Hockey is a safe space for Capricorn High’s Tlou
Capricorn High School's Tlou Kgaabi would like to one day play for the South African team and has opted to pursue physiotherapy as a study field next year.
POLOKWANE – Gr 12 learner at Capricorn High School, Tlou Kgaabi wants to play professional hockey in future.
She was recently part of the team that represented Limpopo at the SA Schools hockey IPT tournament in Bloemfontein, and describes hockey as her safe space, where she feels comfortable.
“Even with the major competitions, it is never uncomfortable, it always feels like home. The coaches are very relaxed, and everyone is treated equally,” she said.
She said she started playing hockey for the fun of it, only realising later how much potential she had.
“It was only in high school that I started to take it seriously, and worked harder than I used to.”
Kgaabi would like to one day play for the South African team, and in preparation for a future in hockey, she has opted to pursue physiotherapy as a study field next year. For now, she has her sights set on the University of Cape Town or University of Pretoria, as she believes this will give her the edge to make the national squad.
Balancing Gr 12 and hockey, she said, is working out well because she uses hockey as a stress reliever.
“I do not apply too much pressure on myself, the same way I do with my academics. Although I do work hard to make it as far as I have come, it does make me relax too.”
She added that she is happy to have had the opportunity to play at national tournaments two years in a row, as she was not confident that she would make the team again after having played for the u/18 team last year.
