Gom april 14' issue 06

‘My sport. My life.’

ISSUE 06, APRIL / MAY 2014

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

The only sports magazine for South African youth

00.09.98 SIMON

MAGAKWE C H A M P I O N

SPEED OF LIGHT

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Cover Photo: REG CALDEDCOTT

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BENCH (CONTRIBUTORS) Issue 6, April / May 2014

Bernard van Tonder Photographer

ANDRIES VAN DER MERWE Athlete Diary

KOBUS PRETORIUS Journalist

Gerhard De Beer Javelin / American Football Diary

Karien Jonckheere Journalist

Wian Sullwald Triathlon Diary

LUNGILE MDLADLA Journalist

SASPA (South African Sports Picture Agency)

Graeme Jackson Journalist

The BLD GROUP

A B Basson Journalist

HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTRE-HATFIELD (hpc) High School Sports Magazine

GRANT Johnson & Shaun Dafel Columnist ARNAUD MALHERBE Columnists Kate Roberts Columnist GIELIE HOFFMANN Columnists Ben Crouse Columnists

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO BACK PAGE MEDIA

contents Issue 6, April / May 2014

IMAGE GALLERY (EYE OF THE LENSE) Blue Bulls, Grey Collefe & Affies &

PHILIP BUYS: EPIC TALENT

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(Mountain Biking) After a virus prevented him from competing in the 2014 UCI MTB World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South African mountain biker Philip Buys is looking to qualify for the Commonwealth Games later this year.

COVER FEATURE

Words by: Kobus Pretorius | Photos by: Nick Muzik,Greg Beadle

MAIN STORY

Rubgy

Simon Magakwe:

KEVIN MUSIKANTH:

Greased Lightning

FAITH IN THE MIX

The year 2014 might just turn out to be the year in which South African sprinters will begin to rewrite the record books.

And it will be none too soon…

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos by: BackPage Media/ Reg Caldecott

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(rugby) At 36 years of age, Kevin Musikanth has already experienced his biggest highlight as a rugby coach.That is quite rare.

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Words by: Kobus Pretorius | Photos by: Backpage Media, Kobus Pretorius

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SEAN ERASMUS:

FEATURES

CROSS-POLLINATION & RUGBY (rugby) Coaching rugby at one of the elite schools in South Africa comes with a lot of pressure, but new Boishaai first team coach Sean Erasmus believes he’s up to the challenge.

celebrity profile Jack Parow:

Words by Kobus Pretorius | Photos by: Supplied

JY DINK JYS COOLER You may only know his hit songs, but did you know he played Craven Week rugby in his day?

Words by Anna-Retha Bouwer | Photos Supplied

THE VAN VOLLENHOVENS:

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FOCUS ON HOËRSKOOL MENLOPARK WAYNE BRINDLE:

Words by: Philna van Veijeren | Photos Bernard van Tonder

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HANRO VAN ROOYEN: (MOTOGP): When he was three-years-old his dad, Gerhard, put him on a small quad bike and without blinking, he put on his helmet, rode off and hasn’t stopped riding since.

Words and photos supplied

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Equestrian

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Mountain Biking

KRISTEN JOUBERT: IN SEARCH OF THAT PERFECT RACE (Equestrian): Kristen Joubert, a Grade 10 pupil at Hoërskool Garsfontein, admits that until recently she regularly took a tumble when riding on her horse, Rooigras Gina.

ARIANE & ERIK KLEINHANS: MARRIED TO MOUNTAIN BIKING

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos by: Supplied

(Mountain Biking) They are one of the few married couples at the top of mountain biking in South Africa, but Erik and Ariane Kleinhans also know how to be successful as individuals riding with other teammates Words by: Kobus Pretorius | Photos by: Karin Schermbrucker, Purpleline, Kelvin Trautman

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SHE DOES IT AGAIN

FINETUNED HARMONY BETWEEN THE MUSIC AND THE GAME

Words by: Philna van Veijeren | Photos Bernard van Tonder

(SOCCER): With the 2014 FIFA World Cup just months away we take a look at some of the young stars set to shine in Brazil.

MOTOGP

MARNÉ KRUGER:

(Hockey / Music) Marné Kruger from Die Hoërskool Menlopark somehow finds the time to achieve extraordinary milestones in everything she does, which includes playing hockey as well as the piano.

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YOUNG STARS TO WATCH AT 2014 WORLD CUP: Words by: AB Basson | Photos by: BackPage Media

THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE DEPTH

Words by: Philna van Veijeren | Photos Bernard van Tonder

(Rugby): With a little bit of luck, a lot of hard work and many sacrifices, Anré and Stephan van Vollenhoven might just become the latest set of siblings who are selected to represent South Africa at the same Olympic Games.

SOCCER

PHILNA VAN VEIJEREN: (Spectator-value) What is the deciding factor that makes Die Hoërskool Menlopark succeed, year after year?

GAME FOR ANYTHING

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos by: Reg Caldecott and Henri Kellbrick

A FLIPPING GOOD FUTURE (Gymnastics) Though he may mostly be known as the blonde guy who does the back flips, Wayne Brindle is certainly capable of much more than just getting a crowd to cheer at an athletics rally.

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INTERNATIONAL SPORTING JOURNAL

Hockey KRISTEN PATON: FOLLOWING HER PASSION

GERHARD DE BEER:

(Hockey): It all happened just last month. Hockey player Kristen Paton pulled on a green and gold shirt for the very first time and stood, mesmerised, in front of the mirror.

Words by: Karien Jonckheere | Photos by: Supplied

GOOD OLD AMERICAN FOOTBALL

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TOUGH REALLY TOUGH

REQUIR VAN DER MERWE:

(TRIATHLON): So this past month we had our National Champs and also our African Champs.

IN WITH A FIGHTING CHANCE

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos by: Supplied

RUNNING LINES

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REINHARDT VAN ZYL: GIVING IT ALL HE’S GOT

Words by: Karien Jonckheere | Photos by: Supplied

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Water Polo SARAH HARRIS: AFRICA LOSES TO AUSTRALIA (Water Polo): Sarah Harris, the younger sister of the former Protea spin bowler,Paul Sarris, aspires to represent Australia at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos by:Supplied

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Abseiling, Running, Cycling HEIN WAGNER: SEEING LIFE IN A WAY OTHERS CAN NEVER IMAGINE (Abseiling, Running, Cycling): Hein Wagner is blind. But his Disability is the smallest part of him, because he also sees life.

Words by: Christel Raubenheimer | Photos by: PurpleLine

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Tennis RIK DE VOEST: ADVANTAGE: RIK DE VOEST (Tennis): For one of the stalwarts of South African tennis, being a dad is far more important than playing matches all over the world.

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos by:Supplied

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Underwater hockey ELEANOR DE KOCK: BACKING FUTURE WINNERS (Underwater hockey): According to Eleanor the only challenge in underwater hockey is the player’s own imagination.

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos by: Supplied

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ANDRIES VAN DER MERWE:

Javelin

(Javelin): Talented young javelin thrower Reinhardt van Zyl who won a gold medal for South Africa at the 2011 IAAF World Youth Athletics Championships in Lille, France, is studying at the Cloud Community College in Concordia, Kansas this year, where he is being coached by Ted Schmitz.

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Wian Sullwald:

Wrestling

(Wrestling): Amateur wrestling is far from being a dying sport. Requir van der Merwe, a 15-year-old student at the Blair Academy in New Jersey in the USA is a keen and talented wrestler.

(American football): If you really set your mind to it, you can do it. I learnt that this past semester.

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(Athletics): There is more pressure associated with being a serious NCAA track and field athlete than what the average person realises.

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contents Issue 6, April / May 2014

REGULAR COLUMNS “THE DOCTOR IS IN” – with GIELIE HOFFMANN (Mental Conditioning Coach): Understanding Your Own Role In A Team.

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“OFF THE BALL” – WITH GRANT JOHNSON (SOCER): My big concern with the league this season has been the dwindling numbers of spectators at PSL matches.

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“EVERY SUPER WOMAN” – WITH KATE ROBERTS (SPORT PERFORMANCE): Trials & Tenacity.

The life of today’s sporting heroes is often portrayed by the media, as one of long holidays, with endless amounts of money, fancy cars and a glamorous lifestyle.

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“BEYOND THE MEDAL” – WITH ARNAUD MALHERBE (Athletics): The recent World Half-Marathon Championships in Copenhagen proved to be a stellar event, with a fast course and some excellent racing

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“WHISTLE BLOWING” – WITH BEN CROUSE (REFEREEING): BLOW THE WHISTLE OR HANG IT UP?

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ADVICE COLUMNS hpc – Mary Ann Dove: Improve Your Performance by Discovering Yourself Using the Johari Window

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hpc – MARY ANN DOVE: POSITIVE PARENTING IN SPORT

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HANRO VAN ROOYEN

EDITORIAL Issue 5, April / May 2014

SPORTS ADMINISTRATORS IN SA: DO WE REALLY NEED THEM? This question crossed my mind when I was watching Simon Magakwe making athletics history on the second day of the SA Athletics Championships at the LC de Villiers Stadium at Tuks.

Magakwe won the 100 metres in a time of 9.98 seconds, becoming the first South African ever to do so.

For me as a sports journalist, it was one of those euphoric moments in sport that will stay with me forever.

Magakwe was not the only South African athlete who excelled during the Championships. The performances

by Akani Simbine (10.02 s – 100 m); Wade van Niekerk (54.92 s - 400 m); Zarck Visser (8.31 m – long jump); Rikenette Steenkamp (13.17 s – 110 m hurdles); Wenda Theron (54.92 s – 400 m hurdles); Sunette Viljoen (64.77 m – javelin throw) all rate among the best ever achieved by South African athletes.

These performances by our athletes are even more remarkable in view of the fact that egotistical administrators have gone out of their way to undermine athletics in South Africa during the past three years. In spite of the resulting chaos, athletes and coaches have never seemed to lose their focus or become despondent.

This brings me back to my question about whether sports administrators in South still have a role to play.

Let’s suppose that the answer to the question is still “Yes”, but we can only hope that the excellent performances by our athletes at the national championships will act as a wake-up call to the administrators. Hopefully they will now realise that sport is about the athletes and not about the administrators’ personal egos.

Side Bar Fikile Mbalula It is amazing how often the people who actually know nothing about sports are the most outspoken.

Fikile Mbalula, minister of Sport and Recreation, is a classic example.

At a SASCOC general meeting held at Olympic House on Saturday, he lamented: “Little has been done to transform (sports in South Africa) and the issue of grassroots transformation and participation of blacks is declining drastically.”

“We found poorly maintained infrastructure and a lack of willingness to transform despite the agreement as in the Sports Charter.”

Mbalula then announced far-reaching measures to address the issues at stake.

“We will insist on a change from a 50-50 proportion to a 40-60 representation both provincially and nationally.”

Development plans from the five bodies - athletics, cricket, football, netball and rugby - will be sought according to the minister. Mbalula also warned that any form of resistance to these measures will result in harsh punishment.

Unfortunately this statement by Mbalula merely displays his lack of knowledge about the inner workings of sports. Mbalula and the government should realise that it is very unlikely that black people in the northern provinces of the country will develop a rugby or cricket culture in the near future.

Having said this, I know that I will certainly be dubbed a racist. When people in South Africa find it hard to face reality that is what they always do.

If Mbalula and the other ‘wise men’ of the government are truly serious about transformation in rugby and cricket, they should put their money where their mouths are by investing in the development of a cricket and rugby culture among black people in the Eastern and Western Cape.

Mbalula and his friends should also take note of the fact that they are not doing black sportsmen a favour by trying to force the issue of transformation.

Black and white athletes have come a long way over the 20 years of democracy. They have developed respect for each other’s abilities and they understand what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

Instances where outside pressure by the administrators or by the government to force the selection of black players are known to have embarrassed talented rugby and cricket players, rather than do them a favour. In some of these cases it even put the careers of the players concerned on hold for a year or two.

If the minister had been truly serious about transformation in South African sports, he would not have allowed millions of Rand to be spent on a Sports Awards Function. Rumours have it that the cost of last year’s function was as high as R40 million.

Consider for a moment what rugby and cricket clubs in the Eastern and Western Provinces would have been able to do for their black players with only half this amount.

The sad truth is that there is no functional development programme in South African athletics. If there had been one, Tsholofelo Thipe and Caster Semenya would not have been the only black female athletes since 1992 to have represented South Africa at the Olympic Games.

Again the money that was wasted on the awards function could have gone a long way towards helping development in athletics.

In this month’s Game On we did a profile on two talented young wrestlers from Soshanguve, Gift and Given Chochi. They have to pay anything between R450 to R850 per month to train in Pretoria and a bit of financial support would have been a great help. Unfortunately having a good party was more important.

I have not even touched on the dire need for a proper grass roots soccer development programme in South Africa.

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BLUE BULLS RUGBY

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AFFIES RUGBY

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Wildeklawer tournament Kimberley

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Wildeklawer tournament Kimberley

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EYE OF THE LENS: NETBALL

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Philna van Veijeren Being Part Of The Menlo Crowd

BEING PART OF THE

MENLO CROWD

By Philna van Veijeren

Let’s use an example that most South Africans could relate to: rugby. Most of us (even though some of us might harbour fantasies about a packed stadium cheering for us at Loftus) will never play for the Blue Bulls or the Springboks or whichever team we might idolise. That doesn’t mean we don’t sit, wearing our team’s colours, armed with biltong, dry wors and a few packets of chips, in front of the TV every time our team plays. Because that’s what sport is about – that gees, that team spirit that secretly might only be a good excuse to eat, drink and get together.

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GUEST EDITOR: SPECTATOR VALUE

Not only is this kind of sports culture internationally ubiquitous (from the baseball fields in Boston and the ice rinks in Montreal, to the football pitches in Manchester and the cricket grounds in Delhi), but it can be witnessed in our school sports as well.

I, for one, am lucky enough to be a student of Die Hoërskool Menlopark, and although we are known as an athletics force to be reckoned with, it is our ever-present athletics culture, which exists in every student, athlete or not, that connects us with the rest of the world.

It starts about a week before a big event. Firstly, you organise a group of friends (this can be done verbally, or simply by making eye contact and nodding knowingly). Then you do whatever might be necessary to ensure that you have a seat on the bus – nag your mom for R10 write your name on a list. When the big day arrives

you race through the school morning to hop on the bus the moment the bell rings, being sure to catch a seat next to classmate or two. Now the excitement begins, and also the feast – the first of your packed lunches disappears, or you learn to make a lot of chums whose moms have taken a liking to Woolies foods. When you finally make it to the pavilion, the party is ongoing, but the best part is still on its way: spending the day – away from school – with your pals.

Seriously, that’s the crucial part – your friends.

Just like watching Bafana Bafana with your buddies, it’s a social event.

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Philna van Veijeren Being Part Of The Menlo Crowd

The other half of the whole is, of course, the love of the sport. Arguing for ages about the ref’s decisions and replaying the replays, or, in the case of Menlopark’s athletics, watching each step of the relay team’s circuit and holding your breath for that vital moment when the baton switches hands.

No matter what your favourite event at the athletics is, Menlopark will have an athlete in the running for first place – one that you can cheer on, along with a sea of children in blue and white, shouting until your throat hurts.

It’s about the roar of the crowd and trying to have a conversation with your buddy in between the startergunshots. Watching athletics is about persevering through the hottest part of the day so you can enjoy the evening’s events in high spirits, albeit sunburnt.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: SPECTATOR VALUE

It’s about celebrating the day’s success with your sidekicks, and reliving the best moments afterwards. It’s about not letting opportunities pass you by and using every second you have, because before you know it, your time in high

school is over and your very last inter-high or UJ athletics rally has come and gone. It’s about enjoying every moment, even the bus ride back home.

At Menlopark it’s not about star athletes. It’s about every spectator who’s a friend to another, and every kid who gives his or her all on the field - because it’s fun, and not just to win.

