cover story

WWW.OBUSIGNAL.COM | PAGE 3 Couch transitions to new country, new sport

On the cover: Joe Couch prepares to punt a football. He transferred to Ouachita over the winter break to be a punter for the football team. (photo by Wesley Kluck) On this page: Couch spends much of his time adapting to American football and practicing at Cliff Harris Stadium. (photo by Abby Blankenship)

BY CAROLINE DERBY

Staff Writer

Waking up in the morning to sandy beaches and sunshine was Joe Couch’s life in Australia. He spent time with his friends, went to the beach and lived in a city with millions of people. He also played Aussie Rules-- an Australian sport similar to football.

The sport combines running, kicking and using a technique of hitting the ball with your fist to pass it to the next player. The object of the game is to get the ball in between your team’s posts. Just like rugby, there is lots of contact and there are no pads involved.

“There are like 8-10 miles a game, so I’ve gone from running 8-10 miles a game to kicking a few times,” Couch said.

Now, Couch wakes up and the weather is humid. Unfortunately, there are not any beaches, and he lives in a town with around 10,000 people. Although the only coastline in Arkadelphia is on the banks of Lake Degray and it rains quite frequently, it does have a sport that Couch loves: football. Couch moved to Arkadelphia to be a punter for the Ouachita Football team.

“I do miss home,” Couch said. “I miss my mates, I’ve got family back home, my dogs, but it’s been a fair move to go to a different nation.”

Couch comes from a family of athletes. His dad, Paul Couch, was a professional Aussie Rules player. His mom ran track, his sister ran track and his brother was also a professional Aussie Rules player.

“My dad played AFL, which is kind of like the NFL back home, but for Aussie Rules,” Couch said. “He played for several years professionally, played in hundreds of games and he is pretty much like a legend back home.”

Couch grew up with examples of how to be driven, chase dreams, set goals and crush them. Watching his dad and siblings achieve greatness inspired him to want to work hard. His dad fostered the interest within him to play Aussie Rules, and because of that, Couch worked hard to develop his own skills, athleticism and love for the sport.

Back home, Joe didn’t just play Aussie Rules. He was a coach, too. The drive and determination he possesses, among other things, led him to become interested in punting and American football.

“I chose to do punting because I kept getting injured back home, and the chances of me playing professionally were slim, but I kept on chasing it, and then the coronavirus happened,” Couch said.

When the world shut down due to COVID-19, so did sports across the world. Couch started looking into other options for his athletic career, education and new experiences. He had friends who come over to the United States to play football, one of whom is playing professionally. Couch began training and working with Prokick, and through them, he was connected to Jake Ford, a former Ouachita punter.

From there, he was connected to Ouachita and they offered him a 3-year scholarship to obtain his degree in kinesiology while playing American football.

“Jake was pretty happy to have someone from back home here,” Couch said.

When comparing Aussie Rules to football, the game itself as well as its athletes are fundamentally different. Couch has had to change the way he trains and how he approaches each practice.

“Since last March, I have put on 40 pounds because I have been doing more weights and running less,” Couch said. “I am having to get used to wearing pads and a helmet because I have never done that before.”

Couch has done well adapting to football and the contrast between the two sports, but he has also had to get used to a new team and new people to work with.

“They [the athletes here] are a lot bigger. The ones back home are a lot leaner and are more endurancebased,” Couch said. “I appreciate the sport [of football] a lot more than I used to, and it comes from being a part of the team and actually playing the sport.”

A big part of why Couch decided to take the leap and travel thousands of miles is because he wanted a new experience and a chance to become his own person.

Part of Couch’s craving for a new experience is exploring the area. He’s looking forward to traveling to unique places in Arkansas, as well as the rest of the country. Couch’s brother lives in Tampa, with beaches and sunshine galore, and he plans to spend some of his summer down there.

The future is bright for Couch as he pursues a professional football career, but he may also go back to his roots and coach again. He’s seen different coaching styles, but he wants to be a coach that understands the players he is working with and to get the best out of all of them.

“I feel like my development as a player and as a person was inhibited by coaches,” Couch said. “I want to bring out the next youth and bring them up in the right way.”

Although Couch has only been here for a part of a semester, he has felt the southern hospitality that Arkansas has to offer. He looks forward to continuing to explore America, gaining new experiences and playing football at Ouachita.