Australia wins undefeated in the lead up to the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. Trevor Allen reports.

Australia wins undefeated in the IIHF championships. Image: Mark Bradford

MELBOURNE, Australia – In front of their home support, Australia went undefeated to win the Gold Medal in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Division II Group A World Championships and earned a promotion to Division I.

The Mighty Roos, ranked 34th in the world, defeated the 29th-ranked Serbia 4-2 in the final game. Australian forward and tournament MVP Joseph Hughes scored the game’s winning goal and he was left speechless, after leading his team to victory.

“It’s hard to sum up how great this feels.

I just can’t put it into words,” Hughes said. The 26-year-old also won the award for tournament top scorer, with seven goals and four assists.

“It’s absolutely phenomenal to win in front of our home fans and they gave us so much support. We all worked hard, and this is a very memorable win for us all.”

Australia had an ideal start to the championships, as they convincingly defeated Mexico 11-1 in their first game and held off Belgium 5-3 in their second match. The Mighty Roos then shutout New Zealand 2-0 on Saturday, before clinching gold against Serbia the following night.

In a tightly contested final game, it was Serbia who opened the scoring in the second period after a goalless opening. On the powerplay, forward Nenad Rakovic deflected Branko Mamic’s point shot past Australian goaltender Matthew Ezzy.

But the lead didn’t last long, as just nine seconds later, Greg Oddy equalised. Linemate Vladan Stranksy won the puck behind the Serbian net and sent a pass in front to Oddy. And the Australian captain made no mistake, sending a rising shot over the glove of goaltender Milan Lukovic.

Then from an offensive zone face off, Australia grabbed the lead through David Upton. Thomas Powell’s shot from the left hash marks was snuck through the pads of Lukovic and the puck on the goal line. Upton came crashing through to poke the puck home.

In the second period, Hughes made the score 3-1 in favour of Australia, with a brilliant wrist shot from the high slot. After a neat passing play through centre ice between Powell and alternate captain Lliam Webster, Hughes beat Lukovic over his right shoulder as he entered the offensive zone, sending the capacity crowd wild. Lukovic was then replaced in net by Arsenije Rankovic after allowing three goals on seven shots.

Serbia attempted a fight-back in the third period, and just over a minute in, they were back in the game through a shorthanded goal by Marko Kovacevic. With Mamic in the box for high sticking, Nemanja Vucurevic caused a turnover in the Australian zone. He then made a pass to Kovacevic streaking down the left wing, and the Serbian captain sent a low shot past Ezzy.

With the game in the balance and time winding down, Serbia piled on the pressure, but Australia’s defense held firm and Ezzy denied everything that was thrown at him. With just over a minute remaining, Serbia looked to gain control of the puck in order to pull Rankovic for the extra attacker. But Australia’s youngest player, 17-year-old Nathan Webster forced a turnover and Webster went the other way, blasting a wrist shot beyond Rankovic to seal the win.

After the victory, Australian coach Vladimir Rubes praised his team’s commitment and work ethic: “It’s a great feeling and everyone played well,” he said. “Serbia played their best game of the tournament, but we had strong defence and goaltending which won us the game.”

Serbia coach Pavle Kavcic rued his team’s missed chances, but vowed his side will come back stronger next year.

“We tried to play hard and had many shots. But we took too many penalties. We have a young team with a lot of changes, so we will be back next year,” he said. “Congratulations to Australia. I’m happy for them.”

New Zealand was the surprise success of the tournament, as they picked up the silver medal, finishing ahead of the highly favoured Serbians, who won bronze. Belgium finished fourth and Mexico came fifth. DPR Korea are relegated as their team withdrew before the tournament began.

Ice Blacks’ captain Corey Down, who announced his retirement from international ice hockey following the tournament, was ecstatic with his team’s silver medal – New Zealand’s highest placing in a Division II Championship.

“It’s amazing. We had a great team here and to win the silver medal is absolutely awesome,” said Down, whose team was anchored by stellar goaltending from Rick Parry and the tournament’s best netminder, Zak Nothling.

New Zealand coach Jeffery Bonazzo was equally impressed, but believed his team could have won the competition. “These boys deserve it [silver] and it’s huge for Zak [Nothling] to get the best goalie award,” he said. “I’m not surprised at our performance and we could have won gold.”

In an opening-game shock, Belgium upset Serbia 3-2, but were crushed 5-0 by New Zealand. Kristof van Looy was the team’s best. Belgian coach Jozef Lejeune was understandably disappointed with the outcome after such a promising start.

