The achievements of 2014’s sport stars
With numerous excellent achievements in the field of sport, athletes cannot be anything less than proud of their performance in 2014.
One of the greatest performances was when Oan de Waal, who hails from Hazyview, came seventh in the Obstacle Course Racing World Championships in the USA. This Tuks student is among the toughest athletes in SA and aims to compete in various warrior and obstacle-course races this year.
In October, cross-country athlete Marianne Wood took on one of the most gruelling events known to South African cross-country athletes – the Otter Trail/Retto in the Eastern Cape.
She finished the 45km trail despite fracturing her coccyx during a fall 10km into the race and was praised by locals for her perserverance.
Members of the Hazyview Gymnastics Club also registered great performances, with Seany Dorfling achieving a second place on the balance beam and third overall in her age group during the SA Gymnastics Games.
Five other club members, Zoe Vos, Tamryn de Lange, Zandri de Toit, Felicity Schultz and Danielle Bosch, also represented Mpumalanga and performed excellently.
Besides the personal highlights, the town’s karatekas also punched and kicked their way to 40 medals during last year’s Shotokan karate competition in White River.
The area’s runners had a tough time battling limited visibility and rain during the Build It God’s Window race in Graskop.
It was hosted by the Legogote Villagers, a running club based in White River but with members from Sabie, Graskop and Hazyview.
A total of 270 runners participated in the three distances and Amos Thankwayo crossed the finish line first in the 21km with a time of one hour and 11 minutes.
Locals are welcome to dust off their running shoes and join the Legogote Villagers. Enquries: www.legogotevillagers.co.za or send an email to legov@vodamail.co.za
At the end of the year, the Sports against Crime tournament, organised by the Mbombela Local Municipality, was held at the sports grounds in Kiepersol and farm workers came in droves to play netball and soccer or support their favourite teams.
The aim was to develop sport skills in the area and to prevent people from becoming involved in criminal activities by getting them interested in sports and joining a team.
The event is set to take place again this year and teams are encouraged to start honing their skills for the tournament.
The Bungalows Bowling Club also had a good 2014 and one of their teams were declared the overall winners in the Super ladies C section league at the end of November.
Players interested in bowls are encouraged to join the club on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 14:15. Twilight bowls are currently being played every Friday from 16:30 until the end of February. Enquiries: Bungalows president, Darryl Cross on 013-737-8173.
Bowls players will also be able to participate in the charity tournaments hosted by the Lowveld Nomads during the year.
This year will be filled with a variety of school sports like cricket, hockey, netball and athletics. Last year many teams did very well in their leagues and the various sports clinics ensured that the budding sport stars would only improve.
Keep an eye on the paper for more sports events planned this year. Sports clubs and organisations are welcome to send their events to retha@lowvelder.com to be placed on our online calendar and published in the paper.
