VRYHEID KZN: Athletic club pleads for assistance from the community
Sometimes we see ourselves as strong, but our energy levels are not; we would like to have cereals and foods that are good in building and repairing muscles."
Lindokuhle Athletic Club was initiated by Coach Lindokuhle ‘Sqomuqomu’ in 2014 and is based at eMondlo.
This club started with 17 members and grew to 77 over the years. They specialise in different exercises, such as shot put, 100 metre sprint, walking run, marathon run and aerobics. “I created this club while I was still at school. Before our team members expanded, we would go play in Johannesburg and mind you, we did not have a name for ourselves back then. Teams would normally use the name of the place they came from or their school name, but for us it was different because our members came from different places and different schools, so that was impossible – until one day, after we won a match in Soweto, the team members and I decided that Lindokuhle Athletic Club would be best to use to represent ourselves,” said Coach.
He also mentioned that they have members from all over the Zululand District now – from Phongola, Nongoma, Dumbe and different places around Vryheid. Their members are aged between five and 80 years old, and members have different days to train on. They have participated in various events like the Mandela Marathon that was held in Pietermaritzburg, the DSR Youth Run (also in Pietermaritzburg), SPAR Women’s Race that is held in six different provinces, and they have one member who has introduced them to swimming; she is based in eNquthu.
Coach said that challenges will always be there when one has started something like this. “Over the years, we have had challenges and we still do as an athletic club – from having the right kit to not having specific colours that people can recognise us by. We are a professional team and we need proper equipment! Some of the team members use their feet when running because they do not have proper running shoes.” Another challenge the coach pointed out was transportation “It is always a struggle for us to get to an event whenever we need to participate, and sometimes I have to take a few members along. We are in the middle of KZN and sometimes we have to go to other provinces. I cannot take all of them participating in that specific activity because there is no money to pay for their taxi fee.” The last challenge the coach talked about is the issue of having proper nutrition. “We all come from different backgrounds and we do not get the same food in our households. Sometimes we see ourselves as strong, but our energy levels are not; we would like to have cereals and foods that are good in building and repairing muscles.”
Coach Lindokuhle pleads with the public to assist wherever they can so the club can continue with what they are passionate about. Anyone who is able to help or who wants to join the team can contact 079-844-0937 or 078-876-5567.
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