Wednesday's training session was really cool. Not only did we get our swings critiqued, but we also worked on our mental game. We put on a headset and learned the science behind the mental side of golf. The ideal swing occurs right as you are switching from left brain to right brain, so we worked with a machine that measured our focus, muscle tension, nervousness, etc. It was really, really cool.
Thursday's night was a lot of fun as always. Unfortunately, at some point throughout the night, the button on my camera broke off. The camera still works, but I just don't have the actual button to press down to take the picture. Bad timing. No camera for Perth. I'm in the process of finding a replacement part. Wish me luck.
Friday was really fun as well. We got last minute student tickets to the National Rugby League Semi-final match. The local team, the Gold Coast Titans, were playing the Sydney Roosters about an hour north in Brisbane. We made the trip only to see the Titans get dominated. Regardless, the trip was a great time. The atmosphere there was unlike anything from the States. Maybe a mix of European soccer and the NFL.
Saturday we went to the beach. Ho Hum...
Sunday we caught a 5:30 am shuttle to the airport to leave for the Uni Games. I had met the golf team Wednesday at the training session and they seemed like great people. After the trip, I can confidently say that they are some of the best friends I will meet on this trip. As a team, we had high expectations for ourselves. We came into the tournament expecting to win. Unfortunately, no one on the team played exceptionally well. There were 7 golfers on the team and the best 4 rounds count each day. We did not do a very good job at balancing good and bad rounds. The second day we all had pretty poor rounds, while we all played well on the last day. O well. We finished 4th overall, missing out on 3rd place and a medal by 5 shots. This was incredibly frustrating considering that the total score was out of more than 1300 strokes. Bond always does well in Australian Uni Golf Competitions. Well enough in fact that as we were walking to the bus the first day of competition, all the other universities on the bus made a pact to not let Bond win. Needless to say, there were happy faces when we didn't make the medals. The course we played was incredible. It was called the Vines Resort and Country Club. The Johnny Walker Classic is played there every year by the PGA tour. I can't begin to explain how difficult the course was. It was a great time all week with themed social activities taking place every night. It was a little difficult for the golf team to get any rest. Many teams had a few matches throughout each day with a lot of down time. Our day started with breakfast at 7:30am, walk to the bus at leave on the bus for a one hour commute to the course at 8:30, tee times ranging from 10:30 to 11:30, long round of golf, bus back to the hotel at 6, arriving at 7. We had Bond dinners most nights that we left the hotel for at 7:30. Quick showers, quick dinner, and then it was time to go out. By the end of the week we were all exhausted.
Perth was pretty fun. We only had one day off to really see the town. We had lunch at the brewery on the water, then went to a pub overlooking the town and ocean. Really cool, relaxing day with the golf team. Now, however, I'm back to real life. I have to catch up on all the work I've missed. Midterms in three weeks, then we're off to Sydney for Halloween weekend.
The weather in Gold Coast has been extremely disappointing. It has rained probably 1/3 of the days we have been here, including the entirety of last week (say my friends that were here). The locals say that it has been a very long time since the Gold Coast has seen this much rain. O well, more time for studying right?
Hopefully I can get my camera fixed and upload some more pictures for all of you. Thanks again for keeping in touch. It's always great to hear from everyone, so don't be afraid to Facebook me or e-mail at jschwen2@slu.edu. I'm sorry to hear about the Cardinals (trust me, one of my best friends is a huge Reds fan and I hear about it quite often). I am pleased to hear that the Rams have won there third game in their last 29. Great work guys, you make St. Louis so proud. I am jealous that I will not be attending the Blues' home opener in a week. And I am not okay with the fact that I have to stay up until 10 pm to watch the Ryder Cup.
But how can I complain? It's been wonderful here and I'm sure it will only get better...
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