiron WL: W-League Soccer

ActewAGL Retail ABN 46 221 314 841.

More reasons to follow us.

Issue #29 November 2013

As Principal Partner of the Centenary of Canberra, we will be able to offer access to upcoming major events. Keep up with what’s happening locally, win tickets and access exclusive events on our Facebook page.

facebook.com/actewagl

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Aaron Ramsey, Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna providing the final, vital touches. Then there was his masterclass against Napoli in the Champions League. He had a goal inside eight minutes – his first for Arsenal – which was of an exquisite nature, but his deft outside-of-the-foot cross that set up Olivier Giroud was freakish. Ozil, in 11 appearances in all competitions, has scored three goals and grabbed three assists*. His performances, for the most part, have bordered on the cosmic. It could be said that Arsenal’s abysmal opening day display against Villa was a consequence of a playing group coming to grips with the club’s failure to procure during the transfer window – Ozil didn’t arrive until later – the sort of talent that is required for a team to succeed in the English topflight.

Ozil’s arrival gives Arsenal a mojo

Rarely in English football – or anywhere for that matter – has a single acquisition had such an uplifting effect as Mesut Ozil’s £42.5 million move to Arsenal from Real Madrid during the most recent summer transfer window. By Antony Perry @antonyperry. Of course, there was the arrival of Roman Abramovich and his takeover of Chelsea Football Club, for which he paid just £60 million, in 2003. The £2 billion Abramovich has poured into the club since has undoubtedly pleased the Stamford Bridge faithful. A steady trickle of trophies (11) has ensured that effect. But his presence hasn’t exactly been uplifting. Away from the blue boroughs of west London, the Russian’s existence in the English game is considered a toxic one. Ozil’s arrival, however, has been one marked by grace, elegance and joy. And members of the Arsenal faithful aren’t the only ones who will attest to that. Take this scribe’s word for it.

One player does not make a team, but, when one is as talented as Ozil, he can transform it. And the German maestro, who operates best behind the strikers and is notoriously difficult for defenders to pick up, has done just that. Arsenal, at the time of writing, is top of the Premier League. The tumultuous scenes of the 3-1 opening day home defeat to Aston Villa are now all but a distant memory. Ozil has added vivid splashes of colour to Arsenal’s season, turning what threatened to be a still life into a very attractive landscape. He singlehandedly dismantled Stoke City in week five of the Premier League. Three set-pieces, three artful swings of his left boot and three goals, the heads of

ACT’S NEW WORK SAFETY SUPERHERO “Hazardman is a light-hearted and engaging way to get young people, who are amongst our most vulnerable workers, or future workers, talking about workplace safety,” ACT Work Safety Commissioner Mr McCabe said. Hazardman is a graphic novel style work safety superhero featured in a series of comics, fact sheets and other resources developed by WorkSafe ACT with 22

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the support of the national body, Safe Work Australia. The resources also feature a series of villains, based on common workplace hazards. “This project is a fresh and original approach to a topic which is often overlooked or considered dull or unimportant. We cannot afford for the importance of safety to be devalued or under-estimated and the ACT Government is committed to making sure it stays on the

Arsene Wenger, the manager, is cautious with his spending. He likes players who seem to glide across the pitch, moving with elegance and a hint of intent. He likes them creative, visionary, ambitious and imaginative. What Wenger likes is encapsulated in Ozil and few others. That’s not to say Wenger had been working with a squad short on talent before Ozil’s arrival, but it lacked a player of the German’s calibre – a player with flawless technique and an ability to draw the best out of those around him. The effect Ozil has had at the north London club can be discerned everywhere: in the joy of the supporters, in the new-found confidence of players such as Ramsey and Giroud, both of whom lead the league with four assists each, and perhaps above all in the way that Wenger looks as if he is enjoying life at the helm again. A huge weight has been lifted from the great man’s shoulders. Some coaches prefer team skill to individual brilliance. Wenger, by securing Ozil, has been able to enjoy both so far this campaign. And we, the supporters and admirers of the 11-a-side game, have been able to marvel at his astonishing ability. Ozil is pretty to watch, and thus Arsenal has become the team to watch. *Statistics correct as at 3 November, 2013. agenda,” said Mr McCabe. The Hazardman project will not only inform young workers about safety issues, it will encourage them to be proactive about risk mitigation and discussing hazards with their supervisors. This initiative will also provide a suite of resources for use in any workplace that employs young people. WorkSafe’s initial focus, aside from school students, will be workers in the construction, retail and hospitality sectors. For more information go to hazardman.act.gov.au Issue #29 November 2013