Being a sports spectator is an integral part of being South African, and we celebrate this role at Die Hoërskool Menlopark.

high schools all across our country, providing opportunities for new friendships to blossom. I am proud of being part of a spectator athletics culture, even if it is only an excuse to eat, drink, and - most importantly - get together.

Every kid that boards a bus to Pilditch is no different than the many people who flocked to South Africa in 2010. Sports unites the world – just as it does, the different and multi-faceted

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Simon Magakwe Speed of Light

Simon Magakwe Words by Wilhelm de Swardt Photo by Reg Caldecott

Speed of Light

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: Athletics

The year 2014 might just turn out to be the year in which South African sprinters will begin to rewrite the record books.

And it will be none too soon.

Photo by BackPage Media

The prediction made in the January edition of Game On turned out to be prophetic, thanks to the excellent performances by Simon Magakwe and Akani Simbane in the 100 m final of the South African Athletics Championships at the LC de Villiers stadium at Tuks.

Magakwe astonished one of the biggest athletics crowds in quite a few years with his winning time of 9.98 s. Simbane finished second in a time of 10.02 s.

Seconds after completing his ‘dream sprint’ Magakwe announced to the cheering crowd that his performance was just a sample of what was still to come. This led to even louder cheering. Magakwe was in his element. When asked about Usain Bolt (Jamaica’s world record holder, Olympic and World Champion) he jokingly retorted, “Who is Usain Bolt?!”

Magakwe had reason to be somewhat cocky, because it was the first time in the history of South African athletics that a South African sprinter was able to break the 10-second barrier. It is interesting to note that Magakwe was only the 90th athlete to do so since 1968.

Speed of Light

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Simon Magakwe Speed of Light

With his lightning-fast performance, Magakwe bettered one of the oldest South African athletics records, namely Johan Rossouw’s record of 10.06 s in the 100 m. Rossouw’s record dates back to 1988.

It was gratifying to note that Simbane also managed to run a time faster than 10.06 s. Judging by his performance there is a realistic chance that South Africa will be able to boast two sub-ten sprinters before the end of the year.

The fact that it was Magakwe who was the first South African athlete to run a time faster than 10 seconds seems to be justified.

The first time he was noticed by the media happened five years ago. Magakwe arrived at the South African Athletics Championships in Stellenbosch carrying his clothes in a plastic bag. Not even the fact that he had to borrow a pair of spikes from Hezekiel Sepeng because he did not have his own, could deter him from winning the 100 m in a time of 10.22 s.

At the time Magakwe was officially unemployed. His only income came from taking ID document photos in Carletonville.

Success begets success. Magakwe has not been beaten in the 100 m at the national championships since 2010. He never made a secret of his ambition to be the one who would better Rossouw’s record and be the first to break the 10 s barrier as well.

At the 2012 South African Students Championships at the University of Johannesburg he equalled Rossouw’s record, proving that he was not just making small talk. Unfortunately various injuries at crucial times prevented Magakwe from running to his true potential.

Magakwe admitted that he was somewhat worried before his magic final.

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: Athletics

“I was having slight cramps, but my coach, Eugene Thipe, applied his magic touch to help me to relax. When going into the starting blocks I was totally focused and confident about running a fast time. Luckily I had a good start. My legs still felt strong going into the last 30 metres, so I pushed myself even harder.”

“Crossing the line I heard the crowd going wild. I will never ever forget the moment I realised that I ran a time of 9.99 s. It was even more special because I was able to give the people what they wanted.” (Magakwe’s time was later adapted to 9.98.)

Magakwe is also proud that his subten performance is a 100% South African effort.

“My coach, Eugene, was born and bred in South Africa and I am also a true South African. This just proves that you don’t have to go to the USA, or any other country, to run fast times.

Anything is possible right here in South Africa if you put your mind to it and believe in yourself.”

Photo by BackPage Media

Simon Magakwe

Speed of Light

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Simon Magakwe Speed of Light

Thipe, who dreamt the night before the race that Magakwe would run a time of 9.87 s in the final, was quite emotional afterwards.

“I cannot take any credit for what has happened.

All credit should go to God. He is the one who made our dream come true.”

Thipe is confident that Magakwe is capable of running even faster times.

“I don’t expect this to happen the next time he races, but I just know that it will happen. To me as his coach, it is very important that Simon will consistently run times of 9.9 and faster. It is important that we step up to the next level to be able to compete with the big guys.”

But there still remains another important challenge for South African sprinters. They have to replicate this speedy performance at sea level. Athletes seem to have a mental block about performing at sea level, but in order to stand any chance of winning a medal at the Olympic Games or World Championships, they will have to overcome this phobia. Since the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico there has never been a Games at high altitude.

SIDE BAR Written by Sandra Johnson who is a long-time fan of Olympic sports.

The 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City was marked by world records, new techniques and exciting accomplishments, especially when it came to track and field.

American Bob Beamon smashed the long jump world record, American Dick Fosbury introduced the ‘Fosbury Flop’ to fans all around the world, and American Jim Hines became the first person to run faster than 10.0 seconds in the 100 m sprint.

Hines, who grew up in Oakland, California, didn’t originally plan on becoming a track and field prodigy. Instead, as a child, he wanted to play baseball and emulate Willie Mays, who was, according to Hines, the ‘greatest ball player of all time’.

Eventually, a track and field coach would identify Hines for his talent on the track, and

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Hines changed idols. Instead of wanting to play centre field, Hines decided he wanted to be like sprinter Bob Hayes. Hayes had run the 100 m race in a time of 10.06 s, setting the world record at the 1964 Olympic Games.

Four years after Hayes, Hines went on to outdo his idol. He broke Hayes’ world record, winning the 1968 Olympic race in a time of 9.95 s. Hines also was a member of the gold-medal-winning and world-recordsetting men’s 4 x 100 m relay.

Carl Lewis was the first sprinter to break ten seconds at low altitude under electronic timing, with a time of 9.97 s on 14 May 1983 at the Modesto Relays.

ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: Athletics

Photo by Reg Caldecott

SIDE BAR South Africa’s sprinting heroes: 100 yards: Reggie Walker won gold at the 1908 Olympic Games in London.

Times faster than the world record: Danie Joubert achieved 9.4 s in Grahamstown on 31 May, 1931, and Paul Nash 10.0 s in Krugersdorp on 2 April, 1968.

Unfortunately their times were not officially recognised because the wind from behind was too strong.

Simon Magakwe

Speed of Light

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: rugby

JACK Parow Game On Magazine, April / May: Issue 06, 2014

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jack parow Jy dink jys cooler

Jy dink jys With songs like “Eksie Ou”, “Dans Dans Dans” and “Hosh Tokelosh” he needs no introduction and he is well known for interesting collaborations with other artists like Die Antwoord, Die Heuwels Fantasties, Francois van Coke, David Kramer and even Die Klipwerf Boereorkes to name but a few.

As his popularity at music festivals illustrates, his appeal extends far further than to just an Afrikaans audience.

All this music business does not mean that he is any stranger to the sports field however. Parow went to school in Durbanville near Cape Town where he was part of the rugby and cricket teams, and he was also quite an awesome bodyboarder.

“I wasn’t great at cricket, but I actually played Craven Week in rugby. And I was also part of the Boland Bodyboarding Team,” says Parow, who admits to “definitely” being a naughty boy at school.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: rugby

cooler Words by: Anna-Retha Bouwer Photos Supplied

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jack Parow Jy dink jys cooler

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: rugby

The worst thing that ever happened to me on the rugby field, was when I made a break for it around the scrum during a game when I was 17. Someone ankle tapped me, and as I fell I supported myself on my left hand. I wanted to get up quickly to keep moving forward, but just then someone jumped on my back and my hand snapped off. It was crazy! It was a clean break and my hand was actually hanging loose from my arm. I will never forget it,” Parow tells us.

Nowadays music keeps Parow very busy. He not only performs at music festivals, but also released his third full length album, Nag van die Lang Pette, earlier this year. As any successful artist will tell you, that means a great deal of touring and performing.

Despite a hectic schedule he still enjoys bodyboarding whenever he gets a chance. “I also play golf, touch rugby twice a week and every now and then I enjoy a game of action cricket.”

He laughs when asked if wearing his trademark cap with a super long visor is imperative when exercising outside. “Of course it is!”

Parow has never been tricked into buying any fancy home fitness equipment. “I have never fallen for any of those ads. I guess I know that I’m way too lazy to actually ever use it!”

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jack Parow Jy dink jys cooler

He adds that every live performance is also a “massive workout”. He also believes that sports provided him with the right focus that is crucial to being a professional performer.

“There are actually a couple of similarities between sports and music.”

Parow still loves watching sports on television. “I watch rugby, LOTS of rugby. I will also watch cricket, especially T20. But rugby – now that’s my vibe.”

“I often got up early when I was younger to watch games that were broadcast at four in the mornings. Back in the day South Africa often played against New Zealand at such crazy times.

Fortunately they plan the broadcasts much better now.”

Parow has many sports heroes, and counts Gary Teichmann, Travis Pastrana, Chad Muska, Gary Kirsten, Mike Stewart and Paul Roach amongst them. “They were all part of my life as I was growing up,” he muses.

Parow is not shy to admit that he is a massive Stormers fan.

“Although we didn’t start off too great this year…”

“Unfortunately I am often away for performances and I watch most games in bars, but I prefer watching a game at home.

With a braai and buddies of course!”

Looking back there are no regrets in terms of sports that he still wanted to try, but never did. “Only motocross perhaps.

Now that seems like crazy fun!”

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: rugby

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WAYNE BRINDLE A FLIPPING GOOD FUTURE (Hoërskool Menlopark)

The term gymnastics is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘to exercise naked’, and referred in ancient Greece to all gymnasium-related exercises, where male athletes actually exercised unclothed. Today, things have (obviously) changed drastically. Not only are there no awkward ‘bits’ that have to be censored at the Olympic Games, but the list of events has expanded and evolved dramatically, resulting in one of the most intricate and specialised modern sports.

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By Philna van Veijeren | Photos by Bernard van Tonder

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: GYMNASTICS

Die Hoërskool Menlopark’s Wayne Brindle is one of the talented few who practice this form of art. Though he may mostly be known as the blonde guy who does the back flips, he is certainly capable of much more than just getting a crowd to cheer at an athletics rally.

Wayne competes in the parallel bar, floor, pommel, rings, high bar, and vaulting events, and specialises in the floor, rings, and vaulting events. Last year he qualified to participate in the national championships, where he achieved gold medals in the floor, vault and rings, and silver in the parallel bar, high bar and pommel. Brindle managed to secure Gauteng colours an incredible 12 times in the last seven years, and is currently busy preparing for next year’s Commonwealth Games.

Success in gymnastics requires great commitment and hard work. Brindle trains 20 hours a week and gets home very late, only to have to start doing homework and other schoolwork – he’s still faced with all the demands on the average school-going teenager, after all.

In fact, gymnastics demands many sacrifices, like time, social activities that have to be kept to a minimum, along with time with friends, and participation in all other sports that has to be abandoned.

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WAYNE BRINDLE A FLIPPING GOOD FUTURE (Hoërskool Menlopark)

FLIPPING GOOD FUTURE WAYNE BRINDLE Gymnastics is also a very dangerous sport, resulting in multiple injuries for Brindle. To date, he’s had a few concussions, torn his diaphragm, suffered from scoliosis (curvature of the spine), has a permanently sprained ankle, and the calloused skin on his hands is prone to literally tearing off under pressure. In addition to which, girls don’t like to hold such a severely calloused hand, Brindle mutters to himself.

Luckily, the benefits of competing in gymnastics outweigh the difficulties, and the fit body it entails definitely outweighs calloused-hands issue, Brindle grins. Gymnastics results in a great selfesteem, while the inevitable mistake every now and then serves to keep one humble.

Also, even though gymnastics is mainly a solo sport, a good team spirit reigns at all practices and events. When Brindle, or a fellow competitor, falls during practice (without getting seriously hurt), everyone laughs it off together, keeping everybody modest and accepting of their own mistakes.

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And the girls in tight leotards are a bonus as well, of course. Gymnastics opens doors to opportunities for making friends, not only with fellow gymnasts, but at school as well. For example, Brindle’s back flipping-fame began when he was asked to participate in the school initiation concert during Grade 8.

Gymnastics competitions can be stressful at times, so how does Brindle cope? His secret is listening to music – lying on the back seat of the car with headphones cancelling out the rest of the world for a while.

To deal with the nerves and fear which naturally coincide with death-defying acts, Brindle looks to the Bible, and his motto is Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

What motivates someone to dedicate so much of their time to such a dangerous and demanding sport? Brindle partakes in gymnastics because it naturally suits him. He’s been active and strong since he was a little boy, and displayed a knack for gymnastics from the minute he tried his hand at it. Over and above the benefits of being a gymnast, Brindle also enjoys the adrenaline rush that comes with competing, and his heightened reflexes have lifesaving consequences.

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: GYMNASTICS

Being a gymnast today is more difficult than ever before, because of complicated techniques and growing competition. Young gymnasts like Brindle also have to face the added challenge of succeeding academically, and performing in the gymnasium.

Wayne Brindle conquers these obstacles like only a gymnast of his calibre can, and we can’t wait to see what the future fruits of his hard labour will yield.

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Philna van Veijeren THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE DEPTH (Hoërskool Menlopark)

THE DIFFERENCE IS in the DEPTH

By Philna van Veijeren | Photos by Bernard van Tonder

Thirteen ... lucky for some? Indeed, 2014 marks the 13th year in a row that Die Hoërskool Menlopark has won the A-League inter-high athletics in Pretoria. This begs the question – why? The school isn’t any bigger than the others in that league – in fact, they’re one of the smaller ones. What, then, is the deciding factor that makes Die Hoërskool Menlopark succeed, year after year?

Firstly, it has to be said that in 2012, the competition changed drastically. Menlopark’s first 10 wins were achieved far more easily than their previous three, thanks to different principles governing the Jacaranda inter-high, (as the competition was known up until 2011). Nevertheless they still reigned supreme in the overall competition – but why?

I decided to interview some of Menlopark’s foremost athletics coaches and coordinators to get to the bottom of all this.

I’d like to thank Mr Nico Erasmus, Mrs Riana Raath and Mr Hano Roux for their kind cooperation.

The first noteworthy factor of our school’s sustained success is our dedicated coaches. Although our athletes are just normal (albeit zealous) teenagers, we have sourced the very best coaches

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from across South Africa. Other significant components are hard work and dedication from the athletes. We really do take our athletics seriously, and a 13-year winning streak definitely provides a healthy amount of pressure and motivation.

Also, we are very proud of our December camp tradition. The athletics camp held during every December holiday is a highlight on every athlete’s calendar – eight days of training alongside your friends on the beach and in the sand, sun and sea. This preseason event ensures that our athletes get a head start every year.

Our network of support is just as imperative. Holding the reins is our principal, Mr Schalk Reynders, who knows and cares about what the athletes and coaches need and want. The school invests in our athletes,

making sure that we have the newest equipment and aforementioned prestigious coaches. The most visible and motivational support comes from our spectators.

SCHOOL SPORTING FEATURE: athletics

As proud Menloparkers, we love to cheer on our athletes. We’ll shout to be heard above the rest, competing against the neighbouring schools in a different way. The eager spectators have certain expectations from the athletes, which serves as great motivation to train and try harder.

Still, the above aspects are factors that most schools can try to lay claim to. I discovered that the deciding ingredient of Die Hoërskool Menlopark’s prosperity is our depth.

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Marné Kruger FINETUNED HARMONY BETWEEN THE MUSIC AND THE GAME (Hoërskool Menlopark)

Menlopark does not secure the most first places or gold medals at our athletics competitions, not because we are a school full of star athletes, but rather a school filled with hardworking normal teenagers. Out of a team of more than 100 that triumphed at the inter-high, only six are going to the national championships this year. We have depth – for example: instead of having a kid in first place and in 16th, Menlopark would place second and sixth. Our ‘second athletes’ are just important as our first athletes, and that is why we win every year.

