Curro Showcases Elite Swimmers
Under cloudless skies, Curro Sport in collaboration with Aquazone Swimming Club and Curro Hillcrest held the second annual Curro AquaElite Gala from 4 to 6 October at the school’s Olympic size, heated pool, attracting multiple teams from 18 schools across the country.
Local primary and high schools, with a healthy contingent from the Free State plus the Cape and Gauteng, had their best swimmers in three age groups – 13 and under, 14-15 years and 16-19 years. These swimmers stirred the water for individual and team awards and the acquisition of world aquatic points, which contribute to creating high-performance teams to compete at world events.
“We cannot allow an Olympic pool to lie idle and Curro Hillcrest is the ideal venue to showcase such rich swimming talent. As we endeavor to inspire champions, Curro’s ambition is to create exceptional opportunities, not only for our learners but all learners throughout South Africa,” said Curro Sports Portfolio Manager, Cindy van der Merwe.
With a goal to inspire swimmers to compete at a professional level, the school group is keeping the hopes and dreams of Olympic representation and glory burning for many young athletes.
“The standard of swimming at all levels is something to be proud of and somewhere among all the competitors could be a future Olympic champion. These swimmers, young as some may be, rise to the occasion and are not daunted by the big stage they are performing on. The support, camaraderie and friendships that surround the event make it special and the ideal platform for these boys and girls to take their talents further,” said van der Merwe.
Indeed, the cheer and encouragement from spectators, parents and above all, fellow swimmers was the icing on the cake. The swimmers were all in one voice when giving their thumbs up on an incredible event, great venue and facility, especially the electronic touch pads which allowed correct times to be collated.
Once the water had settled, it was Stellenberg High School’s Joshua Esterhuysen (17) and Abigail Kotze (15) who claimed the Best Boys’ and Girls’ Performance trophies, accumulating 673 and 655 world aquatic points respectively. These two swimmers displayed and proved their class, arriving at the pool with solid credentials.
Abigail stood on the starting blocks as a SA junior national medalist, an SA short course medalist and a South African representative at the African Junior Champs in 2023, while Joshua had also represented South Africa at the African Junior Champs in 2023 and was a medalist at the SA Junior Nationals. With such pedigrees, they did not disappoint, gliding through the water and dominating their individual and team events.
In the team awards, it was Glenwood Prep who shined, winning three trophies, the Best Girls’ Primary School Team, the Best Boys’ Primary School Team and the Best Co-Ed Primary School. Closer to home, hosts Curro Hillcrest were strong in the senior age groups, bagging the Best Girls’ High School and Best Co-Ed High School trophies.
The complete list of winners is included below:
| TEAM AWARDS | ||
| Award | Primary School | High School |
| Best Girls’ Team | Glenwood Prep | Curro Hillcrest |
| Best Boys’ Team | Glenwood Prep | Grey College |
| Best Co-Ed Team | Glenwood Prep | Curro Hillcrest |
| INDIVIDUAL AWARDS | ||
| Award | Name | School |
| Best Performance Boy | Joshua Esterhuysen | Stellenberg High School |
| Best Performance Girl | Abigail Kotze | Stellenberg High School |
| Champion Girls’ 13 and under | Sage Moodie | Atholl Heights Primary School |
| Champion Boys’ 13 and under | Troy Allison | Winston Park Primary School |
| Champion Boys’ 14 and 15; | Connor le Gassick | Grey College |
| Champion Girls’ 14 and 15 | Abigail Kotze | Stellenberg High School |
| Champion Boys’ 16 to 19 | Joshua Esterhuysen | Stellenberg High School |
| Champion Girls’ 16 to 19 | Jessica Carmody | St Mary’s DSG, Kloof |