Expat Sporting Sunday at DGI-byen

EXPAT SPORTING SUNDAY

12 FEBRUARY, 10:00-16:00 DGI-byen, Tietgensgade 65, Cph V

*ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT*

DGI-byen - Feb 3-9

POST BOX President and Publisher: Ejvind Sandal Chief Executive: Jesper Nymark Editor: Ben Hamilton Journalists: Mike Hofman Claudia Santos Eric Maganga

What we Danes actually do when we leave work early

By Kanishka Sina

L

et me first introduce myself. I’m Danish and my name is Kanishka Sina.

I am one of the many DGI ‘SportsGuides’. I would like to welcome you to Denmark and to the Danish sports clubs in particular. I’m currently in my second semester at the Copenhagen Business College. My focus point is marketing management, which I really feel attached to, and hopefully someday I’ll find a job in this very combative environment. Temporarily I do volunteer work as a school teacher and at StreetMekka.

Production & Layout: Lyndsay Jensen Map: Aviaja Nielsen

To me, one of the biggest attractions in Denmark - besides the beer, fashion, smørrebrød and blondes of course - are our fantastic sports associations (sports clubs). I do a lot of sport myself. My main focus is football and this I practice twice a week at a club called KB (Københavns Boldklub). Besides that, I do some weight lifting, swimming and running - when I’m not injured.

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I personally think that the sports clubs are a beautiful way to get to know other people – it sure beats having an awkward conversation on the Metro. Sport brings everybody together in its very own and direct way.

If you would like to contact us or leave a comment: info@cphpost.dk This supplement is published by The Copenhagen Post in co-operation with Wondercool, please refer to our disclaimer on page 2 of the newspaper.

THE DGI AND ITS CLUBS In Denmark, it is said that whenever five people get together to share a common interest, they immediately form an association! This might not be completely true, but it is undeniable that the forming of associations has been one of the most fundamental characteristics of the Danish people, historically, as well as today. The right to form associations is even embodied in the Danish constitution of 1849.

Running

As one of Denmark’s three national sports bodies, the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Associations (DGI) is an umbrella group for around 5,000 local associations (clubs), which massively vary in size, from the dozens to the thousands.

The associations are very democratic. Each one has a board and provides regular opportunities for every member to have their say. Of course, the main focus is on sport, although some members would be lying if they said they didn’t also sign up for the communal benefits and great parties.

Anyone can join an association, regardless of their age, gender, or nationality. So come and join one in your neighbourhood and get to know your neighbours better.

Underwater

Team sport

FIND YOUR LOCAL SPORTSGUIDE

Call or write to us today, if you want to learn more about the Danish sports clubs!

Greater Copenhagen Morten Graff morten.graff@dgi.dk 2921 6133

Odense (Funen) Jette Laursen jette.laursen@dgi.dk 7940 4629

North Sealand Kim Bremer kim.bremer@dgi.dk 7940 4718

Aalborg (North Jutland) Jette Grønhøj jette.groenhoej@dgi.dk 7940 4153

It is often remarked that we Danes leave work early and don´t work many hours a week. But what do we do then? You might not see us and you might think that we hide in our flats and houses. But actually, most of us are doing physical activities at one of the 15,000 sports Clubs around the country. We meet in indoor sports halls to play handball, gather to run together in parks, do gymnastics with our babies, practice swimming with friends and play cricket in the suburbs. A lot of the activities take place at schools following the end of the school day, at the clubhouses of the different clubs, or on the sports pitches that are located everywhere you can see, often behind hedges and fences.

About half of the Danish population is a member of an official sports Club, and a lot of people are members of more than one club. Football clubs, gymnastics clubs, swimming clubs, all sorts of sports – and you can find them all over your local area.

So what do we do when we meet at a sports club? First of all, we practice sports together. Sounds simple, but this can take us through a whole spectrum of emotions: laughing, crying, sweating, winning, losing, shouting, singing, getting tired, exhiliration. It’s a game of mutual self-disclosure where you get to know yourself and the rest of your teammates. And you are getting fit as well.

In other words it’s a win-win. I, myself, have played football at a football club my whole life and can´t imagine a life without it or my teammates. And it´s cheap as well, as everybody at the clubs are volunteering, be it the coaches, the team leader and the board. You just pay for the set-up, the balls and so on.

You can join a club just to play, practice and have fun, and you can choose to get involved in the volunteering if you have the motivation to make a real difference. But it´s your choice and most people just join to take part in the sport and the fun.

I just signed up as a SportsGuide for expats in Denmark through DGI, and I invite you to hook up with a SportsGuide, just to get started. We can show you a local sports club according to your wishes and make sure that you get started in a nice and safe way. Contact us if you need directions to one of your local clubs or if you are interested in having a personal SportsGuide introduce you to a local sports club and the local area.

