Monday, May 17, 2004
Don't fall over in Korea
Firstly, welcome along to anybody who has stumbled or straggled their way through the computer door into our little site. Been going a few months and things have been slowly coming together. We are looking to make a few more adjustments in terms of appearance and there are a couple more bloggers coming aboard shortly to fill out our ranks completely.
Aside from that I better get on with the story suggested by the title. You see about every Sunday in Korea I play soccer ('football' to many people) for a team of expats in a competiton for expats. There are 14 teams in all and we have been together for several months without a break. Back in NZ I was a football player as well only it was rugby there. In Korea though rugby is pretty miniscule and is only played at some universities really. The reason for this has something to do with the title of this blog.
You see in Korea grass doesn't really like to grow all that much. This has to do with a climate where in winter it can get down to minus 20 and counting and in summer 35 degrees is quite common in many parts with over night 'lows' in the 20s for July and August. And most places where grass does grow are fenced off to the public because if they go and touch it, walk on it, or puke on it after a night (or morning ... or afternoon) on the piss then the grass fast disappears and where it once was you soon find dust.
About 99% of schools I have ever laid eyes on in Korea have dirt fields for the kids. They have dirt playgrounds, dirt basketball courts and pretty much dirt everythings. I remember seeing a university in the middle of the country which had a brown grass field for rugby and on a small island way south of Korea (though part of the country) had a school with about half it's play yard in grass. I'm sure there are others but I'd love to see them.
And when you fall over on hard, concrete like dirt, you don't look very good on the parts of the body which made contact with it. When I say dirt I should add that most fields have a good deal of gravel, stones, rocks and a few nails and other sharp objects as well. The pitch my team often uses is made up of crushed sandstone and it is responsible for the nasty infections I have had on both knees for almost ten days.
I got opened up pretty bad and after showering (you have to be careful not to get tap water in the wounds here as it's 'un-drinkable') I washed them out carefully with bottled water and put some bandages on. The next day I was seen by the school nurse who put 'expensive' bandages on and away I went thinking it would be a couple of days and I'd be right as rain. Well I'm not going to describe what they have progressed to or else I'll put you right off your lunch but it's not pretty. I suppose I 'fell down' about 20+ times every game of rugby over 15 years in NZ and never really recall having badly infected leg cuts, and fall down between 0 and 3 times playing soccer each game and seem to get them everytime.
The only people who get to regularly use grass pitches in Korea are players from the professional soccer teams (that's after they get signed by somebody, so they grow up playing on dirt like everybody else) who you would notice if you ever saw them, do not slide tackle so well, in fact many of them do not attempt to slide tackle at all.
And now you know why.
And then there's the Warriors who by the sounds of it didn't want to fall over in the literal sense of the word on Sunday but sure as hell have done in the metaphorical sense in terms of their season.
Boy is Peter Jessup putting the boot in. Here and here.
Warriors Crowds in 2004
16,425 v St George Illawarra
15,781 v Penrith Panthers
14,409 v Newcastle Knights
9,637 v Melbourne Storm
10,929 v Manly Sea Eagles
anybody want to make predictions for the game v the Raiders on the 6th of June?
It's three weeks away and there are away clashes against the Rabbitohs and Roosters in between so there could be a slight chance for redemption, but if they lose those two games then I'm guessing 7,992. All bets are off if they win those games mind you.
bloggingitreal@yahoo.com
Aside from that I better get on with the story suggested by the title. You see about every Sunday in Korea I play soccer ('football' to many people) for a team of expats in a competiton for expats. There are 14 teams in all and we have been together for several months without a break. Back in NZ I was a football player as well only it was rugby there. In Korea though rugby is pretty miniscule and is only played at some universities really. The reason for this has something to do with the title of this blog.
You see in Korea grass doesn't really like to grow all that much. This has to do with a climate where in winter it can get down to minus 20 and counting and in summer 35 degrees is quite common in many parts with over night 'lows' in the 20s for July and August. And most places where grass does grow are fenced off to the public because if they go and touch it, walk on it, or puke on it after a night (or morning ... or afternoon) on the piss then the grass fast disappears and where it once was you soon find dust.
About 99% of schools I have ever laid eyes on in Korea have dirt fields for the kids. They have dirt playgrounds, dirt basketball courts and pretty much dirt everythings. I remember seeing a university in the middle of the country which had a brown grass field for rugby and on a small island way south of Korea (though part of the country) had a school with about half it's play yard in grass. I'm sure there are others but I'd love to see them.
And when you fall over on hard, concrete like dirt, you don't look very good on the parts of the body which made contact with it. When I say dirt I should add that most fields have a good deal of gravel, stones, rocks and a few nails and other sharp objects as well. The pitch my team often uses is made up of crushed sandstone and it is responsible for the nasty infections I have had on both knees for almost ten days.
I got opened up pretty bad and after showering (you have to be careful not to get tap water in the wounds here as it's 'un-drinkable') I washed them out carefully with bottled water and put some bandages on. The next day I was seen by the school nurse who put 'expensive' bandages on and away I went thinking it would be a couple of days and I'd be right as rain. Well I'm not going to describe what they have progressed to or else I'll put you right off your lunch but it's not pretty. I suppose I 'fell down' about 20+ times every game of rugby over 15 years in NZ and never really recall having badly infected leg cuts, and fall down between 0 and 3 times playing soccer each game and seem to get them everytime.
The only people who get to regularly use grass pitches in Korea are players from the professional soccer teams (that's after they get signed by somebody, so they grow up playing on dirt like everybody else) who you would notice if you ever saw them, do not slide tackle so well, in fact many of them do not attempt to slide tackle at all.
And now you know why.
And then there's the Warriors who by the sounds of it didn't want to fall over in the literal sense of the word on Sunday but sure as hell have done in the metaphorical sense in terms of their season.
Boy is Peter Jessup putting the boot in. Here and here.
Warriors Crowds in 2004
16,425 v St George Illawarra
15,781 v Penrith Panthers
14,409 v Newcastle Knights
9,637 v Melbourne Storm
10,929 v Manly Sea Eagles
anybody want to make predictions for the game v the Raiders on the 6th of June?
It's three weeks away and there are away clashes against the Rabbitohs and Roosters in between so there could be a slight chance for redemption, but if they lose those two games then I'm guessing 7,992. All bets are off if they win those games mind you.
bloggingitreal@yahoo.com
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