A question frequently asked by both Menloparkers and kids from neighbouring schools, is why we don’t compete in the Super16 Athletics League.

Admittedly, our chances of success would be slimmer, because the Super16 policy is to accept only one athlete per event per age group.

Thus we would not only lose our vital depth, but forfeit our entire athletics culture, which is nurtured through mass participation and opportunities for all.

We refuse the offer to participate, because of our athletic principles.

Menlopark is not about star athletes, but about each and every kid who is willing to get involved.

We are simply normal kids who are motivated to be passionate and hardworking.

Our ample spectators and countless athletes work together, so that ultimately, our entire school can lay claim to winning the A-league inter-high.

Together.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Hockey / Music

D E N U ET

FIN

Y N O M R A

H

ME A G E H T D N A C I S U M E H T EN E W T BE

By Philna van Veijeren | Photos by Bernard van Tonder

Participating in sport can sometimes be all-consuming ... not so for Marné Kruger from Die Hoërskool Menlopark. She somehow finds the time to achieve extraordinary milestones in everything she does, which includes playing hockey as well as the piano.

Marné Kruger Some people just seem to be able to do everything, and Kruger is one of them. While her incredible range of talents is envy-inducing, it is her perseverance and hard work that set her apart from the rest.

She usually devotes six to seven hours a week to hockey practice, excluding games, and spends an hour a day in front of the piano – and even more when a competition or exam draws near.

“I have found that planning and self-discipline are the keys - without them you won’t get far,” Kruger explains.

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Marné Kruger FINETUNED HARMONY (Hoërskool Menlopark)

She is currently busy preparing for her Grade 8 piano examination through UNISA. Kruger is well known for her musical ability at school. And that’s not where it ends. At the age of 17, she is a member of her school’s first hockey team, which had the privilege of touring Dubai, Amsterdam and The Hague these past holidays.

“It was an incredible experience. We thought we could play hockey - until we saw the Dutch team play!”

Kruger also participates in athletics, debating and toastmasters. Did we mention that she owns the number one spot in her grade, academically speaking?! At this point of the interview we’re trying to figure out how she stays sane!

“I get up a little earlier in the morning and dedicate some time just to myself before the day starts.”

She feels that piano is probably her most difficult activity because it requires a lot of dedication and can get quite lonely, while hockey is a team sport.

She plays hockey with her friends who support and encourage each other. For her, the very best thing about hockey is undoubtedly the people in her team, with whom she has built wonderful friendships.

And the tiring part of hockey is those late-night practice sessions during the winter.

Having such a busy schedule – and being in high demand with coaches and teachers – isn’t always easy, and tough choices have to be made. Last year, Kruger made the difficult decision to secede from her school’s choir, in order to make time in her busy schedule for hockey practice (amongst other things).

“I have to take into account what time of year each activity occupies, and what the priorities are at that stage, in terms of games or competitions. At least my piano teacher and my hockey coach usually understand.”

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So, why does Kruger choose to impose such a hectic schedule on herself? Why did she choose to play the piano alongside hockey?

“Hockey contributes, like any other sport, to my character and the way I deal with disappointment and success,” Kruger muses.

“Playing the piano enriches my self-discipline immensely.

Things can easily go wrong in front of the piano, especially on stage.”

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Hockey / Music

Marné Kruger “It has taught me to think on my feet and stay calm under pressure, which also helps a lot with debate and public speaking.”

D E N U FINET NY

O M R HA HE EEN T

BETW

Kruger aims to become a chartered accountant some day, but playing the piano will always be close to her heart.

“To play the piano is my way of recharging – it’s the time I use to think and the way I deal with my emotions. Sometimes I feel like a whole new person after I’ve had a lesson or practised.

The best part of playing the piano is competitions - I love the stage!”

AME THE G D N A MUSIC

While sport plays a vital role in all of our lives, it takes exceptional talent, hard work and perseverance to find a balance between what’s good for your soul and good for your body. Marné Kruger is one of the lucky few who does this well. Her character and talents will ensure that a bright future lies ahead, and in the meantime she is a working example of balance to the rest of us.

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Ariane & Erik Kleinhans MARRIED TO MOUNTAIN BIKING

MARRIED TO

♼

Ariane &

By Kobus Pretorius

Kleinhans

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOUNTAIN BIKING

♼

MOUNTAIN BIKING

They are one of the few married couples at the top of mountain biking in South Africa, but Erik and Ariane Kleinhans also know how to be successful as individuals riding with other teammates.

& Erik

Photo by: Karin Schermbrucker

Kleinhans

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Ariane & Erik Kleinhans MARRIED TO MOUNTAIN BIKING

Ariane recently won the women’s category of the Cape Epic with Annika Langvad from Denmark. The pair also won the same category at the 2013 Cape Pioneer Trek stage race in the Southern Cape.

Together they are a dominant force and if they continue to join forces in the future, which seems likely, they will be a handful for any team keen to challenge them.

Erik won the men’s category at last year’s Pioneer Trek with Waylon Woolcock and came eighth with Nico Bell at this year’s Epic where they were the second-placed South African team, riding in support for Swiss maestro Christoph Sauser and Czech Frantisek Rabon who eventually came second.

The couple met at the Cape Pioneer Trek stage race in 2010 where they were competing with different partners. It was Ariane’s first visit to South Africa and the first time she competed in a multi-day stage race.

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOUNTAIN BIKING

“I met Ariane in the middle of the Kammanassie during one of the stages. My partner had pulled out of the race with a stomach bug. I was riding alone and stopped next to the route to fix something small on my bike,” Erik recalls.

“Ariane and her teammate came along and stopped next to me. It was 40 ⁰C that day, in the middle of the Kammanassie; it was scorching. They had no more fluids left and he (Ariane’s teammate) just asked for a sip of water. I agreed and Ariane also asked for water.

I was happy to help because I didn’t really need it and they looked kind of desperate,” Erik jokes.

Later on the two started chatting in the massage tent and then swam together at their accommodation.

♥ Kleinhans

Photo by: PurpleLine

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Ariane & Erik Kleinhans MARRIED TO MOUNTAIN BIKING

“We saw each other every evening after the day’s race,” says Ariane, “so we kind of dated every night,” she laughs.

Ariane and her teammate stayed at Sauser’s house in Stellenbosch for a week after the Pioneer ended.

“We knew there was an attraction,” says Erik.

“So I had to make a decision. A month later I flew to Switzerland for a month to see how things would develop.

Before I left I asked Contego, my sponsor for the next two years, if they would be interested in signing Ariane because I saw she had talent.”

“They agreed to cover her cycling expenses, which meant a lot. While I was in Switzerland we decided that she would come back to South Africa with me and that’s when it all started. It was quite weird.”

Erik and Ariane got married a week after they rode the Cape Epic together for the first time in the mixed category in 2011.

They tied the knot on a friend’s wine farm just outside Stellenbosch and then went to Switzerland to have a celebration with Ariane’s family.

The married couple won the mixed category of the Cape Epic in 2012 and 2013.

Having already been crowned South Africa’s cross country champion, Erik would like to become the marathon champion as well.

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOUNTAIN BIKING

“To win the Cape Epic overall would be a massive goal. I have lifted my game every year and I know I can compete with the best guys in the world,” Erik proclaims.

♥ Kleinhans

Photo by: Kelvin Trautman

Ariane & Erik

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PHILIP Buys Epic Talent

Photo by: Nick Muzik

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOUNTAIN BIKING

EPIC TALENT

By Kobus Pretorius

After a virus prevented him from competing in the 2014 UCI MTB World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South African mountain biker Philip Buys (25) is looking to qualify for the Commonwealth Games later this year.

Buys is one of the top cross country riders in the country as well as being an exciting prospect in stage racing like the Cape Epic.

He had a great experience riding this year’s Epic with Swiss World Champion Nino Schurter. The pair finished fifth overall after dominating the second part of the race, winning two stages and gifting the final stage win to their back-up team consisting of Matthys Beukes and Gert Heyns.

Photo by: Greg Beadle

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PHILIP Buys Epic Talent

“It was an honour to ride with Nino,” Buys tells Game On.

“He is very experienced and trains very differently to what I’m used to. I certainly learned a lot riding the Epic with him.

It was a big learning curve and something that will be to my advantage as I move forward and aim to get even better.”

“I have a lot more confidence now and I want to use that to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July and August. It was a big disappointment not being able to compete at the World Cup, but I didn’t want to risk doing permanent damage to my health.”

Buys went to the Afriski Ski and Mountain Resort in Lesotho on 19 and 20 April to compete in the second round of the South African Mountain Bike Cup series.

It is there where he will aim to qualify for the Commonwealth Games.

Sidebar Favourites, Philip Buys Style: Food: Sushi, steak Drink: Glass of wine, cola tonic and lemonade Philip is game for anything. He likes to test his creativity. He plays a little guitar and likes to ride motorbikes. He also hunts from time to time.

The toughest thing to cut out when competing: Sugar. “I have a sweet tooth.”

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“I will definitely use what Nino taught me, going forward in my career. If it works for the fastest cross country rider in the world, it can work for me,” he smiles.

ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOUNTAIN BIKING

“I want to use that over the next three months to take myself to then next level. Cross country training helps when you compete in stage racing, but training for a stage race doesn’t really help you in cross country. It doesn’t work the other way around.”

Buys turned professional in 2010, but only realised that he could make a living out of the mountain biking when he qualified for the 2012 London Olympics.

“It was a special experience,” recalls Buys.

“I didn’t do very well. I had some crashes and finished in 35th place. But we were treated like VIPs. Competing with the best cross country riders in the world was special.”

Buys got his first mountain bike when he was 14-yearsold.

EPIC TALENT

“It was a grey Raleigh bought at Pick n Pay and it didn’t have shocks at the front. My cousin was into mountain biking and it always seemed like fun to me. I joined a club and started riding with guys like Fritz Pienaar. I started challenging them and that’s where they saw my potential,” says Buys.

He later used the Raleigh to deliver newspapers and upgraded a year later to a bike that had shocks.

Philip’s ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“I also want to do well at the Commonwealth Games and still compete in World Cups. A Stage race like the Cape Epic has also become important to me and I would like to win it with another local rider, because no South African team has been able to win the Epic.”

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Kevin Musikanth Faith In The Mix

FAITH IN THE MIX KEVIN MUSIKANTH

Words By Kobus Pretorius

At 36 years of age, Kevin Musikanth has already experienced his biggest highlight as a rugby coach.

That is quite rare.

Kevin is the man who guided the Ikeys rugby team to their second Varsity Cup triumph when they beat Pukke 39-33 in the final in Potchefstroom, in the most sensational comeback in the history of the tournament.

The scenes in the 82 minutes of the game when Ikey wing Nathan Nel rounded off a charged down kick will live long in the memory. It was Ikeys’ third try in five minutes and resulted in a stunned silence from the home crowd.

Photo by BackPage Media

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“I don’t think it’s because of me that we won the final,” Musikanth says humbly.

“Everyone thought we were going to lose, except the players. It’s hard to explain why we won. The players kept on playing and that is ultimately what won us the game. All we as the coaches wanted was some respectability in the scoreline.”

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Coaching

Photo by Kobus Pretorius

With five minutes to go Ikeys were trailing 15-33, but Musikanth says that didn’t reflect how well they had played.

“We made a commitment before the game to play until the end.

Having faith is the biggest lesson I learnt in the final.

Whatever is meant to be will be. It was an incredible win. I am so proud of the players. They are warriors and champions.”

Photo by BackPage Media

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Kevin Musikanth Faith In The Mix

Musikanth was born and raised in Cape Town. He went to Muizenberg High School but matriculated at Wynberg Boys High. He didn’t study after school and was a personal trainer at a gym while playing some club rugby as a fly half.

Unfortunately Musikanth was very injury prone – he had “five or six operations by the time I was 19” including four shoulder operations – two on each shoulder.

“I started coaching by default when I was 20 and took over the reins of the Muizenberg Under-16A side. I wasn’t much older than the guys I was coaching so I could relate to them.” Musikanth coached the first team for two years before he joined Reddam where he coached their first team for five years.

He was later involved with False Bay and Villagers and became the Director of Rugby at Wynberg. He was asked by the previous coach Kevin Foote to apply for the Ikeys job which he eventually got.

“What I enjoyed most about the Varsity Cup was the excitement around it and us being underdogs. UCT had some bad luck in the last couple of years. They immediately accepted me and I never felt like an outsider,” says Musikanth.

A player that made headlines after the final is Pukke fly half Johnny Welthagen who attempted a drop goal in the 82nd minute instead of kicking the ball out which would have won his team the game.

Every coach has strengths and weaknesses.

“My biggest strength is also my biggest weakness.”

Competitiveness. Like everybody else I like to win and I hate losing. You need to be able to lose and deal with it,” says Kevin.

“The drop goal was bizarre,” recalls Musikanth. “We (the coaches) just looked at each other as he lined up the drop. It was incredible.”

Kevin’s coaching philosophy is summarised in one word: family.

“At the end of the day it’s a human being that plays rugby. I believe in a ‘person’ philosophy rather than a ‘player’ philosophy.”

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Musikanth has a three-year contract with Ikeys and will look to see out his contract.

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Coaching

“Everybody dreams big. I will continue to coach because I don’t think I will be able not to coach. I will get what I deserve,” he says philosophically.

“I don’t think anything will ever live up to the 2014 Varsity Cup final.

It is and will always be the biggest highlight of my career.”

Photo by Kobus Pretorius

FAITH IN THE MIX KEVIN MUSIKANTH Game On Magazine, April / May: Issue 06, 2014

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Sean Erasmus Cross-Pollination & Rugby

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Rugby

By Kobus Pretorius Photos Supplied

C

oaching rugby at one of the elite schools in South Africa comes with a lot of pressure, but new Boishaai first team coach Sean Erasmus believes he’s up to the challenge.

Erasmus developed his style as a coach in KwaZulu-Natal where he coached schoolboy rugby and later joined the Sharks junior structures. Now his new mission is to take Paarl Boys High to the next level.

“I want to make sure the boys learn something new every time they walk off the field.

That is very important to me. I think schoolboy rugby in South Africa is very healthy. I want to put structures in place at Boishaai which gives the late developer a chance to succeed,” explains Erasmus.

Goals with Boishaai: “I believe God put me here for a reason and that he has a plan with me. I want the players to learn something from me, not just on the rugby field but also off the field. I want every player to enjoy himself and play the exciting brand of rugby that I want to implement here. And a big thing for me is to see the boys win inter-schools against Paarl Gymnasium at least once. It’s something everyone talks about. Perhaps it shouldn’t be the main focus but I want to be there when they do it!”

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Sean Erasmus Cross-Pollination & Rugby

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Rugby

Sean grew up in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal and played club rugby in Durban after school. A back injury ended his playing career and he eventually started coaching.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do after school. Estcourt coach Herman Viljoen sadly died of cancer ... consequently there was an opening, and I was happy to fill it,” Erasmus remembers.

“That’s where my passion started. I enjoyed it. But I couldn’t make a living out of rugby at that stage.”

Erasmus moved on and coached Natal junior clubs and started working his way up.

Westville Boys High approached him and he started coaching their Under-14A and B sides.

He later went to Glenwood and started a sport academy in 2002 which still operates today. He remained there until last year before he came to the Boland to join Boishaai.

“I also coached at Collegians and started coaching Glenwood’s first team in 2008 where we won the School’s World Cup in Japan in my first year.”

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Sean Erasmus Cross-Pollination & Rugby

ERASMUS HAS AN INTERESTING RUGBY PHILOSOPHY WITH AN

EMPHASIS ON ATTACK. In 2009 Sean became the technical advisor to the Sharks Under-19 Currie Cup side and coached the Vodacom Cup side in 2012 with Sean Everitt.

He was also the Sharks Under-19 forwards coach in 2013.

Erasmus has an interesting rugby philosophy with an emphasis on attack.

“I don’t want players to differentiate between forwards and backs.

