Sportin Down Unda

Ricky and I are really "sporty" as our 6 year old neighbor calls us. I think its because we're always wearing Lululemon athletic gear, running to the gym to exercise or going to some sort of sporting event. Our neighbor is very observant and very honest ... a typical 6 year old, I presume! (He actually told me I looked lovely when I strolled out on our driveway in my pjs with the trash. Not sure if I had brushed the hair or teeth yet....) But anyways, thought I'd share a few pics of the sporting events we've been to in Perth. Obviously tennis is really common and popular in the states. But horse racing is a major sport here and cricket, well, is really foreign to Americans to say the least!


Tennis
Hopman Cup was hosted in Perth this month. It is one of the tournaments leading up to the Australian Open. Most of the leading players of this tournie head are in Melbourne now. Wish we could have made it this year but in hopes for next. (Melbourne is a 4 hour plane flight from Perth. Perth -west coast Melbourne-east coast

Perth Hopman Cup

Perth Hopman Cup

Horse Races
Horce racing in the Aussie summer is a really hot sport. The race courses are top of the line, the competition of this professional sport is exciting and the betting on the thoroughbred horses and their jockeys is entertaining and sometimes profitable. Besides watching the horses, there are plenty of people to watch, champagne to drink and chips to eat (remember chips are french fries here and in the UK). Women are dressed to the T... much like the Kentucky Derby in the states.... big hats, big hair pieces and frilly dresses.
A day at the races is a huge event... Australians everywhere stop what they're doing to attend or watch the races. Ricky and I attended on New Years Day in Perth with some of Ricky's work friends. We arrived early for a place in the shade and enjoyed the spectacle!

Perth Horse Races New Years Day

Purple Lighting Jockey

Ricky's winning race on video... He paid for our champagne after he collected his winnings!

Cricket 

We're still learning about this interesting, foreign sport. It's hard to watch on TV if you don't know what's going on. Attending a game or match in person helps to (kinda) understand or at least act like you do! Ricky and I went with some mates to this "20/20" cricket match. It's a shortened version of the usual 5 day match.