Pat’s journey from general worker at Capricorn High to athletics coach

POLOKWANE – Pat Semono believes in spotting and nurturing talent.

What started as his journey as a general worker at Capricorn High School in 2016 led to him being appointed as sports organiser in 2022, and eventually – athletics coach.

He has worked with many athletes who progressed to district and provincial level in the sport and said as an athlete growing up, he himself has always taken an interest in the sport.

“I got involved in athletics in Gr 1, so sport is all I know. It has been a constant feature in my existence,” he said.

To identify athletes’ innate talent, and nurturing this is key, he said, adding that this was the key to the number of athletes who made it through to district and provincial level this year.

“There is nothing special about how we train, they are just good athletes and we motivate them to work hard and be consist in their practice,” he said.

Semono is also a professional basketball coach but at the school, his focus is solely on athletics.

He said he started coaching basketball at 17 years of age, while still playing himself.

“I started coaching the provincial team by 2016 and two years later I was coaching at the University of Limpopo. That same year, I was also an assistant for the Limpopo Pride basketball team and in 2019, I became the head coach,” he said.

Sport, he believes, teaches children that discipline and hard work are needed for them to achieve what they aim for.

“You need to work hard. You might have talent, but if you don’t work hard, you are not going anywhere. You must never give up, even in the face of challenges and adversity,” he said.