A charity match between ActewAGL All Stars and a Media team has netted $900 for crisis support and suicide prevention charity Lifeline Canberra. The All Stars dominated the match as 12 baskets were scored, with $50 passed onto Lifeline for each shot which went in. Unfortunately, no $100 3 pointers were scored despite the referee and Caps Man making attempts in addition to the players. The star studded All Stars were led by crowd favorite Cal Bruton while 104.7’s Joe Gleeson was strong for the Media Team. ActewAGL Marketing and Corporate Affairs Director Paul Walshe says there was plenty of fun and banter on the day. “I’m the first to admit I was there to make up the numbers. But, Cal Bruton and Ross Solly kept us all entertained with their Harlem Globetrotters style antics and importantly we raised $900 for Lifeline.” A $900 cheque will be presented to Lifeline Canberra. ActewAGL provided $600 from the 12 baskets scored during the match while Basketball ACT chipped in a further $300.

actewagl charaity basketball match nets $900 for Lifeline Canberra

Issue #29 November 2013

The ActewAGL All Stars consisted of: Paul Walshe (ActewAGL), Andrew Barr (Deputy Chief Minister), Cal Bruton (Canberra Cannons legend), Lucille Bailie (Former Canberra Capitals Captain), Linda Muir (Former Canberra Capital) and Alan Tongue (Former Canberra Raiders Captain).

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“It’s good to be here.” There’s nothing simple about the Dutchwoman’s task, though. She has inherited a side that largely underperformed in 2012-13, with United last year failing to qualify for the finals for the first time in the club’s proud history. Such a record means there is a huge weight of expectation on Migchelsen to deliver, particularly given the club’s hugely impressive undefeated, titlewinning season under Klimkova just two seasons ago (2011-12). “Jitka did a good job during her time at the club,” Migchelsen said. “But this is a new start for me and for the team as well. “We are only looking forward and we’re looking at how we can improve as a team.

United will rise above disruptions, says coach

New Canberra United coach Liesbeth Migchelsen has dismissed claims that a disrupted pre-season will have a negative impact on her side’s start to the W-League season. By Antony Perry @antonyperry. United has a daunting opening month to its 2013-14 campaign, starting with an away fixture against arch nemesis Brisbane Roar. The squad began pre-season training at the end of September, but some of United’s stars were only able to link up with the team at the end of October – just over a week before from the opening round. Among the late arrivals were key players Lydia Williams and Jenni Bissett, who had both been playing club football in Sweden over the off-season. Despite only having a week to train with the squad before the first game, Migchelsen said it had been ample time for the late comers to make the transition and said the side would not be affected during the opening rounds. “I’m not nervous at all because we’ve already played three [pre-season] games against [male sides] with the girls we’ve had available and they did quite well [in those games],” Migchelsen said. “The team’s organisation was good and the girls played the way we want to be playing. “The [players who arrived late] understand the game and can read the game...they will fit in fine. “It won’t be any problem for us. “One week is enough time.” Dutch-born Migchelsen arrived at the club in 24

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September after agreeing to take over at the helm. She takes the reins from former coach Jitka Klimkova, who spent the previous two seasons at the Canberra franchise. A decorated player in her homeland, Migchelsen played at Dutch clubs D.V.V. Puck Deventer, Saestum Zeist and AZ Alkmaar, as well playing 95 times for the Dutch national side. Her coaching experience is impressive, too. She is a former assistant coach of the Netherlands female under-19 team and has coached numerous club sides in Europe. She boasts experience in the technical aspect of the game as well, having worked as a video analyst and scout for the Russian men’s team during the Euro 2012 tournament held in Poland and the Ukraine.

