So the big To-Do event around Melbourne for the past week or so has been the Australian Open. It is on like 5 of the 10 public TV stations non stop and on the cover of every newspaper. Everyone that we talk to has asked if we are going to “the tennis” and it’s hard not to get the Oz Open fever!
Time out. Before I continue, I have to say a blurb about some things that are different in AU vs. the US from a grammatical standpoint. One of the most obvious is that they use the word THE before any mention of a sport. THE tennis, THE cricket…
By the same token, they remove the word THE from sentences where it should be appropriate, or refer to things in singular form when they should be plural. For example, I was watching the news the other day and the newscaster said the following: “The injured man was removed from the lake by the coast guard and taken to hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery. Now to Jeff with the latest on sport.” Doesn’t it seem like it should be, “THE hospital….and…latest on sports?” Who knows. It’s pretty funny to hear though.
Ok, now we are back on track. Anyhow, John Paul and I have gotten pretty into it and have enjoyed following the matches. As they get into the semis, tickets to watch the high profile players are extremely expensive, so on Saturday, we opted to get ‘grounds passes.’ It’s a really cool concept - for $30 you get access to the three smaller arenas and all of the practice courts. They also have a couple lawns with big screens set up so you can watch the main match going on at Rod Laver Arena. We spent the day going from court to court and caught a few really good matches. It gives you a whole different appreciation for the sport when you see how fast they can hit the ball and how quick they move across the court!
Aside from the matches, it was amazing to see how patriotic Australian fans are. There are tons of people dressed up in outfits made from Australian flags (and not much else), face paint….you name it. Even though tennis is considered a pretty dignified sport, AU fans are constantly chanting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie…Oye! Oye! Oye!” and the entire crowd gets involved. It’s nuts!
Another person who was also showing their “team support” was John Paul! He wore his black Steelers T-Shirt (despite the hot weather) and was determined to find some fellow fans. Unfortunately, no one approached us and the one person we struck up a conversation with said, “What’s a Steeler”? Ha! I bet they’ll know next Sunday!
Time out. Before I continue, I have to say a blurb about some things that are different in AU vs. the US from a grammatical standpoint. One of the most obvious is that they use the word THE before any mention of a sport. THE tennis, THE cricket…
By the same token, they remove the word THE from sentences where it should be appropriate, or refer to things in singular form when they should be plural. For example, I was watching the news the other day and the newscaster said the following: “The injured man was removed from the lake by the coast guard and taken to hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery. Now to Jeff with the latest on sport.” Doesn’t it seem like it should be, “THE hospital….and…latest on sports?” Who knows. It’s pretty funny to hear though.
Ok, now we are back on track. Anyhow, John Paul and I have gotten pretty into it and have enjoyed following the matches. As they get into the semis, tickets to watch the high profile players are extremely expensive, so on Saturday, we opted to get ‘grounds passes.’ It’s a really cool concept - for $30 you get access to the three smaller arenas and all of the practice courts. They also have a couple lawns with big screens set up so you can watch the main match going on at Rod Laver Arena. We spent the day going from court to court and caught a few really good matches. It gives you a whole different appreciation for the sport when you see how fast they can hit the ball and how quick they move across the court!
Aside from the matches, it was amazing to see how patriotic Australian fans are. There are tons of people dressed up in outfits made from Australian flags (and not much else), face paint….you name it. Even though tennis is considered a pretty dignified sport, AU fans are constantly chanting “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie…Oye! Oye! Oye!” and the entire crowd gets involved. It’s nuts!
Another person who was also showing their “team support” was John Paul! He wore his black Steelers T-Shirt (despite the hot weather) and was determined to find some fellow fans. Unfortunately, no one approached us and the one person we struck up a conversation with said, “What’s a Steeler”? Ha! I bet they’ll know next Sunday!
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