Culture Around Sydney » Sports

National Youth Week 2015

Greta — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 05:20:26 +0000

Youth Week is a national program dedicated to providing your people with the opportunity to “express their ideas and views, act on issues that affect their lives, and create and enjoy activities and event.” It is always such a buzz phrase to say that the current youth are the leaders of tomorrow but there is so infrequently events or opportunities that allow the current youth to embrace this responsibility and explore their passion and potential.

Youth Week has a phenomenal number of programs on offer so be sure to visit the National Youth Week 2015 website to see how you, or your friends or family can get involved. It prides itself on being the largest celebration of young people in Australia, involving thousands of young people aged 12-25 from across the country each year. NYW 2015 kicks off this Friday the 10th of April and runs until April 19th. This year’s theme is ‘It starts with us’, which corresponds with an entirely new design and program of events.

Youth Week in NSW will host 750 events and involve 151 councils and 84,000 young people. There is a state-wide talent search for high school students, YouthRock, which is judged by industry representatives and includes over $10,000 worth of prizes for finalists. YouthRock is held at the Sutherland Entertainment Centre and takes place from 15th-19th April.

Much of Youth Week NSW takes place in Campbelltown, with events ranging from a free skate session to a one day Chip Music Festival – Pixel Sounds, to a bootcamp, health and wellbeing workshop, and an all ages music gig.

Regional New South Wales is also playing host to a number of events, that will be sure to inspire indigenous and rural communities. Narromine is hosting a Blue Light Disco this weekend, Narrabri will next week celebrate the opening of the Panton Cottage Youth Shack and Airds will be the site of an Oz-Tag Youth Sports Tournament.

If you’re looking for events a little closer to the Sydney CBD, be sure not to miss out on the ‘It Starts With Us’ Youth Week Symposium and the 17th Annual Fernside Skate Competition on 10th April, the Youth Week in the City Sports Day on 18th April and the Bondi Blitz Music Festival on 19th April.

Youth Week is organised by young people, for young people, and it is a truly inspiring and exciting initiative that all youth should get involved with. Rather than simply making a mental note of the diverse set of events on offer, be sure to do your research and book yourself in for these educational, entertaining and collaborative events now.

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Laughing your way to better Health

Helen Nolan — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 05:20:44 +0000

Laughter Yoga

Everyone knows that laughter is the best medicine and life is better when you’re smiling, right? And some believe that yoga adds years to your life and life to your years. Somewhere along the line a clever, enterprising boffin had the smart idea to blend the two (although this writer expects that monks have been doing both naturally for centuries) and offer classes in laughing yoga! According to some, it is the idea of Dr Madan Kateria, an Indian physician from Mumbai who started the first laughter club in 1995 in a park with just 5 people.

Humour is infectious and Sydney Laughter offers regular laughter yoga classes designed to get you in touch with your ‘natural and healthy desire to laugh freely and express joy’. Run by an internationally certified Laughter Yoga Master Trainer (yes, they exist!), Kylie Willows (one of only two Master Trainers in Australia), uses her background as a professional speaker, as well as her commitment to health and well-being, to provide insight and support (as well as laughter and yoga) to aid in personal development and to connect with people, helping them achieve maximum benefit from her classes.

Kylie’s classes have proven very popular across a wide demographic, from corporate stress relief seminars and laughter for seniors to children’s laughter yoga. As well as general laughter classes, Kylie is open to new ideas for laughter sessions and gives public talks about laughter therapy and the benefits of laughter. Some of these benefits include boosting the immune system, anti-ageing effect, improved circulation, reduced blood pressure, reduction of stress hormone levels, as well as positive effects on psychological problems such as anxiety, depression and sleeplessness. For maximum overall scientifically-proven benefits, students are taught to laugh vigorously from the diaphragm for at least ten-fifteen minutes to enable participants to experience sustained laughter, thus reaping the health benefits.

Laughter Yoga Australia offers laughter workshops in most states of Australia and describes their classes as combing unconditional laughter with yogic breathing (PRANAYAMA). Their laughter clubs are free for everyone and promote non-political, non-religious and non-competitive associations that are community-based. Everyone is welcome regardless of age, gender, physicality, social or economic backgrounds. A common question and hesitation that many people have is ‘Will I feel silly and embarrassed?’, and although you may initially, the idea is to get in touch with that inner-child who is playful and free. Laughter Yoga guarantees that releasing inhibitions and shyness will enable you to experience joy and relaxation from within, something we could all do with improving upon in our busy, serious and responsible lives.

There is a lot of pressure in life today and one of the most motivating factors for people to partake in laughter yoga classes is the multiple health benefits believed to derive from embracing a regular exercise routine, in this case a routine revolving around having a jolly good time. It is a scientific fact that the body cannot differentiate between real and fake laughter so why not get the same physiological and psychological benefits. I’ll laugh to that!

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SLAM Festival – World’s Loudest Beach Volleyball Festival

Greta — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 05:52:40 +0000

If the World’s Loudest Beach Volleyball Festival sounds appealing to you – you will want to clear your schedule on Saturday the 6th December for the Cronulla SLAM Festival. If it doesn’t yet titillate your interest, perhaps the fact that there is both a social and competitive comp or that it features a whole suite of live music and has heaps of prizes in the form of cash and cases of Corona may begin to arouse your curiosity.