“We had a good preparation, but had a complete breakdown. That’s life,” said Lejeune.

Mexico were outmatched in their games, but had solid performances from captain Fernando Ugarte, and goaltender Alfonso De Alba.

Australia last won Division II gold in 2009, when the tournament was held in Newcastle, Australia, but they were relegated a year later. With this year’s victory, Australia are hoping to build off their success and remain in Division I.

Final Ranking

1. Australia 15pts
2. New Zealand 9
3. Serbia 9
4. Belgium 9
5. Mexico 3
6. DPR Korea 0

Individual Awards as selected by the Tournament Directorate

Best Goalkeeper: Zak Nothling (New Zealand)
Best Defenceman: Nikola Bibic (Serbia)
Best Forward: Joseph Hughes (Australia)

Australia is currently hosting the International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championships – well, sort of. Trevor Allen writes.

Henke performing a ceremonial face-off for the opening ceremony. Players are Australian captain Greg Oddy (L) and Mexico captain Fernando Ugarte (R). Image: Mark Bradford

When ice hockey is mentioned, what often comes to mind is a group of hardened, bulky men racing across the frozen ponds of Scandinavia, Russia and Canada, where the sport has its roots.

Which is why it may come as a surprise Melbourne is currently hosting the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men’s World Championships. After all, here in sunny Australia, most people haven’t set foot on a sheet of ice, let alone grasped the fundamentals of this sport. But it won’t be the elite countries waging war at Australia’s new ice rink, Medibank Icehouse, rather it will be the underdogs fighting for a chance at the big leagues. Teams from the third tier of international ice hockey (bizarrely called division 2) are going head-to-head for the right to be promoted to division 1. Serbia, Belgium, Mexico and New Zealand will all be competing against the home team, the Mighty Roos.

This is the second time Australia has held the division 2 championships with Newcastle’s HISS Arena playing host in 2008. Australia won that year but their time in the sun was short; they were promptly demoted a year later.

Why should Australians care about Ice Hockey?

This may seem all trivial. Why should Australians give two hoots about ice hockey? After all, it’s a relatively new sport to this country, there’s no competition and there’s nowhere to play, right? Well, you’d be wrong on all three counts!

In fact, ice hockey has been in Australia since 1901, when the first rink was built in Adelaide by Canadian expat, Jonny Goodall.

Goodall later built a rink in Melbourne and soon a rink popped up in Sydney. In 1909, Goodall decided that an annual ice hockey tournament between state teams was needed and today, The Goodall Cup is the oldest hockey trophy outside North America and the fifth oldest in the world. In fact, it’s even older than Australia’s rugby league national championship.

Australia has a nationwide competition too, The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) which consists of eight teams across Australia has incorporated the Goodall Cup as its championship trophy.

However, the leagues face funding difficulties that stifle the sport’s growth. The players are only semi-professional, which means they only receive money from individual sponsorships and don’t receive a salary. This prevents athletes from being able to focus completely on the sport.

On the other hand, due to the fact the AIHL season coincides with the Northern hemisphere summer, the league attracts many import players from Europe and North America, lifting the standard of play and improving the local player pool.

It’s the best local-born players from the AIHL that make up Australia’s representation in these championships, as well as 17-year-old young gun, Nathan Walker, who plays for Vitkovice Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

About the Competition

For the annual championships, the IIHF divides its 49 national teams into divisions with round-robin tournaments to decide world rankings. The Elite Division (which also competes for Olympic gold) consists of powerhouse nations such as Canada, USA, Russia and Sweden. It may come as a shock than an Australian team has played in the Winter Olympics. But that effort at the Squaw Valley Winter Games in 1960 resulted in a demoralising six losses with a collective scoreline of 10 goals for, 83 against. Nothing to boast about.

Below the Elite Division, each division is split in two, A and B, with the likes of Kazakhstan, the UK and Poland in division 1. Australia is one step below in division 2, ranked 34th in the world.

Winning this year’s tournament will see Australia promoted to the higher division. From there, the Mighty Roos have only to make the short hop to the next level to play against the best in the world.

However, it’s not all that rosy, as there is a noticeable lack of viable facilities does hinder the growth of the sport in this country. With only 16 viable ice rinks, there are not many places to play, but that doesn’t stop kids from joining in. In 2010, there were more than 4000 registered players in 2010, but thanks to each rink having its own learn-to-play program, that number is sure to grow.

