📘 Part 3: Sports

This episode's vocabulary

Touch rugby (noun) – a non-contact version of rugby where tackling is replaced by touching. → We play touch rugby at lunch because it's safer than the full-contact version.

Sheer volume (noun phrase) – an extremely large amount or number. → The sheer volume of applications made it difficult to review them all.

Thriving (adjective) – growing successfully and vigorously. → There's a thriving arts community in our neighborhood.

At a guess (phrase) – making an estimate without certain knowledge. → At a guess, I'd say about 200 people attended the event.

Fixated on (adjective phrase) – obsessively focused or concentrated on something. → She's completely fixated on getting perfect scores in every exam.

To the exclusion of (phrase) – ignoring or not considering other things. → He focuses on work to the exclusion of his personal life.

Psychosomatic (adjective) – relating to physical symptoms caused by mental or emotional factors. → Some doctors believe stress can have a psychosomatic effect on health.

Contingent on (adjective phrase) – dependent on or conditional upon something. → Our trip is contingent on getting time off work.

Rained off (phrasal verb) – cancelled or postponed due to rain. → The cricket match was rained off yesterday.

Going ahead (phrasal verb) – proceeding or continuing as planned. → Despite concerns, the conference is going ahead next month.

Retirees (noun) – people who have retired from work. → Many retirees move to warmer climates.

Contact sports (noun) – sports involving physical contact between players. → Rugby and boxing are examples of contact sports.

Rougher on (adjective phrase) – more difficult or demanding for someone. → Winter weather is rougher on elderly people.

Pose a risk (verb phrase) – present or create a danger. → Icy roads pose a risk to drivers.

Bowling greens (noun) – flat grass areas used for lawn bowling. → The local bowling greens are maintained beautifully.

Stamina (noun) – physical or mental endurance and energy. → Marathon runners need exceptional stamina to complete the race.

Competitive edge (noun phrase) – an advantage over others in competition. → Regular training gives athletes a competitive edge.

Physically demanding (adjective phrase) – requiring significant physical effort or strength. → Construction work is extremely physically demanding.

Take up (phrasal verb) – to start a new hobby or activity. → I decided to take up yoga for better flexibility.

Wind down (phrasal verb) – to relax and reduce stress or activity. → I like to wind down with some light reading before bed.

Questions and Answers

Maria: Which is more dangerous, team sports or individual sports?

Rory: Doesn't that depend more on the actual sport? I mean, if you go rock climbing alone, then clearly that's more dangerous than playing something like touch rugby with a team of people. Although, if we have to pick one, I'd probably say the individual ones. I mean, at least if you hurt yourself in a team sport, people are around who can help you. But of course, that's just one factor to consider.

Maria: What kinds of sports are the most popular in your country?

Rory: Oh, wow. I think that's either rugby or football, just based on the sheer volume of teams we have. Though apparently there's a thriving gymnastic scene, which is surprising to hear.

Maria: And which do people in your country prefer to watch, team sports or individual sports?

Rory: Well, just based on what I said, I think it's safe to say that team sports are probably the most popular. You don't see a lot of people watching gymnastic competitions, but football is considered the national sport. And we do well in a lot of other things like rugby, cricket, etc. And all of them involve teams. So it sort of makes sense that team sports are the ones that are sort of above the others in terms of popularity.

Maria: Does encouragement and applause from the audience have an impact on athletes?

Rory: At a guess, I'd say probably not, at least not in the immediate context. The reason I say that is that athletes tend to be pretty focused people. So they're probably fixated on winning to the exclusion of just about everything else. Maybe after they win, the audience reactions and praise might have some sort of psychosomatic effect. But other than that, I don't see it being much of an influence.

Maria: How does the weather affect outdoor sports?

Rory: Well, that's contingent on the sport and the weather, really. Unlike football matches, rugby matches hardly ever get rained off. But heavy snowfall or low temperatures might stop a game going ahead if the ground freezes, and that poses some kind of risk to the players.

Maria: What sports are popular among elderly people?

Rory: Well, there used to be a thing where old people played a lot of bowls and went bowling, or at least not bowling like ten-pin bowling. They would go to bowling greens. But I don't know if that's still a thing or not. And I think golf is popular with retirees, though God knows why, given how dull that is. At a guess, I'd say it's because it tends to have a slower pace and isn't so intense compared to contact sports, which could definitely be rougher on older people.