SLAM is an Australian festival that takes place on South Cronulla Beach as well as Noosa, Scarborough, St. Kilda and Surfers Paradise. SLAM Festival is committed to nurturing the sport of beach volleyball, from the absolutes rookies just looking to ‘have a go’ to the competitive professionals wanting to pit their skills up against some of the nation’s best. The day also includes an after party where live music and Coronas will run abound.

The 2014 SLAM Festival is split into competitive teams and social teams and involves a round robin competition that determines play off rounds in three division from highest to lowest. Each of these division – Cup, Plate and Bowl – have prize money and sponsor prizes. The top prize is $800 cash, 6 cases of Corona plus more. As well as prizes for first and second place in each of the three divisions across both competitions there is also a $200 cash prize for the winners of the best dressed competition at each beach.

The competitions have a specific set of competition rules and protocols enforced by an official which can be found on the SLAM festival website. They generally follow your basic beach volleyball rules such as switching sides at the half-way point of the game, not being able to touch or go under the net, ensuring the ball is cleanly hit or pops off the hand, no open hand digs on the first contact, one toss per serve attempt, an unlimited number of substitutions per game, assigned positions at the start of the rally, clockwise player rotations upon winning a side-out and continuous play if the ball hits the inflatable line and bounces back into court.

Registrations costs $50 per player, which includes a minimum of three games. Teammates must be 16 years or older to play and teams are able to have 6-8 players in the social comp and 4 players for SLAM competitive. Registration on the day begins at 9am and competition starts at 10am. Simply register via the SLAM Festival website to enter you and your mates for the competition now.

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Bronte Biathlon

Greta — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 01:03:39 +0000

For those looking for a fun way to get fit and active this Summer while also getting out and enjoying Sydney’s stunning beaches and even igniting their competitive side, the Bronte Biathlon seems like the ideal solution. The Bronte Biathlon started on Wednesday the 5th November and runs every Wednesday evening until the 25th February – with a two week break over Christmas and New Year.

The biathlon starts at 6.15pm at Bronte Surf club on Wednesday afternoons then follows a 2km run to CLovelly, 2 x 200m swims in CLovelly Bay and then another 2km run back to Bronte.

Kimberly Smith, a member of the East Side Crew which is responsible for the Bronte Biathlon, said they chose the location based on its accessibility to the public, the protection offered by CLovelly bay for the swim and its ability to cater to both beginner and elite athletes. She said “it’s a beautiful course and it’s a nice way to get out in the afternoon and enjoy being fit and healthy for Summer.”

She said, “people naturally want to be more outdoors in Summer.” With Daylight Savings, the biathlon is much safer and more enjoyable and Smith says it’s a really fun event for everyone involved.

The East Side Crew raises money for charities such as the Black Dog Institute and is dedicated to promoting healthy, fit lifestyles. The biathlon differs from the crew’s usual group morning training sessions in that it is a competition with a $100 prize for the winner each week. There is a particular focus on helping competitors improve each week and there is even a social element as most participants go out for dinner together following the race.

The cost of the weekly Bronte Biathlon is $15 for casual members or you can sign up for all ten races for just $150 – which is just $10 a race. Head to the East Side Crew website for more information about the Bronte Biathlon and to get involved.

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The Rabbitohs Bring NRL Glory Back To Redfern!

David — Wed, 29 Oct 2014 00:17:39 +0000

For Sydney locals, there’s no bigger social event than the NRL Grand Final. It’s a day for family and friends, celebrations and sometimes bitter feelings, but it’s always the natural highlight of our sporting year. This year, the city responded to an all-Sydney Grand Final with overwhelming excitement and a fever-pitch of decorated cars and old jerseys. All in all, it was a truly memorable Sunday.

But this morning, the celebrations continued roaring. The triumphant South Sydney Rabbitohs appeared before a packed out crowd at Redfern Oval, the spiritual and sometimes physical home of the iconic underdogs. Star player Greg Inglis took the moment to express his gratitude to the adoring masses: “The premiership is back in Redfern, back where it belongs. The longer the wait, the sweeter it tastes.”

And with that, an estimated ten thousand voices rang out a cheer so deafening that it could likely be heard in Bulldogs territory, a little further south. It had been forty three long years since the community had last relished in a moment like this, and they weren’t going to let this one pass by without fanfare. The Souths’ hard-core, dyed in the wool supporters were out in droves, proud of their once embattled team’s success. There were selfies a-plenty and congratulatory songs, hand-painted banners and face-painted kids. It truly was a glorious day for the underdog.

Overnight, Redfern’s windows had been transformed into a vibrant sky of red and green. Down in the street, from the early hours of the morning, revellers could be heard making their way down to Redfern Oval. A little later, the police were out to help control the unstoppable flow of foot traffic to the arena. Meanwhile, traffic on the suburb’s nearby roads had died down to a practical stop; it was the rare slowing of our inner-city’s pulse, a sign that something big was going on. Indeed, the gathering would be one to remember.

As devoted fans showered the stage with love, players and club representative appeared one after the other. Often decked out in sunglasses and looking a little worse for wear, the momentum rose until team Captain John Sutton took the stage. Looking out over the thousands of faces, the veteran skipper closed out the event with a roaring statement: “We will be celebrating this for at least another week!”

Something tells me he may be right…

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