Sport Lived Introductory Drinks in Sydney

Sport Lived recently sent a group of 29 prospective sports men, women and coaches to Sydney. Their tenure is set to last just over five months from 15 March through until 23 August. During their time in Sydney, the group will partake in sports such as hockey, rugby union, football and netball. We managed to get our hands on some of the photos from the ‘Introductory Drinks’ which were held at the Opera Bar in Sydney’s picturesque Circular Quay. Coincidentally, the date fell on St. Patrick’s Day which meant that there were two reasons to celebrate and as we can see the participants had a great night. This evening should be the start of what will be a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable programme for them all in Sydney 2009.

 

Scott’s Fond Farewell

This year saw Rugby Union player Scott Hayes play in not only one, but two grand finals for his club in Sydney.  Scott played for the second grade team, losing their game narrowly after conceding a late try in the final five minutes.  The final score was 16-9.  And then true to his great form all season, Scott backed up to play for the first grade team, but they were disappointingly beaten 39-5. 

Scott (left) with Tom Prevezer

Scott played extremely well throughout the season, and to show their appreciation for Scott being such a wonderful part of their team, his club organised for a limo to pick him up from his accommodation to take him to the airport and the whole team came to see him off to England.  Way to go, Scott!

Well Done Ed

Congratulations to Ed Tellwright who has been selected for the UWIC First XV Rugby Squad.  Ed attended the Sport Lived Rugby Academy in Brisbane for 3 months from March – June 2008.  Ed worked extremely hard at the academy and his game improved significantly during his time on the programme.  Each player attending the academy is assigned to a club in Brisbane.  Ed progressed from his club’s Fourth Grade Senior men’s team at the beginning of his programme to their First Grade Senior’s Men’s Team where he was playing the highest standard of club rugby in Queensland and the level directly below the Super 14.

Ed (second from left) with academy players in Brisbane

UWIC’s First XV play in the Welsh Division One East League.  Ed has played 4 games for the club so far this season including UWIC’s 47-22 victory over Penallta on Saturday where Ed was amongst the try scorers.

Well done to Ed and we wish him the best of luck for the remainder of the season with UWIC.

Good luck Scott in the Grand Final!

Scott Hayes’ Second Grade Colts rugby team in Sydney have qualified for the Grand Final which takes place on Saturday at Concord Oval.  The team played two matches during the Grand Final Series to qualify for the Grand Final.  The first of these matches saw the team come back from a 0-13 half time deficit to win 14-13 with the game being played in extremely wet weather.  Last Saturday the team won 15-7 to secure their place in the final.

Scott’s clubs First Grade Colts team also qualified for Saturday’s final which should be a great day for all involved. 

Good luck Scott!

Grand Final Rugby Victory

Congratulations to Jake Ashall and Sean Hughes who have just finished their Sport Lived rugby union programme to Brisbane in fantastic style by winning the Grand Final with their club.  Playing for their club’s First Grade Colts Team the boys helped the team secure a 16-15.  In a tense and very close encounter the lads came from behind and snatched victory in the dying seconds with a last minute drop goal.

The team celebrated their victory long into the night and the celebrations continued the following weekend at the club’s awards dinner.

Well done Jake and Sean!

Rugby Academy in Brisbane

Sat (4th from the right) with fellow Sport Lived participants in Brisbane

Satyajit Alawattegama (Sat) is a current participant at the Sport Lived Rugby Academy in Brisbane, and can safely say that he has already mentioned the 2003 English World Cup victory over Australia to each and every one of Brisbane’s two million inhabitants.  Whilst this may be seen as undermining English-Australian relations, we are proud to say that Sat is actually relishing his time in Brisbane – enjoying a unique experience in a vibrant city, both on and off the field!

