Energade Triathlon November 2006.
The first weekend of November was the Energade Triathlon. I was down at Hobie beach early, as I thought that the race started at 08.00 whereas it started at 09.00. As I drove to the start the heavens opened up and rain came pouring down. But by the time I got to Hobie it was a perfect morning again. The Sea looked flat and, while there was a West wind blowing, it was not too bad. I did the registration thing and then met up with Ron. Once I had checked the bike into the transition area, he & I went for a Coffee at the Wimpy. Finally the time came for the race to start.
I met up with Mike Webb and Ian Thomson from Achilles. It was Mike’s first Tri. Ian is a good swimmer and was looking forward to the swim. I saw Rob Ermes there. He does well on the bike. Paddy Hogson from Nippers was there. It was also his first Tri. I greeted Rod, the ex professional American triathlete now turned pastor. He has moved back to PE after a stint in Cape Town. Tim, Herman, Tracey and Paula were doing the relay as were a number of the Ironmen competitors. Other Achilleans I saw were Comine & Martin Geirz, Adelle & Mark Hunter Smith, Garreth Jacobson, Heidi Jansen, Chris Gedye, George Scott, Robin Fourie, Davera Magson and Pat Thomson who was not taking part due to a cold.
I was apprehensive but walked down to the beach. The Ladies went off first and then it was the Men. I was soon far behind the pack of swimmers but pressed on. I saw one swimmer (Trevor Hawkins) turn back and another few had to hold onto the safety craft. I was not stressed as I had swum steadily and was soon heading back to shore. With the swells behind us, the return was quite quick. The Relay swimmers came charging past us back markers like torpedo dolphins. I was not phased by this display of strength.
As I ran up the beach, it was good to hear Neil, Rene, Gaynor and other people I know cheering me on. Ian Ross was there. He normally runs these events but had just returned from the Augrabies Endurance event and was feeling flat. I think that I am the only participant who needs a stool to sit on to change my shoes. I am hopeless at bending down or sitting on the grass. So I put out a stool and sit down to change. I was soon on the bike and heading towards Noordhoek. I had started off with Herman but he dropped me like a hot coal. I heard an interesting comment, as I started cycling, about my new vest that I had just purchased. I don’t spend a whole lot of money on Clothing and I bought this vest at my first 2 Oceans in 1986! It is perfect for Tri’s.
I was quite surprised to see that I was able to overtake quite a number of the younger cyclists. The wind was in our faces from the University corner. As I rode past the Back Entrance to the University I saw that the names that I had painted on the road for this year’s Ironman were still visible. The returning riders seemed to fly back with the wind. I was able to lock onto small groups of two or three on the way out and this of course assisted me as I could use them to break the wind. I chatted to Justin who works with Robyn Steyn (MPRG) at E & Y Auditors. He had good things to say about her before he rode away from me. On the way back I rode with one of Michaels school friends, Greg Wallace. Greg was the Hooker for the Grey first team when Michael was in Matric.
One of the real features of this event was the Road Closure. Last year had been a Nightmare as the Ski Boat trailers came past when the cyclists were riding in both directions. I saw Stanford Slabbert in the showers at Summerstrand later that day. He is the councillor for the summerstrand area and I think had a part to play in securing the road closure. He reminded me of the time that Markus Burri had resuced him from a near tragedy when he had got into trouble on his paddle ski and was being washed out to sea.
Once back in transition I slipped my running shoes on and headed out on the run. It is a five kay run to the Summerstrand Inn and back. I find the first kay or two the toughest as my legs feel heavy after the cycle. Once I had a bit of a rhythm I was able to run at a good even stride and passed a number of runners. I enjoyed running on the new cycle track that is being built along the Promenade. This is an initiative of Donald McGillivray and my opinion is that this will transform PE into a sought after destination for active people.
