UDUBS SPORTWRASPORT WRAP Debut Issue • December 2016
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
UDUBSUDUBS SPORTWRASPORT WRAP Debut issue • December 2016 HARD WORK PAYS OFF – Cassiem – UDUBS ARE CHAMPIONS! 1 THE YEAR THAT WAS Udubs Sports Wrap caught up with Mandla Gagayi, Director of Sports Administration,and asked him how UWC Sports has performed in 2016 Udubs Sports Wrap: Would you MG: At UWC Sports we pride ourselves describe 2016 as a successful year on working for student athletes. We for UWC Sport? And if yes, how so? don’t look at our student athletes as just Mandla Gagayi: Our teams played in athletes; we look at them as future leaders. nine finals between January and October As such, we always value their feedback in and won six. This is a huge achievement how we operate and their ideas on how considering the opposition we faced, and things can be done differently. All our with very limited resources. sports are affordable and accessible. We put academics before sport because we USW: What can you list as want our student athletes to be successful highlights of the year? in life after sport. MG: The big highlights were when the netball team won USSA and qualified High-performance sport seems to for the Varsity Netball competition; and be doing well on campus.Can we the women’s football winning the Sasol say the same about recreational Western Cape League, Coca Cola Cup sport? and playing in the Varsity Football final MG: The recreation programme, unlike MG: We are still engaged in endeavours to for the second consecutive year. Also, the high performance, does not require full put structures in place, structures that will opening of the new UWC Sport Gym and commitment from participants. Hence it give us access to contacts in the corporate the positivity with which it was received is not easy to co-ordinate. Recreation is world. As such, we have re-launched the by students and staff, as well as UWC not results-driven; it is aimed at students Sport Board. This Board consists of staff, Sports hosting the inaugural Western who do not play sport regularly. As such, students, alumni and business people, and Cape Intervarsity games were some of the it competes with other social activities its mandate is to strategically position UWC high points. on campus. Sport in a way that will attract investments. So far we have been successful in securing USW: What would prospective USW: At the beginning of a couple of sponsors (Lion of Africa for students have to look forward to your tenure you mentioned football, BestMed for athletics, Peninsula about the sporting opportunities the importance of Sports Beverages for UWC Sport), and we are on campus when they make Udubs Administration sourcing its own also in negotiations with other potential their university of choice? funding. How are you doing in sponsors. Hopefully there will be big that regard? announcements in 2017. COMMENT RODWELL NDLOVU, OUTGOING CHAIRPERSON OF UWC SPORTS COUNCIL t’s been a tough year for UWC Sports, brought home gold and silver medals, especially considering the honeymoon while the Banyana ladies fell out in the Iwe had over the past two years when we group stages. This, I believe, shows that enjoyed great success on the sports fields. even with little financial resources, UWC sport still manages to perform with the Some of the highlights that stood out this best in the world. year were the successes of ladies football, ladies volleyball and men’s cricket, rewarded From a Sports Council view, I would say we for the consistency these clubs have shown have come a long way, but we still have over the years. As hard as it is to stay up and a long way to go. Our athletes and staff, compete against the best that the country has however, are putting in lots of hard miles. to offer, these sporting codes have managed to maintain top-quality performances. Finally, I will be stepping down as Chairperson of UWC Sports Council, The biggest highlight has to be the although I will remain involved in UWC netball team’s qualification for the Varsity sport. The past two Sports Council Netball Competition, which reflects the Executives that I have been part of have hard work and investment that has been introduced a different style of leadership, put into the sport. It would be wrong if and have implemented some good I do not mention our Olympians and projects like the campus recreation Paralympian who represented us in Rio. programme, which has proven that sport Hilton Langenhoven from UWC Athletics is for everyone. 2 UDUBS ARE CHAMPIONS!!! Success in sport is largely measured by the number of trophies and medals athletes win,as well as by their selection to represent their countries on international duty. By that standard, the UWC Ladies Football Club has been a raging success in 2016. n 2016 the Udubs women’s soccer the Western Cape Sasol League for the Udubs team one of the top football clubs team won four of the six competitions first time. They also won the SAFA Cape in the country, “if not the top institution Ithey have competed in, and six of Town Coca-Cola Cup and the District given this year’s outstanding achievements their members were selected for various Knockout Cup of the Northern Suburbs in all competitions”. national squads. Local Football Association. According to Peskin, who has been at The team out classed all other universities Then there’s the string of international the helm of the team for six years, the in South Africa to win the University Sport caps. UWC captain Amogelang Motau and achievements didn’t come by luck or South Africa club championships early teammates Thembi Kgatlana and Leandra chance. Instead, they are the rewards for in the year. After narrowly missing out Smeda were called up to represent the a consistent scouting programme, hard on the chance to add the Varsity Ladies senior national women’s team, Banyana work, a greater focus on over-performance, Football title to their collection – losing in Banyana, at the Women’s Africa Cup of and promoting belief in team effort and a the final for the second consecutive year Nations in Cameroon in November. Other winning culture. – the team bounced back to bring home UWC players Drishana Pillay, Thalea Smidt and Charmel Wiltshire were selected “Our achievements this year are the fruition It took for the SASCOC Team South Africa that of very long-term goals,” he says. “It took patience, participated in the 2016 Africa Union patience, focus and continuous hard work focus and continuous Sports Council Region 5 Games in Angola to achieve what we have as a team this in December. year. This has not been a success story of hard work to achieve one season. It has been a work in progress “what we have as a Team coach, Nathan Peskin, believes that and everyone who contributed over the team this year”. these accomplishments have made the past six years needs to be saluted.” 3 HARD WORK PAYS OFF FOR CASSIEM Meet Uzair Cassiem, UWC’s first Springbok cap. ut he also describes himself as, a South African President’s XV team that first and foremost,“a father and a played in and won the 2013 World Rugby Bhusband”. In fact, he regularly credits Tbilisi Cup. With two tries over the team’s his young family for a rugby career that has three matches, Cassiem finished joint top already been successful but still promises try scorer in the tournament. so much more. Now signed with the Cheetahs until 2018, “The support I get from my wife, day in Cassiem is playing Super Rugby. and day out, has been exceptional,” he says.“Especially in the dark times when Among the lessons that he took home I would be upset, come home tired and from his time at UWC and other clubs, is upset. She is the one who fixes me and lifts my spirit.” For the young guys, the best advice I can give For those who are not familiar with is to keep on believing, work hard and follow Cassiem, the loose forward announced his the process day in, day out, 24/7.” arrival in the Springbok team in the most noticeable fashion, touching down for the ““I was surprised when the Lions wanted that hard work, team work, self-discipline Boks’ first try on his debut against Wales in me.” and aiming to be a complete sportsperson November. (Alas, the side still went down are essential. 13-27 in Cardiff that day.) Coincidentally, He spent two seasons with the team Cassiem also scored the first try on his before he joined the Falcons and, later, the “I didn’t have such a big rugby background UWC debut, that time in a Varsity Shield Pumas.There he played all ten games for at age group level to play for provincial match at UWC Sports Stadium in 2011. the Pumas in their triumphant Vodacom teams and all that stuff,” Cassiem says.“I Cup campaign of 2015. always had to work hard. For the young But for the 26-year-old father of one (a guys, the best advice I can give is to keep boy), scoring the first try of a match is not But before then there were other on believing, work hard and follow the that big a deal, as the match against Wales highlights. In 2013, he was included in process day in, day out, 24/7.” illustrated. “As a player you just want to contribute to the team for the whole 80 minutes,” he says.