Jeppe Boys rally community support for Ken Short festival
With the majority of the players at this event only having only played water polo for only two or three months, the focus of the festival is largely on growth and development of the sport.
As Jeppe High School for Boys prepares to host its U14 Ken Short Water Polo Festival, it’s all hands on deck.
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The festival, set to be held from February 26 to March 1, will attract schools from far and wide as learners prepare to compete, grow, and develop as sportsmen.
According to Jeppe High School for Boys, organising an event like this requires the co-operation of the entire Jeppe water polo community.
The teams flying in need to be met at the airport, while the visiting teams will be staying in the Jeppe hostels; all of this requires preparation.
Meals must be prepared and served; referees and table officials must be provided; first aid must be on standby; contingency plans must be in place in case of bad weather; and drivers and vehicles must be on hand in case teams need to be transported.
During the event, the Jeppe water polo parents will run the tuckshop, while the fathers will be braaiing non-stop, all weekend long.
Not to be forgotten, a plethora of volunteer Jeppe schoolboys will be running errands, updating the noticeboards, carrying items around, and generally being useful.
The focus is always on the players, and everything must be done to ensure the games go ahead, which can be a challenge given the weather conditions at this time of year.
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With the majority of the players at this event having played water polo for only 2 or 3 months, the festival’s focus is largely on the growth and development of the sport.
Many of the players are beginners, so to expect an exceptional standard of play from them is unrealistic. This is part of the reason it was decided to make this event a festival rather than a tournament.
It is a festival with no winners or losers, so the results of the games are less important than the personal improvements of the individual players, first, and the development of the teams in terms of game plans and tactics.
It is hoped that the experience of playing in the festival will contribute to the players’ growth.
Jeppe hopes the players’ technical water polo skills will improve, and that they will learn important life skills from staying together as a team in a strange environment and playing in front of big crowds, against opponents they don’t usually face.
