Thanks for your email. You do lots of sports at school in Canada. I’d love to play ice hockey one day.

We do lots of sports at our school too. We’ve got a swimming pool and our class go swimming every Wednesday. We also play tennis, volleyball and football, but football in Australia is different from soccer. We can touch the ball with our hands!

There are lots of after-school sports clubs in Australia too. I go to a surfing club after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We go to the beach and learn how to surf. It’s great fun!

Can you surf in your country? Looking forward to your reply.

Rob

Rugby players have a reputation of being big, strong and rude on the field. But Takamasa Hoshiyama, 17, says the reality of rugby is very different from what it looks like.

“Whatever your size or speed, anyone can play rugby,” says the Island School student, who also plays on the U19 Hong Kong rugby team.

Taka has been playing rugby since he was just four years old, following in the footsteps of his father. “My dad played rugby and he was keen (渴望的) for me to play,” says Taka. A lot has happened to Taka since his first game with his father. In the 2014 New Year's Day game against the Overseas Barbarians, he was named Man of the Match, and has taken the role of captain in his club team.

And of course, he's grown throughout his years of playing rugby — in more ways than one. “When I started playing, I was scrum-half (争球前卫), usually the smallest guy on the field,” says Taka. “But as I grew, I changed position. Now I am a front row prop — one of the big guys that holds the scrum together.”

“Rugby has done a lot for me,” he says. “It has really made me focused, and that is thanks to my coaches as well as my teammates who brought me to where I am now.”

Taka says that being part of a team and experiencing that growth together is one of the best parts of the sport. “Rugby creates a unity within the team and helps develop a mutual (相互的) respect between other teams and players,” he explains. “Training is hard and matches are physically demanding, but it is a team sport and you have to do your job for the team.”

Now Taka wants to help others experience the same growth he has. In his free time, he coaches younger rugby teams. He says it is especially rewarding to find “unusual strengths and capabilities within players and encourage them to work on those.”

Fitness Center Timetable

Body Power: This class uses weights and aerobic movements (a form of very active physical exercise) to increase strength while burning fat. It is suitable for all levels for fitness.

Aerobics: This is a low to middle level of difficulty aerobic class. It is good for beginner to average levels of fitness.

Beginner Aerobics: This class has a low level of difficulty and simple aerobic movements. It is mainly for people who have not exercised before or who are just returning after a long break or injury.

Body Stretch (hold your arms or legs out straight and tighten your muscles): This is a relaxation class which stretches all the muscle groups. It is suitable for all levels of fitness. People who exercise regularly or have a stressful lifestyle would also greatly improve their health in this class.

Body Burn: This is a high level of difficulty aerobic class that mainly aims at fat burning. It is only for those people with a very high level of fitness.