Finally back at transition and the finish we received a cold drink and I packed up my stuff. I must remember to read the rules for next years event. There were all kinds of funny rules such as the colour of the swim cap, do you have to wear a shirt while swimming? etc.
Some of the results were: Raynard Tissink 7th; Ryan Peter 14th; Garreth 48 (2004=1:02; 2005=1:12 & 2006=1:04) . Allan Campbell 77th, Mike Kingston 82 (2005=1:21 & 2006=1:08), Christoff Opperman 105, Davera 110 (2004=1:21; 2005=1:18 & 2006=1:11), Corne Du Toit 134, Jonti Daniel 149 (2005=1:17 & 2006=1:14), Heidi Jansen 186, Butch Oxenam 229, Adele HS 246, Ian Thomson 262, Martin Gierz 275, George Scott 277 (2004=1:29; 2005=1:35 & 2006=1:29), Rob Ermes 275, Peter Giddy 293 (2004=1:24; 2005=1:34 & 2006=1:32), Paddy Hodgson 303, Comine Gierz 308, Mike Webb 310 and Keith Harris 315 out of a possible 339.
In the over 55 category I was beaten by John Jones (64) and Colin McAll (56). In the team event: Robin Fourie and Llewelyn Clack came 11th, Paula Wilson and Roger Oakley were 15th, Tracey Brink’s team were 17th. Greg Scott was 19th, Hermans’s team was 27th, Mark HS and John Offerman were 28th, Alan Taylor was 30th, Viv Bullock came 35th, Tim’s team was 46th and young Greg Wallace was placed 83rd out of a possible 122 teams.
The total of all participants for 2006 was 705 while last year there were 695 in total. I felt that PE had done themselves proud that Sunday morning. The spectator support was excellent, The organisation of the event was pretty much flawless and the spirit of the participants was great. In the individual event 2004=313; 2005=377 and 2006=339. In the team event 2004=84; 2005=109 and 2006=122. I think that one of the main reasons for the drop in numbers for the individual event was the decision of many of the registered triathletes and Ironmen to take part as teams.
Peter Giddy
10.11.2006.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Friday, November 3, 2006
GIDDY FAMILY NOVEMBER 2006
November 2006.
Nippers
Nippers is now in full swing. Donald & I have been visiting the schools to try to promote Summerstrand. This month we visited St Georges, Clarendon, Herbert Hurd, Summerwood, Collegiate and Grey. Donald has put together a collage of photo’s from the various Nippers Carnivals. He adds music to make a DVD that captures the attention of the children. I have been adding a little bit of excitement for the children by showing them an Electric Iron box and asking them if they know what is inside. I compare this to the TV show “Fear Factor”. You never know what may be in store for you unless you are prepared to try it out. In the box I pull out some biscuits as well as some onions and old lemons. This seems to entertain the children and hopefully we will have some new recruits this month.
We hear that Paul Lynch from Sardinia Bay has been targeting the Swimming clubs like Big Blue and Aquabears. Personally I think that the rivalry that exists between Paul and our own Nippers is very healthy. Not so much as to which Club wins carnivals but more that it pushes us into trying to recruit new youngsters as well as improving the level of competition and achievement.
Summerstrand had their first 100 club of the season this month. I signed up for the year but did not win any prizes. As Barbara was away in East London, it was just Ally & myself. Ally has a group of friends who she met there. Caitlyn and Amber plus a whole group of the Nipper boys. It was good to see the Nippers Parents and coaches and to hear their enthusiastic feelings about the Carnival last week.
Energade Triathlon November 2006.
The first weekend of November was the Energade Triathlon. I was down at Hobie beach early, as I thought that the race started at 08.00 whereas it started at 09.00. As I drove to the start the heavens opened up and rain came pouring down. But by the time I got to Hobie it was a perfect morning again. The Sea looked flat and while there was a West wind blowing, it was not too bad. I did the registration thing and then met up with Ron. Once I had checked the bike into the transition area, he & I went for a Coffee at the Wimpy. Finally the time came for the race to start.
