THRIVING IMPORT

The way David Thurmond sees it, Australian Rules Football is no more violent or gruesome than basketball, soccer, hockey or American football.

Thurmond, president of the Orange County Bombers Australian Rules Football Club, says television promotions gave the sport a bad rap by showing the most violent collisions.

“Everyone saw all these highlights with people getting crushed,” Thurmond said. “They see all that destruction and would be like ‘Man, that is brutal.’ ”

Thurmond was one of those people. But only two years after taking up the sport, he is an American all-star for the second time. He and three other Orange County residents, Donny Lucero of Laguna Beach, Zac Holway of Huntington Beach and James Campbell of Tustin will be on the U.S. team that plays Canada Sunday in Toronto. Jerry Dominguez of Laguna Beach is an alternate on the team.

“When I first came up to the sport, I didn’t know what was going on,” Thurmond said. “But there are a lot of skills needed that Americans already have and after one quarter I knew the basics.”

Australian Rules Football, known as “Footy,” is most comparable to soccer, with elements of football and basketball.

The field--also known as a pitch, or grounds--is typically between 135 and 185 meters in length and 110 and 155 meters in width. Players on offense attempt to move the ball downfield through passing, running or handballing--hitting the ball much like a volleyball serve. Throwing is not allowed.

A player running with the ball must dribble the ball or touch it to the ground once every 15 meters. To score, a player on offense must kick the ball through one of two sets of poles on the end line.

A kick through the narrow set of poles, placed 10 meters apart, is a “goal” and worth six points. A kick through the wider set of poles, 30 meters apart, is a “behind” and worth one point.

It’s often confused with rugby, but unlike that sport, there is no line of scrimmage and the action never stops. There are four 20-minute quarters with continuously running clocks, much like the clock in soccer.

The defense tries to stop the offense by tackling any ball carrier or by intercepting passes. If a player is tackled, the tackler gets an automatic free kick.

“There are rules to how aggressive you can be,” Thurmond said. “Don’t get me wrong, there is hitting and it is a contact sport, but it isn’t as brutal as most people think.”

Tackles, for instance, must be made between the shoulders and knees and pushing in the back is not allowed. Where most of the contact takes place is when opponents are chasing a ball in the air.

The rules stipulate that as long as the player is making a play for the ball, pretty much anything goes. But injuries such as broken bones and chipped teeth are no more common in Footy than they are in soccer.

“It’s not like hockey where everyone walks around toothless,” Thurmond said. “Most of the injuries you see are the same as in other sports: sprained ankles and stuff like that.”

The Orange County Bombers Club plays in the six-team California Footy League. The Bombers and teams from Los Angeles, San Diego, Riverside, Santa Cruz and Phoenix play each other in a 10-game season that lasts about six months.

There are approximately 50 clubs nationwide, more than three times the number there were just two years ago. According to www.usfooty.com, the official website of the U.S. Australian Football League, there were 44 official games played in 1998 and 117 in 1999. So far in 2000, there have been 91.

“It’s really starting to catch on,” Thurmond said. “All of a sudden teams just keep popping up.”

The Bombers want to expand further. Team members are recruiting others in an effort to build an Orange County-based league. The goal is to have four teams to compete in the fall and winter months when the California Footy League is on hiatus.

The only requirement, Thurmond said, is giving the sport a chance.

“There are a lot of good athletes in Orange County looking for something to play,” he said. “The guys who are most likely candidates are the guys who played football and didn’t make it to college for some reason or another but are still looking to play some sort of contact sport.”

The necessary skills include running, jumping and kicking. Size is irrelevant. Players on the Bombers range from 5-foot-4, 130 pounds to 6-4, 220.

“There is a lot of opportunity with the way this sport is growing,” Thurmond said. “If you are an athlete, you’re going to make a name for yourself.”

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Football Australian Style

Its roots can be traced back in part to Rugby, but fans of “Aussie Rules” football like to say it’s uniquely Australian. A look at the sport whose popularity is said to be at an all-time high within and outside Australia:

Overview: Game is divided into four quarters of 20 minutes. Teams consist of 18 players, deployed in five lines of three, with the remaining three assigned to the ball. There is no goalie.

Gear: Ball is an oval bladder, slightly larger and rounder than the traditional American football, and is not designed to be thrown. Players do not wear padding, although mouth guards, soft protective headgear and shin guards are permitted.

Field: There are no standard dimensions. Traditionally played on cricket “ovals” between 135 and 185 meters in length and 110 and 155 meters in width. Goals are two sets of posts at field’s far ends.

Scoring: A ball kicked between the goal posts without being touched by the posts or the players scores six points. If the ball passes between the posts by any other means--if it’s tossed, for example--or strikes the posts, a single point is scored.

Possession and disposal: A player may hold the ball for unlimited time when he is not being held by an opponent, although a player running with the ball must bounce it or touch it to the ground once every 15 meter, although not strictly enforced. Player in possession must get rid of the ball when held by an opponent. To correctly hand off the ball, player must hold it in one hand and hit it with the clenched fist of the other hand.

Source: www.USFooty.com