So in time, Australia has a chance to once again take its place at the Winter Olympics.

Mariam Farid is training to become a champion kickboxer and challenging the role of women in Sydney’s Muslim community. Trevor Allen reports.

Mariam Farid fled war-torn Afghanistan with her family to make a home in Australia. Image: Mariam Farid

There are few who truly go out of their way to realise this, to defy stereotypes and cultural barriers like Mariam Farid.

Arriving at the Bulldog Gym in Parramatta on a chilly, late-September evening, she appears unremarkable. At about 160cm tall, she hardly has the imposing stature of her trainer, Tim Fisher. She wears her regular work clothes and her black hair is tied into a ponytail.

But Mariam Farid leads a double life. By day, the 23 year old is a social worker at Westmead Hospital. By night, she trains as a Muay Thai kickboxer.

Entering the gym, she dons a t-shirt and shorts. Although she does not have the muscle definition of her male counterparts, she has the steely determination evident in all top prize-fighters. “I’ve gotta train hard for my next fight in October,” she says. “It’s not gonna be easy and I’ve gotta lose six kilos to make the weight.”

Farid has won all three of her amateur bouts. She is dedicated to her intense training regime, working out for three hours every weeknight as she builds towards her goal of becoming a national champion.

But there is another side to her story. Farid is a proud Muslim and came to Australia as a refugee in 1996 after fleeing the Taliban. She lived in Herat with her parents, grandmother, two sisters and brother. Her mother was a teacher at the local school and her father was the manager of a construction firm.

As the provincial capital and Afghanistan’s third-largest city, Herat is a hive of activity. After the Soviets left, the city was captured by the Taliban as its grip tightened across the country. With the Taliban’s brutal rule came drastic changes to Farid’s life.

“I remember everything from that time,” she says.

“Girls were banned from going to school, women needed male escorts and there were regular public killings in the soccer stadium. It was terrible.”

One particularly chilling experience has remained with her since she was 10 years old.

“I was with my dad riding a bike on the way to the video store near our house. As we approached the square, all of a sudden we were thrown to the ground, as a bomb had just exploded very close to us. There was blood everywhere and my father was hit with a small piece of shrapnel in his mouth.”

Apart from scratches and bruises, Farid and her father escaped unharmed but others nearby were killed by the blast.

In 1997, her father took the family on vacation to Iran. Whilst there, he received a phone call from relatives living in Australia. He was told it was too dangerous to return to Afghanistan and he should flee. He wanted a better life for his children so the family boarded a plane for Sydney.

“It was quite a shock,” she says.

“I never got to say goodbye to my extended family in Herat. They said, ‘No, don’t go!’ but my father wanted us to have an education, which we couldn’t get in Afghanistan.”

In Sydney, she attended intensive English classes, completed high school and now studies social work at university.

So, how does she transform from social worker to kickboxer?

From social worker, to kickboxing champion. Image: Miriam Farid

“I’m not an aggressive person,” she says.

“When I step in the ring, I just concentrate on what I’ve learned from Tim. But it’s just a sport to me. I do it for fun.”

In Australia, less than one per cent of Muay Thai kickboxers are women, and there is a fledgling circuit for female fighters in Sydney. Bouts are mainly held at local RSL Clubs as the undercard to big professional fights.

Farid discovered the sport partly by accident.

“I used to do regular training at another gym where Tim was also a trainer, but I found regular gym work boring,” she says. “So when Tim opened a new gym three years ago, I began kickboxing. It’s been really tough but Tim has been a great teacher. And you have to be very disciplined.”

The ancient martial art is Thailand’s national sport. Practitioners claim it was developed by Siamese soldiers, more than 2000 years ago, as an unarmed combat method in case they lost their weapons in battle. Thai locals nicknamed the sport the “Art of Eight Limbs” because fighters attack with eight points of contact: punches, kicks, elbows and knee strikes. They compete bare-foot and with little protective clothing other than specialised boxing gloves and groin protection.

Preparing for the upcoming fight, Farid’s routine consists of skipping, push-ups, sit-ups, circuit training and kicking and punching technique training.

Her trainer, Tim Fisher, says: “When I first met Mariam, she was very quiet and reserved. Now she has so much confidence, it’s amazing… she’s very tenacious.”

Sparring is also an integral part of Farid’s training and she is unfazed by her male counterparts.

“At first they’re a little hesitant to hit me, but when I hit them, they’re like ‘Oh, OK. She’s pretty good,’ so they start punching a lot harder.”