I met up with Mike Webb and Ian Thomson from Achilles. It was Mike’s first Tri. Ian is a good swimmer and was looking forward to the swim. I saw Rob Ermes there. He does well on the bike. Paddy Hogson from Nippers was there. It was also his first Tri. I greeted Rod, the ex professional American triathlete now turned pastor. He has moved back to PE after a stint in Cape Town. Tim, Herman, Tracey and Paula were doing the relay as were a number of the Ironmen competitors. Other Achilleans I saw were Comine & Martin Geirz, Adelle & Mark Hunter Smith, Garreth Jacobson, Chris Gedye, Greg Scott, Robin Fourie, Davera Magson and Pat Thomson who was not taking part due to a cold.
I was apprehensive but walked down to the beach. The Ladies went off first and then it was the Men. I was soon far behind the pack of swimmers but pressed on. I saw one swimmer (Trevor Hawkins) turn back and another few had to hold onto the safety craft. I was not stressed as I had swum steadily and was soon heading back to shore. With the swells behind us, the return was quite quick. The Relay swimmers came charging past us back markers like torpedo dolphins. I was not phased by this display of strength.
As I ran up the beach, it was good to hear Neil, Rene, Gaynor and other people I know cheering me on. Ian Ross was there. He normally runs these events but had just returned from the Augrabies Endurance event and was feeling flat. I think that I am the only participant who needs a stool to sit on to change my shoes. I am hopeless at bending down or sitting on the grass. So I put out a stool and sit down to change. I was soon on the bike and heading towards Noordhoek. I had started off with Herman but he dropped me like a hot coal.
I was quite surprised to see that I was able to overtake quite a number of the younger cyclists. The wind was in our faces from the University corner. As I rode past the Back Entrance to the University I saw that the names that I had painted on the road for this year’s Ironman were still visible. The returning riders seemed to fly back with the wind. I was able to lock onto small groups of two or three on the way out and this of course assisted me as I could use them to break the wind. I chatted to Justin who works with Robyn Steyn (MPRG) at E & Y Auditors. He had good things to say about her before he rode away from me. On the way back I rode with one of Michael’s school friends, Greg Wallace. Greg was the Hooker for the Grey first team when Michael was in Matric.
One of the real features of this event was the Road Closure. Last year had been a Nightmare as the Ski Boat trailers came past when the cyclists were riding in both directions. I saw Stanford Slabbert in the showers at Summerstrand later that day. He is the councilor for the Summerstrand area and I think had a part to play in securing the road closure. He reminded me of the time that Markus Burri had rescued him from a near tragedy when he had got into trouble on his paddle ski and was being washed out to sea.
Once back in transition I slipped my running shoes on and headed out on the run. It is a five kay run to the Summerstrand Inn and back. I find the first kay or two the toughest as my legs feel heavy after the cycle. Once I had a bit of a rhythm I was able to run at a good even stride and passed a number of runners. I enjoyed running on the new cycle track that is being built along the Promenade. This is an initiative of Donald McGillivray and my opinion is that this will transform PE into a sought after destination for active people.
Finally back at transition we received a cold drink and I packed up my stuff. I must remember to read the rules for next year’s event. There were all kinds of funny rules such as the colour of the swim cap; do you have to wear a shirt while swimming? Etc. Results were Raynard Tissink 7th; Ryan Peter 14th; Garreth 48 (2004=1:02; 2005=1:12 & 2006=1:04). Allan Campbell 77th, Mike Kingston 82 (2005=1:21 & 2006=1:08), Christoff Opperman 105, Davera 110 (2004=1:21; 2005=1:18 & 2006=1:11), Corne Du Toit 134, Jonti Daniel 149 (2005=1:17 & 2006=1:14), Heidi Jansen 186, Butch Oxenam 229, Adele HS 246, Ian Thomson 262, Martin Gierz 275, George Scott 277 (2004=1:29; 2005=1:35 & 2006=1:29), Rob Ermes 275, Peter Giddy 293 (2004=1:24; 2005=1:34 & 2006=1:32), Paddy Hodgson 303, Comine Gierz 308, Mike Webb 310 and Keith Harris 315 out of a possible 339.