Everyone should have the same capabilities on attack and defence. I call it the cross-pollination concept.

An example would be where the flyhalf has the ball and looks around him. He shouldn’t see backs and forwards, he must just see attacking options.

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“I started using it at Glenwood last year and we scored the most tries ever. We also conceded a lot which showed we must work on our defence, but at least the attacking concept was right.

“We have started the same here at Boishaai, but it has been difficult for the boys to move away from the forward orientated rugby. We’ll get there.”

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Rugby

Ambitions for the future: “When I close my eyes, I can see myself with a Springbok blazer singing the national anthem; I can smell boerewors rolls in the air. My biggest ambition is to become the Springbok coach one day.”

Sean is married to Karen and together they have two children; a 7-year-old boy Matthew and a girl called Madison, who’s nearly two.

The street where he lives in Paarl is full of old Gimmies.

“The day we moved in everyone came to say hi and bring cookies and flowers.

I was walking around with my Boishaai shirt and the omie across the street asked me: ‘What are you wearing?’ I replied it was a Boishaai shirt and told him that I was the new first team coach. His response was: ‘O donner!’ But the people are great and the environment really suits our family life.”

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The van Vollenhovens Game For Anything

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt Photos by: Reg Caldecott & Henry Kelbrick

The van Vollenhovens

Stephan

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With a little bit of luck, a lot of hard work and many sacrifices

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: rugby

one of only two sets of brothers selected to represent sa at the olympics With a little bit of luck, a lot of hard work and many sacrifices, Anré and Stephan van Vollenhoven might just become the latest set of siblings who are selected to represent South Africa at the same Olympic Games.

Since 1992, the year South Africa was readmitted into the Olympic fold, Fritz and Karl Potgieter (track and field – 2000 in Sydney) and Craig and Grant Fulton (hockey – 1996 in Atlanta) were the only two sets of brothers who were selected for this honour.

Twenty-year-old Anré makes no secret of the fact that he wants to be a member of the South African ‘Blitsbokke’ who will compete at an Olympic Games for the first time in 2016 in Rio.

He has already made great strides towards realising his goal when he was selected last year to play for the senior Blue Bulls’ seven-a-side team. Stephan (17), a Grade 11 pupil at St Albans College, faces a bit of a dilemma as he is multi-talented. He admits that he is a cricket fanatic and a talented leg-spin bowler who can also bat. He has dreams of ‘one day’ becoming a professional cricketer.

But he is also a gifted hockey player who has represented Gauteng North in each of his age groups over the past few years.

At the time of writing he was a member of the St Alban’s hockey team that toured in New Zealand.

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The van Vollenhovens Game For Anything

Tuks Under-21 When asked what his preference would be if he had to choose between cricket and hockey, Stephan did not hesitate to say that cricket was his favourite sport. He mentioned in the same breath, however, that Jonty Rhodes is one of his heroes.“Jonty represented South Africa in both cricket and hockey, proving that it can be done” It will be interesting, therefore, to see how Stephan’s sports career plays out over the next three years.

Because Van Vollenhoven is not a common surname, the inevitable question that pops up is whether the brothers are related to the legendary Tom van Vollenhoven.

“I don’t really know. Maybe he is a distant relative,” Anré says.

For those who are too young to know or too old to remember, Tom van Vollenhoven was a South African rugby union and rugby league footballer during the 1950s and 1960s. After an illustrious career as a Springbok, he switched codes and enjoyed a prolific rugby league career with the English club, St. Helens.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: rugby

At the moment Anré plays for the Tuks Under-21 side as well as for the Blue Bulls Academy.

He is a number six flank or, in his own words, a ‘fetcher’. “Playing sevens rugby has certainly helped to improve my rugby skills,” Anré tells Game On. “A definite highlight was playing in an international sevens tournament in Zimbabwe last year where the Blitsbokke were also in action.”

Anré is also a capable cricketer. He has played a few games for the Phobians’ second team this season as a left-arm fast bowler.

He can boast, though unofficially, that he was able to bowl the Protea player, JP Duminy. It happened while the national team was preparing for the test series against the Aussies.

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Anré AND STEFAN VAN VOLLENHOVENS

Anré and a few other youngsters were given the opportunity to bowl to the Protea players during a net practice.

He is both proud and modest about taking his first, and perhaps only, ‘international’ wicket. “I will admit that it was special to bowl JP but I had to keep my composure when it happened.

You don’t celebrate when you take a wicket in the nets,but the moment it happened I had an adrenaline rush. It was like, ‘Yes, you did it’!”

Stephan said his love for cricket started when he was three years old and played cricket with his granddad, dad, brother and other family members.

“I think I fell in love with the game the very first moment I touched the ball and bat.”

“I used to be a fast bowler up to Grade 4, but then my dad took me to another coach who convinced me to give spin bowling a try. I have been a leg-spin bowler ever since.”

“I love the challenge of spin bowling. As a leg spinner you have a choice of so many variations, but you can never afford to bowl a bad delivery because you will definitely get punished. The secret of being a

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: CRICKET AND RUGBY

successful leg spinner is that you should have total control of one of the variations you are able to bowl.

If it is not one of your best days, you can resort to only bowling this one variation and still keep the batsmen under pressure.”

Stephan’s best bowling performance was last year when he was playing for the St Alban’s College Under-16A team and took 5/37 in 23 overs. His best batting performances for the First XI so far were 55 runs against Garsfontein, 57 against Bishops and 44 against St Benedicts.

According to Stephan he is not the hardest hitter of a cricket ball and therefore has to grind it out to get his runs.

He made club cricket history in Pretoria this season by becoming the youngest player to play for the Phobians First XI.

According to Stephan he is not the hardest hitter of a cricket ball and therefore has to grind it out to get his runs.

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SOCCER Young Stars to watch at 2014 World Cup

Young Star With the 2014

FIFA World Cup just month

a look at some of the young

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: SOCCER

rs to watch AT 2014 World Cup

hs away and the excitement building up, here is g stars set to shine in Brazil.

Words By: AB Basson Photos by: BackPage Media

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SOCCER Young Stars to watch at 2014 World Cup

Goalkeeper: Between the posts THIBAUT COURTOIS is an obvious pick. At only 21 years of age, the Belgian kept goal in all 10 of Belgium’s World Cup Qualifiers helping the team ease into a spot in the Brazil finals.

Courtois, who is currently on-loan at Atletico Madrid from Chelsea, has shown maturity beyond his years and has kept Liverpool shot stopper Simon Mignolet on the bench.

Right back: On the right-hand side of defence, Nigerian KENNETH OMERUO (20) will definitely be lining up for the Super Eagles come World Cup 2014. Having played 14 games for Nigeria in 2013 and playing in all three of their Confederation Cup games, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for this kid.

Omeruo, who can also play in the centre of defence, is currently on-loan at Den Haag from Premier League outfit Chelsea.

Centre backs: In the centre of defence Frenchman RAPHAEL VARANE and Ghanaian RASHID SUMAILA, both only 20-years-old, will be an integral part of their respective teams [France and Ghana].

Whether playing off the bench or perhaps finding a starting spot, these two youngsters have proven themselves at club level; we will just have to wait and see whether they can get any good playing time in Brazil.

Varane is arguably Real Madrid’s best centre half at the moment, with Sergio Ramos struggling for form this season while Sumaila has been a constant for Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa.

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: SOCCER

Left back: At Left Back Evertonian BRYAN OVIEDO (23) would be one to watch. Having already made 26 appearances for Costa Rica he is sure to be in their lineup come June-July.

Oviedo has shone in the absence of the injured Leighton Baines at times this season, notably scoring the winner as the Toffees recorded a historic victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

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SOCCER Young Stars to watch at 2014 World Cup

STRIKER: NEYMAR (21) will be key to Brazil’s success on home soil next year. His goalscoring and goal-creating ability make him a fan favourite for the Selecao and all eyes will be on him.

The former Santos goal machine has adapted well to life in Spain, and recently scored his first hat-trick for Barcelona.

Midfield: Across the midfield, Juventus’ 20-year-old PAUL POGBA will be a rock in midfield for France, not only in defence but maybe finding himself on the score sheet too. In qualification he participated in six games scoring one goal, making him a stand-out performer in the centre of the French midfield.

Pogba is pure quality, watch out for his shots from range, they often end up in the back of the net.

Midfield: JACK WILSHERE (21) was another obvious pick. He was unlucky not to play in many qualifier games, but his recent club form at Arsenal should see him easily slot into the English midfield.

Wilshere’s creativity is something that has been lacking in English football and he along with Everton youngster Ross Barkly could in future form a formidable partnership for the Three Lions.

Midfield: Real Madrid’s newest signing Isco could find himself to be a big part of VINCENTE DEL BOSQUE’S 2014 plans. He has yet to play many first team games for Spain, but at only 21 his youth should see him play more often than not seeing that the tika-taka team of 2010 are not getting any younger. Watch out for him.

Isco has been a star at youth level and is one of a number of upcoming Spanish players that will be eager to replicate the success of their predecessors.

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: SOCCER

STRIKER:

STRIKER:

ROMELU LUKAKU is an obvious choice to spearhead the attack. In only four games in qualifying he scored twice and powered himself into Belgium’s number 9 shirt.

Another youngster who has sparked conversation recently is Napoli striker LORENZO INSIGNE (22). Often in Mario Balotelli’s shadow, he has escaped media coverage, but come Brazil 2014 he should play a significant role in Italian success, and he could be their weapon off the bench, a role he has become renowned for.

He sparks fear into defences and his performances have given him worldwide acclaim and he should turn some heads in six months’ time.

The sturdy forward has been in impressive form for Everton and has shown that he is not only powerful in the air, but can link up well with the players around him, take a powerful shot from distance and finish off a flowing move.

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HANRO VAN ROOYEN BORN TO RIDE

HANRO VAN ROOYEN Words and photos supplied

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOTOGP

These words are definitely applicable to Hanro van Rooyen (Hoërskool Garsfontein). When he was threeyears-old his dad, Gerhard, put him on a small quad bike and without blinking, he put on his helmet, rode off and hasn’t stopped riding since.

The youngster has become one of South Africa’s top motorcycle racers and judging by what has happened last year he might just be destined to become a MotoGP racer in a few years’ time.

Last year he was one of the 105 riders selected from all over the world to try out for the MotoGP Red Bull Rookies Cup Series (read sidebar). He was one of 12 riders who made the cut to race.

The first of the eight races are on 3 - 4 May at Jerez in Spain. Darryn Binder of Krugersdorp will be the other South African racing.

Not an unusual story, Hanro’s racing start.

“My dad was racing for four years in the Superbike Regional events from 1998 to 2003 and when he stopped (my mom said he must, when my brother was born) I was just big enough to start riding a JP50 quad bike that my dad bought

me. I guess we can say ‘Like father like son’. We always went riding on my dad’s Yamaha R1 and Bombardier DS650 and my granddad’s Kawasaki Z1R. When my dad stopped racing he sponsored other riders and we always went together to the racing events. This is where my interest started. I have been surrounded by motorcycles since I can remember.”

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HANRO VAN ROOYEN BORN TO RIDE

He already has a good deal of great memories, like his favourite race. “During my second year in the CBR150 Cup, the last race of the 2011 season was the best so far. I only needed to finish the race to secure the championship, but I won the race by a 31-second lead.”

HANRO VAN ROOYEN

“ And last year,” he adds.

“The last race of the season at Red Star Raceway. I missed out on four races for the season, two being overseas for the Red Bull Rookies Cup Selection.

I had to win to gain maximum points to win the championship. Going into the last lap I was in third position, the only chance I had to make a move was on the second last corner. I planned it, made my move and overtook both riders to win the race on a high note and secure the championship with an 11-point lead.”

The family support has continued all the way through. “Besides

my father who made this opportunity possible, my grandfather is one of my biggest supporters and only missed one race when he had a knee operation in November 2013.”

Otherwise my 11-year-old brother Rohan, who was racing in the NSF100 class, is my second biggest supporter, he is also a champion in his own class. This year, he is competing in the CBR 150 Cup on my bike, while I will be competing in the Red Bull Rookies Cup. My mother is always worried that I may get injured, but she gives me as much love and support as needed.”

And going forward? “We

had to make a serious decision for the 2014 season as far as my racing is concerned. Competing internationally is not only expensive but being overseas for most of the year has its consequences,” Van Rooyen explains. “ I have to work extra hard on schoolwork, but it’s a challenge I can manage with hard work, lots of determination and having a vision. I’ve set a goal for myself

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOTOGP

to become a MotoGP legend, like Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner. That will be my driving force to achieve the ultimate level in my racing career. I also want to bring people closer together and build lasting relationships and make a difference.”

As for the race tracks, he is looking forward to

“Fast and flowing tracks, coming out of a long sweeping corner into a tight hairpin...”

Hanro is not afraid of hard work and puts a lot of effort into school where his favourite subjects are Natural Sciences, Technology and Mathematics. Away from the desk he is also giving it 100%.

“I enjoy exercising and really can’t have a day passing without it, so apart from racing that is still the most favourite thing on my list. Otherwise I enjoy my PlayStation (Especially MotoGP 2013), riding my mountain bike and improving my wheelie record and skills for example one hand and downhill wheelies without paddling using just my balance ...”

sponsored by: GAMING . ANIME . CULTURE . COMMUNITY

“I also love playing my acoustic and electric guitars, and go to lessons.” Of course racing is a big focus and his heroes are Troy Bayliss, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner and Marc Marques. He will be putting that focus into the Rookies Cup and knows what he wants to do.

“To start my Rookies Cup career with flying colours, make use of every opportunity to gain as much as possible knowledge through every experience, learn the tracks and make new friends,” Van Rooyen has no shortage of goals and ambitions, that’s for sure!

He emphasises that winning is the main thing but not the only thing. “Definitely

achieving not only my own goals, but also my team’s goals and making my sponsors proud.

Seeing my friends and family happy and enjoying the good moments together is awesome too. Winning is not everything, it was good for me to get a third

motogp weekend

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HANRO VAN ROOYEN BORN TO RIDE

place for example, just to appreciate that number one spot on the podium so much more. The bike setup is always crucial. I lost or crashed out of races due to tyre pressure not being

spot on for example. It takes two to tango and the rider together with bike setup is a crucial combination if you want to walk away with the victory at the end of the season.”

“I want to set the bar high for myself and become a MotoGP legend. This can only be done if one has opportunities like being a Red Bull Rookie, making use of every moment and taking nothing for granted.”

Side Bar Hanro’s Racing CV

2013

South African CBR150 Northern Regions Championship, Honda 13 x 1st

2012

3rd South African CBR150 Northern Regions Championship, Honda 8 x 1st (Missed 5 of the 19 races) Competed in the Moto3 Championship but withdrew after a string of mechanical failures

2011

2011 1st South African CBR150 Northern Regions Championship, Honda 12 x 1st setting new lap records at Kyalami, Phakisa, Zwartkops and Red Star Raceway in both directions.

1st MRC Club Championship

2010

Contested CBR 150 Northern Regions Championship, Honda Achieved 2 top 10 finishes, and 6 top 5 finishes with a 1st place overall win at Kyalami.

1st MRC Club Championship

2009

Focused on school sports

2008

Focused on school sports

2007

Competed in Idube, KwaZulu-Natal in Mini-Motards and Racing 50cc placing on the podium in all races

2006

Started racing in the Blata Cup and Mini-Motards achieving 1st and 2nd places all season

2005

Started riding JP50 Quad bike and later KTM Pro Senior 50cc

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ATHLETE SPORTING FEATURE: MOTOGP

Side Bar Teenagers from around the world know that the best way of getting a start in Grand Prix motorcycle racing is by entering the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Since its inception in 2007 it has grown into one of the most thrilling two-wheel spectacles in the world.

The Rookies Cup has released new stars into the world of Grand Prix racing, GP winners and a new generation who will compete through the Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP classes. Every year the level of competition has climbed and this year’s intake is set to raise the bar yet again for the eighth annual Cup event.