“I had my nose broken during one session. There was blood streaming down my face and I had to get Tim to crack it back into place,” laughs Farid.

“My parents still don’t know about that one!”

She says although her parents support her, they still have not seen her fight. “My sister comes to my fights and texts them the results. When my parents see the trophies I bring home, they’re very impressed.”

Although Farid is in every other sense, a typical Muslim woman living in Sydney, she displays no signs of being religious.

“Although…I don’t wear a hijab [traditional head scarf for Muslim women], I don’t think it’s just the external that counts,” she says. “I think you have to feel it on the inside. I was born Muslim and I am Muslim.”

And what would her life be like if she had remained in Afghanistan?

“I’d probably be married by now. With kids!” she says.

Farid is a fighter – both in the literal and figurative sense. She is no stranger to community criticism. Muslim women can be frowned upon for doing any activities considered masculine, especially contact sports. In response to a story in a local newspaper, a reader condemned her for kickboxing. But Farid is unconcerned by such reactions and receives Facebook messages of support from the local youth.

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. It hasn’t stopped me from doing what I love doing. So I just ignore it – it just flies over my head.”

It has been a year riddled with sporting scandals, but why do sports stars constantly find their way back into trouble? Andrew Woods reports.

Not all players are keeping it on the field. Image: Claire-J

It is a question that has many academics scratching their heads, but that doesn’t mean that there are no valid theories that could potentially explain why so many sports stars are finding their way back into the headlines, for the wrong reasons.

“There are some things that are unique to the athletic community that could facilitate that type of behaviour,” said Dr Clive Jones, an assistant professor at Bond University.

“There could be some subcultures in the athletic community that may encourage more aggressive behaviour.”

However, Dr Joann Lukins a sport psychology consultant said: “I don’t think that there are any sports that are any more vulnerable than any other [to be involved in scandals].”

This has proven itself to be true as this year alone, we’ve had scandals from all over the sporting world.
“There has been some research done amongst different populations that has shown that there can be a slightly higher prevalence of certain problem behaviours in the sporting community compared to the normal community,” said Dr Jones.

“[The research] showed that college athlete behaviour was higher in terms of binge drinking, aggressive behaviour and illicit drug use.”

However, Dr Jones went on to say “It’s a bit of jump to say that because that was shown to be true amongst American college students … that it’s the case for professional Australian athletes.”

Although there have been scandals from many different sports this year, perhaps the most prevalent source of scandalous stories in Australia has been from rugby league and Aussie rules.

“There’re a lot of behaviours that are against the law, that athletes can actually perform on the field, for example if an athlete smacks someone in the head they’re not charged with assault they’re simply suspended for a few weeks,” said Dr Jones.

“There’s no broader law from society stepping in on the field and I think it could actually cause a bit of a problem there where there’s a licence to break the law.”

The recent AFL sex scandal has drawn a lot of criticism from many different sources over the conduct of a lot of sport stars.

Mark Arbib recently stated on ABC’s Q&A, “It’s an uneven power relationship and a lot of the footballers, because they are young, they don’t understand the power they have over these girls and it’s exploitative.”

This is a view that is mirrored by Dr Joann Lukins who said: “I think that one of the reasons we see some of the scandals … is because of their age and experiences and their perception as to what are the right decisions to make in certain circumstances. I certainly think that with life experiences most people would be less vulnerable to that. But it’s harder for the younger athlete who is learning on so many different levels what the appropriate thing is to do.”

Although there is a lot of opinion over our sports stars and their conduct regarding scandals, there is surprisingly little research on the reasons why so many sports stars end up being involved in scandals.

This predicament was summed up by Dr Jones who said: “The jury is still out on whether high profile athletes are more prone to that kind of behaviour or not because there’s not a lot of data to say either way.”

By Andrew Woods

Superstition in sport can stem from any action or belonging. Image: asifthebes

We all know that sports stars are a superstitious lot, but it’s not just the elite athlete that hangs onto their lucky pair of socks.

“Superstitions usually come about because athletes mistakenly associate some unrelated thing or behaviour with good performance,” said sport psychology consultant Dr Joann Lukins.

“So for example they’re wearing red underwear that day and they associate the red underwear as part of the reason for the success.”

Perhaps the most common superstition amongst the sporting elite is the wearing of a particular number.

For instance, the number 23 has had such alumni as Michael Jordan, Shane Warne and now David Beckham.

Dr Lukins suggests that sports stars use superstition as coping mechanisms.

