Well, we may have missed the Super Bowl and March Madness;
however, in Scotland students and faculty have been able to catch some of the
fever surrounding rugby, football (aka soccer), and other sports. It has taken
a bit of practice for me to call soccer “football,” but I think that I have
gotten it.
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| Cheering the Edinburgh Rugby team |
In the intercultural communication class, students were
required to attend either a football or rugby game. Ahmyn, Seryahna, Djanko,
and I joined some of the students and faculty at a rugby game. Edinburgh Rugby
played a Welsh team. I will admit that I know very little about rugby, but I
can see how American football originated from rugby. The ball is similar, and
there is a lot of passing, tackling, etc. However, in rugby, you can only pass
the ball to the side or backwards – not forwards. Also, there are multiple ways
to score. Interesting terms used in rugby are scrum, maul, and ruck, none of
which will I define. Instead I will refer you to the following:
BBC’s explanation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipment/4200680.stm,
a brief how to video on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIvVqJSlx1A,
and the more exciting highlights of an Edinburgh win over the Newcastle at
Hawick team
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uroN3cP5Iwc.
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| Fans for the Welsh team -- Cheeseheads can't say anything about the daffodils |
One thing that folks here in Scotland like to say is that
football is a gentlemen’s sport played by thugs, and rugby is a thugs’ sport
played by gentlemen. Hmmm… One thing that you might notice about the difference
between football and rugby matches is that the fans seem to be slightly quieter
at rugby matches, not yelling the whole time but only during exciting moments.
Football games tend to be louder. Surprisingly, you can buy alcohol at rugby
matches but not at football matches. Of course, this restriction may just be
evident at the stadiums where our friends and we have attended.
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| Djanko and Ahmyn excited for the Glasgow Celtic football game |
Ahmyn went to two football games, a Celtic game in Glasgow
and a Hibs game in Edinburgh. Uncountable are the bigger games watched in pubs
and at the palace. At least in the palace, you do not have to worry about
wearing the jersey of your favorite team. In some pubs, though, you cannot wear
the “colors” of your favorite football or rugby team. One reason is that there
have been fights and violence that have broken out based on which team you
supported. In Glasgow, this rivalry runs deeper than simply which team you
support: the Celtic or the Rangers. These two teams have religious foundations,
with the Celtic fans traditionally being Catholic with the Ranger fans traditionally
being Protestant. The sectarian divide that has plagued and shaped much of the
United Kingdom’s history can still be seen on and off the football field in
Glasgow. Sadly, violence spikes after matches between the Celtic and Rangers,
even domestic violence. For more information on the divide between Rangers and
Celtic fans and what those teams may represent historically, see the articles
in
The Guardian and
The Independent:
Football is the national and international sport for most
people around here. Although it may divide some, it also unites many. People
gather for football matches big and small.
One sport that I have not seen but would love to is the game
of hurling. Some of the faculty and students who have visited Ireland have
watched televised games, and I can imagine that a live game would be
stupendous. Hurling’s roots are in Ireland, and it seems to be a mix of
lacrosse, hockey, and baseball. Hurling’s fans call it the “fastest game on
grass.” Check out this video and decide for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmzivRetelE.
A sporting event known world-wide is the Highland Games,
with versions of these games occurring all over the globe. Here at Dalkeith, we
had our own version of the Highland Games, celebrating Scottish culture. Our
games included some traditional Highlands events, such as the caber toss, the
sheath toss, stone put, and Maide Leisg. We also included some less strenuous
events like the welly-wanging and haggis-malt toss events. Even though we did
not have dancing or piping events as the traditional games often do, we had
plenty of fun.
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| Madeline, Erin, and Dutch sporting clan colors |
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| Anna Lehman shows her clan spirit |
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| Seryahna is ready for the games to begin |
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| Facial hair (even fake) is important to keep you warm |
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| Djanko and Seryahna show their Scottish pride |
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| One clan struts their stuff |
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| Chris gets ready to wang the welly |
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| Missy's welly in the air |
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| Djanko is excited to participate |
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| Emma gets ready for the caber toss |
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| Dutch Shultz was a strong competitor at the caber toss |
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| The kids got into the spirit of the games, too. |
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| Ready for competition |
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| Katrice and the sheaf toss -- not very successful |
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| Djanko in the Maide Leisg competition |
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| Seryahna and Renae in the Maide Leisg |
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| The students ready for the games |
The Highland Games mark a tradition that is more than a
thousand years old. However, after the Jacobite Rebellion, gatherings such as
the games and the wearing of traditional dress (like the tartan kilt) were
outlawed. This law was repealed in the 1800s, and the games became increasingly
popular (“Highland Games,” 2012). In our 21st century version in
Dalkeith, the caber toss, one of the quintessential events, generated a lot of
enthusiasm as students attempted to toss a huge log end over end. The even with
the most laughs may have been the more modern welly-wanging, where students had
a welly, or rubber boot, on their foot and flung it into the target area. The
Maide Leisg was an interesting event where opponents face off by holding a
stick between them while sitting down and trying to pull each other over. Students
and staff all enjoyed a day of friendly competition.
We have all had great opportunities to explore Scottish
culture through its sports. Do national sporting events that are quintessential
help define our cultural identity? Does our culture shape which sports we
choose to pursue? Something to ponder…