Starting at the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez on May 3 and 4 the series takes in the electric atmosphere of the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello once more after an absence of three seasons before the usual run through the Netherlands, Germany, the Czech Republic, Great Britain and San Marino before ending the year back in

Spain again with the Aragon Grand Prix on September 20 and 21.

This is the second season with the Moto3 specification KTM RC 250 R 4-stroke as we switched last year from the 2-stroke KTM RC 125 that had powered the Rookies for the first six seasons.

Just as the RC 125 was a close brother to the 125cc GP machines raced by the KTM factory so successfully, the RC 250 R is a reflection of the factory KTM Moto3 machine. It is the start of another great lineage, the 2012 factory KTM won the 2012 Moto3 World Championship in the hands of Sandro Cortese and in 2013 KTMs filled the top four places.

For the Rookies the first chance to ride the KTMs in 2014 comes at the pre-season test held in Aragon with three days on track, April 16, 17 and 19. Twelve nations are represented from around the globe, from Japan to Australia and South Africa and across Europe from Spain to the Czech Republic.

The Grand Prix paddock watches the intense action of the Rookies races picking out future stars and the Rookies themselves study their Grand Prix heroes in action looking for tips and inspiration.

They get both from the factory KTM team with 2013 Rookies Cup champion Karel Hanika looking for Moto3 glory this season.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: EQUESTRIAN

WHEN THE GOING

GETS TOUGH: KRISTEN JOUBERT

By Wilh

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Swardt

en seer gekry, o pgeklim Loosely en wee translat r gery” ed, this tells a s Afrikaan tory abo s nurse ut some falling o ry one rid ff. In sp ing on a rhyme ite of ge right ba p tting hu ck on a rt, he cl ig and nd con indeed tin im a story with tha ues to ride. Th bs will be is is t every able to avid ho relate. rse ride r

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risten Joubert, a Grade 10 pupil at Hoërskool Garsfontein, admits that until recently she regularly took a tumble when riding on her horse, Rooigras Gina.

“If you love horse riding, you should expect to fall off from time to time. It is simply part of the sport. I’ve been lucky up to now, because I’ve never sustained any serious injuries.”

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Kristen JOUBERT WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

l an ĂŤrskoo o H The equestri the s ontein f won l Gars am also schoo te Northyear. last Gauteng e l tit

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: EQUESTRIAN

Avoiding falling off her horse is certainly not all Joubert is capable of doing. She is in fact a talented equestrian. A definite highlight for her was when she won her category of ‘Showing and working your horse’ at the South African Schools Championships last year. She has won numerous other prizes at smaller equestrian events as well.

Kristen’s dad, Jan, is the owner of the Rooigras SA Boerperd Stud. The SA Boerperd is a true South African horse breed. Its long and illustrious history is intimately interwoven with that of civilisation in South Africa. Its lineage can be traced back to shortly after the landing of Jan van Riebeeck in Table Bay in 1652, and the establishment of a halfway post to serve the Dutch East Indian Company ships.

According to Joubert a Boerperd is a very loyal horse and easy to work with. She finds it difficult to explain why she loves horses, but there was never any doubt that she was destined fall in love with them. She started riding at the age of eight.

“They are just such special animals. You have to work with horses constantly to appreciate their true nature and what they are about. I even understand myself better because of my involvement with horses. I cannot imagine a life without horses.”

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Kristen JOUBERT WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

DRESSAGE is one of the equestrian events in which Joubert regularly competes.

“The goal of dressage training is to develop a horse’s flexibility, his responsiveness to your leg aids and his balance.

This makes the horse stronger and more pleasurable to ride. In any competition you will always compete against yourself, as well as against others who take the test. The goal in competition is to always improve on your own score.”

HOW DOES IT WORK? “When riding a dressage test you will be evaluated by up to three judges. The judges will give you a score on every element of the dressage test while you ride. They will look for obedience, suppleness, accuracy, attitude and how well you ride.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: EQUESTRIAN

“The dressage ring is marked at its perimeter with letters. Before you enter the ring you will hear a bell or whistle. This lets you know that you have a certain time to enter the dressage ring before you are penalised. You will enter and salute the judge. After halting and saluting the judge you will ride in straight lines and circles as described by your test, using the letters as your guide.”

Eventing is another popular discipline in equestrian sport. It can be compared to a human triathlon. The discipline of eventing was historically developed to test the skills required of the working military mount – athleticism, agility, bravery, speed and endurance.

At its highest level, eventing is recognised as one of the three Olympic equestrian disciplines. Eventing is divided into three phases: dressage, cross-country and show jumping.

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Kristen Paton Following Her Passion

KRISTEN PATON FOLLOWING HER PASSION Words By Karien Jonckheere | Photos Supplied

It all happened just last month. Hockey player Kristen Paton pulled on a green and gold shirt for the very first time and stood, mesmerised, in front of the mirror.

“I don’t know how to describe it other than you don’t know it’s real until you pull the green and gold jersey over your head. I remember getting dressed for our first game against Zimbabwe. I’m pretty sure I stood in front of the mirror for 10 minutes trying to absorb the moment,” remembered the 17-year-old Northcliff High School student.

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“Stepping out onto the field for the first time made the long hours of training, sacrifices and injuries all seem worth it. I wish I had a better way of putting those feelings into words, but all that I can manage is to say that the experience was unbelievable and I feel so blessed to have been a part of the team.”

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Hockey

My confidence booster and the turning point in my hockey was making the Southerns Under-21 team

It wasn’t the first time Paton had seen her surname on a green and gold shirt, of course – with her namesakes, Wade and Taine Paton having regularly represented SA in the senior men’s national team. But, it turns out she is not related to the talented brothers.

“Paton is not a very common surname but as far as I know we aren’t related. People often assume that we are though and so I guess with the surname comes the expectation to play well. I enjoy it though, because seeing ‘Paton’ on the back of a green and gold jersey creates a burning desire for success and is my motivation.”

Having first picked up a hockey stick in Grade 3, Paton made her first provincial side (Southern Gauteng Under-16) by Grade 10 – and she was also chosen as the vice captain of that gold medal-winning side.

“It was the first time I had played hockey at that level and I was fortunate enough to be chosen for the South African Under-16 team,” explained Paton, who is now in matric.

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Kristen Paton Following Her Passion

KRISTEN PATON FOLLOWING HER PASSION

“It came as such a surprise and I remember driving home and hugging my mom when I walked through the door.

I was so overwhelmed that I burst into tears and only stopped crying after I had showered about an hour later.

“My confidence booster and the turning point in my hockey was making the Southerns Under-21 team the following year after being persuaded by a friend that I was good enough to play at that level. I believe that set everything into motion for me because it exposed me to a game far beyond my years and the experience I gained was a stepping stone to where I am today in terms of my hockey.”

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The talented teenager is now on the verge of representing South Africa at the Youth Olympic Games in China in a few months’ time – after she and her teammates won the qualifying tournament in Zambia in March.

“I am beyond excited to see how South Africa compares as a hockey nation to the world’s best and to see where we as juniors are in relation to the juniors from top senior nations like the Netherlands and Argentina.”

“For me the Youth Games have made the dream of reaching the Olympics seem tangible. We have now had a taste of what is required of an international hockey team and we know the standard of training and play that is required.”

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Hockey

“I firmly believe that the Youth Games are going to cement those dreams and be the foundation that we can build upon to one day make an Olympic team,” added Paton who besides her schoolwork – she is aiming for four distinctions at the end of the year to be able to study either engineering or accounting – trains almost every day of the week in order to make that dream a reality.

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Kristen Paton Following Her Passion

KRISTEN PATON FOLLOWING HER PASSION

“I have school training twice a week with two games a week, usually in the afternoons. I then have Under-21 provincial training three times a week in the evenings and then I train with UJ twice a week with a game on weekends, usually on Sundays.

My trainings tend to overlap so I usually have two or three sessions a day and I squeeze in a gym or running session most mornings too.�

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Hockey

Despite her hectic schedule, the midfielder wouldn’t change anything. “The

thing that I love most about hockey is the ability to play. I have struggled with injuries for the last two years so I’m just grateful that I get the opportunity to walk onto the field and be able to play the game I love.”

“It is my stress relief and a means to express myself and if you follow your passion, success follows you.”

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Requir Van Der Merwe In With A Fighting Chance

Requir Van Der Merwe

In With A Fighting Chance

By Wilhelm de Swardt Photos supplied 100

Game On Magazine, April / May: Issue 06, 2014

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Wrestling

The average South African sports fan has no idea what wrestling is really about. If wrestling should crop up in a conversation, many listeners would probably think that the speaker refers to the antics of the characters of the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF), which is nothing more than a show put on by big ‘steroid hulks’.

This is rather sad because true wrestling, which is a combination of freestyle and Greco-Roman, goes back to the inaugural modern Olympics in Athens in 1896. Unfortunately the International Olympic Council (IOC) dropped wrestling from the Olympic programme last year, which means that there will be no wrestling at the 2020 Games.

But amateur wrestling is far from being a dying sport. Requir van der Merwe, a 15-year-old student at the Blair Academy in New Jersey in the USA is a keen and talented wrestler who can vouch for this statement.

According to Van der Merwe there are approximately 500 000 wrestlers in the USA. In New Jersey alone there are 422 schools that actively participate in wrestling.

“This means that just in my category (under-54 kg) there are 422 wrestlers in New Jersey. I did a search on the internet on 25 February and found that on a single day there were 120 wrestling

competitions in which schools and universities in the USA competed,” he tells Game On. “During our school season (from November last year to February this year) I competed in no fewer than 50 matches of which I won 40 and lost 10.”

Van der Merwe and his family moved to the States in August 2009.

“Moving to New Jersey was a great decision as far as wrestling is concerned because it is one of the top five wrestling states in the USA. An added advantage of wrestling is that it is a winter sport, which affords me the opportunity to stay fit without having to go out into the cold. We train and compete in heated halls.”

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Requir Van Der Merwe In With A Fighting Chance

Requir Van Der Merwe

In With A Fighting Chance According to Van der Merwe, they do mostly Folkstyle wrestling (read the sidebar) and not the traditional freestyle. His coaches at Blair are Paul Clavel, Charles Danhoff and Soloman Fleckman.

“In my off-season preparation I am coached

by Anthony Lenardi of the Eclipse Club.

Competition wrestling is a serious business. In 99% of the tournaments wrestlers are seeded.

This is done to ensure that two top wrestlers do not meet in the first round. Already two days before a tournament their statistics appear on the internet to give their rivals a good idea of whom they will be up against. For example: #4 Requir van der Merwe 113 lbs (21-3).“ Van der Merwe is quite proud of his 3rd place finish at the National Preps Tournament.

“A total of 122 private schools participated. In my weight category alone, 40 wrestlers from all over the USA qualified for the finals.”

“Another good result for me was finishing eighth in the Beast of the East Tournament. It is the biggest open tournament in the USA. To put it into perspective I should perhaps mention that there are no national wrestling tournaments in the USA. A wrestler’s results in the Preps and Beast tournaments give him an indication of his true standings in USA wrestling.”

What does it take to become a good wrestler? Is it only about brute power and speed?

“Definitely not,” Van der Merwe explains.

“Wrestling is actually a mental game. Many really good wrestlers have lost matches because they simply could not cope mentally. I would say that mental fitness is responsible for up to 50% of your success or failure. The rest is determined by power and technique. This means that selfmotivation is very important.”

Van der Merwe said his main goal for this season is to ensure that he stays in Blair’s first wrestling team.

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“In the freestyle season my main objective will be to get a top finish at the Fargo Tournament in July. It is the biggest tournament of its kind in the USA. As far as my long-term goals are concerned, I want to become one of the top three wrestlers in my weight category in the USA. Once I have managed to do that, I will broaden my horizon by seriously considering competing internationally.”

Before becoming a committed wrestler Van der Merwe also competed in swimming, rugby, soccer, cross-country running, biathlon and lacrosse.

“I ended up choosing wrestling as a sport because my school, Blair, is very committed to it. I do still miss playing soccer, but I cannot say that I miss cross-country running.”

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Wrestling

Any role models?

Side Bar

“One of my role models is Joey Mckenna. He is one of the senior wrestlers on our team and is currently the number one wrestler in his category in the USA. He will go to Stanford next year to study and wrestle. I hope to be able to do the same in a few years’ time.”

Folkstyle wrestling has a rich heritage. It dates back to the founding days of the United States and has touched every part of American life.

Many former US Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, were Folkstyle wrestlers, and a former speaker of the American House of Representatives, Denny Hastert, was a distinguished Folkstyle coach.

Several other fields were also touched by famous wrestlers, such as the sciences with Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug, and the arts with famous author John Irving who was a wrestler himself and had wrestling play a prominent role in many of his novels.

Folkstyle wrestling is the fifth most popular sport in American high schools and the most commonly practised style of wrestling in the United States. The pinnacle of the sport, the National University Tournament, is broadcast live on television to millions of viewers and attracts ‘sell-out’ crowds of 17 000 spectators every year.

Folkstyle matches consist of three periods.

The first period is always contested in the neutral position and, unless ended by a fall, a technical fall or disqualification, each wrestler is given the opportunity to choose the starting position in the second and third periods.

Folkstyle rules do not provide for rest between periods and delays between periods may be penalised by the mat referee. Mat wrestling (par terre) is an important component and, in addition to points for exposing and holding an opponent’s back to the mat, points are awarded for escaping an opponent’s control or gaining control from them. In Folkstyle wrestling, the defensive wrestler must wrestle from the bottom position and the offensive wrestler must work aggressively to earn near fall points (exposure) or a fall. Failure to wrestle aggressively results in stalling penalties (passivity) from the mat referee, which can lead to disqualification. Tied matches are settled first with a ‘sudden victory’ period (i.e. the first wrestler to score from the neutral position wins) and then with mat wrestling where the wrestlers alternate the starting position.

Source: www.fila-official.com

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Reinhardt Van Zyl Giving It All He’s Got

GIVING IT ALL HE’S GOT

REINHARDT VAN ZYL

By Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos Supplied

avelin j

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Athletics

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Talented young javelin thrower Reinhardt van Zyl who won a gold medal for South Africa at the 2011 IAAF World Youth Athletics Championships in Lille, France, is studying at the Cloud Community College in Concordia, Kansas this year, where he is being coached by Ted Schmitz.

After his dream season in which he threw a personal best distance of 82.96 m at the World Championships, Van Zyl’s athletics career seemed to have fizzled out slightly. The reason?

A recurring elbow injury stopped him from throwing those superb throws he knew he was capable of.

He won gold at the SA Junior Championships and finished second at the African Junior Championships in Mauritius but his winning distance of 69 m at both events was ‘no great shakes’ when compared with the high standards he sets for himself.

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Reinhardt Van Zyl Giving It All He’s Got

WAS IT DIFFICULT TO ADAPT TO

THE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE? “The most important difference in the approach to coaching in the USA and South Africa is that the Americans definitely do not believe that an athlete should give a 100% during each training session. They actually don’t want us to put in more than a 70% effort. It took me some time to get used to this approach because in South Africa I was used to pushing myself to the limit every time.”

Van Zyl is no quitter by any means, and he is still 100% committed to fulfilling the goals he set for himself as a young javelin thrower, the most important of which is to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games and maybe even win a medal.

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“What I appreciate about the coaches in the USA is that their training regimes are not set in stone. They fully realise that what works for one athlete won’t necessary work for another, so the training is adapted to the specific needs of each individual athlete,” Van Zyl tells us.

“The one thing I have learnt is that an athlete in the USA definitely needs self-discipline. The eating habits of the Americans are radically different from what I am used to. After a meeting we are given some money with which to buy some food. The problem is that we inevitably stop at a Pizza Hut, Subway, McDonalds, etc. My favourite is Hawaiian Pizza with a chocolate milkshake but, if you are not careful, this is a sure way to gain weight very quickly. So I try to cook for myself most of the time to ensure that I follow a healthy diet.”