In the over 55 category I was beaten by John Jones (64) and Colin McAll (56). In the team event: Robin Fourie and Llewelyn Clack came 11th, Paula Wilson and Roger Oakley were 15th, Tracey Brink’s team were 17th. Greg Scott was 19th, Herman’s team was 27th, Mark HS and John Offerman were 28th, Alan Taylor was 30th, Viv Bullock came 35th, Tim’s team was 46th and young Greg Wallace was placed 83rd out of a possible 122 teams.
The total of all participants for 2006 was 705 while last year there were 695 in total. I felt that PE had done themselves proud that Sunday morning. The spectator support was excellent, The organisation of the event was pretty much flawless and the spirit of the participants was great. In the individual event 2004=313; 2005=377 and 2006=339. In the team event 2004=84; 2005=109 and 2006=122. I think that one of the main reasons for the drop in numbers for the individual event was the decision of many of the registered triathletes and Ironmen to take part as teams.
Barbara & Gail were in East London this weekend. I had dropped Ally off with Lene who brought her down to Nippers as I was now too late fetch her as I had originally planned. Our Nippers session was small as I think that many would have been put off by the wind and earlier rain. Hannes & I enjoyed having the small group of nine children. We did some beach sprints, relays, swimming, boarding and finally flags. Despite the West wind flattening out the sea, there were some big swells and some real dumpers that scared the children.
Crossroads
On my way back from a business trip to East London I stopped off at the Crossroads Nursery near to Grahamstown again. I met Shane who is a recovering addict. He tells me that he and Ivo were friends. One time they were going to break into a house and Ivo somehow opted out. It was the final straw for Shane who was caught and send to prison for something like five years. He talks of car theft and other crimes he committed to sustain his drinking and drugging.
Ivo is now involved in trying to promote addiction recovery with John Preler in Port Elizabeth. Shane is serving his probation at this Crossroads Nursery. He tells me that he has still two years to go after which he plans to open a nursery of his own. I had asked Shane to put some Aloes aside for me. These are wonderful indigenous plants that grow very easily and require no tendering. In winter they produce red and yellow flowers. They grow wild in the fields of the East Cape farms. He had a few in some soft soil in the nursery and I chose two quite well established Aloes. I think that the one is an Aloe Vera and the other is a Krans Aloe with more spiky leaves.
Once I got them home I dug two fairly shallow holes on either side of our front gate and planted them there. I hope that they will produce some colour next winter. In any event I now feel that I am starting to become a gardener with the Yellow Wood and the Aloes. Keith had shown me some of the Acacias that he had planted in front of his garden in Johannesburg.
I am also going to try to establish a bit of indigenous gardening in our house. One of the things that Dawn had given Barbara was a Cycad. They had this beautiful old plant in a large clay pot. I am sure that this plant must be about 50 years old. Dawn also gave Barbara a lemon tree that had been in a pot. I am sure that if we plant this tree in the garden with the same kind of attention that I gave the Yellowwood, then we should be able to grow a substantial tree.
On the first Friday of November Barbara went to East London to visit Dawn & Richard. She took Gail and hired a trailer as she planned to bring some stuff to PE. Dawn and Richard plan to emigrate to Canada where their two daughters, Raylene and Tracey live with their families. Raylene and Steven moved to Calgary over ten years ago. Tracey and Mark with their two children, Asher and Kayle, moved to Calgary in 2005. Richard sold his Burglar Alarm Business to his long time partner, Neville.
