Sport

I've always loved playing sport. Don't get me wrong, I've never been A-team material. The only reason I ever played in the first team was that there wasn't anyone else :-). But, my lack of athleticism non-withstanding, I could get quite aggressive on the court when necessary. There were a few times when I stumbled into my opponent or stepped on their toes which were definitely not by accident. After kindergarten level, things got even rougher!

I have always loved watching sport on television or live. I didn't always keep up with the latest happenings, but thoroughly enjoyed watching the game with my dad or spending a whole day in the cricket stadium. It's also a very good conversation topic as I found out with my one work colleague. After the weekend we'd be chatting about the latest rugby or cricket match and I didn't have the heart to tell him I actually wasn't watching any of the games since I didn't have the necessary pay channels. I ended up checking the sport websites on my Blackberry early Monday mornings so that I could at least hold my own in our coffee conversations :-).

Blue Bulls Mascot

One of the biggest supported rugby teams in South Africa is the Blue Bulls. Their home town is Pretoria and I recently had the chance to go to their Loftus Stadium for the very first time. It wasn't a major game - still a bit early in the league - so the stands weren't packed. But, wow! What a crowd! Every little move that the Bulls made for the try line was greeted with cheers and howls much louder than I expected from the tiny crowd. The atmosphere was electric and I found myself singing out loud the "national" Blue Bulls anthem every time it was played over the loud speakers.

They even have their own mascot - a man dressed up as a bull running around the stadium. The kids loved him and were shaking his hand and taking pictures. He even had his own bicycle made to resemble a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. I really loved the whole experience even though my team, the Cheetahs, lost. I wondered at the sense of camaraderie - is it possible to feel like this with your fellow human? Not just with your fellow supporter?

I think I'll try and get some cricket tickets for the summer season. There's nothing like watching a day-night game with a cool beer and some friends!