Game On Magazine, April / May: Issue 06, 2014

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Athletics

“The good news is that my injury is offcially something of the past, although mentally I still don’t trust my body to be able to throw all out. But, as they say, Rome was not built in a day. I just have to be patient and take it one step at a time. I will be pleased if I can finish the season being able to consistently throw 75 m. I fully trust that my next really big throw will happen when God wants it to happen.”

Van Zyl is full of praise for the role his South African coaches, Dreyer Campbell (Waterkloof ) and DP Badenhorst (Nelspruit), played in helping him to master the finer techniques of javelin throwing.

“Sometimes during our practice sessions I try to show the other athletes what I was taught in South Africa.”

According to Van Zyl he has been throwing things ever since he can remember.

“My brother, Joe van Zyl, and I used to have competitions to see who could throw a rock the farthest. Later on we used our rock-throwing skills to chase away bothersome monkeys on the farm,” he grins.

Van Zyl regards his granddad, Chris Vister, as his role model in life and his brother as his sporting role model.

“Since I can remember Joe and I were involved in our own little competitions and we always pushed each other to go one better. For example, Joe used to be a better swimmer than I was, but I ended up being the stronger one in the end.”

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Reinhardt Van Zyl Giving It All He’s Got

up ite catch st u q r e v ne fa h I could good left-arm g ic h w in ly e sport an unbelievab a deadly openin n o e h t h Cricket is Joe used to be Lange formed Week. Althoug e . t d e t im h k n t h a s e ric with d March Majola Coke C himself, he wa ep n a e H ke lin bowler. n during the w a jave ouraged me to e r h io t t a y ll in enc ll. actua comb r never ported me and oing very we e h t o r b g my not s sup o alway n things were h w e n o e ven wh going, e

“

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There were many who predicted that Van Zyl himself had what it took to play cricket at the highest level, but unfortunately he was forced to choose between cricket and athletics.

“It was certainly the hardest decision I ever had to make. There are still times when I think back to that moment, but I know that I made the right choice because God guided me.”

There is a saying in Afrikaans: ’Eenmaal ‘n plaasseun, altyd ‘n plaasseun’. It is not surprising, therefore, that Van Zyl, whenever he has an opportunity to take a break, takes to the farmlands in a heartbeat.

During a recent spring break he went to work on a Jensen Hereford cattle farm.

“When I am on a farm and working with animals, I am most relaxed. That is when I forget about all the pressure to perform, and simply become one with nature again.”

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Ad space

Sarah Harris Africa Loses to Australia

Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos Supplied

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Water Polo

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Sarah Harris Africa Loses to Australia

As far as water polo is concerned, Africa’s loss is set to be Australia’s gain.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Water Polo

Sarah Harris, the younger sister

alternatively, the prospect of my

of the former Protea spin bowler,

moving to Australia and potentially

Paul Harris, aspires to represent

representing Australia at the Rio

Australia at the 2016 Olympic

Olympics.”

Games in Rio. “Ever since I was a little girl I have dreamt of participating in the ‘Games.

This was all I ever wanted to do and, fortunately, my game is now at a level where there is a possibility that my dream could

“The Australian National Team is one of the best teams in the world.

They received a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, after losing to the USA in extra time in the semi-final. The USA went on to win the Gold.”

“My decision to emigrate to

become a reality,” an excited Australia was not only because Harris told Game On. I hope to become an Olympian, “South Africa is lucky because it has the only national women’s water polo team in Africa. This means that, for the past two Olympics, we were given an automatic berth in the Olympics.

However, both times (Beijing 2008 and London 2012), Swim SA and SASCOC denied us the opportunity of competing on the world’s ultimate sporting stage.

but also because I now have an opportunity of becoming a gold medallist. After all that I had been through with South African water polo, it seemed ludicrous not to take this opportunity to play for the Aussies. I’ve been living in Sydney for the past 18 months, and I’m currently playing for the Aussie Stingers, being the Australian Women’s Water Polo Team.”

After the disappointment of being

“I have represented Australia at

pulled out of London last year, I

a few tournaments and I will be

decided to play in Australia for

a full-blown Australian citizen in

a season,” the talented player

November this year. This will mean

explained.

that I will be fully eligible to play for

“I played my first National League season in 2012 and had a very good season. I caught the eye of

“I get up at 4 or 5 a.m. every single morning, and start the day with either a pool or gym session, and in the evening I repeat it.”

Australia at the Olympics if I am good enough to make it to the final 13.”

the national team’s coach and we

We asked Harris what she felt

had some in-depth discussions

it took to be a good water polo

about South Africa’s chances of

player.

“The game is extremely competitive and has become very aggressive. You have to be in top physical condition,” Harris says.

“You pretty much sprint in the water for an hour straight, while treading water and wrestling against your opponent.

It is one of the most draining games to play and you have to be super fit. Needless to say, we train a lot!”

“I get up at 4 or 5 a.m. every single morning, and start the day with either a pool or gym session, and in the evening I repeat it. On weekends we play games and travel around in Australia.”

sending a team to the Olympics while I am still playing or,

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Sarah Harris Africa Loses to Australia

THINGS ARE GOING “I currently play for the Sydney Uni National League Team. I am part of the NSWIS (NSW Institute of Sport) and am in the Australian National Team.

“It has been two great years for me and I am only hoping that the next two years will be even better. It is extremely difficult to make the final 13 for the Olympics but right now I am heading in the right direction. If I put in the work and perform well I will hopefully achieve my goal.”

Australia is one of the most versatile countries in sports.

Name any sport and there is a very good chance that an Australian will excel in it. Why is that?

“The Australians do their sports training the right way. They take matters very seriously and athletes are managed correctly from a young age. They do not overlook any aspect, and focus on nutrition, recovery, strength and conditioning, sports psyche, athlete monitoring, load management, athlete well-being, etc.”

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“There are institutes that focus solely on athletes, where they are given the opportunity to grow within a well-oiled system,” Harris says.

“It wasn’t at all difficult for me to adapt to the way they operate here in Australia, because I had a taste of this approach when I was in college in America. The main adjustment that I had to make was mentally. There are so many more athletes here in Australia.

The number of outstanding athletes in Australia compared with that in South Africa is phenomenal. Consequently, the effort you have to put in to be selected for a top team, is huge.

My training schedule here is much more intense than any schedule I ever had in South Africa.”

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Water Polo

G SWIMMINGLY “Athletes are well looked after in Australia.

The athlete matters and everyone remotely connected with an athlete wants him or her to do well.”

Harris’ athletic abilities extend far beyond the pool. When she was in high school, she didn’t only participate in water polo, but also in swimming, diving, track and field and cross-country.

Paul Harris played 37 cricket tests for South Africa. As a left arm spin bowler he took 103 wickets at an average of 37.87 runs.

However, there came a time when she chose to focus on water polo.

“I was a serious swimmer before,” Harris said. “I love the water, but it’s much more fun for me to be involved in a team sport. That’s how I ended up playing water polo,” she smiled.

Harris made her international water polo debut when she was chosen to play for the South African National Team at the age of 17.

In 2009 she competed for South Africa in the FINA World Championships in Rome, Italy. In five games, she was the team’s top scorer with eight goals.

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hein wagner Seeing Life In a Way Others Can Never IMagine

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Absailer, runner and cyclist

HEIN WAGNER IS BLIND. BUT HIS DISABILITY IS THE SMALLEST PART OF HIM, BECAUSE HE ALSO SEES LIFE. Words By Christel Raubenheimer | Photos By PurpleLine

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hein wagner Seeing Life In a Way Others Can Never IMagine

When asked if doing the Epic is a smart thing to do for a blind person, Wagner is philosophical

“No one should really do the epic…”

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Absailer, runner and cyclist

Hein Wagner makes you feel

uncomfortable. But uncomfortable in a way that makes you want to quit your job, and go “Eat, Pray, Love” somewhere.

He has an uncanny way of making you believe he sees things you don’t. Not because you can’t, simply because you’re not looking hard enough.

He’s a motivational speaker, but most of all, he’s an adventurer with an amazing list of accomplishments.

Absailer, runner and cyclist. Wagner has won the World Cup Cricket for the Blind, sailed the Cape to Rio Yacht Race, completed the Ironman Triathlon and finished the Cape Epic Mountain Bike Race.

“I try to do one big adventure a year. And I do it pretty much for the enjoyment of the outdoors and the adventure.” He believes that everything should be done in moderation,

“But why stay on the couch? I don’t get that,”

he says.

And couch potato he’s not, because, “One thing I’d hate to be, is lazy, blind and fat.”Wagner has just completed what is often described as the harshest marathon on the planet – the Antarctic Marathon on the South Pole. “I’ve always had a fascination with the North and South Poles. But you don’t just wake up one Monday morning and think, I’m going there,” he says.So, go to the South Pole is exactly what Wagner did.He did it with Nick Kruiskamp, champion athlete-turned-runner guide only a week before. And a man he met over a few beers. Talk about preparation …

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hein wagner Seeing Life In a Way Others Can Never IMagine

Wagner describes the marathon as a test of endurance, of mental strength and perseverance.

“I never thought that being on the 7th continent surrounded by ice-capped mountains, glaciers, icebergs, snow, penguins, whales and other wildlife would be so emotionally overwhelming.” Not one to shy away from a bit of drama, the start of the race had Wagner imagining the worst: mud, icy water streams and perhaps an amputation or two. But the unforgiving arctic elements were just one part of Wagner’s challenge –

inside his mind a bigger battle was raging.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Absailer, runner and cyclist

While his companions were drinking in the scenic beauty of the arctic, Wagner could only listen.

“When we arrived there, a guy let out a gasp of sheer awe at the view. Someone explained the view to me, and I had to internalise what I heard.” Wagner says he has accepted his blindness completely. But the South Pole plays tricks on your mind. “I’ve know not to dwell on these things, because what’s the point.

It’s not gonna happen. ”Wishing that you weren’t blind, won’t suddenly make you see. And having being blind since birth, it’s something Wagner realises all too well. But his sense of feeling was greatly challenged in Antarctica, and he remembers it as one of the very few occasions in life when he really longed to see.

“Waking up to whales playing in the water, seals sun-bathing on floating icebergs and the backdrop of pristine, beautiful and breathtaking glaciers left me a little envious of the sighted,” he remarked wistfully. “It wasn’t easy, but then I starting looking at it from a different perspective. I believe this was my true test of endurance and to my surprise the pristine beauty of the 7th continent is so extreme, it turned out that I could actually hear the view.”

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hein wagner Seeing Life In a Way Others Can Never IMagine

The Vision Trust Hein Wagner does not sound blind. (And you feel sort of silly for thinking it, because how do blind people sound?) Wagner sounds alive. Every second. And his enthusiasm for life is contagious.

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Absailer, runner and cyclist

His adventures are a way of promoting the work of the Vision Trust, an organisation that was launched in 2007, that works tirelessly to make the world more accessible to the blind, as well as other disabled people.

“We don’t give cash handouts or hampers. We help them to be just as normal as possible,“ Wagner explains.

The Trust mostly sponsors the blind with technology, especially software that helps their normal integration into society. It’s also a platform for the promotion of their involvement in sports and the arts.

“Through social networks, there is a network of potential friends and colleagues.

We also help companies ready themselves for the employment of the blind.”

Modern technology has opened up the world to many disabled people, and more is yet to come. “We’ve come a heck of a long way, and from a technological point, there’s been much improvement,” Wagner tells Game On.

“In Europe, I can conquer the public transport system in minutes. In South Africa, it’s a whole other ball game.”

“But we’ll get there. There’s a lot of things happening and there’s a huge mind shift.” But before we get there, Wagner has a to-do list as long as your arm.

“What I want to do, is market the ability of blind people. They have abilities most people don’t even know about.”

“The legacy I’d like to leave behind, is that people must treat the disabled as ordinary people. It’s a process, and you have to get involved. You must be willing to help.”

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Rik de Voest Advantage

Rik de Voest

For , one of the stalwarts of South African tennis, being a dad is far more important than playing tennis matches all over the world and meeting interesting people.

This is why he decided to call it quits in April this year.

The 33-year-old De Voest timed his retirement perfectly. He concluded his 15-year-long career of playing professional tennis for South Africa by playing in his 20th Davis Cup. It was fitting that his last match was in Irene where he grew up as a child and where he learned to love the game.

De Voest received a Davis Cup Commitment Award from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for playing in his 20th Davis Cup tie, at home or away.

To date, Cliff Drysdale, Wayne Ferreira and Frew McMillan are the only other South Africans who had received the award.

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De Voest made his Davis Cup début as far back as 2002 in a Europe/Africa Zone Group II relegation play-off against Hungary. He won the opening rubber against Gergely Kisgyörgy and South Africa went on to win the tie 3-2.

“I consider representing South Africa in the Davis Cup as a definite highlight.

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Tennis

Words By Wilhelm de Swardt Photos By Reg Caldecott

My only regret is that I could never help South Africa to qualify for the World Group. We came close on four occasions, but unfortunately we always ended up losing crucial matches.” De Voest has no real regrets about the way his tennis career played out.

“My highest ranking in singles was 110th and in doubles it was 39th. But, more importantly, I was able to play in all the major tournaments, including the four Grand Slam tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open).

For me every time I was privileged to wear the green and gold was an honour and I always did my best to do my country proud.

“I consider the match against Marat Safin on Wimbledon’s Centre Court and my epic five-setter against David Nalbandian at the US Open as two memorable moments in my career, even though I lost on both occasions,” De Voest recalls.

“Winning the doubles at the ATP tournament in Dubai on the same occasion that Novak Djokovic won the singles, was also special. It was good to hear my name mentioned in the same breath as that of Novak.”

De Voest admits that playing at Wimbledon is very special although all the tradition can at times be intimidating.

According to De Voest the turning point in his tennis career came about a few weeks ago when his wife, Carolyn, gave birth to their firstborn son.

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Rik de Voest Advantage

“A very small group of players is able to earn enough money to live on for the rest of their lives.”

“I realised that, due to my tennis commitments, I have never been in the same city for more than four consecutive weeks in the past 10 years. It is important to me not to end up being an absent dad. That’s why I decided to quit. I’m looking forward to living with my wife and son in Vancouver, Canada, doing what families normally do. I want to stay involved in tennis but I have not yet decided in what capacity. I guess time will tell.”

Asked whether he had any advice for youngsters who dream of becoming international tennis stars, De Voest immediately said that success and enjoyment go hand in hand.

“If you don’t enjoy what you are doing, you will never become a great tennis player. The reason why I managed to keep going for such a long time was that I realised early on that by continuing to practise hard, whilst enjoying myself, I was sure to improve.

Young players should realise this, especially when times are tough.”

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“Youngsters between the ages of 16 and 20 who seriously consider making a career of playing professional tennis should make an effort to speak to players who have already been through this process.

Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: Tennis

They should, in other words, find out what professional tennis is really about. Many young people idolise certain players and say to themselves that they want to achieve what their idols have achieved. What they don’t realise is that only a very small group of players is able to earn enough money to live on for the rest of their lives.”

“The rest of us have to find other means of providing for life after tennis.

This means either acquiring a good education or by putting the lessons you have learned by travelling the world as a tennis player to good use.

I, for example, have a degree in business administration.”

“Youngsters should also take cognisance of the fact that any sports career lasts only for a short time. There are many experienced players who would be happy to help younger players avoid the pitfalls of professional tennis by sharing their experiences with them.”

“When you start out as a professional tennis player life can be very tough. I remember sharing a room with up to three guys at times, trying to save a couple of bucks. Once I won a small tournament but after paying for my accommodation, meals and travelling costs, I just managed to break even.

But if you can survive until you manage to break through to the big league where you are able to play in bigger tournaments and in qualifying matches for the Grand Slams, playing professional tennis becomes worthwhile.”

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Eleanor De Kock Holding Her Breath

ELEANOR DE KOCK

HOLDING HER BREATH Words by: Wilhelm de Swardt | Photos Supplied

For anybody who wants to get fit, there can be no better choice of sport than underwater hockey.

