Suburban
SCHOOL athletes must be relishing the resumption of sporting activities following Government’s relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown and regulations.
Suburban Reporter
Government recently allowed the holding of sporting activities, which is hosting of training sessions and matches, provided the administrators and participants adhere to laid Covid-19 protocols and regulations to prevent the spreading of the virus.
Sporting administrators, coaching staff and young athletes aged 14 and above have also been encouraged to get vaccinated to allow them to participate in their various sporting disciplines.
The relaxation of the Covid-19 lockdown and regulations has seen schools take advantage of the easing of the measures to get their athletes training and playing again.
According to information shared by some of the schools on their online platforms, it has of late been a hive activity as inter-house competitions in swimming, cricket, basketball, tennis, touch rugby, waterpolo, hockey, squash and volleyball are being hosted while some athletes are also taking part in national and international events.
Although the sporting events are being held in the absence of parents due to Covid-19 restrictions, who usually come and support the athletes by cheering and motivating the young ones, the fact that the sports are being played should be enough to inspire the athletes to do their best, enjoy themselves and develop further in their chosen sporting fields.
Some schools have taken advantage of the advancement in information communication technology by live streaming their events on various virtual platforms where parents, friends and relatives of the athletes can follow their loved ones perform.
“Congratulations to the Sports Department, namely Sports Director Mr Ngwarati and Head of Swimming — Mrs Nikki du Plessis, on putting together a very successful 2021 Inter-house Swimming Gala last Saturday.
“We would also like to thank all the staff who officiated at the event. Unfortunately our parents are unable to come and support sport events at the moment due to Covid-19 restrictions, but thankfully we managed to live-stream the event,” Lomagundi College said in a statement on their Facebook page.
In addition to inter-house competitions in several sporting disciplines, Peterhouse also recently hosted a cricket coaching course to impart the importance of team work, fair play and sportsmanship.
“During the past few weeks, the Peterhouse Cricket Centre of Excellence has conducted the Peterhouse Intermediate Cricket Coaching Course for the Group Coaches from Peterhouse Boys, Peterhouse Girls and Springvale House,” Peterhouse said in a post on their Facebook page.
The course consisted of various aspects relating to cricket including:
◆ Role of the Coach
◆ Long Term Athlete Development — Nursery to National
◆ Mental Awareness — Control the Controllable and Accept and Adapt to the Uncontrollable
◆ Game and Lesson Planning
◆ Teaching Cricket Specific Skills
a) Batting
b) Bowling
c) Fielding including Wicket Keeping
“The above were done in unison with re-creating ‘a positive and unique culture’ amongst the Group, and re-defining the ‘values and ethics’ of the Peterhouse Group for both coaches and players; both on and off the field. Our aim is to teach the Peterhouse players, at an early age, the importance of team work, fair play and sportsmanship. This will go a long way to forging a strong foundation for their future – be it in sport or life in general,” the school said.
On Thursday this week, the school also highlighted the fact that rowing was one of the most supported sports at the institution and also helps nurture athletes in other aspects of life.
“Get them rowing and they won’t have time to rock the boat.
“Rowing has become ingrained in House (Peterhouse) life and is one of the most well supported sports. We have achieved some phenomenal results and look forward to what the future holds for our talented rowers . . . .,” the school said.
Peterhouse also celebrated its athletes who had outstanding performances in recent national events in equestrian, the 1st Seeded Swimming Gala held at Les Brown Swimming Pool and the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Junior Cup at Troutbeck in Nyanga.
