SnowSafe: A guide to safety in the alpine areas

For those of you planning a trip to the alpine areas, either for snowsports or summer activities, this is an excellent web site developed by the Australian Ski Patrol Association with loads of useful information:

SnowSafe | A guide to safety in the alpine areas:
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Snowsports on Pinterest

For keen skiers and boarders, there are a couple of interesting recent postings on Pinterest:

Snowsports on Pinterest:

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It's just not Cricket!

For old-fashioned cricket lovers, it can be a cause of frustration that many Australian professional cricketers "throw the ball away" almost immediately after taking a catch. In some instances the ball is thrown away so rapidly that it would be possible to question whether the catch was actually taken. In addition to the rapid disposal, the ball often just 'falls to earth', risking damage, rather than being thrown to another player or the Umpire.

It is interesting that the same behaviour is not demonstrated by many international cricketers, who demonstrate greater respect for the ball by hanging on to it when taking a catch.

I am reliably informed that young cricketers used to be taught that it was best practice to protect and look after the ball and "keep the shine on it", especially as teams normally had to pay for their own balls.

Surely this cavalier behaviour is not setting a good example for our young cricketers and is sending the wrong message about respect for and stewardship of equipment. Perhaps in this instance we could learn a lesson from cricketers representing developing countries.

Indoor Climbing - Up, up and away!

For a long time I had wanted to try indoor climbing, and I finally had the opportunity earlier this year when Spreets had a special offer for Cliffhanger Climbing Gym in Altona, Melbourne.

I had been a bit of a 'mountain goat' as a child, and have always enjoyed scrambling up the side of hills and mountains, but had only previously had the chance to try climbing twice - once abseiling down the side of a rather steep seaside cliff during an "Expedition Medicine - Mountain Rescue" course in Tasmania in late 2007 and once ice-climbing on Franz Josef Glacier on the South Island of New Zealand in early 2007. I enjoyed both outings. Fortunately I took to it "like a duck to water" and was really invigorated by the experience. As you are working with a 'buddy', with one of you climbing and the other belaying, it is perfectly safe, and as a result there is no need for fear. We started out on the smaller walls, but after doing some of the easier ones, I decided to attempt one of the higher walls, and to my great surprise got right to the top. Since that initial success I have now conquered two of the other walls that go right to the top of the gym, which has been very exciting.

The thing that I love about indoor climbing is that it is an "all absorbing" activity that is both physically and mentally challenging. You are pushing yourself physically, stretching your arms and legs to perform seemingly impossible feats, and all the time problem-solving to work out how you are going to get up the wall - what hand-hold to use, how to transfer your weight, can I reach up there?, etc.

The staff at Cliffhanger have been both helpful and friendly. It is the highest indoor climbing gym in the Southern Hemisphere (20 metres). Highly recommended!

Westgate Sports and Entertainment Complex,
Cnr Grieve Parade and Dohertys Road,
Altona North VIC 3025, Australia
Telephone: 03 9369 6400
For more information see their web site: http://www.cliffhanger.com.au/

UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Melbourne

I have been fortunate recently to undertake a couple of shifts as part of the on-site medical response team at the training sessions for the UCI Track Cycling World Championships at HiSense Arena in Melbourne. Apparently the world class wooden velodrome is permanently in-situ, and seats are dropped down over the track for entertainment events. The steepness of the track makes much more impact in real-life than on television, and in Melbourne is banked to 42 degrees at both ends. It was very interesting to watch elite athletes from around the world going through the different aspects of their training, including riding training bikes on a set of rollers before and after going out on the track, and both the teams and individual sprinters going through their paces. We were stationed right next to the Australian team, which had a large support team of coaches and mechanics for their amazingly sleek track bikes (with no brakes!). The only team member I recognized was World Champion Anna Meares, but it was certainly a privilege to have an insight into their world. In that setting you do not actually want anyone to get injured or require treatment, so we had a good day both times in that no one came to grief and we had a lot of convivial conversation between ourselves, the team of paramedics from Ambulance Victoria and the official UCI doctor from Holland. The competition will be shown on SBS2 over coming days from Wednesday 4 April and promises to be very exciting!

http://www.2012trackworlds.com.au/

Footy at 'the G'

Spring in Melbourne means footy finals (Australian Rules Football) and the best place to experience this is the beloved MCG. The Melbourne Cricket Ground is famous for cricket (including the annual Boxing Day Test Match between Australia and another cricketing nation), football, sporting museums, the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the 1954 Olympics.

This time it was a Friday night clash between Collingwood (first on the ladder and 'minor Premiers') and Geelong (second on the ladder). Both teams have 'won the flag' (Premiership) over the past few years and are keen to do so again this year. Being a huge circular stadium (seating approximately 100,000 people at full capacity) it has a marvellous Colosseum-type atmosphere. As well as the two tribes partaking in the contest, there are also two bigger tribes in the ground - the Australian Football League (AFL) members in the semi-circular Great Southern Stand and the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) members in the newer Northern Stand (officially the Ponsford and Olympic Stands). There is an excellent view from all sections of the ground and even when 'up in the Gods' in the top tier you still feel close to the action. Climbing all the stairs is of course beneficial for one's cardiovascular fitness and it is reassuring to know that the MCG has an outstanding record for response time and resuscitation for cardiac arrest.

Many games (such as this one) are played at night and with six massive light towers as well as the stadium lights the ground is very brightly and evenly lit.

The terms 'clash' and 'blockbuster' are frequently bandied about and Melburnians are certainly passionate about their football but with 17 teams around the country there is also a strong national following despite the competition from soccer and rugby.

Many supporters deck themselves out in footy scarves, hats and jumpers and wave team flags so the ground can be a riot of colour, and the roar that goes up when a goal is scored can be deafening!

One of the main attractions is that footy is a fast-moving and skilful game utilising handball, marking (catching the ball, sometimes in a spectacular fashion high in the air) and kicking (often long distances). Players can run up to 10km a game. In essence the aim of the game is pretty simple - to score points by kicking the ball through the big sticks (goal posts) at your team's end of the ground. The team with the most points at the end of the four quarters wins.

For the record, in this game Geelong won by a substantial margin (149 points to 53 points), attendance 85,705.

The finals start in earnest next week. If Collingwood wants to make it to the Grand Final it will have to do a lot better next time!