Join us on Sunday to meet us and try out many of the sports within easy distance of your front doorstep.

Best regards Kanishka www.børnibevægelse.dgi.dk/Sunday-12-2-2012

DGI-byen - Feb 3-9

DIFFERENT SPORTS

FOR DIFFERENT SORTS Fire off some live rounds, discover the joys of throwing a frisbee and learn more about the sporting opportunities within easy reach of your doorstep. By Eric Maganga

Y

ou’ve seen them charging around the sports centre, throwing and catching a frisbee, or man-handling each other a bit but not too physically, playing some sort of game - and while it looks like fun, it’s also a bit baffling and you’re a bit apprehensive about learning the rules in Danish.

• Sport • Sport • Sport •

Well, here’s a chance to have a go with English instruction. Drop your kids off at one of the children’s activity areas, and the missus at one of the free exercise trials, and spend several hours working up a sweat, meeting new people, and learning more about a galaxy of sporting opportunities in this country, that you didn’t even know existed.

And did we mention they have guns? With live rounds! In the basement, tucked away from the kids, this is another of the activities at the Expat Sporting Sunday that is absolutely free.

While American football has flag football, rugby union has its own non-physical variant: ‘touch rugby’ (Idrætshuset, 10:00-14:00, over-8s only). Instead of having to deal with a 500-pound man with ears that look like cauliflowers tackling you, you merely have to deal with him trying to touch you. This has the benefit of less injuries and less of a physical toil on your body. The minimum try-out age is eight years old – which makes it a great springboard to its more aggressive sibling, but at a more suitable age.

But if that sounds too physical, maybe you’d prefer ‘Ultimate’ (Idrætshuset, 10.00-14.00), an American football kind of game, which is played with a frisbee. It’s pretty much non-contact as there are no tackles, merely interceptions as each team tries to throw the frisbee into the end zone for a touchdown. There is a training session before the game in which you are taught how to throw. Players with the frisbee are not allowed to run and can only move by turning on one foot. This opportunity is strictly for adults only.

Meanwhile, up in the lobby area – a great place to get a good view of all the activities – you can play table tennis, watch some ‘Capoeira’, test your ‘body age’ (10:00-15:00), and also try out ‘Panna’, a street soccer game played one-on-one on a small, round pitch with wooden sides in which the object of the game is to nutmeg your opponent – i.e put the ball through his legs. The three-minute game, of Dutch origin, is named after a slang-term for putting the ball through an opponent’s legs. While football is typically a team sport, this one is all about individual talent. Light physical contact is permitted, no grabbing. Suitable for all ages – to try it out, borrow a ball from the reception area, where you can also borrow table tennis equipment and make other enquiries. On top of the possibility to play on the 12th, there are three-hour workshops on February 16, 17 and 18.

A good option for all the diehard ice-hockey fans out there is ‘Roller-board hockey’ (Sporthuset, 13:30-15:00). Again, this one has no age limitations, and will probably not be overly physical either. This version of the popular game will first include a warm-up consisting of a few drills to get players used to the equipment, after which some games will be played. There are four players per game (including a goalkeeper), shorter sticks than traditional ice hockey, and it’s played on a type of skateboard that you sit on.

And don’t forget, as previously mentioned, you can drop off your youngest ones at the rough and tumble area for acrobatics and jumping around, for boys as well as girls. There are three hours of Fun and Games for those aged three to nine at the Sportshuset from 10:00-13:00, while the Rough and Tumble option is for one hour from 14:30-15:30 at Gymnastikhuset for three to six-year-olds.

Top

5 reasons to attend the day:

• Try out new sports • Find out more about sports clubs • Take a break from the kids • Get seriously good at throwing a frisbee • They’ve got guns 3

DGI-byen - Feb 3-9

Expat Sporting Sunday schedule LOCATION

SPORT

10:00-11:00

Forsamlingshuset

Yoga (+15)

10:00-13:00

Sportshuset

Fun and Games (3-9)

10:00-14:00

Idrætshuset

Touch rugby (+8).

10:00-14:00

Idrætshuset

Ultimate (+18)

10:00-15:00

Foyer

Panna

10:00-15:00

Foyer

Table tennis

10:00-15:00

Basement

Shooting

10:00-16:00

Main entrance

The Great Outdoors

11:30-12:00

ND Room

Yoga (6-10)

11:30-12:30

Forsamlingshuset

Cross-fit (+15)

13:00-14:00

Forsamlingshuset

Bhangra

13:30-15:00

Sporthuset

Roller-board hockey

14:00-15:00

Forsamlingshuset

Pilates (+15)

14:30-15:30

Gymnastikhuset

Rough and Tumble (3-6)

Indo

Entrance The Swim Centre & The Spa

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The Gym

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ND Room

Idrætshuset

Changing rooms basement

Changing room

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Forsamlingshuset

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Indoor climbing wall

Shooting Alley, basement

MAIN ENTRANCE Gymnastikhuset

Sportshuset

Outdoor Climbing Tower To Central Station DANHOSTEL Copenhagen City.

