East Ringwood Auskick

Community

What do you think Auskick is about? Learning football skills? Getting
some exercise? Letting kids live out there sporting fantasies,
emulating their favourite AFL heroes for a little while? Well, exactly.
Auskick is about all these things. I like to think though, that East
Ringwood Auskick also about community.

Being involved in one's local community is something important, and
extremely rewarding. It's also something that we, in 2012 must
consciously teach our children. Never in Australia's history, has there
been so many distractions from the simple joy of just getting together
with people. There's more to do, but lots of it on your own. There are
less organized community gatherings, and less natural social groups in
which to be involved. Take a look through the scout halls and churches
of Australia and you'll see what I mean. Getting together regularly is
less popular than once was.

That's a real shame. It is in these scenarios that the classic
Australian cultural underpinnings of camaraderie, mateship, commitment
and self-sacrifice in service to a greater good are demonstrated and
learned. The things we love about the way we behave as Australians, and
just as a species of social animals (humans), cannot be instilled
without introducing our children to a lifestyle that includes community
participation as a norm.

Ok, so this is no “Convoy email”, but without getting too heavy (no,
football has not placed Jesus), whether it’s Auskick, ballroom dancing,
a choir, a charity, pottery classes or cooking, mixing with other
people is good for us and good for our kids.

This week, our little community will travel together to play against
other clinics, at the regional Auskick round robin. It is here that the
tribal nature of community can be taught, for along side the noble
spirit of sportsmanship lives the cut-throat, never-say-die,
us-and-them, scratch-their-eyes-out, can’t-stop-us, death-before-defeat
attitude of the mighty East Ringwood Football Club!!!!

Ahem.

Grade 1s and Preps are at the ground as normal this week. The rest of
us are at Eastfield Park from 9am.

Big!

Think of something big.

Now double it.

Now roll it down a snow covered mountain, so that it grows and grows, to about one and a half times the size it was after you doubled it.

Now chuck sticks and branches at it, so they stick. Keep doing that with mud, toys, garden furniture, whatever you can get your hands on. Just keep it growing. Make it 270% bigger still.

Following? Now, imagine that thing getting pregnant to Godzilla.

This email is about as big as the baby that would result from that pregancy, after it’s grown up. It's big.

First, there’s a clinic THIS WEEK. The seniors are at home, so please park out the back. But that's just the beginning.

NEXT WEEK is the Round Robin. So, if you’ve got a Grade 2/3 kid, there’ll be no clinic that day. It’ll be replaced with a huge day of modified rules games, down at South Croydon. You WILL regret missing this if you don’t go! I’ll be ringing around. Seriously, this day is massive, and it’s fantastic. Please, get yourself along.

The round robin costs us, so we collect some sponsors if we can. The cost is $75, and you get to be in the official game day record. It’s seen by hundreds of people on the day. Guaranteed. All I need is you business card, and your dough, by next Wednesday. I can only have 3 sponsors, and one spot is gone to the wonderful Dog Grooming By Jacqui.

The biggest news of the week though (cos it’s the first time you’ve heard it), is the announcement of the first ever East Ringwood Auskick Holiday clinic!

We are going to have a clinic on Monday the 9th of July, in the school holidays. There’s no Saturday clinics during the hols, but we thought we’d try one during the week, as an activity you can take your kids to when they say “Muuuumm . . . . . I’m boooooored”.

It’ll start at 10.30am. There’ll be the normal Auskick footy drills, followed by a free sausage sizzle. We’ll have people there from the senior club, as well as AFL Victoria. It’d be great to see as many of you as we can. Fiona's going to run the show, and we're bussing some kids in from Croydon to participate. They're kids from immigrant families, that are interested in playing a bit of footy. This is a great opportunity for us to make them welcome, and to meet some new people. Get behind it!

See, I told you it was big. Big as this

Slow week

Well there’s NO CLINIC this week, and so there’s not a whol lot much to talk to you about, except . . . .

It’s “Convoy Day” today!

For those old enough, you’ll remember the classic C.W. McCall song
Convoy, which chronicles the adventures of an exuberant truck driver
and his mates, as they storm across America, wreaking havoc on
motorways and towns along the way. The whole event takes place on the
6th of June, making today an important day in all our calendars, but
I'm sure I didn't need to remind you of that. It’s also the anniversary
of the day Tony Lockett kicked his 1300th goal BTW.

I know you’re busy, but for nostalgia’s sake, take some time to
revisit Convoy by clicking here. You won’t be sorry.

If you've gone ahead and had a look, or you just remember the song, I
thought I’d do my bit, and translate the first few lines, for the one
or two of you unacquainted with 1970’s American trucker slang.

Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June, in a Kenworth pullin'
logs
It was night time on the 6th of June, and I was driving my Kenworth
truck, carrying a load of rough sawn timber

Cab-over Pete with a reefer on
I came across another truck, Peterbilt brand, of the style which has
its cabin located over the engine. Its particular load happened to be a
refrigerated trailer.

And a Jimmy haulin' hogs
We were joined by a third vehicle, this time a GMC semi-trailer,
transporting swine for slaughter.

We was headin' for bear on I-one-oh, 'bout a mile outta Shaky Town
Now travelling together, we happened upon a police blockade on US
Interstate Highway 10, approximately one mile from Los Angeles.

I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck, and I'm about to put the
hammer down."
Using my CB radio, I addressed the fellow transporting the swine –
“Good sir, allow me to introduce myself. The name I prefer to use in CB
radio conversations such as this is ‘Rubber Duck’. I would like to
inform you that I plan to accelerate through this police blockade,
thereby commencing a nationwide road chase, featuring dozens of trucks,
police land and air vehicles, and an 8 seat VW Kombi. Would you care to
join me?”

Have a great long weekend. There’s NO CLINIC! Stay in bed!

East Ringwood Auskick