Suburban
IT’S game on as the schools’ sport calendar has gotten underway following the beginning of the new term three weeks ago with a number of fixtures in various disciplines taking place at school venues across the country.
Suburban Reporter
Athletes are already competing in cross country, cricket, waterpolo, swimming, basketball, hockey, tennis, squash and rowing among other disciplines while others have been taking part in pre-season training camps to prepare for tournaments and matches.
Last weekend, St John’s College (the Rams) waterpolo team bagged their second trophy of 2023 after beating all their opponents at Bulawayo’s Christian Brothers’ College to land the Arthur Gower Trophy. This followed their recent capture of the Bruce Kennedy Cup in what promises to be fruitful waterpolo season for the Rams. The Rams basketball team won a silver medal after finishing second at the Petra Under 20 basketball tournament.
Chisipite Senior have also started the new sporting year on high note after coming second at the Watershed Cross Country Meet while their indoor hockey teams also put up solid performances with the B team beating Hellenic Academy A 2-1.
The Chisi tennis teams were unstoppable in the A League where they made a clean sweep against Lomangundi College. The Under 14 team registered a massive 12-0 against Gundi.
In aquatics, the Chisi waterpolo teams dug deep to secure four wins in six games. At the Hellenic Swimming Gala, the Chisi A Team lost narrowly to the hosts while the B team was placed an impressive 4th place – missing 3rd place by just 2 points.
The rowing teams competed at the Arundel Boat Club Regatta where they secured first place in the D Quad, D Double, D Scull, B Quad and B Double races.
The squash team travelled to Bulawayo where both teams beat Falcon and then proceeded to the CBC tournament, where they came first in the B League and Second in the A League.
Peterhouse Boat Club held their annual pre-season camp for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic from January 6-10. The uninterrupted training featured three practices a day which the school described as vital time for the tour squad to prepare for the SA Schools Championship Regatta in Pretoria at the beginning of March.
The camp consisted of a number of activities with many sessions on the water as well as workouts where the rowers used the gym for lifts, did yoga sessions every day, and even ran down to the dam through all the mud after lots of rain. Peterhouse said the water sessions included technique work, steady states, and some brutal practice race pieces, all of which the rowers weathered well.
“One evening, Coach Mattie organized for Andy Peebles, our resident Olympic rower, to give a talk on his experiences and goal-setting. The rowers took some time to voice and refine their individual rowing goals for the upcoming year, focusing on the process over the results.
“Our Head Coach also made use of the evenings to analyse film footage of the rowers during their training sessions. The last night featured the movie A Most Beautiful Thing, which tells the story of an inner-city rowing team in Chicago, USA. Discussion centred around diversity and inclusion in rowing,” Peterhouse said on their Facebook Page.
The school said the pre-season camp was an opportunity to improve each athlete’s rowing performance, both mental and physical.
“However, it was also a chance for the team to bond, whether through refrains of ‘Sweet Caroline’ at all hours of the day, delicious breakfasts at the boat shed, pickup basketball during free time, or engaging in friendly competition on the water. Overall, the camp has prepared the Peterhouse Boat Club (PHBC) for a busy term full of local and international regattas. Well done to all the rowers who attended—their grit, good humour, and competitiveness is a testament to their capacity as Peterhouse athletes,” the school said.
