10 May 2008 Y
BLINKBLINK **
It was a enjoyable but tiring day today. I did heaps of things which I'd never done it when I was in Singapore.
Today, I would be talking about my experiences on what I did on that day:
(1) Lawn Bowling
(2) Rodeo
(3) Symphony under the Stars
Today, I would be talking about my experiences on what I did on that day:
(1) Lawn Bowling
(2) Rodeo
(3) Symphony under the Stars
Lawn Bowling
We started our Saturday morning with friendly lawn bowling game which started at about 10 A.M.. We played it in Lawn Bowl club in Port Augusta.
Previously, when I was walking to Marion Shopping Centre which is situated in Adelaide (a 40-60 minutes walk from my school), I used to walk past the lawn bowling field. Sometime, I would see many Australians playing lawn bowling. I would just stand outside and was really curious about the rules of the game.
Finally, I had my chance of learning how to play lawn bowling. I was really excited. It was my first time playing it. It was quite fun too.
For those who have no idea what lawn bowling is about, I will give you a short background of lawn bowling.
Background of Lawn Bowling
Bowls (also known as Lawn Bowls or Lawn Bowling) is a precision sport in which the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical balls (called bowls) closest to a smaller white ball (the "jack" or "kitty" or "sweetie").
+Box+of+lawn+bowl+balls.jpg)
The Lawn Bowls
Lawn bowls are available in different sizes with a mid sized men's bowl being between 116mm and 131mm in diameter. They are made of a hard plastic material which is able to withstand the constant contact between bowls during play. Their weight should not exceed 1.59kg.
"Jack", "Kitty" or "Sweetie"
+Kitty+or+Jack.jpg)
The lawn bowl which I used during my game
+Lawn+Bowl.jpg)
+Lawn+Bowl1.jpg)
Bowls were once only available in either black or brown colours. However, they are a variety of colours including a range of fluorescent hues. As you can see, there is a unique symbol markings engraved on the bowl. It was meant for identification as many bowls either look similiar or has the same colours.
Lawn bowling field
Lawn bowling can be played either outdoors or indoors. Bowling Green is a large, rectangular, precisely leveled and manicured grass or synthetic surface known as Bowling Green which is divided into parallel playing strips called rinks.
The carpet-like surface for Bowling Green
Pictorial picture of the Bowling Green
My first throw
As you can see from the picture, the bowl was pretty close to the white ball which is considered a good bowl. I was really excited about my first throw, hence I decided to take a picture of it.
+My+1st+throw.jpg)
After our lawn bowling, we went shopping (for clothes and grocery for the day's events) and lunch. We had our lunch at Hot Peppers where I had quiche with chips & salad. After our lunch, we went to Natelie's house to put down our groceries before heading for our Rodeo event.
Quiche with chips and salad
Rodeo
We went for my first rodeo experience at around 330pm. We need to pay an entry fee of about A$20. I had no idea what to expect from it as it was my first experience.
Rodeo is a sport which which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding. At the event, I realized that it was a sporting event which consisted of several different timed and judged events that involve cattle and horses, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys/cowgirls athletes who had signed up to participate in the sport.
Upon entry to the area, I took some pictures of the venue.
+Upon+Entry+to+the+Rodeo.jpg)
.jpg)
As the event started earlier and we arrived slightly later, we only saw a few events which include
(1) Barrel racing
The barrel racing event is a timed-speed and agility event.
In the barrel race, horse and rider gallop around a clover leaf patterns of barrels, making agile turns without knocking the barrels over within a period as short as possible.
(2) Steer wrestling
Steer wrestling is also known as bulldogging whereby the rider was suppose to jump off his/her horse onto a steer and wrestles it to the ground by grabbing it by its horns. In the event, it was observed to be the most physically dangerous event as the cowboy might possibly of either a high risk of jumping off a running horse with his head first and missing the steer or having the thrown steer land on top of him or the horns first.
(3) Roping
In the timed-roping event, it involved the cowboy capturing the calves and adult cattle by using the rope.
(4) "Rough Stock" competition
In the "Rough Stock" competition, there are a few events which include
(a) Bronc Riding
The riders are only allowed to hang onto a bucking horse (popular myth that the "broncs" are wild horses but in fact they are commonly spoiled riding horses or horses bred specifically as bucking stock) for as long as possible, which is called Bronc riding.
(b) Bull riding
The cowboys are suppose to ride on a full-grown bulls instead of horses. The danger of this event is higher than the Bronc riding event because the bull are unpredictable and may attack the fallen rider. There was a Rodeo clown (also known as Bullfighter) whereby his work was to distract the bull to prevent the bull rider competitors from getting injured.
My friends who went for the Rodeo event
From the left to the right: Jennifer, Annabell, Natelie, Leah & Rebacca
Symphony Under the Stars
After our Rodeo events, we went to Nat's place to grab our picnic goodies for the next event which is Symphony under the stars. The event was situated at Fairway One of the Port Augusta Golf Course set against the breathtaking views of the Flinders Ranges and started at 7pm. The 4 of us (Jennifer, Natelie, Leah and me) decided to reach there earlier so we shared a cab together to the venue.
When we arrived, the place was already very crowded but luckily our friends arrived earlier and reserved a good place for us.
What a crowded place
A good view from the place we sit
+View+from+my++place.jpg)
We all gathered together and had our dinner under the stars while enjoying our symphony. Most of the foods were food usually eaten by the Aussie. During that night, I shivered in cold initially. Luckily, Leah brought a blanket where we shared it together. It felt much better after that and enjoyed myself throughout.
+Tchaikovski+1812.jpg)
Halfway throughout the symphony, there was a toilet break. I didn't expect that the toilet was in a truck until I saw a long queue of people. Only till then that I realized that it was a portable toilet. The following are some pictures of the toilet truck.
The Toilet Truck
At the end of the symphony, there were fireworks whereby many of us didn't really expect that to happen. However, I took some pictures of the firework.
+Finale.jpg)
+Finale.jpg)
+Finale.jpg)
+Finale.jpg)
Anyway, this is what I will type for today's entry. There are still heaps of things that I haven't update yet. Do stay tune for more in my next entry. Hope you guys enjoy reading my blog. See you soon. =)