Do Some More Tricks

February 18, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Ballet at the Quarry 2010I have to admit to being an uncultured swine. When I should be marvelling at the grace and beauty of a magnificent artistic performance I’m more often thinking, “That was a really cool move. Do some more tricks like that.”

I went out on a date on Friday night. I took our thirteen year old daughter Emily to the opening night of Ballet at the Quarry by West Australian Ballet. The programme featured Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Quarry Amphitheatre and it was wonderful to be reminded of what a magnificent venue it is. In the eighties it went from being a disused limestone quarry to an amazing performance venue.

As for the ballet … I’ve got to admit that I don’t really understand it all that well but I do enjoy the sheer athleticism that the performers display.

There are times that I’m caught by the beauty of the dance but for a lot of the time I’m just amazed at the talent of dancers who can train their bodies to be able to achieve what they achieve. The fitness, the timing, the precision, it all amazes me. I’m one of the least coordinated people I know so I find it even more incredible.

I sometimes wish that I was one of those people who can appreciate all the finer aspects of such a performance but on the other hand, if someone like me can enjoy a night out at the ballet, I’m sure that just about anyone can.

Even if I didn’t quite get it, I had a wonderful evening with my beautiful daughter and I’m looking forward to the next opportunity to take in a little more culture.



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My not so new bike

February 15, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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New Cadent Bike
Click for a closer look
I finally picked up my ‘renewed’ bike on Friday afternoon.

It looks completely different to the bike that I’ve had since 2008 but a lot of the components are the same. Same wheels, seat, gears, brakes and most other bits and pieces. The new bits are the frame and a new front derailleur. I’ve also put brand new tyres on the bike.

The story is that my previous frame developed a crack in the rear dropout, derailleur side.

Avanti bikes carry a lifetime frame warranty so I took the bike to Avanti Plus Cannington and they replaced the frame with the current model Cadent frame. There was no argument or discussion. They saw the broken frame and immediately got to work organising the replacement. They were great people and the mechanic did a wonderful job of putting the bike together.

It’s very much a step up from my previous frame and rides so very well.

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been riding my much heavier, slower mountain bike. It feels great to be back on a road machine.



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Rat Race comes to Perth

February 11, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Rat Race Urban AdventureIf you’re tired of getting caught up in the daily rat race, you might like to experience a different kind of rat race.

The Rat Race Urban Adventure Series heads to Perth this weekend.

Teams of three will navigate, ride, paddle and abseil their way around Perth on a course that will only be revealed minutes before the race.

Rat Race Australia Director and course designer David Wolf joined me on the phone during my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM to tell listeners just what it’s all about. You can hear our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

We are going to blow your mind with the adventure you can have in the heart of Melbourne. Teams of three will run, ride, kayak, climb, abseil, and so much more over two days on the weekend in October.

The format will be the original Weekender Program – a Saturday and Sunday mix, incorporating the Mean Streets Prologue, and the Rat Race Adventure Challenge.

Mean Streets Prologue

Saturday night only (5-8pm) – quick, exhilarating and extremely entertaining. Foot based event, where teams collect as many zany checkpoints as they can in 3 hours, door to door. Any ability. Bring a pair of runners and a sense of humour.

Rat Race Adventure

Saturday night and all day Sunday. You do the Mean Streets Prologue, and then on Sunday embark on an adventure race city-wide, that will take you at least 70km all over Melbourne – by bike, boat, foot and rope!

The winning team must compete in both adventure challenge events – a combination of points and time will determine the winner, and it better not be those Poms!

If you’re in the Perth area it’s not too late to enter. You can get a couple of friends together and get involved.

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/MOR021110_1047.mp3]

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Dirty Secrets Uncovered

February 10, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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To the world his life looked like the ultimate success. People around the world loved him. He had a beautiful wife and a two lovely children. His massive wealth was continuing to grow rapidly and he had a reputation as being a thoroughly nice guy.

In November last year it all fell apart when the world learned of an extramarital affair, then another, then still more. It wasn’t long before even more was discovered about the secret life of Tiger Woods.

More recently a Melbourne multi-millionaire dissapeared. Everyone wondered what had happened to the 52 year old suburban dad and husband.

The search to find Herman Rockefeller ended tragically when his body was discovered in a suburban backyard. It was then that his secret double life was revealed. It was reported that he had a mystery girlfriend, five secret mobile phones and a connection to Melbourne’s swingers scene.

In both cases there was a secret life of deceit being lived in the shadows. In both these cases the truth came to light and destroyed one man’s reputation while claiming the life of the other.

How many people do we know that are living secret lives? Are there people close to us that are living a radically different life behind closed doors that we don’t know about?

My regular Wednesday morning guest on 98.5 Sonshine FM is Ross Clifford who is the Principal of Morling College in New South Wales and Vice President elect of the Baptist World Alliance. Each week we chat about a range of issues relating to spirituality and belief.

We discussed secret lives today and asked if we all have a secret life. We also looked at ways of ensuring our own integrity and what to do if we’ve found ourselves entangled in a secret life.

If you’d like to hear what Ross had to say, simply click the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

To what extent do we all live secret lives? Are there things we do in secret that we wouldn’t want splashed across the front page of the newspaper?

Is there a disconnect between our private and public selves? Are there things we need to do to retain our integrity?

[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/SPI021010_1039.mp3]

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Final race for Smokefree Perth Criteriums tonight

February 8, 2010
by Rodney Olsen
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Smokefree Perth Criteriums 2010Smokefree Perth Criteriums 2010 has provided some spectacular racing around various Perth street circuits over the last few days. The series is being run by the team at TriEvents and is always a highlight of the Perth cycling calendar.

Racing kicks off with the support final at 6:45 this evening in the concluding day of the four event series. The Open Men’s race starts at 8:15. You can see all the action on the cafe strip in Leederville. The Leederville course is very technical and always provides a wonderful sporting feast for spectators.

In the open event Graeme Brown holds a two point lead over Cameron Meyer with Travis Meyer in third a further one point behind. All three leaders are UCI Pro-Tour riders with Graeme Brown being a dual Olympic Gold Medalist. The excitement has been building with each race. Will Brownie be able to end the series in yellow or will the Meyer brothers combine to steal the winner’s prize in the final event?

I’ve been kept busy being part of the commentary team with Gary Suckling of Riders Choice.

Criterium racing is the most exciting version of road racing. Each race involves high speed and intense competition, around a tight and intimate circuit. No rider is guaranteed a win and no spectator walks away disappointed, which sets the scene for a perfect week end of racing.

A Criterium is a fast paced, multi lap cycling race on a tight and relatively flat street course. The course is approximately 1km in length. Criteriums are raced over a specified time rather than a distance with the races lasting no longer than 1 hour.

Most venues give spectators the opportunity to see a high portion of the course with the circuits being tight and intimate. Tactics are usually played from start to finish; so spectators are more than entertained for the entirety of the race.

Each rider receives points for placing in the top 10 of the race and these points accumulate to decide the overall winner. With a large calibre of cyclists in the event, the overall winner is often not decided until the final race.

Smokefree Perth Criteriums is made up of four events over four days. The events are afternoon / evening races in four high profile locations – Joondalup, Northbridge, Victoria Park and Leederville.

Western Australians are great supporters of this kind of cycle racing and there’s sure to be plenty of spectators watching the final event tonight. If you get a chance, get into Leederville tonight and enjoy some fantastic racing.



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