Eleanor de Kock (a Grade 12 pupil from Hoërskool Waterkloof) took up underwater hockey and she absolutely loves it. According to Eleanor the only challenge in underwater hockey is the player’s own imagination. “As far as fitness is concerned, underwater hockey is 128

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: UNDERWATER HOCKEY

“

I absolutely love the challenge of trying to hold my breath until it feels as if my lungs will burst

regarded as one of the most strenuous and demanding sports. It is a 3D sport, which means that a player never knows what will happen the next moment,” De Kock explains. “ As a player you have many options. You can either attack your rivals from above, or from the left or right side.”

”

“If you are watching the puck and then have to dodge a player coming onto you from above, things can become very tricky. I absolutely love the challenge of trying to hold my breath until it feels as if my lungs will burst,” she grins.

“Normally I am able to stay underwater for up to two minutes but during a game Game On Magazine, April / May: Issue 06, 2014

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Eleanor De Kock Holding Her Breath

“

What I also love about it is that it is a family sport.

My dad, sister and brother also play.

�

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: UNDERWATER HOCKEY

“I’M CRAZY ABOUT BOTH FIELD HOCKEY AND SWIMMING, WHICH IS WHY I DECIDED TO GIVE UNDERWATER HOCKEY A GO. I IMMEDIATELY EMBRACED THE CHALLENGE.” I am lucky if I manage to stay underwater for 20 seconds. On average I can stay under for only eight to 10 seconds at a time.”

She is equally passionate about field hockey and has played provincial hockey for the past eight years.

“I’m crazy about both field hockey and swimming, which is why I decided to give underwater hockey a go. I immediately embraced the challenge.”

Interestingly enough De Kock plays middle link in field as well as underwater hockey.

“What I also love about it is that it is a family sport. My dad, sister and brother also play.”

She admits that training for both sports takes up a lot of time. “When I am training for a tournament I spend, on average, two hours a day (19:00-21:00), six days a week on underwater hockey, with about one-and-a-half hours of field hockey training in between.”

De Kock has made an impact on the South African underwater hockey scene within a short space of time. She received the award for the best junior women’s player in Gauteng North for the past two years. She captained the junior side, is vice-captain of the South African junior team and has represented South Africa twice at the World Championships.

“I love to be where the action is,” explains De Kock.

“Underwater hockey training can be quite strenuous because fitness is of utmost importance. We played against Columbia in the semifinals of the World Championships.

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Eleanor De Kock Holding Her Breath

UNDERWATER HOCKEY 132

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: UNDERWATER HOCKEY

The British Navy invented underwater hockey in the 1950s to keep their divers fit and to improve their ability to move and work efficiently underwater.

The game was played in Australia shortly afterwards and it has since evolved into a fast, dynamic sport, played in more than 20 countries.

Underwater hockey is played in a 25 m x 15 m pool that is between 2 - 4 m deep.

The game consists of two 15-minute halves and a threeminute halftime. Each team is allowed one 60-seconds time-out per half. The game clock stops for any infringements in the last two minutes of the game.

Each side has 12 players, of whom 10 can play in any one game.

During the game six players are in the pool with four interchange players on the side who can sub at any time.

The players wear large fins, a diving mask and snorkel and a thick glove made from latex to protect the hand from the pool bottom and the puck. The top players can flick the puck well over 3 m and it comes off the bottom high enough to go over another player.

The puck is made of lead and is coated with plastic, it weighs about 1.5 kg.

The teams start at each end of the pool with one hand on the wall.

The puck is in the middle of the pool. When the referee sounds the buzzer both teams race to get possession of the puck.

There is a goal tray at each end of the playing area. It is 3 m long with a slope from the front into a shallow trough at the back wall. The puck must pass through the goal posts for a team to score a goal.

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Eleanor De Kock Holding Her Breath

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Athlete SPORTING FEATURE: UNDERWATER HOCKEY

Depending on the seriousness of the foul the referees can award a free puck There are many team configurations

but generally a team has three forwards; a striker; two wings and three backs; two half backs and a full back.

The idea is to keep possession of the puck and outwit your opponents by using skill, speed, manoeuverability and breath hold.

The rules of underwater hockey are fairly simple. It is basically a non-contact sport.

A player cannot interfere with another player with his free hand. There is no offside rule but shepherding and obstruction are not allowed.

The puck must not rest on the glove or be carried on top of the bat or be stopped deliberately by anything other than the bat.

Any infringement of the rules is judged by the two in-water referees who signal to the out-ofwater referee to sound the buzzer to stop play.

Depending on the seriousness of the foul the Referees can award a free puck, giving a 3 m advantage to the disadvantaged team or can eject players for one or two minutes or for the remainder of the game.

If a foul has stopped a certain goal within 3 m of the goal, the Referees can award a penalty 2 on 1, or just award a penalty goal. – Source: www.cmas.org.

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Gerhard De Beer Good old American Football

Good Old

AMERICAN FOOTBALL BY

Hey guys!!

ATHLETE

DIARY & JOURNAL

GERHARD DE BEER

I hope you all have some great goals in life. Many people who aim to achieve more than they are capable of, learn that they can do extraordinary things.

If you really set your mind to it, you can do it. I learnt that this past semester.

I have had some great personal achievements in the weight room, on the football field and in the discus ring.

The football unfortunately got little attention this semester. I had to attend to the track season.

Nevertheless, I’ve learnt a lot about football ... however I still have a long way to go! I enjoy the sport so much. I really love the fact that I was given the opportunity to do it and the patience and understanding that the coaches have with me is just a blessing!

I hope to improve a lot more this upcoming summer workout which commences on the 8th of June.

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INTERNATIONAL SPORTING JOURNAL: American Football

Having said that, the focus is on track at the moment.

I would have redshirted (meaning I would not compete for the University of Arizona to move my four eligibility years along to compete in track events until 2017) this upcoming season but ended up competing because there was confusion with the compliance people.

I am trying to get a waiver (so that the competitions I competed in South Africa don’t count toward my eligibility years, otherwise I will only compete until 2016). The chances of obtaining a waiver look quite good because I had no knowledge that competing would affect my eligibility. (It was done in ignorance, in other words.)

My strength has come a long way and I have gotten a lot stronger.

I hope to still improve on that a lot. My technique still needs a lot of attention. I have good throws... around 57/58 m (approximately 190 ft) but I struggle to keep my technique consistent in competition because I try to force the throw. But I learn every day. This whole experience has just been fantastic.

I competed three times of which I won twice and placed third once. At the time of writing this update, I am about to travel to LSU where I will see my friend Constant Pretorius. I am hoping to get a mark close to 58 m in that meet.

I also hope to improve enough to make it to the NCAA national championship which is around 10 June (for those still paying attention it does overlap with the start of football workouts). My one friend’s father taught me: The person with the wallet makes the rules. While track is still paying for my scholarship, they get to make the rules.

I miss home very much, especially my friends and family. I was grateful when my parents came to visit during spring break. They were here for an entire week, during which I loved being spoilt a little! We travelled to Tombstone (the town too tough to die; what an experience!) and Mount Lemon (home of the Cookie Cabin!).

It’s the middle of spring and we’ve already experienced temperatures of 33 ⁰C (91 ⁰F) which is pretty hot. With summer coming up it is going to be very hot, but Coach Rod (the head football coach) always says: “I want you guys to be comfortable with being uncomfortable”, a mindset which will really help in game situations.

All and all, I do not regret my decision to come to America. I will be moving off campus soon and get settled in my own place.

In closing, please allow me to share a special Bible verse with you guys: Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.

Have an awesome time and learn something every day.

Your South African friend Gerhard de Beer :)

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Wian Sullwald Tough Really Tough

So this past month we had our National Champs and also our African Champs, both of them being rather successful.

TOUGH REALLY TOUGH

I am now the SA Under-23 Elite Champ and also the African Under-23 Elite Champ. These experiences were good stepping stones for me for the season ahead and to get my body race-fit.

I believe I still have one or two races left to go to get my body completely race-fit for this season. Racing Elite and racing the Standard distance takes some getting used to as it is only my second year racing this distance and competing as an Elite athlete.

Racing our African Champs the weekend of 12 April was really something. It was the first time I’ve been in Zimbabwe, where the race was held. The race took Place in Troutbeck, which is about a 5-hour bus trip from Harare, but the long trip was totally worth it. Troutbeck was one of the most spectacular places I had ever seen in my life! It was in the middle of nowhere surrounded by forests and mountains at an altitude of

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2 100 m (not the easiest race I have done). The morning before the race my friend Wikus Webber and I went for a run through the forest and up the mountain where the resort and hotel was. This was really something special at that moment I realised how lucky and blessed I am to experience these beautiful places with all my travelling around the world and competing as a professional athlete.

Soon after I got back from Zimbabwe it was into full training for the second leg of the World Triathlon Series which is only two weeks after our African Champs and is held in Cape Town. It is absolutely amazing to have such a high level race held on home soil and to be competing before a home crowd, which will be really special. This year will be my first year that I am racing in the World Triathlon Series and Cape Town will be my first race of the Series. So I am very excited but also a little apprehensive.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTING JOURNAL: Triathlon

ATHLETE

DIARY & JOURNAL

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Andries Van Der Merwe Running Lines

There is more pressure associated with being a serious NCAA Track and Field athlete than what the average person realises.

I receive a large scholarship, which in itself places a huge responsibility on my shoulders. Being competitive by nature and driven to succeed at everything I do, the pressure keeps mounting. Add to this the professional way in which I train, eat and sleep, and the serious people I train with and you may begin to understand what I mean by the word pressure!

There are 2 618 Universities in the USA and at Texas A & M, who have won four of the last six NCAA championships, the expectation on each athlete to do his part for the TEAM, is enough to drive you past your natural limits.

Under these conditions of extreme pressure and hard training, staying injury-free has been a big challenge. Unlike other track disciplines, conditions keep changing with hurdling. Simply put, an 800 m athlete runs the same distance around the same track under the same conditions from the age of 13, while the hurdler has to keep adjusting.

The distance between hurdles keeps getting bigger and the hurdles keep getting higher until you are 17-years-old, after which the height increases two more times before you reach the senior level. This year I had to transition to the senior height which meant an increase of another 7.5 cm, taking the barrier to a height of 107 cm.

This change is probably the reason many hurdlers battle with injury in the final transition and also why hurdlers seem to reach peak performance slightly later in their careers.

Personally I have had a tough time to stay injury-free these last three months and every time I am ready to excel and take on the tough competition which the NCAA poses, I battle with an injury or a niggle.

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INTERNATIONAL SPORTING JOURNAL: Athletics

running lines What I have learnt though is that I have the ability to really be competitive at this level.

I just have to give my body time to adjust to the final barrier height.

Managing yourself away from home and without your normal support structures, ensuring you perform on the track while doing well at your studies and maintaining a ‘normal’ life in a foreign country, is more difficult than I imagined.

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Gielie Hoffmann Understanding your own role in a team

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regular: Sport Psychology Column

THE DOCTOR IS IN

Understanding your own role in a team Gielie Hoffmann Mental Conditioning Coach

Column: Sport Psychology Gielie Hoffmann specialises in Performance Psychology and is based in Pretoria. He has vast experience in the fields of tennis, golf, rugby, athletics, netball and hockey.

He works with professional athletes/players/teams as well as coaches/parents/players at school level.

South Africa is blessed with immense athletic talent. Three hundred days of sunlight a year, great facilities, knowledgeable coaches and enthusiastic schools all contribute to this.

Some healthy guidelines to consider:

It’s the time of year where schools participate in rugby, hockey and netball. Nothing epitomises the spirit of sport more than early winter mornings spent next to a sports field.

And yet it is here where we see most heartache for players, pressure for coaches and anxiety for parents.

At the beginning of the season I think it is good for all involved to define what their specific roles are. It is easy to lose perspective and having these discussions beforehand helps everybody involved.

1

Every player must understand what his position entails, and what his responsibilities are;

2

Coaches must be clear on how they select teams and communicate these criteria in time, with empathy and consistency;

3

Parents must be respectful of the boundaries and stick to what is considered as generally accepted behaviour next to the field;

4

All concerned must remember that school sport remains an educational activity first and foremost, and behave appropriately.

So much blood, sweat and tears, as well as resources, go into school sport. Make it a positive experience for all involved and yes, may the best teams win at the end of the season.

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Grant Johnson Off the Ball

THE COACH IS

Off the Ball Grant Johnson former coach & mentor

Column: Local Soccer I am Grant Johnson and I have 20 years of experience in South African soccer as a player and a coach with Club and Country.

Welcome to the sixth issue of our monthly soccer forum, where we will be discussing current soccer developments, whether they are good initiatives or problems in the game.

With the International scene being quiet at the moment, the focus of football in South Africa is on the league campaign and the Nedbank Cup. At the writing of my previous column it looked as though Kaizer Chiefs would walk away with the title.

With them having lost a few matches recently, the title race is once again wide open, with both Sundowns and Wits now in with a really good chance of claiming the title.

This makes for an entertaining end to the season, with all the teams under pressure to perform. In the relegation battle, it is certain that Golden Arrows

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will be relegated. They are far behind Free State Stars and Polokwane City, who will be battling to move away from the bottom.

The Nedbank Cup has seen some very good games, and the semi-finals should be exciting. We could end up having a Chiefs Pirates derby for the final as they have been drawn apart in the semis. Maritzburg United and Wits University will certainly like to reach the final and will do their utmost to beat the Soweto giants.

My big concern with the league this season has been the dwindling numbers of spectators at PSL matches.

The administrators in football have once again done nothing to entice the fans to the stadiums. With so many matches being televised live, the

average spectator would rather stay at home or go down to the local shebeen and watch it there.

With clubs being given a million rand a month from TV rights, there is also no incentive for them to market the club and create a fan base of followers to their matches. This trend of dwindling fans is set to continue and will have a huge negative impact on the South African game. It will get to stage where sponsors will no longer be interested and the game will deteriorate even further. Something needs to be done ASAP, with more entertainment being provided for the spectators.

The PSL and clubs need to have music festivities and dancing girls to create a better vibe. The players also have a role to play, in providing the entertainment. I don’t see the passion on the pitch and players think they are better than the game, with money being more important than pride. I watched the Liverpool Manchester City

REGULAR: Soccer COLUMN

game on Sunday, and that showed how to have passion for winning and you could see the excitement in the crowd, with everyone who loves football wanting to witness it. We need to learn from others and implement the things that can help our game progress.

As far as Bafana go, their next game will be at the end of May against Australia and hopefully we can get a positive result for a change. We have dropped both in the World rankings and the Africa rankings. The rankings play a huge role in qualifying for tournaments with the top seeds being drawn against the smaller teams, making it easier. It has been far too long since we qualified for a big tournament.

As fans of the beautiful game we really need to all get involved and support our local and national teams.

Hopefully the administrators can get their act together and make our football the exciting attraction it was before.

Yours in football.

GRANT

If we all attend matches and show support we can make a difference.

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Kate Roberts On Trials And Tenacity

THE Olympic Medalist on

Trials & Tenacity Kate Roberts Olympic Medalist

Column: Sport Performace

The life of today’s sporting heroes is often portrayed by the media, as one of long holidays, with endless amounts of money, fancy cars and a glamorous lifestyle.

But while high pay is available in certain kind of spots, unfortunately no one can reach the top without years of blood sweat and tears. To reach these high levels of performance in the sporting arena most athletes spend hours upon hours training and practicing, strictly controlling their diet and limiting their social life. It can be an incredibly hard and lonely lifestyle, as most athletes find themselves working away from home and family and they need to be able to deal with slumps in their form and injury.

During the last six weeks I have been one of these athletes trying to deal with and overcome a foot injury.

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At first my Coach (Lindsey Parry) and I just thought it was going to be a minor irritation in the foot and that it would disappear within a week or so but unfortunately this has not been the case and here I am six weeks later, still not able to run at all.

cycle and swim training, it has taken its toll on my body and I am now in bed with Bronchitis and won’t be able to perform at the biggest race of the season, which is the World Championships Triathlon Series race in a Cape Town.

