Joe Carr – Water Polo in Australia

Joe Carr chose Sydney as his Sport Lived destination, and joined the thousands of people worldwide who would crown the city as one of the most vibrant, thrilling and versatile places on earth: “Sydney was unbelievable! I fell in love with it, without a doubt, and it broke my heart coming back.” Sydney’s idyllic location on the east coast of Australia blessed with a gorgeous climate and an even more stunning harbour, the vista of which includes the Sydney Opera House and The Harbour Bridge, together composing one of the most famous postcard pictures in the world. Joe’s accommodation was well-placed to ensure he could make the most of the city’s social and cultural scenes: “Our apartments were indescribably good. I can’t tell you how much of a difference it made and how invaluable it was living right in the centre of Sydney. The accommodation itself was great (the sauna was very, very well used!), but the real advantage was the location. It really made the whole experience.”

Joe Carr with his team mates in Sydney

Joe played water polo for a club in Sydney between March and August and felt the experience of playing in Australia was great for his development: “In terms of what the Australian league has given my game, I think it has made me a far more intelligent player than I ever was before. For the first time, I started to think my way through games and this is something I have definitely taken back with me. While I was there and when I first returned I was probably the physically strongest I have ever been as a player. The Australians are much bigger and play a much more physical game than in England, and as a consequence I find myself playing a strong game.” Sport Lived were able to offer Joe an extremely high standard of play for his sport, which was one of his favourite aspects of the entire experience: “We had an amazing team, equal to probably 1st or 2nd division National league in England, which I became an important part of, playing with and against on a regular basis some great players. I feel that I learned more playing with them for six months than in the previous three years playing national league in England.”

 

Joe and Sam Hiscock with Dr Karl

Sport Lived tailor their trips to individual requirements, and the recurring advice from those who take the plunge appears to be that you get out just as a much as you put in: “If you decide to do it I would say, whatever you do, be brave. Stick with it. Go out and find the people and social life that you want, enjoy the city to its fullest, don’t get into lazy habits of just staying in and doing the same thing over and over. It is a perfect chance to carve out the lifestyle you want, whatever kind of person you are and whatever you’re into. Australia is one of the best places to live in the world so get involved in everything you can and don’t waste what is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”