Sports

St Stithians Girls’ water polo has become synonymous with success so I asked Saints’ master in charge of water polo and first team head coach Pierre le Roux if he could give SA School Sports readers some pointers as to why.

Following the launch of their highly successful U16 Top Schools Boys and Girls Hockey Tournament, Paarl Gimnasium will once again be hosting this premier event in 2020.

The past weekend saw an exciting junior basketball tournament take place at St David's Marist, Inanda. The competition featured U15 teams from some of Gauteng's top schools participating in two pools.

The amount of Co-educational schools in the country that can compete against the traditional monastic schools in the sporting arena can be counted on one hand.

Doping in sport and especially in school sports has become an ever growing trend. As young adults and aspiring athletes it is important to protect yourself and prevent your career from ending before it even starts. Doping at a young age can bring an end to any aspirations you may have to compete on the biggest stages and excel at the sport you love.

All over the country, indeed all over the world, many more kids are growing up receiving trophy after trophy, medal after medal, ribbon after ribbon for every sports season, science fair and spelling competition they participate in.

We have all heard it and even said it before, phrases of encouragement directed towards young athletes with phrases like, “dig a little deeper” or “you have to want it more than they do” or, ideally, “be mentally tough.”  

A world away from the cringe-worthy mêlée of schoolboy rugby today, John William Smit’s formative years were rather spent in a manner far more conducive to a healthy upbringing.