Northwood School duo shine at bodyboard champs
Dean Hart and Keegan Boucher were two of the standout performers from the eThekwini Bodyboarding Association’s (EBA) at this year’s South African Bodyboarding Championships.
TWO local bodyboarders showed their class and talent at the recent South African Bodyboarding Championships in Onrus, Western Cape.
Dean Hart and Keegan Boucher were two of the standout performers from the eThekwini Bodyboarding Association’s (EBA) team with the former securing first in the Boys’ Division and the latter claiming third in the very same division.
Overall, the EBA finished third in the country with the Cape Winelands team claiming the coveted provincial trophy, the Fishman Trophy.
Northglen News recently caught up with the duo, who are also Grade Eight learners at Northwood School.
For Dean, not only was he crowned SA champ, but he also won the Ivan Friedman Award (which recognises great sportsmanship) along with the Rider of the Event Award.
The 14-year-old, who was born without an arm below the elbow, said he made the transition from adaptive surfing to competitive bodyboarding in the last two years.
“I was stoked with my performances as it was an incredibly tough competition. I had great riders like Keegan and Max from the Western Cape competing in the Boys’ Division so I had my work cut out for me. I only recently made the jump from adaptive surfing to bodyboarding, and I got my first taste of the SA champs last year in the Boys’ Development Division.
“At the competition, I finished third so my goal was to improve on that result and show my skills. I also have to thank Marco Justina for helping build me a custom board which allowed me to do the rolls on the waves. I’ve already begun thinking about next year, and my goal is to defend my title but also to compete in the Junior Division, which is above Boys. I’ll be using the December holidays to train as much as I can,” he said.
Fellow EBA member Keegan was full of praise for Dean after the final result.
“While I’m pleased to finish third, I felt I could have done much better in the final heat. Dean is an incredible rider, and he had an amazing competition and was fully deserving of the title. I just wasn’t feeling the competition; I didn’t have any good heats, especially in the final one. Having said that, I am proud that I was able to finish on the podium.
“This journey has been a long one for me as I placed fifth last year in the development division so I do acknowledge that I have worked hard for the SA Champs. I have to thank my coach, Tracy McKay, and our EBA captain, Brad Dames, and vice-captain Mika Justino. I also think, like Dean, I will compete in the Juniors Division next year which will be a whole different ball game. My goal is to be world champ, and I believe everyone starts somewhere, so I need to keep on taking on the best in South Africa,” he said.
The teenagers were also complimentary of their EBA team at the competition.
“Honestly, you could not wish for a greater community of people. Everyone in the team is willing to put in the time and help us out throughout the year. They deserve a lot of the praise,” Dean said.
“I couldn’t agree more. The EBA team gave everything at the SA Champs, and I’m so proud of the team. Without their guidance, training and advice, we would not have made it this far, so credit must go to them,” Keegan said.
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