“The aim is to qualify for the first four and then to go on and win the championship – that’s everyone’s aim.” The club has retained the core of the squad from the past couple of seasons, giving Migchelsen the stability required to succeed in top-flight football. But that has not stopped her from recruiting new talent. Joining the 14 players from last season’s squad is US trio Stephanie Ochs, Kendall Fletcher and Lori Lindsey, as well as Williams, who missed last season through injury, Westfield Matildas under-20 player Meg McLaughlin and Queensland defender Holly Houston. Striker Michelle Heyman will once again pull on the green shirt in 2013-14 and she will be Canberra’s shining light in attack. The 25-year-old enjoyed a fine season in the ACT Women’s Premier League over winter, scoring 22 goals to lead Belconnen United to an undefeated, title-winning season. “[Heyman] could be very important for us,” Migchelsen said. “If the team helps her to get into scoring positions and if she can finish off those opportunities it is good for everyone. “But the team is the most important and then the individual.”

Migchelsen’s resume is undoubtedly impressive and could have taken her to a coaching role anywhere in the world, but the 42-year-old is happy to be at United.

And with a mentality such as that, it appears United is in good hands to launch its revival and return to the competition’s top four.

“As a coach you have your own ideas of where you want to go,” she said.

Canberra United in 2013-14 is: Lydia WILLIAMS, Catherine BROWN, Georgia YEOMAN-DALE, Kendall FLETCHER, Grace FIELD, Caitlin MUNOZ, Ellie BRUSH, Meg McLAUGHLIN, Grace GILL, Snez VELJANOVSKA, Michelle HEYMAN, Sally ROJAHN, Nicole SYKES, Ashleigh SYKES, Sally SHIPARD, Lori LINDSEY, Holly HOUSTON, Jenni BISSETT, Trudy BURKE and Stephanie OCHS.

“The opportunity came here in Australia and it was good for me to talk to [Capital Football CEO Heather Reid]. “She told me a lot about Canberra United and the Green family and I was attracted to that. “It was a good conversation and we came to an agreement.

Issue #29 November 2013

UNITED WE STAND UP COMING GAMES Vs Western sydney wanderers 17 november 3.00pm McKellar Park VS Brisbane Roar 8 December 3.00pm McKellar Park

FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT www.canberraunited.com.au Issue #29 November 2013

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100 SPORTING EVENTS, 100 DAYS, 1 CENTENARY YEAR

SPORTENARY

Over 50 weeks of the Centenary year, there will be 100 community events showcasing a diversity of sport and recreation activities, facilities and local attractions throughout the ACT that get Canberrans off the bench and participating in Sportenary! Further information can be found at www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

Event Name

Run with the Wind

Organisation

Elite Energy

Date

Sunday 17 November 2013

Time

9.00am to 1.00pm

Location

Woodlawn Wind Farm – Tarago Collector Rd, Tarago

Event Details

www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

Ice Dragons Dragon Boat & Outrigger Open Day

Event Name

Budding Brumbies Launch Day

Event Name

Organisation

the Brumbies

Organisation

Canberra Ice Dragons Paddle Club

Date

Friday 1 November 2013

Date

Sunday 17 November 2013

Time

4.00pm – 5.00pm

Time

10.00am to 2.00pm

Location

7 Venues across Canberra

Location

Reconciliation Place (near the flagpoles)

Event Details

www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

Event Details

www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

Event Name

Sri Chinmoy Triathlon Festival

Event Name

Try BMX for FREE @ Canberra BMX Club

Organisation

Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team

Organisation

Canberra BMX Club

Date

Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 November 2013

Date

Friday 22 November 2013

Time

9.00am to 12.00pm

Time

5.30pm – 6.30pm

Location

Yarralumla Bay

Location

Canberra BMX Club - Copland Dr, Melba

Event Details

www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

Event Details

www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

Event Name

Kick Up Your Heels: UC Live! presents: Shake It

Event Name

2013 Centenary Trail Blaze

Organisation

SoCanDance

Organisation

Pedal Power

Date

Saturday 16 November 2013

Date

Saturday 30 November and Sunday 1 December 2013

Time

8.00pm to 11.00pm

Time

7.00am

Location

Zierholz@UC Building 1, University of Canberra

Location

Blundells Cottage

Event Details

www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

Event Details

www.canberra100.com.au/sportenary

landmarks and culture were incorporated in to the skills being learnt. The Sky Whale even made an appearance in the weeks activities. The children had to place her above a picture their favorite place in Canberra. Questacon was the most popular location for the whale to fly over. The school aged children in the program had a busy week participating in the Centenary 100 Skills Challenge. They were challenged to complete 100 gymnastics skills within their lesson time. There was forward rolls, handstands, front supports, swinging, jumping … the list was exhausting.

