Gold Coast (Week 3)

Well I've had my second game and my second official yellow card..I can't seem to get the hang of the referees over here..or I guess they can't seem to get the hang of me..probably the second one.  Thankfully, we were able to pull off a 4-1 against Murwillumbah Football Club.  The scouting report told us that they were a pretty physical and direct team, and it could not have been more spot on.  I mean just walking onto the field..their starting line-up looked like they all could have been American football players.  I'm not one to ever back down from a challenge, but I'm pretty sure their two center backs looked like they belonged in a boxing ring...not to mention they were both over six and a half feet tall.  After a pretty balanced first half, we were able to get back to our normal possession and started to break the lines of their defense.  All of our four goals came in the last 15 minute period of the second half.  It wasn't our cleanest game, but we got the job done and left with 3 points which puts us tied for first at the top of the table.

One of my favorite parts about playing in Australia is that every field is grass.  Playing on a soft surface every day makes it twice as easy for my body to recover and at a faster pace.  Most fields here are kept in good condition and are watered before every game which is an ideal surface to move the ball on.  Looking forward to the next game this Friday as we are back at home!

Non-Soccer Related

Yes, I finally made it to the beach.  And believe me, the pictures don’t give it enough credit.  Australia is truly beautiful....

Last Wednesday, I spent the day at Burleigh Heads Beach, which is only about 15 minutes into the Gold Coast.  As you can tell, it wasn't quite as nice as your typical perfect, sunny Australian day, but I was still able to get a pretty good picture of the entire coast.

Luckily for me, my personality made it quite easy to meet people and learn about a bit of the history of living on the Gold Coast.  Here is some of the information I found out.

Fun Fact #1: Did you know that in the summer, box jellyfish are the leading cause of death for tourists?  In fact, an elderly women told me that once stung, the venom can reach your body and cause complete paralysis within 2-5 minutes...thanks lady, I'll make sure to NEVER be in Australia during the summer



Fun Fact #2: Did you know that the term "selfie" was actually originated in Australia in 2002?  According to the same elderly lady (believe me, we must have talked for like a half-hour about the history of the country) the term first came from a drunk man trying to take a photo of his other mates  and forgot to flip the camera, hence the origin of "selfie".  In honor of that, you'll see a picture below showing me, Sam (our goal-keeper), his two friends, along with a selfie of me and the the coast.

 Fun Fact #3: Australia has one of the best surfing spots in the world.

Many beaches along the Gold Coast can hold waves of 20+ feet, which house many of the world’s top surf competitions.  Sam told me that it is common for schools to let their students out early on Friday afternoons for any type of surfing or beach competitions.   However surfing in Australian waters can be very dangerous as they are home to Great Whites, Bull Sharks, and many other types of marine life that you should be on the look for...that doesn't include huge rip tides and swells as well.  It is common for surfers to wear shark repellant wet suits and have surf boards covered in shark repellant wax.

 In these two pictures, you'll see a couple of the swells that I caught with my Rip Curl board on Wednesday.  For the picture on the left, notice the extreme focus and balance that I have on the board.  As a surfer, it is important to maintain a strong center of gravity in the middle of the board to prevent any chance of falling off.  Not to mention what a great view of the Gold Coast behind me.

 For the picture on the right, I wanted to show one of my favorite tricks I do called a bottom turn carve.  By leaning back on my board, I am able to push the nose up into the air (also called a carve) and bring my board into the bottom wake of the wave.  Thankfully, Sam was able to capture this picture right before I fell off my board.
(would not recommend without a lot of practice)


Final Fun Fact #4: Ice cream here is Amazing.

Instead of your traditional frozen yogurt, ice cream in Australia is a bit like Italian-style ice cream, also known as gelato.  Every corner shop in the Gold Coast makes their ice cream daily, which is usually why they run out pretty quickly around mid afternoon.  Nothing like a fresh scoop of ice cream after a long day surfing at Burleigh👍


Can't believe its been three weeks already! Time is flying by down here.  Feel free to text me on my Australian number 0481-279-694 if there is something that you might be interested in reading about when I'm down here.

Verse of the Week: Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say." -Exodus 4:12

Grind.  Believe.  Achieve.