Dawn teaches at Rhodes (Fort Hare) University in East London. She took a Sabbatical and they both went to Calgary earlier this year. Now they have determined to apply for permanent residence in Canada. Dawn is able to work at a University there and Richard seems like will be taking life a little easier for a while.
This week Ally had her Clarendon Grandparents day. It seems that this has been such a huge success in the past that the school decided to have a separate Parents day as too many parents were attending the Grandparents day. Barbara was busy at the School and I went alone. As I arrived I met up with John Kotze. His son Gregory attends the school as well. Both of us were amazed at the quality of the show that was presented to us.
The Grandparents day is put on by the “foundation stage” Grades one, two and three. There were about 300 children singing some of the old classics such as Itsy Bitsy Bikini. Then each grade had their own little show to put on for us. I felt quite emotional and proud as I saw Ally doing her thing on stage. Grade three put on this show of the hunters and tourists. Hunters not afraid of anything unless it was a snake, croc or elephant. Each time a hunter would be eaten or the tourists would “drive past”. The show was full of song and fun. This will be Ally’s last Grandparents day. Amber’s “Oumie” has been acting as a surrogate grandparent as Ena lives in Plett and could not be there over the past few years.
Ally had a visit to the Orthodontist and it seems will have to wear a plate to correct her one tooth which is out of position. This is the same orthodontist that Cathy visited when Dr. Moug left PE. Pieter Roux bought the practice from Moug.
Inter Regional Gala in East London.
Ally was chosen to represent EP in a swimming gala against Border (now called Aloes) in East London. Megan Derry came up with us. We left at 05.30 and got into EL three hours later. The gala was being held at the Joan Harrison pool. The children had to register that they were there and were handed a red golf shirt each. We found out that there was no program and it seems that the general administration of the day was to be less than we have come to expect from the galas that Ally has taken part in. Noel Pearson and Poppie from Biathlon had clip boards and looked like they knew what they were doing.
We sat with John and Cheryl Kotze. John’s sister, Tessa was there to support young Greg. It seems that they are farmers from the area. John tells me that his parents died when he was very young and he was brought up in foster homes. They lived on farms in Zimbabwe at the time. A number of the Nippers and parents were also there: Hannes Zeelie & Boys, Peter & Matthew Wilson, Anthony Cox, Chris Lange & Family, The Liss Family (Jessica is U11 and went on to break the SA record for individual medley) I hear that her mother was a springbok swimmer, Christy Vaughn whose dad Craig, was a Springbok diver. Christy herself is a real asset to her swimming team as well as to Nippers.
We spent the morning watching relays and a then it was Butterfly, Breaststroke, backstroke and individual medley. This was a lesson in Under Promise and Over Deliver. The organisers promised us that the event would finish at 14.00. We soon realised that this was no going to happen. I had a few sleeps on the bench, we had too much to eat. I had brought my costume and was able to have a swim during the morning. Ally met a new friend also Ally (Alexandra from Collegiate). Dawn came to the pool to add some family support. Dawn had been invigilating some exams that morning and had caught two students cheating with “crib notes”.
The lunch break ended at 14.15 and Ally immediately had her first swim of the day. It was Breaststroke and she came third in her heat. Megan also did okay in her heat. Once all the Breaststroke swimmers in all the various categories had had a swim then it was time for the freestyle and again Ally was first in line. She had a terrible start and was not able to recover enough to catch the third placed swimmer. As soon as she had completed her swim we left for home. It was now about 15.30. If the organisers had announced that they expected the gala to end at 17.00 then everyone would have understood the delays.
The PE people had a three hour drive ahead of them; The Springboks were playing rugby in Lansdowne Road in Ireland where they lost 30:15. They had poor defense, missing many first time tackling and played a “ponderous” game. The Irish played exciting, fast, thinking rugby and took advantage of every opportunity. Ally & Megan were invited to the Finestone bash and we dropped them there before heading home at last. The Derry’s offered to fetch at 22.00 and we were able to flop down on couches.