It has been a very frustrating process for me and one where I have had to continually go back and readjust my sporting goals for the season. Where I was hoping to defend my South African Championships title from 2013, I was then not even able to make it to the start line.

It has been devastating for me but unfortunately this is part and parcel of an elite athlete’s life. We cannot avoid suffering and challenges but we can decide how we deal with it that is important.

Then I tried my best to be fit and ready for the African Triathlon Championships a few weeks later but again a scan revealed that my foot had not improved and it would just be too risky to race on it. During this period I had been making use of a Hyperbaric Oxygen chamber for two hours a day to speed up the recovery process but by doing this and combined with my

How does one find meaning in adversity and move forward with renewed purpose?

I believe the answer lies in an attitude of “resilience” ... that ability to experience a setback, disappointment, defeat or trauma without it affecting one, to continue to give of one’s best or to keep believing in the recovery process.

REGULAR: SPORTS PREFORMANCE COLUMN

It is that ability to bounce back quickly and effectively, believe in yourself and know that you can and will achieve your goals whatever obstacles you may face.

Challenge and adversity definitely make one appreciate success and while I may not see it now, these challenges and overcoming them will certainly shape my personality and identity moving forward and will set me up with a resilient attitude towards life beyond my sporting career.

Steven Covey’s (late author of the seven habits of highly effective people) 90/10 principle captures this spirit of resilience. It states that life is 10% about what happens to you and 90% about how you react to it.

South Africans understand the value of putting the past behind us and concentrating on making a success of what we have by looking towards the future.

I may be injured and ill but I won’t stop believing that I can get myself ready for the Commonwealth Games in July this year. It is a matter for controlling what know I can (e.g. I may not be able to run at the moment but can make sure that my swimming and cycling are at their best and bulletproof).

As a country we are fortunate to be resilient.

And that is exactly what I plan to do.

Watch this space.

Kate Game On Magazine, April / May: Issue 06, 2014

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Arnaud Malherbe Beyond the medal

Beyond the medal Arnaud Malherbe

Column: Sport Performace

The recent World Half-Marathon Championships in Copenhagen proved to be a stellar event, with a fast course and some excellent racing.

The pace was quick from the beginning, with a small lead group forming halfway through the race, including five-time winner, Zersenay Tadese from Eritrea, his countrymen Samuel Tsegay and Nguse Amlosom, as well as Kenyans, Geoffrey Kamworor and Wilson Kiprop.

Not to be outdone, Ethiopians Guye Adola and Adugna Takele were also in the mix as well as, surprising to some, a trio of South Africans, Stephen Mokoka, Lusapho April and Elroy Gelant.

As the race progressed, Tadese kept pushing the pace and the lead group stretched out and dwindled, until eventually four were left

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and Kamworor made his bid for victory. Tadese started fading, but enthusiastically held on for fourth place in the end, behind the extremely fast Kamworor, with Tsegay and Adola battling for second; Tsegay eventually claiming the honour.

The winner, Geoffrey Kamworor, is proving to be a real find. At only 21-years-old, he won in a world leading time of 59:08, while the four men behind him also finished in 60 minutes or less. With Tsegay and Tadese leading them, Eritrea managed to bring three men home in the top five and five in the top ten, easily claiming the team prize after finishing fifth on many previous occasions. It was clear they had a plan and had worked hard for that team prize.

Equally impressive was the trio of South Africans. Lacking the clear preparation of the Eritrean team, and the numbers, as they were the only South Africans in the men’s race, they

nevertheless entered the race with a goal of working together and trying to get on the podium in the team competition. They showed grit and determination, with all of them running personal bests and finishing in the top 15. They were also just 25 seconds off the podium, finishing fourth in the team competition.

Perhaps more amazing, is that this was all achieved against a backdrop of turmoil in the local Federation, flight delays and no clear goal or training strategy set by anyone, other than the three men in the race. It just shows what can be achieved and how athletes need to continue focusing on their own careers, irrespective of what may be transpiring in their countries, provinces or clubs.

So, a big congratulations must go out to Stephen Mokoka (12th), Elroy Gelant(13th) and Lusapho April(15th) for doing themselves and their country proud!

REGULAR: ATHLETICS

It is disconcerting to note, though, that had this been a ‘multi-coded’ sports event, such as the Commonwealth Games, where selection is determined by the South African Sports Commission and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), rather than Athletics South Africa (ASA), only Stephen Mokoka would’ve been in the team! The SASCOC selection policy is a simple one: “All individual athletes and Team Sports eligible for the Commonwealth Games shall be ranked in the top five in the Commonwealth to be considered for final selection”.

This is a somewhat short-sighted policy and is definitely killing our sport, for a number of reasons: 1. In an individual sport, like Athletics and Swimming, a final is often made up of eight participants. So, if you are in the top eight, you are directly competing for the medals. Surely, if your goal is only to obtain medals, a top eight ranking for an individual athlete should be considered, rather than top five? Also, shouldn’t top sixteen be a better measure, as the top sixteen would constitute a semifinal (in many cases these days there are three semi-finals, which would then be twenty-four) and the athlete is competing for a spot in the final?

So, if having athletes in finals is the goal, wouldn’t top sixteen make more sense?

2. Should our goal be purely medals in the first place? Or are there other goals to consider, like competitiveness and creating

heroes for our youth to emulate?

Imagine being a youngster in a particular sport and watching the Commonwealth Games, but not seeing any South African compete?

Who do you support? Who do you aspire to be like? Apart from Rugby, Soccer and Cricket, our sport is seriously lacking in heroes and sending small teams is adding to this. This is why those sports will always flourish, often at the expense of others.

3. There are also no ‘stepping stones’.

What if top five is not in your reach this year, but it might be in four years’ time? Not enough is done to allow athletes to be exposed to the big championships, even if that athlete’s goal might only be a semifinal this time around. Too many athletes with potential are quitting their chosen sport, due to draconian selection policies. Where is the motivation and inspiration?

SASCOC is trying to send the smallest possible team, which would make sense if money was an issue. But, it clearly isn’t, as we can afford lavish Sports Awards banquets and surely sending teams are more important, so there must be more money allocated to team preparation? Why are we so fixated on medals?

What about nationbuilding and inspirational stories of personal triumph? In short, have our custodians forgotten the essence of what sport is supposed to be about?

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Ben Crouse Blowing the whistle

THE REF IS

Blowing the whistle Ben Crouse Rugby Referee

Column: Refereeing Rugby

With rugby sevens being part of the 2016 Olympics a lot more attention is being given to this rapidly growing sport. Over the past couple of years the game has grown to be massive in South Africa, with all provinces buying in to develop this fast and furious game.

Some of the initiatives that have been put in place include the Nationals Schools Competition (similar to the Craven Week for 15s) and a National Provincial Competition for seniors.

In the Northern provinces in South Africa there is now also a circuit in which the various provinces compete at different venues every weekend over a six-week period, and ultimately a series champion is crowned.

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What differs in sevens? A game lasts for 14 minutes (two halves of seven minutes each). Only seven players per team are allowed on the field at a time.

In a scrum there are only three players per side. Yellow cards ‘cost’ only two minutes. There is far less contact in a sevens game compared to 15s. Even though a game lasts only 14 minutes there is a lot happening and the games are played in a much more open and fast-paced fashion.

In the past many smaller, and sometimes more skilful, rugby players pulled on the shorter end of the stick when it came down to selections, but in sevens there are ample of opportunities for the smaller players that have the skill and speed. Sevens players can now also acquire full-time contracts that can be compared to those of some 15s players.

Earlier this year SA Rugby announced that 10 women also received rugby contracts for the first time to boost the sport at female level, and to ensure that we are competitive in the international female sevens arena too.

ATHLETE SPORTING REGULAR: FEATURE: Refereeing SPORT NAME HERE

hpc Improve Your Performance by Discovering Yourself Using the Johari Window

Improve Your Performance by Discovering Yourself Using the Johari Window You often hear Sport Psychologists speaking about self awareness as a mental skill to develop but perhaps you are not sure why it is important in sport. In order for us to be able to predict our performance and responses to situations, we need to be as self-aware as possible. The better you know yourself the more chance you have of remaining focused during training and competition. By getting to know yourself you will be able to know what affects you, when it affects you, how it affects you and why it affects you. Once you have this understanding of yourself, you will then be able to decide whether you would like to do something to change it, or whether you would like to use it to your advantage.

There are many tools we can use to help us in the discovery of ourselves:

Self exploration • By asking questions such as, “what am I good at? When do I feel scared? What skills do I still need to develop?”

Psychometric Assessments.

• These assessments provide a useful tool for gaining insight into one’s personal strengths and development areas.

Feedback • If you seek feedback from people, then you will learn things about yourself that you didn’t know before, but that others were aware of. This all involves self-disclosure, and a willingness to put your trust in others. A simple place to start the process of getting to know yourself is by using the Johari Window. The Johari window is a way of showing how much information you know about yourself and how much others know about you.

The Johari Window, named after the first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, is one of the most useful models describing the process of human interaction. This four paned “window” divides personal awareness (selfawareness) into four different types, as represented by its four quadrants: open, hidden, blind, and unknown. The lines dividing the four panes are like window shades, which can move as an interaction progresses. Let’s have a look at what the four quadrants mean: The “open” quadrant represents things that both you know about yourself and that others will know about you.

For example • You know what sport you play, and so do others in your environment.

• You know that you like to win, and so do others.

• You know that you often get nervous before acompetition, and so do others.

• You know that you get irritated when losing, and so do others.

The window contains four panes, as shown below.

Known to Self

Not Known To Self

Known to others

Open

Blind

Not known to others

Hiden

Unknown

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REGULAR: Advise Column

The knowledge that the window represents, can include not only factual information, but also your feelings, motives, behaviours, wants, needs and desires... indeed, any information describing who you are.

The “blind” quadrant represents things that others know about you, but that you are unaware of. So, for example, if you eat something and some food stays on your face, you wouldn’t know, but other people would be able to see it. This information is in your blind quadrant because others can see it, but you cannot. If someone tells you that you have something on your face, then the window shade moves to the right, enlarging the open quadrant’s area. Now, you may also have blindspots with respect to many other much more complex things.

For example

Someone may notice that you usually start to get moody or snappy before a competition. You may not realise this about yourself. So here, they know something about you that you are unaware of. As ones level of confidence and self-esteem develops, one may actively invite others to comment on one’s blind spots. The “hidden” quadrant represents things that you know about yourself, which others do not know. So for example, you may not have told someone what your favourite song is that get’s you in the zone. This information is in your “hidden” quadrant. As soon as you share this information you are effectively pulling the window shade down, moving the information in your hidden quadrant and enlarging the open quadrant’s area. Sharing information with others can be vital in yourself discovery and growth.

Examples of information in your hidden quadrant can be:

• I don’t know what to do with my fear before a match.

• I get so scared before a competition that I want to throw up. If I know that another athlete is going to compete in the competition, I don’t want to participate.

• I love it when another athlete gets hurt.

• I sometimes cheat

The “unknown” quadrant represents things that neither you know about yourself, nor others know about you. For example, you may tell someone about a dream that you had, and as you both attempt to understand its significance, a new awareness may emerge, known to neither of you before the conversation took place. Being placed in new situations often reveals new information not previously known to yourself or others. A new situation can trigger new awareness and personal growth.

This also forms an important part of self-actualisation.

For example:

You have never swum the 400 m back stroke before; therefore you do not know what this experience will be like and how you will respond to it. Only once you have done it will you have a greater understanding of yourself.

The aim of this tool and exercise is to make sure that your open quadrant is as large as possible.

You will find that elite athletes will have relatively larger open quadrants than any other quadrant.

You can use the Johari Window to increase your self knowledge and to help with this process of exploration. This will ensure that you know yourself as well as possible and that you or others will not catch you off guard. You will be able to predict your behaviour, and your feelings and motivations will become more accessible and beneficial to you.

Knowing yourself can enhance your performance Words by Mary Ann Dove Performance Coach and Co-founder of Positive Sport Parent

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hpc Positive Parenting in Sport

Positive Parenting in Sport Over the past 30 to 40 years sport has undergone very many changes which have challenged the thinking with which most of us who are now parents grew up in and thus strategies that worked in the past are less likely to work in the future. So what are some of these changes?

• Professionalism in sport now provides opportunities for kids to earn a living playing sport • Increasing competition and challenges increases the pressures that kids have to deal with in the sporting environment • Scientific research has enhanced our knowledge as to what the human body is capable of • Media and communication technologies have brought sport into our homes as never before • Medical advancements have facilitated the prevention and treatment of injuries to enable a swift return to sport • The proliferation of supplements, performance enhancing substances and other nutritional products which sports people believe provide the body with the means to perform optimally • The power of the mind has been acknowledged as providing an important differentiator between success and failure

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Words by Mary Ann Dove Performance Coach and Co-founder of Positive Sport Parent

REGULAR: Advise Column

We all know the positive benefits of getting our kids to exercise regularly - physical, psychological, emotional, social and intellectual development, but if we get it wrong the costs can often be tragic, traumatic and in some instances lifelong: • Crippling injuries • Brain damage through concussion • Abuse of performance enhancing substances • Eating disorders • Psychological difficulties • Increased aggression

How do parents effectively manage these paradigm shifts and challenges in the best interests of their children?

Positive Sport Parent has been established with the vision of instilling confidence in parents to enable them to support their children’s enjoyment and achievement in sport by: • Providing access to credible, high quality, targeted, researched and practical information that is understandable • Supplying high quality advice by professionals who are empathetic to the needs of children at a critical stage of their development and; • Using a wide range of authoritative experts and professionals as its resources.

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hpc Positive Parenting in Sport

Here are some practical tips that parents find useful in managing the challenges - from their kids, coaches, other parents, officials and administrators that they face on a day-to-day basis.

1. Walk the talk – be a role model for your child. We all know how our kids copy what we say and do and the behaviours they learn in childhood are highly likely to persist in adulthood.

5. Recognise and reward your child’s progress and efforts and not just the results. There is no correlation between winning at an early age and later success.

2. Recognise that development into a competent sports man or woman is a process that takes time and patience to master the skills necessary to succeed either as a participant or a competitive athlete. Each child is unique and will develop at his/her own pace, taking part in the sports that he/she comes to enjoy through exploration and performance.

6. Develop respectful and dignified relationships with the other stakeholders in your child’s sporting life, particularly coaches and officials and be supportive of their efforts without becoming over involved.

3. Communicate with your child about their goals, their feelings and constructive feedback is fundamental to inspiring a lifelong love for sport.

4. Research has shown that kids with a balanced approach to their sport, school work, family, friendships and other activities perform more effectively in all spheres of their lives.

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7. Provide a balance diet with a variety of healthy foods. Resist the temptation of “magic” drinks and pills that can’t replace the consistency of hard work, discipline, skills development and a positive attitude derived from the love of sport.

8. Provide unconditional love to your children – accept them for who they are and not what they do.

REGULAR: Advise Column

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Mary Ann has an honours degree in Sports Science from the University of Cape Town as well as a Certificate in Coaching and psychology qualification. She has been involved in sport all her life as a participant (provincial gymnast), scientist, consultant and manager of youth and senior teams.

She has worked with developmental to Olympic level athletes across a wide spectrum of sports. Mary Ann has 20 years’ experience in the corporate world gaining business consulting, leadership development, project management, facilitation, lecturing and coaching expertise.

She currently runs her own business Performing 4 Success which specialises in developing individuals and teams to achieve sustainable performance goals in business and sport.

In addition, she is the co-founder of Positive Sport Parent (www.positivesportparent.com) which provides parents with authoritative information that enables them to inspire and encourage their children’s sporting participation.

She is still a very active, but less competitive sportswoman partaking in half marathons, cycle races, tennis, swimming and in 2009 successfully summitted Mt Kilimanjaro.

Game On Magazine, April / May: Issue 06, 2014

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