Great article from Cynthia Banham

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  • Lucky Knickers
    Fandom of Fabulousness
    • Oct 2003
    • 4220

    Great article from Cynthia Banham

    I really admire this lady and in this article, what she has written struck a chord for me.

    In life, as in footy, hardships, disappointments and training are worth it

    I play the club theme song on YouTube because I love the emotions it evokes (and the bit with the banjo).

    203 days and counting.
  • Nthblood
    On the Rookie List
    • Jan 2009
    • 59

    #2
    What a great article, well written, you can feel the passion in the words, its great to read stories like that to how people from all different walks of life have the same passion / obession you have.

    Comment

    • BigD
      Swans Tragic No. 1
      • Apr 2007
      • 394

      #3
      What a fantastic article. I felt the emotion welling up in me as I read it. Well done, Cynthia.
      Red & White forever.

      Comment

      • Jeffers1984
        Veterans List
        • Jan 2003
        • 4564

        #4
        that was bloody amazing!

        Great Article.
        Official Driver Of The "Who Gives A @@@@ As The Player Will Get Delisted Anyway" Bandwagon.

        Comment

        • jono2707
          Goes up to 11
          • Oct 2007
          • 3326

          #5
          Shows once again why we support the best club in the world.....

          Comment

          • i'm-uninformed2
            Reefer Madness
            • Oct 2003
            • 4653

            #6
            I happen to know, albeit not in a close way, this lady from a year I spent working in Canberra. For those that don't know, she lost her legs and suffered massive injuries as a result of the plane crash in Yogjakarta that killed five Australians a couple of years back, including one of her dear friends.

            She's a remarkably resilient person who has been to hell and back, and emerged with her dignity and class untouched.

            The article confirms why her (and the Swans) are a breed apart.
            'Delicious' is a fun word to say

            Comment

            • desredandwhite
              Click!
              • Jan 2003
              • 2498

              #7
              I've been semi-following Cynthia Banham's story over the last couple of years and this is a great read. Agree, she writes very well - which you would hope is the case, given her job

              Fever Pitch is also one of my favourites, and I think it is required reading for any sports fan. It's about soccer generally and Arsenal specifically, however you don't need to be a fan of either to get what he means.

              I will share with you all my favourite passage from the book:

              It wasn?t the size of the crowd that impressed me most, however, or the way that adults were allowed to shout the word ?WANKER!? as loudly as they wanted without attracting any attention. What impressed me most was just how much most of the men around me hated, really hated being there. As far as I could tell, nobody seemed to enjoy, in the way that I understood the word, anything that happened during the entire afternoon. Within minutes of the kick-off there was real anger (?You?re a DISGRACE, Gould. He?s a DISGRACE!? ?A hundred quid a week? A HUNDRED QUID A WEEK! They should give that to me for watching you.?); as the game went on, the anger turned into outrage, and then seemed to curdle into sullen, silent discontent. Yes, yes, I know all the jokes. What else could I have expected at highbury? But I went to Chelsea and to Tottenham and to Rangers, and saw the same thing: that the natural state of the football fan is bitter disappointment, no matter what the score.
              QFT.

              177th Senior AFL Match - Round 4, 2009 - Sydney vs Carlton, SCG. This is obviously out of date. I suppose I'll update it once I could be bothered sitting down with the fixture and working it out....
              Des' Weblog

              Comment

              • ShockOfHair
                One Man Out
                • Dec 2007
                • 3668

                #8
                Inspiring and a reminder of what a great club the Swans is.

                It was very cool of the club to reach out to her.
                The man who laughs has not yet heard the terrible news

                Comment

                • Cardinal
                  Regular in the Side
                  • Sep 2008
                  • 932

                  #9
                  Only a Club like the swans would inspire one to make that bloody trip up and down the freeway every second weekend

                  Comment

                  • dimelb
                    pr. dim-melb; m not f
                    • Jun 2003
                    • 6889

                    #10
                    Terrific article.
                    Thanks IU2 for filling in the background.
                    And thanks Des for the timely warning. Brought to mind the Bulldogs fans who sat behind us at the MCG when we were getting done in one of the finals; they never stopped bellyaching about their own, to the point where mrs d turned around and asked, "Can't you enjoy the win?" The response was a (temporary) shocked silence.
                    He reminds him of the guys, close-set, slow, and never rattled, who were play-makers on the team. (John Updike, seeing Josh Kennedy in a crystal ball)

                    Comment

                    • satchmopugdog
                      Bandicoots ears
                      • Apr 2004
                      • 3691

                      #11
                      It's footy colours day here at work....so I am sitting heredecked out in some of my stuff,reading that article and trying not to cry in front of the kids.

                      I love my team.


                      Read the book and could relate to it. Read the article and could relate to the bit where the Swans helped the writer pull through a hard time.(Mind you hers was unbelievably more traumatic than mine) When I found myself on my own I decided I would go to one of the big Melbourne Swans functions to help find the new me. It was almost a spiritual experience finding all these other people that thought like me. I was not alone anymore.
                      "The Dog days are over, The Dog days are gone" Florence and the Machine

                      Comment

                      • Go Swannies
                        Veterans List
                        • Sep 2003
                        • 5697

                        #12
                        Originally posted by ShockOfHair
                        Inspiring and a reminder of what a great club the Swans is.

                        It was very cool of the club to reach out to her.
                        The club does this a bit. A few years ago a friend of mine who was a very keen fan (I met her at a Club Swans aftermatch) developed cancer very young (early 30s). The club found out and invited her to matches and coffee with the players, etc - the chance to have her photo taken with her favourite player (Baz), etc. All were very gracious. She died at the start of 2006 and her last text to me was about the Swannies chances for the season she wasn't going to see. RIP Janine.

                        Incidentally Cynthia Banham's husband works for News Ltd and they have been at least as supportive as Fairfax though the injuries were suffered while working for the opposition. It's good when people and companies rally around rather than toe a corporate line.

                        Comment

                        • Primmy
                          Proud Tragic Swan
                          • Apr 2008
                          • 5970

                          #13
                          Read the article. Also made a mental note that this is the first time we have heard about the Swans reaching out to her. No publicity. From within. That is a bit of class.

                          And I know what you mean Satch. That sense of belonging "somewhere" with like minds. that's why the Syyddnneeyyy chant only goes up in unison when the "moment" warrants it. Not when someone else has decided. We, not Me.
                          If you've never jumped from one couch to the other to save yourself from lava then you didn't have a childhood

                          Comment

                          • Cher
                            Born into the team
                            • Feb 2003
                            • 1474

                            #14
                            Excellent article.
                            Most of my close friends I met through the Swans, gone are the days of sitting at the footy on my own.
                            CHER - Who has two types of blood cells "RED ones and WHITE ones"

                            Comment

                            • Chilcott
                              Regular in the Side
                              • Jan 2008
                              • 595

                              #15
                              Great article about a great team, written by an inspiring and courageous person.

                              I can't get to many games these days, but must admit when I do get to a game I also get the goosebumps when I first see the turf from the gate or down the tunnels/aisles.

                              Then its straight to the bar for a beer and a pie.

                              Comment

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