To celebrate AFL Multicultural Round 2011, the following piece has been written in both Chinese and English.
作为一个自豪的澳洲华侨也是澳式足球联盟首席华人顾问,请允许我给大家介绍这个充满力量,活力和赋有灵魂的澳洲头等体育项目,以及它所带给我移民澳洲后的帮助。希望大家共同来感受澳大利亚的生活方式和澳洲最热门,最典型的体育竞技活动-- 澳式足球。
AS A PROUD Chinese Australian and as an ambassador of Chinese community in the AFL, I am pleased to be part of this energetic, lively and spiritual sport, the top sporting code in Australia.
You have no idea how it helped with my migrant life here in Australia. I hope everyone can enjoy the Australian lifestyle and enjoy Australia’s most popular pastime - Australian Football.
我13岁随着父母远赴异国他乡来到澳洲,起初一切都显得那么陌生。父亲是一位出色的厨师,他技术移民来澳的原因与许多华侨是一样的,为了给自己的后代一个良好的生活环境和人生基础。他和母亲两人来到一个语言不通,生活完全陌生的国家,纯粹为了自己的后代,让我感激不尽。
At the age of 13, I followed my parents and migrated to Australia, everything was very foreign at the beginning. My father is a top-class chef, and his reason to become a skilled migrant in Australia is similar to many other Chinese Aussies, to provide a better life and foundation for their children. For what my parents have sacrificed to come to a land where they do not possess the language skills, purely because of the opportunity it will give me, I am forever thankful.
读完语言学校后进入中学,虽然对英文有基本基础但是学习还是非常吃力。记得当年在学校午休时看到同学踢澳式足球的那一瞬间,便被这项运动所深深的吸引了。有一天中午,我大胆的问一位同学我是否可以和他们一起踢球,他和几个朋友商量之后同意了。后来我才知道,他们是想用我来做“人梯”。虽然我第一次接触footy是被别人“利用”,但在同时,我和大家靠进了,随着在一起踢球,我的语言大有进步。校园之外,通过和邻居Hyland家庭兄弟三人一起踢球,我接触了澳洲人的生活方式,我父母也开始懂得澳洲生活。14岁时,同学介绍我去参加社区的少儿俱乐部,我父母并没有阻止我,只是一再要求不要忘记功课最重要。在中国人尤其是我父母他们来说,我就是他们来澳的原因,我的未来是他们的期望和鼓励,学习是最重要的。因为父母在餐馆打工,周末不能看我踢球,我从来没有享受到别人家长看孩子踢球那种自豪,但同时,我知道父母在为自己努力工作,所以从未有过任何怨言。
After a short stint in the Language Centre to grasp simple English skills, I have moved to Dandenong High School. Mainstream curriculum in English is still a very tough task after three terms of language studies. I can remember watching other boys having a kick of the footy during break and was fascinated by the sport. One lunchtime, I worked up the courage to ask if I can join in. After some deliberation with the other boys, the ringleader allowed me to play. I later found out they wanted to use me as a human ladder for “speccies”.
Even though my first contact with footy was to be used as a ladder, I have managed to be one of them, and through kicking the footy, I became closer to them and most importantly, learnt to speak English like them.
Outside of school, I’ve befriended my neighbouring Hyland brothers, and we often play kick to kick and practice our “opposite sides”.
From that, I got to know how they lived, and my parents also got to know how Australians lived. When I was 14, friends asked me to join a junior club, my parents didn’t stop me, they just reminded me that study comes first.
To Chinese migrants, kids' education comes first and before everything else. My education and my future is their reason for leaving their home. Because my parents worked at restaurants, they never had time to come and watch me play on Sundays during those junior days. I never had that feeling as a kid of parents coming and watching and encouraging from the sidelines. However, I never blamed my parents, because they were hard at work for my future.
第一次去现场观看AFL也是我生命中很有指导性的事件。在澳洲,成为一个AFL俱乐部的球迷是一件和挑选部落一样重要的选择。我在来到澳洲的第二年和同学去Waverley Park看AFL比赛。那天是Melbourne Demons Vs Collingwood Magpies。Collingwood在最后时刻射门进球,但被判为比赛结束后起脚,不算,输掉了比赛,不知为什么,我开始支持Collingwood。从那天起,我成为了黑白军队的成员和忠诚战士。作为喜鹊球迷让我懂得了AFL让所有人丢去民族,国籍,血统和宗教,所有球迷都是只有两类,支持Collingwood和“厌恨”Collingwood。在我之后的生活中,讨论AFL赛事,讨论对Collingwood的喜和恨,都成为了我与陌生人之间的桥梁,对我在学习,工作,娱乐与生活提到帮助。
My first AFL game as a spectator is also a life defining moment. In Australia, being a supporter of an AFL club is like belonging to a tribe. It is a very important choice, a choice that many people didn’t have because they were born into. In the second year of my life in Australia, I went to Waverley Park to watch Melbourne and Collingwood. Collingwood lost the game when an after-the-siren goal was not counted.