“They actually act as an anxiety management technique … so the athlete might get some performance enhancing benefit, because they’re feeling less anxious or stressed,” said Dr Lukins.

It’s not just individual superstitions that are of concern to the sporting world. One of the most widely spread superstitions is that of abstaining the day or night before competition.

“I think sometimes that somebody who’s fairly influential in the sport says this, and if they’re a hero to somebody then it gets spread … I think people tend to copy a little bit,” said Dr Patsy Tremayne, an Associate Professor at the University of Western Sydney.

Superstitions are spread far and wide in the world of sport, but all these little rituals and beliefs could potentially be dangerous to the mental health of athletes.

“I suppose at an extreme level you could think of obsessive compulsive disorder where somebody has to do things over and over again to make sure that they’re done, or that things are going to go unwell unless they do them, so they’re constantly checking,” said Dr Tremayne.

But it’s not just the sporting elite that have their little superstitions. Superstitions extend to all levels of sport, but what is it about sport that means that people are likely to reach for a superstition to help them?

“What tends to happen is people are likely to develop superstitions whenever there’s any sort of performance environment, and sport is the classic performance environment,” said Dr Lukins.

Often the superstition presents itself in the form of an action.

“I think that it’s really bad luck to make changes on set plays,” said Michael Antonelli, 20, a soccer player.

Other superstitions can be as simple as that of Hany Georgy, 20, a gridiron player, who said, “I used to wear the same socks every time I played.”

Sometimes a superstitious belief can take the form of a ritual.

“Every time I step up to the plate, I go through the exact same routine,” said Robert Cook, 36, a baseball player.

Even pre-game rituals can help aid an athlete in a superstitious way.

“On the morning of a game, mum makes me a protein shake and I listen to the same CD on the way to the game,” said Scott Sloan, 22, a baseball player.

If there is one definite thing to be said for superstitions in sport, it’s that no one is safe from their influence.

Dr Lukins said, “I’ve seen it in team sports, I’ve seen it with individuals, I’ve seen it with male and female athletes, I’ve seen it with younger athletes and older athletes, so whether it be something like gymnastics or something like football or swimming… I haven’t found that any particular sport is more prone or is less likely.”

By Sharne Lawson

Central Coast Mariners vs Sydney FC. Image: frigginawesomeimontv

Replays of controversial incidents shown on the big screen at the last Sydney FC vs Central Coast match were a one-time mistake that violated protocol, according to Football Federation Australia’s (FFA) Rod Allen.

The A-League match against the Central Coast Mariners caused controversy two weeks ago after referee Matthew Breeze sent off Sydney’s goalkeeper Liam Reddy in the 73rd minute and awarded the away side a penalty that left the game at a draw.

Breeze penalised Reddy for tripping Central Coast midfielder Patricio Perez in the box but the replays, shown to a crowd of over 10,000 fans, showed little if any contact on Perez’s left foot as he crumpled to the ground.

“FFA follows FIFA guidelines not to replay contentious issues on screens at grounds,” Allen said.
“The replays on Saturday night [at Sydney Football Stadium] were an oversight… We have spoken with the club and we’ve counselled them on the issue.”

Celebrating his 100th officiating match, Breeze was met with rude gestures and rowdy abuse from Sky Blues fans who contested the red card and resented having their team’s first chance at victory for the season snatched away.

After Saturday night’s match, Central Coast coach Graham Arnold expressed his surprise at the stadium replays, commenting that it “adds more pressure on the referees”.

Allen said the FFA guidelines are in position for this exact reason, and because replays “can prove to incite unsavoury incidents among crowds of fans who don’t agree with the referee’s decision”.

Police Sergeant Dejong of the Central Metropolitan Region Planning Unit agreed that contentious decisions can lead to behavioural incidents.

“When there’s calls being made that people don’t agree with, they’re going to voice that,” Dejong said. “We have no control over how FIFA do things, but any type of controversial call is going to get the crowd on their feet.”

Sydney FC’s media manager, Ben Hawes, said his Club accepted responsibility for the replays but said there would be no punishment from FFA on this occasion.

Hawes maintained that the individual has discretion over what to show, saying: “It’s a bit hard to know which incidents will be controversial and which ones won’t.”

However, he admitted: “They should’ve realised; if it’s a red or a penalty, it probably shouldn’t be replayed.”

Hawes echoed the sentiment that replays put additional pressure on the match official, guaranteeing that what happened on Saturday night will not be repeated.