Centenary club of the month Woden Valley Gymnastics Club The Woden Valley Gymnastics Club enjoyed a whole week of events celebrating the Centenary of Canberra.

fun to learn, there were similarities to the gymnastics we see today.

It began with the senior National Boys presenting a display of gymnastics skills from the 1924 Paris Olympics at an ACT Gymnastics event. The skills were

This was followed by the clubs kindergym children aged 9 months to 5 years - having a whole week of Canberra themed circuits. Many of Canberra’s iconic

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The children and coaches were invited to wear something yellow and many got into the spirit of the occasion. It was a great week of fun, challenges and celebration of everything the club loves about Canberra.

Honourable mention: This months honourable mention goes to the Weston creek Women’s Bowling club. The club organized a Centenary of Canberra social bowls day with over 40 bowlers attending. All participants wore yellow as part of the celebrations

Issue Issue#29 #29 November 2013

principles are being applied to develop graded approaches to fitness improvement and the teaching of skills. The program has many unique aspects”. The rules of Box’Tag competition ban impacts to the head. Contestants wear special vests and gloves incorporating sensor materials. This enables automated, real-time, accurate scoring. Gloves that limit ability to deliver forceful impacts are being used in training, and are about to be introduced into competition. Erindale is not the only Box’Tag site. Programs exist in Sydney, Melbourne and Ulladulla and a program is being developed in Brisbane. Box’Tag has been included in the 2014 Australasian Police & Emergency Services Games. Boxing Australia, which controls Australian amateur boxing, has officially adopted Box’Tag as a vehicle for positive community engagement.

Box’Tag – A New Dimension to Boxing Training and Competition

On any weeknight, the Police Community Youth Club (PCYC) at Erindale is abuzz with people taking part in activities that at first glance might look like standard boxing training. There’s a full-size boxing ring and a row of punching bags. Many people are wearing boxing attire and former AIS and national boxing coach Paul Perkins is running various exercises and drills. But looks can be deceiving; this is a boxing program with a fundamental difference. It is focused on a modified form of boxing called Box’Tag, where safety and enjoyment are paramount. Box’Tag has its basis in technology and organisations such as CSIRO, the Australian Sports Commission and the University of Canberra have contributed to its evolution. Box’Tag is for everyone, catering to all levels of participation from

boxing-related (but Box’Tag-specific) training through to formal Box’Tag competition. Participants choose the levels that meet their needs. Coach Paul Perkins emphasises that, at Erindale, the intent is to provide a place of belonging for everyone and a clear purpose for their training. He notes that “All participants are treated as athletes, and we employ a structure resembling that used in high-performance settings. Scientific

Back at Erindale, the casual observer quickly notices that the training environment has some exceptional characteristics. Among the most striking is the large number of participants, with ages ranging from 6 to 50+ and more than half the group being female. Fitness levels vary widely. The training involves activities not usually seen in boxing gyms, including exercises requiring progressively increasing levels of coordination and games designed to assist development of Box’Tag skills. In one corner, the Box’Tag scoring technology is in action. Overall, there’s lots of sweating and puffing, but also plenty of smiles and positive, supportive interaction within the group. Prominent signs in the hall indicate that the University of Canberra is supporting Research & Development in Box’Tag, and this is consistent with the innovation and professionalism that’s on display. Anyone interested in trying Box’Tag can contact the Erindale PCYC on (02) 6175 8100 and/or attend a free interactive workshop that is to be held at Erindale on Sunday 17 November (details below).