Sport Lived runs 8 and 12 week academy programmes, where participants enjoy the same conditions as elite, professional rugby players – with emphasis on physical improvement, physiological aspects of the game, even down to the education side of sport – such as nutrition and injury prevention.  Sat points out; “The training is really good; it’s like being a professional player for the 3 months, which is exactly what I wanted!” He added; “The coaching staff are top class and really know their stuff and how to improve players”. It is the six days a week programme that is not only giving Sat the chance to play the sport he loves, but to improve as a player and fulfil his potential.

Sat playing for his club in Brisbane

Not only has Sat enjoyed the Rugby Academy, he believes it has helped his game tremendously, mentioning; “my basic skills such as tackling and passing have improved greatly, mainly because of the training they gave us and also the repetition, due to the Monday-Friday training. As I am a utility back, getting an all around skill base is important, and all the players at the academy get the skills you need to play any position on the field”.

Sat points out that the accommodation is fantastic, adding; “It’s just like the pictures on the website, really good!!!! We were 20 floors up, had the best view, and the people running the place are really friendly and nice too”.  Based in a city centre apartment that is in close proximity to the academy and to Brisbane’s nightspots, Sat has been able to mix business with pleasure, emphasising the essential point that the apartment is easy to find after a post-match Saturday night out!

Sat and the lads after training

The experience for Sat was better than anything he expected.  When asked what the best part of his time in Australia was, Sat found it hard to identify just one thing. “It has been a combination, mainly of the rugby, and the people and lifestyle here. The training has been awesome, once in a lifetime.” Not to mention the weather – “so good for holiday-ing!” Sat has made lifelong friends at the academy. “Meeting the Aussie’s has been awesome. They’re very friendly people…”, never missing an opportunity to “sneak in general banter about the World Cup.”

The Sport Lived Academy provides programmes for players of all abilities, both male and female; at a range of intensities. Our programmes are a unique to explore the world through playing your favourite sport.

So get out of the ruck. Tackle the challenge.
Sat called it a “once in a lifetime” experience. What will you say?

Ali Steele – Rugby Coaching in Brisbane

Ali Steele (Right) with fellow Sport Lived participants Ed Tellwright and Calum Gosney on the Gold Coast

Ali Steele, 19 from Taunton, is currently on a Sport Lived programme coaching rugby at a school in Brisbane.  He’s  really making the most of the experience: “Coaching in Brisbane is a great opportunity and the school’s over here are tremendous for rugby.  I have had so much fun working with the specialist coaches during the day; for example, the school first team coach is an ex All Black who won the World Cup in 1987! It’s unreal.”   Commenting on his weekly schedule Ally said:  “We tend to set up equipment at about 2pm and then coach until between 5pm and 6pm, Monday – Thursday. They have matches on Saturdays, which are longer days starting from about 8 in the morning and finishing any time after 1pm. The kids are great; it’s so gratifying to see them learn and get better under your teaching.”  As part of his programme Ally went on a 4 day pre-season training camp to the Gold Coast with his school.  “The training camp on the Gold Coast was a brilliant few days.  It helped to build a rapport with the team I’m coaching and it was also good to get to know the other school rugby coaches.” 

Commenting on Sport Lived’s staff in Brisbane Ally said: “Sport lived have a really good setup over here. Their staff helped me to find a rugby club so I can play on Friday nights. They has helped us sort out bank accounts and showed us how to get to the school on the first day. We were also shown some good places to drink!”

Ally and the other rugby coaches in Brisbane tend to coach for 10-15 hours per week, which leaves a lot of time for sightseeing; this is especially useful in Brisbane, which is conveniently situated close to hotspots such as Surfer’s Paradise and the Whitsunday Islands. Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world, is also well worth visit, and Ali has been so inspired by his time in Australia that at the end of his programme he intends to travel around the country to take in more of the diverse landscape and fascinating culture. We know he will have an awesome time – although he might find that the TV and swimming pool combination he’s been used to in his Sport Lived accommodation in Brisbane isn’t so widely available in cheap hostels…!