Players amped about Northern Ireland tournament

Since being selected to represent South Africa at the Junior International Championship in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the eight Gauteng canoe polo players have been working hard in the gym to prepare for the event.

The players told the Benoni City Times that they are excited and are looking forward to acquiring new skills and knowledge about the sport, which will help them grow as players.

Abigail Bottger (15) from the East Rand Kayak Club at Homestead Dam said she’s looking forward to making new friends.

“I’m also looking forward to experiencing the Irish culture and meeting all the players from the different countries. Canoe polo is great. I’ve always wanted to go to Northern Ireland. It’s nice that I’m going there to play a sport I love,” she said.

Bottger said the sport has taught her the importance of teamwork and that she doesn’t always have to depend on herself.

The youngest member of the squad, Warren Edwards (13), said that he’s looking forward to showing the world that South Africa can compete.

His teammate Tyler Mans echoed his sentiments, saying this also presents them with an opportunity to see how other countries approach the game.

Rowan Attwell, who has been playing the sport for a year, said the prospect of playing against countries that are more advanced in the sport will help them improve as a team.

“I’m excited to go to Northern Ireland. We are going to play against entirely different teams. We are going to learn and gain valuable experience,” he said.

According to Coach Chris de Bree, this tournament will help the players develop while exposing them to high-level competition.

“It’s an U21 tournament. There will be teams from around the world. It is part of our development structures where we send out our juniors to get some experience.

“It’s also a way for us to get international exposure in an environment that’s not going to be too overwhelming for the players,” he said.

De Bree pointed out that the sport has been unable to grow because of its uniqueness and because it’s still unknown.

He said the best way they can grow the sport is by increasing participants, which will improve their performances.

“The sport is a mixture of water polo, basketball and canoeing. We do struggle to get numbers because of its uniqueness.

“We’ve done better. We’ve grown from a small community with a few clubs. We now have grown in numbers. It’s now a matter of growing each club and that starts with the young players,” De Bree said.

The tournament will take place in Belfast from July 27 to 28.

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