A drummy’s dream comes true
She has always dreamt of being in EXPRESS and being a drum majorette, both these dreams have been fulfilled
SEVENTEEN-year old Naledi Tladi from Kempton Park West has been selected to join the South African team to represent South Africa in Europe in the International Drum Majorettes Competition in Croatia.
The team, which left on September 19, will also visit France during their stay in Europe.
Tladi has also been selected as a 2017 leader at her school.
“I have proven that through hard work dreams do come true. I am one of 28 girls selected in the whole of SA and our team will be there for two weeks,” said Tladi.
The team will be accompanied by the South African Majorette and Cheerleading Association (Samca) director, Cornel Bezuidenhout, and Anton Stadler, the national team trainer.
On September 18, an award ceremony was held at St Dominic’s Catholic School, where the team was awarded Protea colours by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).
So where did her journey as a drum majorette begin?
“It started in 2013 when I was admitted to Edenglen High School in grade eight. I was interested in drummies even though I had never held a mace in my hand. I joined the Edenglen High School ‘The Blues Drummies’ under an amazing, good and warm-hearted manager, Cindy Tiley, and an outstanding, loving, passionate and an amazing motivator, head trainer, Taryn Tiley, who welcomed me with both hands,” she explained.
In September 2014 she received her Gauteng colours and in November the same year she went to the Samca trials in Pietermaritzburg and was awarded Samca colours.
“In 2016 I went for SA colours and was selected. This has been an exciting but hard journey for me which I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“I would like to firstly thank God for achieving this as nothing is impossible when you trust Him, showing much gratitude and appreciation to two of my most influential motivators who have assisted me in achieving this, my head trainer, Taryn Tiley and my former trainer in The Blues, Twanayne Brink. They saw potential in me in whatever I did. Big thanks to Edenglen ‘The Blues Team’ drummy mommies, dressing room mommies, Aunty Lisa and Aunty Lynn, the parents and supporters.”
“Last, but not least, my wonderful family that has given me unwavering support, spiritual, emotional and financial, mom and dad, Bongie and Potlake, my sisters Yamkela and Phindi, my cousin Mayoyo and my lovely grandmother, Tryphina.
To the youth I would like to say, for us to stay away from bad influences, we should all participate in different sporting codes. Whatever you dream of, through hard work, perseverance, dedication and tenacity, all our dreams become reality, and also remember, this quote, ‘A distance between a dream and a reality is action’. Let’s Act Now.”