Tivoli & Strøget Tietgensgade

4

Cph Co Cph Bo

DGI-byen - Feb 3-9

Meet in Art 5, 6, 7 8 & 10

Meet in Art 2,3 & 4

P

oor climbing wall

Staldgade

Car park

Lounge

The Spa 1. floor

Entance Car park

Hotel Reception

Spisehuset

Terrasse

The restaurant Vestauranten

ass corridor

Bygning 55

onfrence/ owling and Lounge

Staldgade

Ă˜ksnehallen

To Hotel Centrum Hotel Astoria & Halmtorvet 5

DGI-byen - Feb 3-9

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME AT YOUR LOCAL CLUB We caught up with some of the internationals who have found a new home at their local sports association

Thomas Thimothée French, 23 Rugby Union: Frederiksberg Rugby Club What do you think of the social events in the club? How important are they to you?

The social events in the club are extremely important for me to get integrated in Denmark.

What would you miss if you weren´t a member of this club?

It would be way harder to meet Danish people and get “close” to them without the club.

Why did you join?

To meet Danish people. I actually wanted to play for a Danish club (FRK), rather than a more international one, mainly because I wanted to build a close relationship with Danish people.

Do you get involved off the pitch?

Yes, I try to take part in as many social events as possible, and I ‘coach’ the U18 team with three other guys.

Anna MacMurdo Kaufman

Luxembourg, 33 Several sports: Universitetets Studenter Gymnastik (University Sport Association) Why did you join this particular club?

My partner and I were looking for standard dance lessons to attend. USG offers a wide-range of courses with highly competent teachers and as a student, you can actually attend these courses for a very affordable amount of money. Beyond that, the classes take place close to where we live and work, so the combination of a great offer, an affordable price and the location made us go with USG. Do you understand the Danes and their strange behaviour better after joining a sports club?

Not really. My partner is Danish and I already had a good idea why Danes sing and dance around the Christmas tree, while singing pagan pixie songs.

Is there a difference in between doing sport with people and just having a meeting with them? If yes, what is the difference?

The difference is that the first odd barrier of an encounter is removed. You know that all of the people in the room are here to play a game and that you are expected to engage. On that basis, interaction is happening in a rather natural fashion, compared to the sometimes odd situation when you try to meet people out in town, but you are not sure if they want to meet you, especially as the Danes are still perceived as rather distant and cold in first encounters.

US, 29

Marvin Radford

Rugby Union: CBS Sport Rugby

US, 37 Football: Foreningen for Middelmådige Boldspilleres Fremme (the Club for Promotion of Mediocre Football Players)

What would you miss if you weren´t a member of this club?

I can’t imagine living here without it. I lived here about six months before I joined the team, and it wasn’t easy to meet people and have a social group here in Denmark (especially since the Danes are more reserved than I’m used to). Now, I really love playing rugby and learning more about the sport, but I also love my teammates - they are some of my closest friends here in Copenhagen.

Do you get involved off the pitch as well?

Yes, definitely. I would say that I probably see my rugby teammates twice as much for social activities than I do for practicing. Between November and February, our team doesn’t have practice (off-season, mostly because it’s so cold), but I still see many of my teammates about once a week or so for one thing or another.

6

Jean-Luc Frast

Why did you join this particular sports club?

Because the players are nice people who come from all over the world. Many are internationals who are in Copenhagen for work, study or family reasons. We also have Danes as members, so it is a very diverse group.

What do you think of the social events? How important are they to you?

There are occasional birthday beers. We have a ‘Julefrokost’ coming up in a few weeks [in March]. It will be hosted by one of the players. We are looking forward to a long multicultural evening! The players generally have a well-established social network apart from the sports club. Even so, club-based social events are a welcome bonus for my life in Copenhagen.

What do you find the most strange about Danish sports club culture?

I don’t find it strange - but rather invigorating. It is interesting to observe the strength of clubs in Danish culture. Participating is even more interesting than observing!

Do you get involved beside the practicing and the games?

Yes. I don’t mind being the one suggesting an occasional beer or get-together. I will be preparing slow smoked barbecue ribs for our Julefrokost on March 2! It will be great … we will all get to act ‘crazy like the Danes!’

Francesco Saverio Mondelli Italian, 31 Ultimate: Københavns Frisbee Klub How did you get into contact with the sports club?

The Ultimate network is pretty small, so before moving I asked my Italian sport-mates if they knew anyone playing in Copenhagen.

Do you understand the Danes and their strange behaviour better after joining a sports club?