Not sure what made me go for the Magpies but after that game, I have become part of the Black and White army. Being a Magpies fan has taught me the beauty of AFL, it allows people to forget about ethnicity, nationality, race, and religion.
There are only two kinds of people; those who love and those who hate Collingwood. Just like that, talking footy and talking Collingwood with strangers has become a bridge for me at school, at work, at play and at life.
从此以后, 通过参与这项运动, 我结实了很多朋友, 精通了本土语言, 融入了澳洲社会。因此,澳式足球不只教会我英文,更教会我如何在澳洲生活。
Through participation at a grassroots level in this sport, I have met many life-long friends, learnt English, and melted into Australian community and lifestyle. Aussie Rules didn’t just teach me the language of this land, but more importantly, the ways that people live here.
澳式足球也是我在国外的一盏照明灯。2003年在德国工作,非常想家的我在美丽的莱因河畔与几位澳洲朋友组织了德国的第5支澳式足球俱乐部,杜塞尔多夫雄狮队。每两周的德国AFL联盟赛让我在异国他乡再次认识了朋友。AFL再次作为桥梁。
Aussie Rules also helped me when I was working abroad in Germany. So far away from home and desperately missing home, I found some other Aussie expats and we started the Dusseldorf Lions Australians Rules Football Club (now called the Rheinland Lions) by the beautiful banks of the Rhein River. Our fortnightly fixture in AFL Germany gave me a chance to make many friends around the world. Football was once again a bridge for me at a time that I most needed one.
五年前,几个亚裔朋友组织了一支多元文化的澳式足球俱乐部,我们为它起名为Southern Dragons南方龙队。这支龙队由很多不同民族背景的球员组成,包括中国,越南,柬埔寨,泰国,马来西亚,新加坡,日本,阿门尼亚,印度,巴基斯坦,罗马尼亚,希腊,菲律宾,爱尔兰,黎巴嫩,等等,等等。我们俱乐部是澳洲多元文化社会的缩影,在一起,球员们都是朋友,在场上一起努力比赛,场下一起开心娱乐,互相帮助。
Five years ago, a few Asian background footy friends and I organised an amateur football club called the Southern Dragons. Our aim was for the club to be open to people of all backgrounds. This club now has players with family ancestries from China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Armenia, India, Pakistan, Romania, Greece, Philippines, Ireland, Lebanon and more.
Together, our club is a true reflection of the community we live in, a multicultural community. We are all friends at the club, on the field we play for each other, off the field we have fun and support each other.
您问这是一项什么运动?澳式足球不仅是一项职业运动, 而且在澳洲拥有广泛的群众基础。 每逢冬季的周末, 在澳洲大陆每个角落,不管男女老少,高矮胖瘦, 社会背景,人们都积极的在参与这项运动。
You want to know what kind of sport is AFL? It is not just a sport played by the elites in Australia, it has a great community foundation. Every winter’s weekend, at every corner of the continent, you can find people of all gender, age, fitness level, and social background playing and loving this sport.
澳式足球每个队各18名球员上阵,椭圆型球场要比足球场大四倍。这项运动的特点在于比赛精彩激烈, 球员不但必须移动迅速,还要具有踢球,传球,争球,防守,擒抱,合理碰撞以及射门的技巧。比赛用橄榄球, 赛事进行中将球手击或脚踢给队友, 以便能快速得分。 由于球的形状为橄榄型, 因此往往接球与传球都需要技巧与默契的配合, 再加上双方球员近距离的碰撞,无越位判罚及较高进球率, 都使得比赛过程高潮不断。
Aussie Rules has 36 players on field at any given time, 18 per team, the oval shaped playing field is about four times the size of a soccer pitch. The uniqueness of the sport lays within its excitement level; players not only have to move with incredible speed, but at the same time they have to execute skills such as kicking, handballing, defending, tackling, and kicking for goal. Not only that, the ball is oval shaped and passing is only done by handball or kicking. Because of the shape of the ball, passing the ball requires tremendous skill and coordination; add the close body contact, no offside rule, and frequent scoring, the game is full of excitement from start to end.
我真诚的希望澳洲澳式足球联盟AFL,能更加积极地在澳洲华人社会推广这项运动。利用我们华人能够接受的发式,传达这项运动给在澳华人带来的益处。要做到这点,AFL需要花时间去懂得澳洲华人的生活,我们对生活的需要和追求。同时,也希望AFL能够带动年幼的华裔小朋友,让他们从小爱上footy。我的梦想就是在不远的将来,我能够在MCG现场看到一位龙的传人为全澳华人进球!
I wish with all my heart that the governing body of this sport, the AFL, can successfully promote and bring this game to more and more Chinese Australians living here. I hope the AFL can motivate the young Chinese Aussie kids and let them love footy from a young age. My dream is that in the not too distant future, I can cheer on a Chinese AFL player at the MCG kicking goals for the rest of our community!
Last Modified on 02/08/2011 14:31