Powerhouse Of Sport
Illawarra Mercury
Saturday September 27, 2003
A SPORTING exhibition which caters for people of all ages, gender and interests sounds like a tall order, but that is exactly what the Powerhouse Museum's latest exhibition, Sport: More Than Heroes and Legends, has been designed to do.
It features more than 500 items of sporting memorabilia including Cathy Freeman's Olympic gold-medal body suit and Don Bradman's cricket bat and boots, 15 interactive displays such as a facility to test your athletic ability, and the latest in designer sportswear from the catwalks of Paris.
It is all about the ``motion and emotion" of sport, says head curator Jesse Shore. ``It looks at sport in a wide variety of ways including the technology, science, design history and the fashion aspects," he says.
An interactive activity called Choose Your Dive, allows you to choose from a range of Olympic dives. ``A laser projects the diver on the wall and you can see the diver making a splash," Shore says.
``You get judged on the dive and you can also learn what the diver has to do to spin and twist in the air. It's all about the science of diving and the skills involved."
Another interactive activity tests your athleticism. ``It involves a vertical jump which is a very important test for measuring someone's fitness and their physical ability," Shore says. ``It also teaches a little bit about the way your muscles work."
Those who are interested in playing their favourite sport can participate in a variety of coaching clinics (there may even be an opportunity to meet a sports star) which will focus on a different sport each month.
If you are more concerned with how you look than how you play, you will probably enjoy the fashion items from France, Germany and Japan, including a wedding dress suitable for a ceremony in the snow, complete with a hooded cape, snow shoes and a snowboard designed by Chanel.
Cycling buffs can marvel at one of the fastest bikes in the world - a recumbent bike (ridden in a lying down position) made of graphite.
Other items of interest include Betty Cuthbert's Olympic gold medals and outfits, Louise Sauvage's Sydney 2000 race chair, Ian Thorpe's world-record-breaking body suit and Serena Williams' controversial catsuit.
The items have come from a variety of sources including the MCG Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum, the NSW Hall of Champions, the Powerhouse Museum's own collection as well as from private loans and donations.
The exhibition runs until July 18, 2004. Entry: $18 adults, $9 children, $45 family, $9 seniors. Children under five and Powerhouse Museum members free.
To win one of five adult entry passes to the Sport: More Than Heroes and Legends exhibition, send your name, address and phone number to: Weekender Sport Exhibition competition, PO Box 1756, Wollongong, 2500, by 5pm Friday, October 3. Winners will be notified.
© 2003 Illawarra Mercury