Do you want to learn about Box’Tag? Come along to the Canberra Box’Tag Workshop On Sunday 17 November, a one-off Box’Tag workshop will be held at the Erindale PCYC (36-46 Grattan Ct Wanniassa) from 9.30am to 11.00am. The workshop will be run by former AIS and national boxing coach Paul Perkins, who is now overseeing a thriving Box’Tag program. Box’Tag is a form of competitive boxing that’s designed to be safe and fun. It focuses on the positive aspects of boxing; physical fitness, speed, and complex skills.

• An explanation of the unique automated scoring technology and an opportunity for attendees to experiment with it. • A chance for attendees to directly experience Box’Tag training drills and skill development games. • Discussion of plans for further implementation of novel training and competition models.

The workshop will include:

The workshop is suitable for people of all ages. It will cater for potential Box’Tag participants, coaches and officials, and will be relevant also to personal trainers and operators of training facilities.

• A live demonstration of Box’Tag.

Registration for the workshop is FREE!

Box’Tag Workshop

Issue #29 November 2013

Workshop Registration

To register for the workshop please: • Register online via https://boxtag.wufoo.eu/forms/ boxtag-introduction-workshop/ • Email boxtagworkshop@gmail.com • SMS names and numbers to 0407 408 052 The workshop is made possible by financial support from the International Olympic Solidarity Commission, the Australian Olympic Committee and the Queensland Academy of Sport. Other forms of support are being provided by Boxing Australia and the University of Canberra.

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The other thing Andrew rates highly is a holistic approach to player development, trying to ensure they build the necessary character traits that separate great players from average players. This means they need to have high standards in all aspects of their lives – not just on the pitch. He believes unless players – and especially developing young players – have those high standards, it’s hard for them to develop the pride and self-respect they need to consistently succeed at an elite level. “If players continually get let off by their coaches, their parents, their teachers or their employers, their standards drop. If standards drop away from the field, it doesn’t take too long before standards can drop on the field as well.”

Image: Fiona Brammall

In order to succeed in elite sport you first need to fail a few times

Andrew Dawson, High Performance Director at Cricket ACT, believes that natural talent is not enough to succeed in elite sport, or in fact in life. He talks to PLAY Magazine about the need for sportspeople to develop resilience, self-control and optimism. And, he says, you only get those from learning to overcome failure. In Andrew’s office overlooking the pitch at Manuka Oval, there is a quote from Calvin Coolidge posted on the wall: “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not – nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.” It describes perfectly Andrew’s approach to developing players in the Meteors and Comets. Andrew believes that failure – and learning to overcome it – is a critical part of any elite sportsperson’s development. In fact, he attributes the ability to overcome hardship as one of the key elements in successful players – a reason he gives as to why many of the best male sportspeople in Australia come from

country and regional backgrounds. As he puts it, “in the country they have had to grow up asap.” “Confidence is really important to elite sportspeople. Sometimes it’s the only thing that separates two good teams or two good players. But you can’t get confidence without testing yourself. Without knowing that you can overcome obstacles, it’s difficult to remain confident in the face of new challenges. And that knowledge only comes from first-hand experience of setbacks.” Andrew says that people need to know that they can recover from a failure or a setback. It’s that knowledge or confidence that can make all the difference to a successful person, whether they’re an athlete or not.

Andrew started discussing the subject of resilience and failure with local charity Menslink back in 2011 after a particularly challenging year for ACT Cricket. One of Menslink’s key objectives is to help build resilience and confidence among young men in the community and a link with Cricket ACT only seemed natural. Both organisations believe young men (and women) need to be able to take risks in a safe and supportive environment in order to develop their confidence, strength and resilience. If they either don’t have that supportive environment or if they’re not encouraged to take risks at all then things can go pear-shaped fairly quickly in their lives. Menslink works with young men right across the community. Like Cricket ACT, they try and encourage the young men in their programs to build on their strengths, developing resilience and pride in who they are along the way. Menslink CEO Martin Fisk says that a lot of young guys can be caught between high expectations of others (parents, teachers and even peers) and low self-esteem. “We try and encourage them to look at their own strengths and develop their own expectations and goals. Over time, they can work through the obstacles and challenges life throws their way.” Andrew is very supportive of the role Menslink plays in helping young men in the community, especially those who might not have positive or strong guidance in their lives. He also appreciates the advice Menslink provides him and the Cricket ACT coaches in helping develop resilience among young players. It’s a good relationship that works for both the cricketers and also for Menslink. More information about Menslink for volunteers, young men and their families is available from www.menslink.org.au