Reddy was cleared of the red card at a judiciary hearing earlier this week, while Perez was slapped with a two-week suspension for simulation.

FIFA’s ban on video replay has been in place since the 1970 Annual General Meeting.

Minutes from the gathering show that board members agreed to “refrain from any slow-motion play-back which reflected, or might reflect, adversely on the decision of the referee”.

Earlier this year at the World Cup, a controversially-awarded goal to Argentina in a knockout game against Mexico was replayed at Johannesburg SC and met with subsequent disapproval from the sport’s governing body.

“This shouldn’t happen. Replays can be shown but not where there are controversial situations,” FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot said.

“We will work on this and be tighter in the future.”

The growing sub-culture around ‘fixies’ – or fixed-gear bicycles – has come to mainstream attention with a recent gallery exhibition in Sydney. Dave Drayton and Jackie Leewai delved into the fixie culture to find out what it’s all about.

Bow Jia at the Sydney Sunday Sessions. Image: Jackie Leewai

Approaching ‘Robo-Cog’, it feels as though you have finally been accepted into the elusive ‘it’ group. A dozen or so modern-day Fonzies tinker casually on bikes. They work mostly without looking, presumably undergoing routine maintenance that has by now become second nature.

An array of tools that are made available to anyone who cares to come along are wielded by the more experienced riders present. The fresher faces watch; learning.

This is one of the hubs of Sydney’s burgeoning fixed-gear bicycle scene.

Haus, a Thai ex-pat who has been living in Australia for eight years began Robo-Cog in February this year. After a knee surgery forced him to stop skating four years ago, Haus turned to fixies, as they are affectionately termed, and has found himself at the centre of a growing trend.

“After surgery I was like, ‘I gotta find something to do.’ I mean, personally, I think everyone loves riding bicycles, you know? But this trend is going crazy.”

Haus tried fixies out of curiosity, not expecting to become as attached to the bikes as he did. Before too long he was holding regular sessions in his house, providing tools for other riders to use, and a point of commune for a scene that establishing itself as a close-knit community.

“It started at my house. Everyone was just coming to my house and using the tools and it started getting too crowded,” he says with a laugh. Not wanting to have his house destroyed, but needing a meeting place for the riders to hang out, Haus established Robo-Cog with fellow fixie enthusiast Jet.

Sydney Sunday Sessions – photo gallery

The time is nearing 5.15pm on Sunday and like clockwork, a cluster of fixed gear bike riders are hanging about the entry to Martin Place off George Street.

Sydney Sunday Sessions – or SSS – started as a small collective some 2 years ago, organised to allow ‘fixie’ -fixed-gear bicycle – enthusiasts to ride and socialise in Sydney. The group continues to grow in size and stature, attracting skateboarders, lapsed BMX riders, and general followers of street trends.

Read more…

Haus directs me to the mission statement of Robo-Cog – “The workshop is for like-minded cycling enthusiasts to gather and share ideas as well as modify and repair their bikes using the tools provided” – and the junkyard treasure chest of spare parts littered between the assembled fixie aficionados suggests success.

The garage space is rented by Haus and Jet each weekend, all that they request in return is a gold coin donation from the people using the tools they provide.

“Everyone who comes here and uses the tools shows a little respect. They give us like three dollars so I can have money to pay rent, and keep up with the tools. Some people aren’t paying but that’s cool, you still have friends come round. At the end of the day it’s about fun, that’s the main thing,” says Haus.

No matter who you ask about the Sydney fixie scene you can be guaranteed a response that highlights its laid-back friendly attitude. With the exception of the egos associated with a lot of bike messengers (one rider at Robo-Cog suggests “The couriers are like ‘We’ve been doing this for years and you’re all just hipsters jumping on our bandwagon’”), it seems that Sydney’s encompassing nature is something that sets it apart from the highly-strung riders in Melbourne and Brisbane.

“Sydney’s is a really friendly scene, you know, there’s not much arrogance which exists a lot in a lot of the other scenes,” says Darcy, a mechanic who volunteers his services at Robo-Cog each weekend. While he works as a mechanic during the week, Darcy is happy to donate his time and experience to aid newer riders on the weekend, and enjoys being able to give something back to the scene.

“The idea is that you can come and use the tools and use the knowledge, but it’s also like a clubhouse. Everyone from the scene just comes to hang out so its fun to spend your time here, it’s not work,” he says.