Joan Harrison swimming pool
I cannot resist putting this little bit of trivia into the story:
Born in 1935 of a swimming mother and a rugby-playing father in East London, South Africa, Joan Harrison wasted little time taking advantage of her sporting heritage. At 13, she already held three Jr. and two Sr. national records, and that year won the 220 and 500 yd. Senior Freestyle National Championships.
In 1950, at age 14, she won the 440 yd. freestyle at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, beating the old record by 13 seconds and finishing 7 seconds ahead of the field. It was her first international competition and she was declared the outstanding woman swimmer in the Games.
Her second International Games was the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, where she won South Africa's first and only Olympic gold medal for swimming. In 1954, at the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, she won two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze before retiring at the ripe old age of 17. She won the Helms Foundation Award for the best African athletic performance in any sport in 1952, and while concentrating on field hockey after 1954, she did manage to come back two more years to win the Nationals in her favorite 100 meter backstroke and in the 300 I. M. in 1956. She was South Africa's supreme swimmer in freestyle, backstroke and I.M. for six years. Joan married Charlie Breetzke in 1955. Charlie was also a Border swimmer and an Old Selbournian Rugby player. Joan represented Border in Hockey as well.
On Sunday morning it was back to Nippers after church. The weather did not look that good and I am sure that this must have scared some of the youngsters off. Those that came had a good morning. We played some games, did some exercises and even swam for a while. Then Donald set up the DVD in the hall and Chris gave us a bit of a talk on the upcoming Plett carnival and what we should expect. Ally went home with Lara and we went to Builders Warehouse to buy some bricks but were told that they do not stock the type that we are looking for.
During the week we managed to order the sand, bricks, cement etc for Builder Thomas. HE started on Friday and had soon dug the foundation trench, mixed the concrete and was ready to start laying the first bricks. Dawn & Richard visited us on their way to CT and we had a gathering of the Otter trail group with a Braai and watching the video that Rob had taken. On Saturday that week, SA lost to England at Twickenham 23-21. It was sad as we had been in front until the last few minutes of the game. That evening it was the Achilles dinner at the Old Cash store. We sat with Bob Stedman & Jean, Graham & Gail Channon, John & Cheryl Kotze and Gerald & Lynne Hoxley. On Sunday morning I met Ron for a cycle to Sacremento & back. Good to be back on the bike. Later on it was the last practice before the Plett carnival. The sea was quite rough with the southeaster blowing but we had a good morning. Ally had a Hip Hop practice immediately after Nippers. I was quite pleased to see that a few youngsters from the schools that we had visited were at Nippers practice. So all the effort was not lost.
We have started to build the back room for Barbara’s School. We have Thomas the builder, his brother Sam and assistant Funwell. They have made good progress, Built the walls, fitted the doors and window, tiled the floor and must fit the gutters and will soon be finished. Barbara had a year end function for the children and for the parents. I was not there but by all accounts was a huge success with about 60 people there to see their precious little ones.
Jacqui arrived from Cape Town for a Month’s visit. Little Emily is quite beautiful. She has adapted to the life in PE and appears to be at home with all these strangers. Hopefully she will soon accept us as well. Nicci and family arrived in PE to collect their car and will be leaving for Plett and then CT on Sunday 3rd December.
Here is my report on the Nippers Carnival that we had in Plett this month.
Nippers Plett Carnival 25 & 26 November 2006.
Under 10’s
The Build up
There had been a great deal of excitement and planning for this carnival. We had worked hard to train the Nippers at some of the more important and difficult of skills such as the Baton Hand over, The Malibu and the Body Board events as well as the team spirit. The coaches had tried to maintain some kind of record of the previous Carnival results as well as the results from the practice sessions. We met during the week to try to set out team for the four team events. It appeared that we would have sixteen u10 competitors if everyone was able to make it to the carnival. Everybody loves the Plett carnival. It is close enough for an easy drive and yet it is a mini holiday for us all.