HELPING YOUNG MEN ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL FOR OVER TEN YEARS FREE COUNSELLING AND MENTORING FOR YOUNG MEN AGED 12-25 TO GET HELP OR TO GET INVOLVED WWW.MENSLINK.ORG.AU

PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY: 28

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Issue #29 November 2013

Is sitting down ruining your life? By Alan Romero, Advanced Performance Coaching. There is one thing I find myself ranting about a lot these days, and it’s because it’s a challenge I face with every client, every session of every day. The issue is gluteal deactivation and, in western society in particular, the causes can be numerous; 1. Some experts say that our daily lives lack any real stimulus for the glutes. 2. Others say that after our first 2-3 years of life we lose our ‘squat pattern’, and after many, many years of not using this archetypal movement pattern, our hips lose much of their suppleness, making it very difficult to get into certain positions or activate certain muscle groups. …But I think most would agree that one of the biggest factors in gluteal deactivation is; 3. The time we spend in a seated position. Exactly how much time do you think you spend sitting? In my experience people consistently underestimate this number, let’s have a look… Even someone who has an active/physical job (e.g labourer) will still be seated for breakfast (10-20min) seated on the drive to work (10-30min), seated for lunch/ smoko (10-20min) seated on the drive home from work (1030min) seated when they arrive to relax/watch TV/snack (10-20min) seated for dinner (30-40min) and most likely seated for the majority of rest of the night (1-2 hours) For all except the most active people, this adds up to an absolute minimum of 2.2 hours, and that’s if you eat every meal like a machine. If we are trying to maintain a good balance between switching our glutes off (sitting; 2.2 hours daily) and switching them on (exercise: average of 0.5 hours daily) then we are missing the mark by quite a margin, especially when you consider that when the average person exercises, they are definitely NOT targeting their glutes. Let me highlight that these numbers are for someone who works standing up, which is NOT the majority of people, if you then add in an extra 6-7 hours of sitting time for those in a desk job, you are looking at around 10 hours per weekday, and around a minimum of 55 hours per week sitting on your keister.

Wait… why should we care about sitting down and gluteal deacti- whatever? I’m glad you asked. As I outlined in the previous issue of PLAY, having good-functioning, strong glutes is about more than just filling out your pantaloons. For those who missed it, you might also be missing out on these benefits; increased strength, reduced back/ knee/ankle/hip pain, increased joint support, and improved sporting performance just to name a few. So now that we know the issues, what can we do to combat this plague on my existence? The first issue of ‘lack of stimulus’ is a hard one to tackle; the real issue is that our everyday lives are not very physical anymore. We have plenty of machines to do our work for us, and virtually anything that would expose us to a physical challenge has been outlawed for fear of someone being sued. There are things we can do to increase our activity and we’ve all heard them before: • Park further away and walk • Ride a bicycle to work • Take the stairs instead of the lift • Take the dog for a walk • Do some gardening • Do exercises in the ad breaks of your favourite TV show While these things are not without their merits, they are really just scratching the surface of what it takes to combat deactivation in any meaningful way. The key to winning this battle is targeted activation. The good news is that because the de-activation is passive, it doesn’t have such a pronounced effect; it is only over a period of years that it builds up and becomes an issue. In the same way, targeted activation has a far more pronounced effect and so it takes a much shorter time to begin turning the tables. Check the last issue of PLAY for examples of simple exercises you can do at home! The second issue is squat patterning. This image (top right) is not some exceptional example; this is how ALL infants move, in fact after learning to walk, this is the only way they know to pick something up from the ground. While some might look at this now and think;

