HAHA! G’Day, Jay… I
lived in Melbourne (Australia,
not Florida)
for three years. You’re either pretty confident that New Zealand
riders don’t plug into Ridecamp… or you like to live dangerously!!
After the underarm bowling incident of 1981, your email might just be
considered the straw that broke the camel’s back… and as even we “yanks”
know, there are almost as many camels in Australia as there are in the Middle East!
Hey, you guys might want to start a separate endurance division for this
particular natural resource of yours – might be a great way to utilize
(or rather, utilise) the Great Victoria Desert!
Lynda Webber
Chattanooga, Tennessee
From:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jay Randle Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009
2:08 PM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [RC] Strappers vs
Strippers
Hi All
Here in Australia,
instead of using the word "crew" to describe those people who do
everything else except the riding, we use the word "strappers".
Strappers (of which I am one of the best) are well-respected, and an intregal
part of the whole endurance riding experience.
In New Zealand,
where the English language is slaughtered by a population of kiwi-eating,
sheep-loving natives, the word "strapper" becomes convoluted and
mis-pronounced into "stripper", causing some confusion, a lot of
angst, and sometimes even a disproportionate amount of eagerness among
male International endurance riding visitors to that country.
The Kiwi population seem to get some of their vowels mixed up, substituting 'i'
for 'a' and/or 'e', 'e' for 'i', and 'u' for 'a'. Learning and
understanding the Kiwi language can be very confusing!
There are also some other bastardizations of the English language that confuse
the average visitor, including "Fesh und Cheps", "Chickin"
(translation: Check In), "Sex" (translation: Six), and even "Nu
Zihlund"!
The highlight of my last trip to NZ was hearing someone ordering
fish and chips for six strappers!
When planning your trip to the Antipodes, make
sure that you come Down Under, and not to the Land of the Long White
Cloud. You will be spared the anguish of learning a whole new language!
