My activities, divided by days, multiplied by friends and subtract one splash of rain, and there is a very positive result. It's been a numbers game these past seven days:
1 week, 2 sports
I knew I would be going to the 'ball game' for a while, as it was a SWAP organised event. As a sport, the American version of rounders is particularly dull. As it happens, the game we watched was a particularly dull example of a particularly dull sport. Luckily, baseball isn't about watching the game (which Vancouver lost), it's about drinking beer, eating popcorn and peanuts, and having fun with your friends! The match was followed by a great fireworks display, to celebrate the first game of the season. Also, as 114 SWAPers attended the event, Irish rowdiness was everywhere, and a group of Scottish rugby lads bounced off the IRA chants by removing their tops, crowd surfing and generally creating a fantastic atmosphere. The robotic chants (to music), and the fascist demands ("Make noise now!") of the Canadian supporters were sunk and drowned by the traditional European fandom.
After experiencing what I thought was my sport fix for a week, and was welcomed with a fantastic prize today- tickets to the BC Lions Canadian Football team!So, my second sport of the week.
Almost on the halfway line, the tickets I received from a prize draw were much more expensive than what I would have been prepared to pay to watch the CFL, and so I was ecstatic! I raced back home after work to pick up my camera, and then Maisie accompanied me to the game.
The BC Place stadium is an impressive, indoor, 60,000 capacity all-seater stadium, and we had prime seats. With American football being one of my favourite sports on this continent, I found the game of great interest, especially as there were some great plays and some great scores!
3 downs, 4 bases
The German girls (Astrid and Anna) had never encountered anything like baseball before, so it took some time to explain the rules. Gradually, through a mixture of my distracting explanations and Maisie's direct facts, the combination of pitchers, fielders, home runs and bases gradually became clear. It didn't make the game any more interesting, though. So we stuck to amusing ourselves with Mexican waves and loudness.
As for the Canadian football, it is different from the more widely known NFL, in the fact that it only has three downs to reach ten yards, not four. This made for more passing, a faster game and more excitement.
5 friends, 9 innings
The first couple of innings went pretty fast in the baseball, not least because the score was 0-0, with no hits, no runs and no errors after 5 rounds of pitching. Finally, it was Tri-City who broke the stalemate, hitting in two home runs and four altogether as they took a 4-0 lead. As it wasn't our team, we weren't impressed. I was lucky that I had some good company to help me through this hard time.
After nine innings, we were aching for the fireworks to start. They were marvelous. I had expected a five minute fanfare. Instead, we were barraged by a blitz of light and explosions. I struggle to think of a display that has matched it in recent memory!
20 cheerleaders
Just wanted to get them mentioned.
39-35, 5-1
Scores by which BC Lions won, and Vancouver Canadians lost respectively.
Lots of food, endless fun
Even though I have attempted to be healthy, I treated myself to a steak after the football, and chomped on at least two hot dogs in the past few days. Add to that popcorn, beer and peanuts and it hasn't been a wonderfully balanced diet. Now, I am shattered, and ready for bed. I need to conserve energy for swimming tuition with Astrid tomorrow, and then Jazz Festival on Saturday! Non-stop I tell you!
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