The assembled people revolve through conversations, seamlessly swapping between languages. A collection of three Thai riders converse in their native tongue before disbanding, joining other friends, and reverting to English. Grease covered hands occasionally reach for long necks of Coopers beer or cider, they are wiped on rags and extended warmly. The subcultures and cliques within in an already niche group do not create tension.

Darcy has witnessed the group’s growth, and the rise in the sports popularity, “You can see now, its growing up because, compared to last year when it started it was only ten people or so, and now its hundreds – more even.”

There’s good and bad aspects to the increasing popularity. Their passion catches the ephemeral attention of the mainstream, momentarily, and perhaps unwillingly becoming bombarded with hordes of trend hoppers and new recruits. “But it’s like with skateboarding, with anything, the hardcore guys stick it out. We’ll see next year, it will be quieter.”

For now, Darcy is content to find like minded riders, people with an interest in the scene, what ever their motivations. “Even if they’re just getting into it for the fashion or whatever. At least people are getting into it; at least people are riding bikes. Just enjoying it, getting off the couch,” he says.

The fashion Darcy mentions is a big part of the scene. More than just bikes, this is a culture that these riders live, breathe and wear. Teik Chew is owner of Halfsleeve, a street-wear store in Surry Hills located a few blocks away from Robo-Cog. After starting up around the same time fixed-gear bikes started to pick up in popularity in Sydney, Teik says they have been immersed in the scene. The store, a self-proclaimed clothing and lifestyle store, caters to the riders. There is a uniformity in the street-wear of fixie riders – part hip-hop, part op-shop, it is the uniform of a new sub-culture.

“We opened a year and a half ago and since day one we’ve had fixie customers. Most of the fixie guys are ex-skaters. I guess they’ve changed their mode of transport but they still kinda rock the same clothes,” says Teik.

He’s happy to be a part of a scene which he describes, similarly to so many others, as incredibly hospitable. “The riders here don’t take themselves so seriously. Groups like the SSS (a crew of riders called the Sydney Sunday Sessions) are massive, they encompass everyone.”

“So part of riding is the whole look of it as well, and that’s where we come into it,” he continues, spreading his hands around to indicate we are immersed in the culture as we speak.

Halfsleeve is one of a select few stores that form the supply chain for this growing trend. Teik mentions Deus Ex Machina and Hell On Wheels, talking about the businesses as though they are partners aiding a common cause, not rivals targeting the same market. It is the same camaraderie that exists through out the scene in general.

Deus Ex Machina is a cycle and motorcycle boutique retailer with stores at Camperdown and Oxford St. Teik believes they too understand that there is more to the fixie scene than just the cycles. “It’s not solely a bike store; they’ve put out their own brand, which is kinda heavily influenced by what is comfortable to ride in, and the fashion there,” he says.

Looking to give something back to the riders who had taken refuge in the store Halfsleeve organised an alley-cat race in June this year. Alley-cat races are popular within the fixie scene and have evolved from the messenger riders, it involves reaching a series of checkpoints before crossing the finish line. DC Shoes and SE Bikes collaborated with the store, providing one BMX cruiser and one fixed-speed bike as prizes. The two companies run collaboration every year, and sought out Halfsleeve specifically. “The DC rep in Australia thought we had a connection with the scene,” says Teik.

Despite only riding for the last two years Teik has been involved in the fixed-gear scene for even longer, with friends in his native Japan jumping on the bandwagon much earlier than their Australian counterparts.

“I used to live in Japan – that was about five years ago – and they were everywhere. And now I’ve seen it slowly been creeping into Australia.”

Teik says that the scene in Tokyo is strong, embedded in the culture there, but he continues to be surprised by the passion and friendship displayed in a rapidly swelling Sydney scene.

“In Tokyo you can get everywhere quicker on a bike. Everything is set up; the culture is much more developed there so you have heaps more stores, heaps more choices of brands and things. It’s small here, but I can only see it getting bigger and bigger.”

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Sydney Sunday Sessions

Australia has always been a highly successful sporting nation, but are we expecting too much too soon from our Socceroos? Andrew Woods investigates.

Do fans expect too much from the socceroos? Image:doggiesrule04

Although Australia bailed out in the group stages of this year’s FIFA World Cup, this isn’t necessarily a cause for alarm.

Despite the fact that this is currently the nineteenth World Cup, no team outside of South America or Central/Western Europe has ever won the coveted trophy.

“The expectation was that we were gonna breeze through the group stages and make it into the knockout stages, and that was maybe a little bit unfair I thought. It was a hell of a group, you know,” said Attila Abonyi, a member of the Australian Football Hall of Champions and the Socceroos squad that took the nation to our first World Cup in 1974.

