Why do we line up on frosty sporting fields? Because doing what you love matters!

Our weekend of polocrosse was lots of fun in Harden last weekend. Three generations of our family played together and everyone had a great time.  Howard is playing again after a 26 year break and I really enjoyed learning about the natural horse riding skills he has. Not being a rider myself I stood on the sideline in amazement.

The players sat firmly on a running horse while chasing down a ball that is high in the air. The opponent is charging your way and you have to keep your eye on the ball and put your horse in the best position. Sometimes you need your horse to be alert and fast, other times you need it to be calm and still. It is a game of skill, focus, courage and horsemanship. The players need to work as a team and be able to handle the pressure of the fast paced, unpredictable game.

In my view the pressure starts at home at 6 am in the morning. You pack all the gear on the back of the ute and it is literally full to the brim. There is all the horse gear to remember, the team uniform and helmet, camping gear, food, wet weather clothing, boots, gloves, rackets and hats. Then you have to catch the horses and hope they load on the horse float well so you can get to your first game on time.

Once you have travelled to the town hosting the carnival, its time to set up yards, saddle up the horses after giving them a drink, set up the camp and meet with the team, confirming the first game time. Then your horse needs warming up. The players start riding in circles with their rackets in hand, often bouncing the polocrosse ball or passing to a teammate.

So why do we do these things on the weekend? Why do we all line up at sporting fields on frosty winter mornings and travel great distances to participate in the activities that we love? Well there is a great book called ‘Sport Motivation’ by Ken Hodge. Ken explains well how handling sporting pressure and achieving our goals helps us handle the challenges we face in our day-to-day life. Aside from this, doing what we love is so very important and I have witnessed my massage clients adding an old hobby or meeting with a good friend more regularly, then noticing headaches stop and their energy increase.

Also a friend of mine Liz gave me some marriage advice once saying, ‘Always find ways to surprise your partner.’ Well, Howard surprised me this weekend.  He looked so good out there playing (just quietly) and I could see how much he loves the game.

Fitting what you love to do into your busy life can be tricky sometimes but it makes all the difference. Who would have thought adding more to our routines could actually improve the flow?

 Life’s too short to not have the time to do what we love. A little bit goes a long way I say!