Soweto youth taught rowing skills at Florida Lake
The 70 SCARC paddlers who were adequately supervised enjoyed a fantastic week having all sorts of fun, with activities ranging from educational to paddling sessions.
It was simply awe-inspiring to catch an initial glimpse of young rowers from Soweto in narrow sculling boats slicing through the water in unison, against the backdrop of dawn at Florida Lake.
Sunday, July 10 saw the Florida Lake Canoe Club hosting youth from the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club (SCARC) and teaching them rowing skills in what is described by the organisers as a wonderful initiative by the club.
The innovative approach tackled two areas of concern for the visiting youth: promoting physically active lifestyles and preparing them to be successful in the future.
The training boot camp sponsored by various organisations was held from Sunday, July 10 to Saturday, July 16 with the boys sleeping over in the clubhouse and the girls accommodated at the Dragon Boat Club next door.
The 70 SCARC paddlers who were adequately supervised enjoyed a fantastic week having all sorts of fun, with activities ranging from educational to paddling sessions.
“Well done SCARC, FirstRand Ltd, ADreach Group, and Laureus South Africa, the youth gained much experience, knowledge, fitness, new skills, training and enjoyment during the week-long winter boot camp at Florida Lake Canoe Club.
“We trust that they enjoyed and benefited from this opportunity which used to be a bi-annual event (December and July) pre-Covid times,” said Florida Lake Canoe Club PR and Media Marketing Liaison, Jennie Dallas.
The Soweto outfit based at Power Park has produced amazingly top-achieving paddlers, but they do not have clubhouse facilities.
One of the SCARC paddlers was selected to be part of the Under 23 Sprint World Championships in Hungary. He needed a well-experienced trainer to assist with sharpening his skills, and Alex Masina volunteered to help out. He travelled all the way from KwaZulu-Natal to be part of this camp and ended up training all the paddlers for a whole week.
“A round of applause goes to the organisers, Steve Jourdan and Nkosi Mzolo for making this camp a great success; not forgetting all the guys from City of Johannesburg – Tumi Ramela, Nhlakanipho Khoza, Siphiwe Tshabalala and Shakespeare Jele for assisting with a First Aid Level 1 course , motivational speeches and seminars for teens.
“Their dedication and hard work had a great impact on almost every SCARC paddler.
“Thank you to Masego Lebereko who helped with all the mind games and great activities throughout the week, and closing with a 5km park run on Saturday morning.
“It was indeed a fruitful camp. A lot was learned from all the guests, and we can never forget to thank Lindiwe Mahwayi who was a great cook for a whole week. It was never easy to cater for so many mouths but she did it perfectly.
“This camp wouldn’t have happened without FirstRand Ltd; they funded and donated a lot for this camp to be a success.
“FirstRand is one of the SCARC’ biggest sponsors and their ongoing support is much appreciated,” said Jennie.