Speaking to media outlets after the Socceroos bowed out of the world cup, Football Federation Australia chairman, Frank Lowy said, “Only 16 teams go through to the knock out rounds and it is unfortunate that we are not one of them this time but the Socceroos have further established their reputation as consistent performers at the highest international level.

“They [the Socceroos] have shown the world how much Australians love football and how much support there is for the game in our country and our region.”

However, soccer has not been an area of great success for Australia.

The 4-0 defeat by Germany left a lot of the Australian public wondering what happened in the world of Australian soccer since the last world cup where Australia played well.

Soccer fan, Kate Davis, 22, said, “I think it’s got to do with the tall poppy syndrome in a way. We did really well last time and maybe we wanted to bring the team back down when they didn’t perform this time.”

But it isn’t simply Australia’s tall poppy syndrome that caused us to expect so much.

“Is Australia a nation that is obsessed with sport? Yes. But does that then translate to them being involved in sport? No,” said Dr Peter Horton, a lecturer at James Cook University and a member of the International Editorial Board of the International Journal of the History of sport.

The Socceroos first started trying to qualify for the World Cup in 1966 but have only qualified for three to date.

This isn’t such an alarming statistic when compared to a nation like Portugal, who are considered to be a soccer nation yet have only qualified four times out of the 18 tournaments they have entered.

“You look at some of the countries like Brazil, Argentina and Germany…they’re a football nation well we’re not, let’s face it,” said Abonyi.

When asked why we expected so much of the Socceroos in the World Cup, fan Scott Stratford, 49, said, “Because we always do. Australians always expect to do well when it comes to sport.”

However this view hasn’t always been held for Australia in soccer. When Abonyi went to Germany in 1974 with the Socceroos squad, the expectation for the team was “bugger all”.

“Now the nation is a lot more involved, publicity is a lot more, everything is just entirely different,” he said.

Socceroo supporters say the high expectations for the World Cup squad was due to the team’s achievement in 2006.

“We did so well last time and we only lost by one to the team that ended up winning it,” said fan, Garry Simon, 22.

Ben Newsom, 20 said, “Also heaps of the same generation of players from the last World Cup are still in the squad. I do think that people also didn’t fully get the role of the coach in our last World Cup.”

Dr Horton said the best way to make this point is by comparing us to our own cross-Tasman rivals.

“Across the Tasman, they’ve got 25 professional players, and yet they achieved exactly the same result,” he said.

“As for Australia’s chances of eventually winning a World Cup,” Abonyi said.

“Not in our lifetime, put it that way”.

By Jessica Black

The second round of Sydney Roller Derby is on this Saturday, with the D’viants looking to come back from their first-round loss against the Screaming Assault Sirens (SAS).

PHOTOGALLERY – Click to enlarge

The first bout went off with a volley of bangs with last year’s champions, the D’viants, mowing down runners-up, the SAS, to the sound of machine gun fire in a pre-jam skit.

However the tables soon turned with the Sirens leading 74-30 at half time.

Of the SAS, Bully Jo and Ltl Whipit stood out as lead jammers (scorers), running rings around their opponents. The former league champions were often on the back skate as frequent penalties saw key players, including D’viant jammer Sideshow Ho, sidelined in the sin bin and unable to score for entire jams.

The green and red SAS army maintained a comfortable lead during the second half, despite a barrage of penalties cutting the bout short for star jammer Bully Jo.

Speaking from the Siren’s change room, Bully was unmoved by the rebuke, having walked off to cheers from the crowd moments before.

“I was having so much fun!” she said.

Fellow Siren and long-time Roller Derby member Miss Biff is understandably proud of the team’s win.

“We had our strategy well played and it worked perfectly on the night, we controlled the front of the pack and got some really nice hits in – we are hoping to keep that up for the whole season.”

She’s proud, too, of the league which is now in its second year.

“As a founding member of the league it’s awesome to see how far we’ve come setting up competitive Roller Derby here in Sydney.”

The D’viants will have an opportunity to make up for lost ground on May 8, as they square off against the S.A.S in Bout 2, to be held at UTS Sydney Boy’s High Stadium.

Tickets for Bout 2 are selling fast. Book online at http://www.sydneyrollerderby.com/

On October 1st, the NSW Government lifted the ban on competitive women’s boxing. Nick Evershed covered the second exhibition match to take place since the removal of the ban.