Australian Rules Football reaching many new heights

An Australian Rules Football game at an elevation of 7,000 feet against a backdrop of mountains is an unusual sight considering the sport's origin on a continent known for coral reefs and sandy beaches.

Nonetheless, the 2008 U.S. Australian Rules Football League National Championships kicked off Saturday at the Air Force Academy athletic fields. The league's first tournament - in 1998 - consisted of eight teams. This year's event has 30 men's teams in four divisions and six women's teams.

Colorado, hosting the event for the first time, is represented by three teams from the Denver Bulldogs Australian Rules Football club. Denver's Division I team is the defending champion and has won five of the past six national titles, including four in a row from 2002 to 2005. The Bulldogs also feature a Division III team and a women's team.

"When I first started playing, there was less than 1,000 players," Bulldogs vice president and coach Tom Ellis said. "(Now) we're up to about 2,000 players. Denver itself has 48 men out here and 22 women."

The Bulldogs lost in their first game of pool play Saturday, falling to the Vancouver Cougars and hurting their chances of repeating as Division I champions. A last-minute entry to the field, Vancouver was a bit of an unknown. "We had no idea what they were going to be," Ellis said. "We played them in Portland when they had a partial squad, and we beat them pretty good.

"They just used the ball better than we did," Ellis said. "The ball was on the ground too much for us. If we keep the ball off the ground and do it right, we do OK."

It was only the fifth loss in 10 years of national tournament competition for the Bulldogs.

The Cougars knocked off the New York Magpies 21-5 in the afternoon to maintain control of the pool while the Bulldogs beat the Orange County Bombers 35-19.

"We had a rough morning," Bulldog forward and Sydney native Brent Barnes said. "We certainly weren't the team that we should be and I think we kind of showed that in the second game."

As serious as the games are, the rough and tumble nature of the competition does not overshadow the camaraderie of the players who come together from across the country.

"(Australian Rules) Football in the States is a social game," Bombers captain Andy "Country" Lindsey said. "I have friends from across the country and around the world. It's been near and dear to me for the friendships I've built."

Pool play concludes this morning, followed by the final rounds of competition this afternoon. The top teams in each pool will square off to determine the champion in each division. The division final will be played at 4 p.m. today. Admission and parking are free.

FOOTBALL DOWN UNDER

The set up
Number of players on a team: 18.
Field: Oval-shaped, between 120-170 yards wide and 145-200 yards long.
Ball: Similar size to an American football.
Goalposts: Two posts at least 20-feet tall placed 21 feet apart.
Behind posts: Two posts at least 10-feet tall placed 21 feet to the side of each goalpost.

The game
Goal: A player on the attack team must kick the ball clearly through the goalposts. 6 points
Behind: The ball crosses the behind line at any time. 4 points
Advancing the ball: Players can run with the ball but they must bounce it or it must touch the ground every 50 feet. One player can hold the ball and run with it until he/she is held by an opponent. Then, the player must immediately get rid of the ball.
Passing: Players can either punt/kick or punch the ball to a teammate. Throwing is not allowed.