Hockey coach wants to make a difference
Making a difference is what drives Maleni van Staden, Mariepskop Primary School’s hockey coach.
This versatile sportswoman says she grew up in a family of sports lovers. “As the youngest of seven children, I participated in sports from when I could walk,” she says. Maleni (55) was a teacher from 1991 to 2009, first in Gauteng and then at Drakensig Primary School and Mariepskop. “I was the chairperson of Limpopo’s primary school hockey during this time. After that, I retired from teaching and coached hockey in Gauteng at the Hoërskool Menlopark.”
Maleni returned to Hoedspruit in 2019 and started to coach hockey at Mariepskop. “From next year I will also be teaching Maths part-time.” Maleni says as a sportswoman, she has played hockey, and squash and participated in athletics. She also coached hurdles and high jump. “I have always loved sports and was involved from my school days through to university, and thereafter,” she says. She says winning is what drives her. “The devil is in the details; do the small things right to achieve an ultimate goal,” she adds. According to her the condition of local hockey fields is often a challenge.
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“It hampers our ability to train and play matches. We often have to travel long distances for this. “It is costly and also not safe, especially travelling with children.” Luckily, Mariepskop is currently working on an artificial multi-surface sports terrain. Maleni says she would encourage anyone with a passion for sports to become a coach. “Especially if you want to make a difference in someone’s life. I look up to Rassie Erasmus and Heynecke Meyer, both Springbok rugby coaches.”
She lives by the motto of ‘what will be, will be, control the controllable, be positive, and live life to the full’. Her biggest supporters are her husband, family, and friends, and God is her compass. “Over a 50-year period, I have won numerous awards, but none is as rewarding as making a difference in a child’s life. “At Mariepskop we believe in lifelong learning and realistic incremental improvement. We offer athletics, netball, rugby, hockey, swimming, art, music, choral verse, drama, public speaking, and a revue,” concludes Maleni.
