Date: 8-11 July, 2002
Onto some various interesting things about the week. Firstly, Sydney touch is
fairly exclusive (had our own theme nights, our own songs, and other little things that made it very in-group) and likes to keep its members in check with a sheriff who dishes out fines every night for various things. But as with most things not including playing touch, the fines, group meetings and bus rides involved drinking. It would be wrong to say we were encouraged to drink. We were forced* (at risk of being made to drink more, if that's possible). I don't know how many times we sang that song, you know, 'Here's to so-and-so, he's true blue...' And the amount of drinks sculled was quite phenomenomal. Credit has to go to my fellow grommet, Elias, for sculling a full schooner of port on the Tuesday night (I only had to down a midi. Sometimes it pays to be female, and little.)
We stayed at the Blue Pacific Motor Inn, on the Pacific Highway in the town of Swansea, in close proximity of a bridge, a swamp and the Swansea RSL (all of which would be put to good use later in the week). Sunday night was a night for testing the waters (with no undies - even better), so to speak, getting to know fellow teammates, and getting completely blind before the games even began. I, personally, achieved all that, and, unable to remember past about 10pm, had to catch the beer scooter home and woke up seedy and still drunk (as happens after a big night) at 6am with my contact lenses still on. Oh, no. Poor Bron spilled her guts onto a few people's shoes. Thanks must be extended to Mark for his pep talks, Emma W for looking after us, and making sure we got home alright, and cleaning up the mess, Lindsay for telling me exactly what happened that night, and everyone else, just because.
Needless to say, certain moments from that night were not repeated later in the week. Monday night was Kung Fu or Porn star night, with dinner and court held at Swansea RSL. It also proved a big night for randoms, with 3 of our own (Don, Nuto and Don's friend Phil - who is now infamous among the guys at Sydney touch) and a bunch of Elias' staying the night.
Tuesday night. I think it was this night Elias and I had to eat canned tongue. Mm, yummy (a bit like furry spam). The girls hacked up our yellow, oversized T-shirts ("I may be the lioness, but I'll let you do the growling") and headed to the Great Northern Hotel. Other unis had gotten into the angel/devil theme, but we dominated - even breaking out into the 'sydney touch is on the piss' song a couple of times. Some shooting of the boot occurred (in short: major spillage/breakage: scull beer from inside of old sneaker). Quarters. Cutting grass. It was ALL GOOD.
Wednesday night - in hindsight my favourite day/night of the week. We won our quarter and semi-final. St Vinnie's/Studio 54/traffic light theme night. Started off at the Great Northern again (more quarters playing), then headed to the Brewery where we held the dancefloor, played some table footy, and generally had a good time. Got of the bus at 2.30am and joined a few girls in a half nudie run (supposedly over the bridge, but we had to get there first and it's pretty tiring stuff after a big night out :). Some full male nudity followed after that, but then we had to return to the motel and try not to disturb everyone else. (Granted, this great night could have ended with more of a bang!)
Thursday. Lost the grand final to Wollongong - disappointing but there's always AUGs. After a tiring day - all that waiting, watching, getting nervous - we got dressed up nicely for a dinner at a bistro in Belmont. Beforehand, a few condom blowing competitions, suck it dry (Victa and I won. I'm not called Hoover for nothing), and then Elias and I were handcuffed together for the night. A few speeches and awards for player's player (Stoner, Shaft and Suzie) and a nice big singalong outside the pub while waiting for the bus, and we hit Newcastle again. It's a pity I won't remember much about Newcastle except for Customs House, the Great Northern and the Brewery - at night - being tipsy when you get there doesn't help as well. For the last night, it was fairly quiet. We got back to the motel with no full-nudie runs in sight, and I had a big D&M with Victa, Crim, Chubbs and Richo (Marnie was passed out on the bed) about footy. Poignant. And what a week indeed. For more stories, have a look at this site - especially nominations for BEAFS (ben edwards award for stupidity). And come back later this year for a read about Adelaide. Drink happily.
* To any concerned readers, we weren't really forced to drink. We all wanted to - well, before that first night, anyway.
Photos from EUGs to be up soon.
Sport: Touch Football
Venue: Broadmeadow Paceway, Newcastle
As a Uni Games virgin, along with several other lucky girls and boys, I must say the five nights spent with the Sydney Uni touch team were quite an experience. But first - the football. We had a mens, womens and mixed team and at the end of the week they placed 8th, 10th and 2nd respectively. (Apparently this is the best Sydney Uni Touch has ever achieved at a uni games.) Anyway, there's not a whole lot to say about the touch footy, except playing mixed was a lot of fun, if not scary - superfast guys with steps coming straight at you - and oh, it was a real big change actually winning games.
We were all dressed up with no where to go, having to miss the 9.30 bus because it was full. What a disappointment. Phil then decided to start a fight with a bus driver, then with some of our own players back at the motel. He was mooned, then went to sleep the night in his car. What a night to remember.