Sport TuksHockey with Samkelo Mvimbi Caitlyn Walsh
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DBY chatted to Samkelo Mvimbi about his sporting career, goals, his trip to Namibia, and his achievements.
How is your sporting career going now? Is there anything you would like to tackle? My career has been somewhat interesting and busy recently, but I have been enjoying every single bit of it. I am currently playing for my club, the University of Pretoria, and have been on national duty for the past two months. I have been making huge strides and I just feel it comes with playing week-in and week-out, and it is something I have been looking forward to for a long time. What is your next big goal to achieve? My next goal is probably one of my biggest goals, and it is linked with all this hockey I have been luckily involved with this year, and that is to go to the Tokyo Olympics happening. I have other goals that are as important, but that has taken priority this year. Last year, you were selected to play in Namibia, how did it go and how was that experience? Yes, fortunately for me I made my debut against Namibia so that test series comes with a lot of emotion and excitement every time I speak about it, and it has hopefully marked a start for a long journey ahead with my career. What do you consider to be your best achievement? My best achievement to date has to be either competing with the German national side, or winning Varsity hockey with TuksHockey two years ago during my first year with the club, and if we said we were not looking to win it this year I would be lying, and we have a nice group of guys to go all the way again. What do you find important to focus on in a game? In most teams I have recently played in, we always speak about focusing on winning and doing all that is needed to win, training hard, and taking each game on merit. Personally, winning and trying to keep things as simple as possible are my two biggest focuses. What advice would you give to other aspiring hockey players? That you control your own way up, and do not wait on anyone to
do it for you. What is your training process like? Training is quite important, so my time outside of class I try spending working on my skills. It does differ every week as it is important to not overwork your body in order to last long and stay injury free. What do you consider the key to success in terms of your sport? A successful team, as many have said, requires bind in from everyone including the coaching staff. I strongly believe that a team that comes together best has the best chance of being successful and that refers both off and on the field. As Tuks, we are always looking for ways of getting better. Good, positive vibes bring success and comradely. As I’ve said above, we enjoy spending time with each other and understanding each other’s do’s and don’ts. We also always speak about sacrifice for the greater good of the team - whether it be time, personal Image provided. endeavors, etchose all go towards building a strong bond. Although striving to be at our best the whole time, we understand that yes, teams go through dips and it is just about picking up the good habits and staying focused on the end goal.
Swimmer Tatjana Schoenmaker’s progress with coach Rocco Meiring Caitlyn Walsh
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atjana Schoenmaker is a South African swimmer, who completed, and won two gold medals for breaststroke, in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. PDBY spoke to Schoenmaker’s coach, Rocco Meiring, about her latest achievements, training, goals, and upcoming competitions. How is Schoenmaker progressing in her training? Schoenmaker is doing well in her training, and is in her maximum training now. We are on week 8 of a cycle of 13 weeks for going to Olympic trials. How vigorous is her training? She is obviously training very vigorously, 22 hour weeks, so that is nine swimming sessions a week with a minimum of two hours per session, and 2-3 gym sessions of at least an hour per session. What is your next big goal for her to tackle? The next big goal is obviously the Olympics. We have not spoken about anything beyond the Olympics. First stop is to get selected for the Olympics, and then compete doing the best that she can. What have been her greatest achievements so far? She is the first woman in many decades to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games. She won two golds and she is the first South African female to do that. She broke the long standing African and South African record. She is also the first female to win world student games, and then she went on to be the first South African
TuksRes Athletics Met 2020
Boitumelo Makaepea
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n 4 March, the first TuksRes Athletics Met took place at the Tuks Athletics Stadium. This inter-residence event included mostly students from the University of Pretoria. Among residences that participated was Erica, Asterhof, House Khutso, House Nala, Tuks Ekhaya, House Tau, The Tower, Blossom Delights, Madelief, Azalea, Nerina, House Zinnia, House Tirisano and more. The event started at 18:00 and throughout the event, both male and female students participated separately in the following field and track items: 100m, 200m, 400m, 150m and 110m hurdles, long jump, high jump, shot put, discus throw, and team relay. There were many prizes to be won, including a prize for the residence with the most “Gees”. The crowd was active as students showed up in numbers to show their support. PDBY asked TuksRes if they are planning on making the event annual, and they responded saying that: “The TuksRes Athletics Met will become an annual event on the student life calendar, where all the students of the University of Pretoria are invited to participate in ten track and field items’’. TuksRes also added that “this will support our aim in having student life activities and events that are inclusive and add value to our students’ overall wellbeing and experience whilst studying at UP’’. As this event turned out to be a success, and still on the mission of making it an annual event, TuksRes said to PDBY that “The collaboration between different departments and faculties is important to us, and therefore we are approaching all structures within UP to participate and help organize the event’’. For 2020, PDBY asked TuksRes if there are any sporting events that students can look forward to or expect to see throughout the year, and they said that “students can look forward to the annual TuksRes Fest, which will take place in the second semester of 2020”. With much excitement, TuksRes highlighted that “TuksRes will also be introducing an exciting new event for the rather witty and academically oriented students. More details will follow at a later date’’. You can look for more information about the TuksRes Athletics Met 2020 on TuksRes social media pages.
woman to ever win a medal at the world championships, where she finished second in the 200m breaststroke. She is also the first [South African] female in many Olympic cycles to qualify for the Olympics. What do you believe she can still achieve? Tatjana can become one of the world’s greatest swimmers, I have no doubt. It is going to take a while, she only graduated at the end of last year from a difficult degree, and her professional career is only two months old. At the end of 2019, Tatjana handed over R100 000 to Precious Blessings. What did this mean for her career and what is the organization? With regards to the R100 000 that Schoenmaker handed over to her charity, the charity is for children and babies who have been abandoned by their parents. As youth is very close to her heart, she is intent on focusing on the youth of South Africa, and inspiring young people - making their lives better not only with the swimmers, but with the community. What advice would you give to other swimmers training hard to achieve their goals? My advice is to have a plan, be patient, and be willing to take knocks, but to get up again and keep going, and have the mental strength to take the knocks and disappointments. Schoenmaker missed qualifying for the Olympics in 2016 with less than half a second, but she got up again, refocused, regathered herself, and now she is qualified.
Photos: Adorn Ndlovu