I definitely do. I try to better assimilate and adapt, but there is still a lot I have to learn. It takes a lot of time to get close to you Danes, but one of the most interesting social events I’ve been part of is without any doubt the Julefrokost. People kind of transform and if they are on their own for 364 days, this is the moment they are surprisingly open, smiley and crazy! There is something similar in Italy - it is called Carnival!

What do you think of the social events at the club?

I really like to join the social events of my team, especially when I’m the only foreigner and feel a bit closer to the Danes. I have to say that the frequency of the social events drastically drops when we leave the short sunny season for the long dark season of the year, but I guess this is reflected in all aspects of Danish life. Nevertheless, I really enjoy being part of them, as they are usually a completely new experience for me: singing together incomprehensible and unpronounceable songs, having barbecues in the parks, or joining one of the many drinking games has become one of the parts of my life in Denmark I’m always excited about.

What would you miss if you were not a member of this club?

I definitely would miss it. For me it is quite difficult to hang out with Danish people. I work in an international consultancy and of course most of my workmates are foreigners - without KFK it would be even more difficult to get in touch with the Danes.

What was the hardest thing about joining the club?

It was not difficult at all. The spirit of KFK is to be open and friendly to everyone; the hardest part is to try to join all the events and tournaments they organise, but that is a question of time and priorities.

DGI-byen - Feb 3-9

A LEISURELY AFTERNOON OF

PLEASURE Try out yoga, pilates or bhangra without signing up for a course, get in touch with nature and find out what the outdoors has to offer, or simply relax and let good things happen to you

By Eric Maganga

W

hile the ladies are perfectly welcome to join the men roughing and tumbling all over the big halls, there’s also a wide range of more sedate activities – including stretching, meditative and strength-training exercises – going on at Expat Sporting Sunday primarily aimed at feminine visitors.

If you find treadmills boring in your quest for that perfect figure, why not try ‘Bhangra’, a form of dance performed to Indian Punjabi folk rhythms played on a one-stringed instrument called the iktar. It’s suitable for participants of all ages, easy to learn, and fun. And while this one-hour free introductory session (Forsamlingshuset, 13:00-14:00) won’t necessarily hook you for life, it’s guaranteed to leave you sweating buckets.

The popular stretching exercise ‘Pilates’, on the other hand, isn’t really suitable for under-15s, or at least people who aren’t yet fully grown.

Regular pilates will sculpt your body, giving you long, lean muscles. It regards the stomach as the powerhouse - how it’s key to all exercises and breathing is heavily emphasised. It also increases flexibility. A free one-hour trial (Forsamlingshuset, 14:00-15:00) should determine if it’s for you or not – after all, there’s nothing worse than paying the fee and realising you don’t like it, or didn’t understand what it really involved - after which you can sign up for classes or purchase a DVD. It is said that for optimal results you should work out three times a week. Experienced pilates exercisers are also welcome.

‘Yoga’, the popular meditative technique that is typically instructed in warm settings and will make you more flexible than a cartoon character (a typical position you might have seen is the Lotus where the legs are crossed and feet placed on the thighs) can be tried out at DGIbyen for free as well. The classes available – for children aged six to ten (ND Room 11:30-12:00) and another for over-15s (Forsamlingshuset, 10:00-11:00) – are a great introduction to a practise that many have heard of, but comparatively few have tried. The children’s class incorporates more playing and less meditative focus, but still includes traditions of yoga, although it is considerably less taxing on the body than the adult version, which is both meditative and physically demanding.

Yoga is a great way to exchange stress for inner peace and a state of harmony, insight and tranquillity. Participants are recommended to bring a mat and wear loose-fitting clothes.

You have probably seen ‘Cross-fit’ (Forsamlingshuset, 11.30-12.30) athletes running industrial estates carrying heavy objects – now you can find out what they’re really doing and have a go yourself. Exclusively for over-15s, it’s physically challenging but highly rewarding, a cross between strength-training and gymnastics. Presented on the day by Butcher’s Lab, the country’s leading centre specialising in cross-fit, ACT is a strength and conditioning programme that focuses on the entire body, particularly the muscles and joints. Cross-fit benefits the body by increasing strength rather than muscle mass, and it is offered at a variety of gyms, typically referred as ‘boxes’.

And finally, a great activity for the whole family to participate in together is ‘The Great Outdoors’ (in front of the main entrance, 10:00-16:00). Organised by the DGI Storkøbenhavn Nature on the Move project (www.naturderbevaeger.dk), the emphasis is on nature, movement and outdoor leisure. Activities include taking an outdoor sauna followed by a dousing in icy water, coffee and hot chocolate from the outdoor lounge, going for a run directed by GPS, samples of outdoor Nordic cooking, making snobrød on the open fire, wood carving, and plenty of competitions.

5 GOOD REASONS TO ATTEND • Free trials • Instruction in English • Good child-tailored options • Get in touch with nature • Coffee, hot chocolate, snobrød and tastings 7

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