Magpies give a successful Dallas Children’s Museum presentation Staff Writer, Bubba Strangles. July 14^th 2004
Figure 1: Children listening carefully.				The Dallas Magpies gave a demonstration of Australian sport and culture to 175 children between the ages of 3 and 10 at the Dallas Children’s Museum on July 14. The Children’s Museum approached the club to give a presentation during “Wonderful Wednesdays,” weekly day camps that introduce kids to cultures as diverse as Australia, China, India and Africa. The presentation, directed by Gale Emerson of the Dallas Magpies, was based mostly on Australian culture but also included a brief overview of Australian Football, which was run
by 3 Magpie players, Chris Emerson, Thane Hayhurst and Daniel Russo. The players demonstrated the basic skills needed to play the game — the drop punt, the handball and marking (catching), while talking
about the differences in Australian Football from sports that the children actually play themselves, such as soccer or football. The children were amazed at the size of the field that Aussie Rules occupies and also of the number of players on the field. The highlight of the presentation was the sing-a-long of Waltzing Matilda, a famous Australian Folk song, lead by Gale Emerson, by the end of the song, all the children had learnt the chorus and were singing full lungs ahead. Furthermore, after reveling at the multicolored plastic Australian money, the children we treated to the deep sounds of a didgeridoo, by another presenter who attended the “Wonderful Wednesday” event.		Figure 2: Hayhurst teaching a Drop Punt.
“What was interesting to note is that a few of the children knew of Australian Football” said Daniel Russo, who plays for the Dallas Magpies in the Back Flank position. But none had played or seen the game before.
Figure 3: Russo being clueless about the didgeridoo			After a brief skills demonstration the children mobbed the players in their attempt to learn how to kick and handball. About the Dallas Magpies: The Dallas Magpies are a not-for-profit organization, dedicated to fostering national and international amateur sports competition as well as promoting a cultural exchange between Americans and Australians. The Magpies participate in the Mid American Australian Football League, a division of the United States Australian Football League, and also have a player,
Brandon Blankenship, who competes on the U.S. National team in international competition. The team is also active in promoting the Australian national sport and Australian culture through clinics at area schools and by sponsoring events such as the annual Australia Day and ANZAC Day celebrations in
the Metroplex. For more details on organizing a school clinic, playing footy or supporting the Dallas Magpies Australian Football Club, e-mail the recruiting department (recruiting@dallasfooty.com). More pictures from the Dallas Children’s Museum Event. 1, 2.	Figure 4: Chris and Gale Emerson during the presentation.