Seniors vs. Freshers Cricket Match

***New Blog Feature! More information at the end of this post.***

This event happened a while ago, end of August probably, but I never got around to blogging about it. Basically every year the first year students (freshers) at Tommy More play a cricket match against the seniors (which I think means everyone else). It isn't a real match though, as the seniors heavily cheat to ensure they always win and that the event is no fun. Unfortunately, because this is the first year at Tommy More for us Notre Dame students, we had to play with the freshers.

Cricket is similar to baseball, but much more bizarre and much less interesting (I didn't think that was possible, sorry baseball fans). Two batters stand in the middle of a large oval, about 20 yards apart. The bowler (pitcher) stands next to one of the batters and has to throw to the other batter (throwing is different than baseball because you can't bend your elbow). There are no strikes, just a few wickets that the bowler is trying to hit. The batter is protecting the wickets. If the bowler hits a wicket, or the batter's leg unfairly blocks the ball from hitting the wicket, then the batter is out. The batter tries to hit the ball. If the batter gets a good hit, hitting the ball away from the quick reach of fielders, then he can decide to run. The two batters that are 20 yards apart then run to switch places (there aren't any bases or anything like that, just two home plates basically). Every time the batters switch places, a point is scored. When a batter hits a ball he doesn't have to run, he can just wait for a really good hit. One team bats until all of their batters get out (or if there's less than two batters I guess). A batter is out if the balls hits the wicket on a pitch, or the ball hits the wicket while the batters are switching, or if a batted ball is caught in the air. Cricket games can take up to five days sometimes, since there is no limit on time or number of pitches, it's just however long it takes to get the other team's batters out. Scores are usually in the hundreds. Absurd.

Well of course there is a video/slideshow thing I made to go along with this post. It won't give you a better understanding of the game, but it is kind of funny I think. A few notes before you watch: 1) We didn't play in an oval because all we had was our quad, so there is usually a whole half of the field behind the batter but we just had a building behind us. 2) We used garbage cans instead of wickets. 3) One of the rules of our game was you had to have an open beverage in your hand while fielding, to make it more interesting (by the way, they don't use gloves in cricket at all).




So about the new feature. I've finally figured out a practical use for the quick response buttons at the bottom of each post. Obviously no one is going to say they didn't like a post cause that is just really mean and hurtful, so I've moved away from post rating entirely. Instead, there will be a short yes or no poll at the end of each post. Now you, the reader, can interact with the blog like never before! Yay! (Check the Yes or No buttons next to the Quick Poll under comments)

Today's blog post poll: Have you ever seen a cricket match before?

If a picture speaks 1000 words, how much does a 14-second video clip say?

Yes people we have video. Mostly more of the same style videos as before. That means there is some kind of wildlife creature in front of me as I violently shake my camera back and forth while apparently running at full speed, causing extreme nausea for all viewers. I don't know where I learned this approach to video recording, but I vow to correct it. So anyways, here are the videos. Isn't YouTube great?

This one is of a kangaroo we spotted on Luke Bone's farm. His dad drove us around for a while looking for roos because they are always all over the farm. Unfortunately the roos were unusually shy this day, but I did managed to capture one hopping off in the distance.




Here's a rare echidna that had crawled into the middle of the road. This guy is like the Australian version of the porcupine. After taking a flurry of pictures, we left him alone. Then he started to move, so I quickly shot this video trying not to get to close. Of course he stops in the end and Mike informs me, "You scared him, Adam!"




Here is a video of the dolphins at Monkey Mia. One of the girls from our group, Kelsey, got picked to feed the dolphins but it must've happened right before I started taping cause I missed it. Nonetheless, I did get a bunch of complete strangers feeding dolphins, which is still pretty interesting I think.

An Unforgetable Trip

This entry is a bit difficult for me to write. I am not really sure exactly how I should describe our spring break trip, as it is unforgetable in different ways. It started out with nine people who decided not to go to Bali or Thailand with the other groups but wanted to stay and explore Australia instead. I didn't know most of the other people in the group very well at first, but the most awesome part of the trip was getting to know everyone. Sometimes in a group like that you get a few people who don't get along with each other, at least that was my expectation. To my surprise, however, it soon felt like we'd all been friends for a long time.

That is partly what makes this entry so difficult for me. Two of my friends did not come back to Perth the way in which we had planned. Instead, they suffered a horrible accident and they are currently in the trauma ward of the Royal Perth hospital. I don't know exactly what is appropriate for me to say on here. I have never experienced anything like this before. I will say that it was an accident that occurred while Mike and JC were rock climbing, and I will say that it is a miracle that they are alive and without an injured head or spine. They made it through with only broken bones, which will heal and which will be normal again. The recovery time will be long, and I hope that you will keep Mike and JC in your prayers.

The other reason this is difficult is because before the accident happened, the whole trip had been going so well. I don't want to downplay the tragedy that occurred, but at the same time I don't want that to be the only thing that is remembered from our trip because it truly was an amazing trip and I know that my friends feel the same way. So let's take a moment to reflect on the severity and sadness of the situation, and then let's prepare to also accept the joy that surrounded this trip as well. We must reminisce on the good as well as the bad. Before I start to talk about the rest of the trip, I recommend that you come back and read about it later. I myself needed a few days after the trip before I was ready to publish all of the pictures and share about the many good memories we had.







I decided to do it differently this time.
The whole trip is in one big photo album on Picasa.
Click the link to hear about the trip. I say everything you could possibly need to know in the captions, so be sure to read those.

Destination Ningaloo 1200 km

Unfortunately, I won't have any blog posts for a while. Fortunately, I'll be busy enjoying all the amazing natural wonders that Australia's West Coast has to offer. A few others and I are heading up the coast to Ningaloo Reef, the west coast's answer to the Great Barrier Reef, and we're stopping at all the interesting sites along the way. The trip itinerary includes:

• Pinnacles - rock formations
  

• Geraldton - town where an Australian friend lives
  

• Kalbarri National Park - river gorges, rock formations, and hiking
  

• Monkey Mia - feeding wild dolphins (dolphin mia makes more sense to me)
  

• Shell Beach - literally
  

• Shark Bay - hopefully not literally

• Coral Bay - south end of Ningaloo Reef

• Exmouth - north end of Ningaloo Reef

I've heard more than a few people say they think Ningaloo Reef is better than the Great Barrier Reef. Obviously the GBR gets the fame for its massive size, but Ningaloo is probably most prized for its isolation. Its benefit over the GBR is that it isn't packed full of people, development, and tourism. But no since gabbing on about it now til I've actually been there. So I'll see ya in a week.

*** For the record: Leaving Saturday morning and returning on the following Sunday ***
*** Also, we won't be missing any football games thanks to sling box and carefully planned internet stops. Go IRISH!***