Remembering MaxDog as the World Cup begins

Who could read or hear the words “2010 FIFA World Cup” and “South Africa” today without thinking of our dear friend Max. MaxDog kindly introduced so many of you to me, and he told us all about the World Cup, the stadiums, the build up, the souvenirs, those funny long things that make noise and so much more about what it is like to live in or visit South Africa through his blog The Adventures of Max Dog in South Africa.

Last April MaxMom posted these photos of Max and Tammy, on Max’s website.  

 

 

 

When I saw Max’s photo I realised that I wanted to be part of his team of animals around the world who celebrate this event. You see Max is my hero because of his attitude to life, his ability to share his world, and the way he and his mom handled tough times together, so I told Max back in April that I was going to post a picture of me supporting my team the day the world cup started.

 

I don’t often get dressed up, but I do keep my promises, so just for Max here I am.

 

 

 

 

Sadly Max crossed the Rainbow Bridge on the 24th of May, but MaxMom has continued to tell us about the build up to the 2010 World Cup and what it is like to be in South Africa through her own blog Living Life to the Max She has shared her excitement with us and it is contagious! My mum doesn’t usually follow sport, but by reading Max's blog and now MaxMom's blog my mum has become interested in this event. 

 

New things have appeared at our house like this ball for me to play with.

  

 

 

I have been having fun training while trying to work out the football rules for dogs - like can I use all four paws, as a Retriever is my task just to retrieve the ball or do I need to pass it on to another player, is it OK to use my mouth (or is that only allowed if I am the goal keeper, and why does the ball change shape when I use my mouth!) and what special food treats do I get if I score a goal?

 

 

In between my training photos are a few thing I would like to tell you about my team:

 

 

• New Zealand are ranked 78th in the world by FIFA, but made it into the 32 teams that are in the World Cup!

 

• This is the second time we have been in the World Cup. The first was 28 years ago in Spain.

 

• We are in group F so play against Italy (ranked 5th), Slovakia (34th) and Paraguay (31st).
 
 

• Our proudest moment, so far, was beating Serbia (ranked 15th) 1-0 last month in a friendly build-up game!

 

• Our team is called “The All Whites” (mum thinks this is a strange name for a team going to play in a country with a history of apartheid).  

 

• However the "All Whites" got their name in 1981 in the lead up to the 1982 World Cup, as black and white (and sometimes silver) are the national colours for our sporting teams. New Zealand's national team names often refer to these colours e.g. the All Blacks (rugby union), Tall Blacks (basketball), Blackcaps (cricket), Black Ferns (women’s rugby union), Silver Ferns (netball).

 

 

 

 

• The fern is a symbol of our country, and the fern logo is often used on our sporting uniforms and appears on flags you will see being waved in the stadiums. There is the outline of a fern on the flag I'm holding.  

 

• Out team usually plays in a white uniform with a small black fern logo (on the top and shorts), but our alternative away uniform is the reverse of this - so the All Whites sometimes play dressed in black.

 

 

 

• New Zealand is ten hours ahead of South Africa, which means to watch our team play live I’ll have to be woken up at 11.30pm or 2am. This is going to be very confusing for me, as once I go to “bed” at night I’m normally only woken up when it is time for breakfast.

 

 

I have my paws crossed that our team will have some good games, and if they need an extra player I’m ready to help them! 

 

Thank you Max for getting mum and me interested in this, and as the World Cup starts I'd like to encourage anyone reading this to visit MaxMom's blog as she is doing something wonderful. She is celebrating the diversity of all the countries involved in the World Cup and encouraging us to learn more about each other. Click on the "Unity in Diversity" button top right of this web page or this link Living Life to the Max for instructions how to be involved.

 

Well Max I know you are watching over from above, and that you have a grandstand view as your country hosts this exciting event. We are thinking of you,

 

 

Love
Riley