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“Hey that’s all well and good for a child, but adults naturally lose that flexibility over time” I’d like to invite you to google image search ‘third world squat’ and see that has nothing to do with age, but rather it is our behaviour that has allowed us to lose this ability. The good news is you can reclaim it with a bit of commitment and dedication. In these countries the people are constantly going from squatting to standing (eating, socialising, going to the toilet) this is an excellent way to keep your hips healthy and your muscles balanced. The glutes are the primary force in rising from a deep squat position, getting such a frequent use on a daily basis keeps them switched on and rarely do they get a chance to deactivate. The third issue is the hardest one and the reason for this piece of writing, sitting has become such an ingrained part of our lives that most people in the western world can hardly even envision a world without chairs/ couches/benches etc. In ‘developing’ countries where squatting occurs at least once daily (squat toilets) a large percentage of lower abdominal disorders are virtually unheard of in fact, adopting a sitting position for a number of activities in our lives (particularly while removing waste) has been implicated by many experts as a major factor in the following abdominal issues: • Crohns disease and Colitis • Constipation • Contamination of the small intestine • Diverticulosis • Haemorrhoids • Hiatus Hernia • Prostate disorders • Bladder incontinence • Gynaecological disorders • Pregnancy and birth issues • Sexual dysfunction Whenever I present this information to people they always look at me like I’m from another planet, “Are you telling me to go poo outside from now on?!” Of course the sitting toilet has been a major part of most people’s lives since a very young age, and I realise many would be loath to let it go, with this in mind, do yourself a favour and begin to practice some extracurricular squatting. 5 minutes each day is a good start; this will improve hip strength and flexibility, likely decrease any stiffness or pain around the hip or leg area, and may help with any of the above issues. Until next time… playcanberra.com.au

PLAY CANBERRA

crossword 1

23 5

7 8

DOWN

Across

1 and 22 Across Long-serving NRL ‘supercoach’ (5,7)

6 See 7 Across

2 Older Australian golfer? Peter ___ (6)

7 and 6 Across England national football manager before Roy Hodgson (5,7)

3 Chris ___, former England bowler, also of advanced years? (3)

9 Winners 4-0 at home in the 2013 cricket series against Australia (5)

4 Tennis star ___ Nadal (6)

10 Unauthorized absence from school (7)

5 Champion Aussie diver Matthew ___ (7)

12 Aston Villa and Australia striker (5,6)

8 Target sport (7)

14 Australian opening bat with a fondness for late-night tweeting (5,6)

11 Famed race driver John ‘Jackie’ ___ (7)

13 Home of Courtney Walsh and Chris Gayle (7)

15 South Sydney and Brisbane NRL dynamo, Greg ___ (6)

19 Test Match Special commentator Jonathan ___ (5) 21 With a strong unpleasant smell (5) 22 See 1 Down

16 Nicking (6)

18 Host city of the 1988 Winter Olympics (7)

17 Home of the WACA ground (5)

20 Mr Rosewall (3)

M A S T E R S

19 20

W A S I M

A J O R A A P R O O I M O N E G B B R L S I E I C R U M E A D H E E L I E O A N E D A N A E P S O O N T Y

A N F I E L D A D A M S

K R A M A A L Y E R I S C I A A K A R E R E N A V R W A R D N O U S A N

Crossword #22 solutions

“Ask not what your teammates can do for you. Ask what you can do for your teammates.” - Magic Johnson.

Jason Lancsar

COERVER Coaching Master Class Series.

COERVER® Coaching Asia Pacific Director

We hope you enjoy our Coerver Coaching Play Magazine homework designed to improve your game but above all have fun while practicing. Coerver Coaching has been a global leader in 1v1, this month we look at the Step Over Scissors.

Topic: The Step Over Scissors

• This is a double feint and each foot action must be quick so the whole move happens at speed to prevent the opponent from stepping in and stealing the ball. • Use this move in front of your opponent’s goal. • And use this move when your opponent is in front of you.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

As you are running toward your opponent, fake to kick the ball.

Instead, step around the ball.

Then, step around it again with the same foot.

To the other side of the ball.

Push the ball with the outside of your opposite foot and accelerate away.

See next issue for more tips from Coerver Coaching or for further information please visit our website www.coerver.com.au

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Issue #29 November 2013

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