Friday
On Friday afternoon Barbara, Ally and I took the afternoon off and drove through to Knysna where our son, Michael had recently moved. He showed us around the shop that he was managing and we had a look at the flat that he was renting. His family is still located in PE and will be moving there in a few weeks. It had not been a pleasant drive as the rain had fallen continuously and this made for tough driving conditions. There was a strong wind blowing and we were concerned for the conditions the next day.
My Mother, Ena lives in Plett and we stayed there for the night. Ena is 90 years old, struggles with eyesight and yet lives a full life on her own in a large flat in the main road of Plett. She tells me how she gets to Woolworths in the Market Square. She walks there and then when she has completed her shopping she stands at the traffic light and hitch hikes a lift up the hill. While she is doing her shopping she cannot really see what she is buying and the prices. But she tells us that everyone seems to know her and the local shopkeepers and staff are always most helpful in assisting her shopping trips. When she has to go any distance she seems to be offered lifts by her friends and so she makes a very good life for herself in Plett.
Saturday
On Saturday morning Ena made us a breakfast of Bacon & Eggs and we were early on our way to the beach. We found our tent and soon had ourselves installed for the morning. The coaches tried to do some kind of a roll call to see who was there and were delighted to find we had a full team of 16 u10 nippers. The day was due to start with a managers meeting at 11.00am sharp but somehow the time was blunted to some degree and we must have started something like a half hour late.
The Carnival
The first event for the day was the Taplin Relay. This is an event which encourages participation and binds teams together. The event has a run, swim, body board and malibu (long) board section. There are four to a team so everyone participates. We had four full teams and soon established ourselves as a force to be reckoned with, as our teams came first, third, fourth and tenth.
There was an Easterly wind blowing and while not strong, it was enough to make the surf quite rough and the Plett Central beach is known for the large beach breaks. These waves loom above the Nippers as they try to manouver their craft through the surf. Fortunately Anthony Cox “allows” us to assist this age group through the waves. Once they are through the breakers they are on their own and have to go around two buoys and then back to shore. Often their return trip is just as scary as they have these huge waves threaten to swamp them from behind.
The second event of the day was the Flags. This is an extemely tiring event as the nippers have to run up and down trying to retrieve the flag. The sand was hot and soft and hardly ideal conditions for a sprint. If a Nipper does not retreive a flag they are eliminated. If you think that being eliminated from the “Weakest Link” is tough, then just watch the dissapointment on the faces of these youngsters. And yet knowing that they have a huge probability of being eliminated they still persist and take part in the game. This takes guts and builds character.
The Coaches
One of the toughest tasks of the coach is to round up the Nippers for the next event. Understandably the Nipper must use the toilet, go for a cooling off swim, buy hamburgers, ice cream and other delectables and generally make themselves as difficult as possible to locate. Then having found them the coach has to persuade the Nipper that they should take part in the next event. There is often reluctance to participate where the event is tough and they are not likely to end up a top finisher. We hear that they are “saving their energy” for some future event. Or that they have asthma, sunburn, breathing problems etc etc. The coach must then explain that participation is everything and that often even a 20th position wins points for the team.
The coaches know that winning events requires numbers of participants. Merely having the top three does not guarantee a win in the event. We need as many participants as possible in the event to secure a win. Barbara was given the task of recording results for the u10s. She coped exceptionally well except for the Flags finals where she somehow missed the event and so we only recorded who was in the finals. We do know however that Lara won the girls event and that Tristan was placed third.
Another duty of coaches and of adults in general is that they must provide safety for the U10’s. This means that they must do a huge amount of swimming back and forth from the nippers going out through the surf to returning back with the breakers. In particular I saw Charles and Clint doing their fair share of the work. They must have been exhausted after two days of swimming.
Terry asked me how it was that I became a coach. Well if the truth be known; I am a self appointed coach with little or no experience as a lifesaver. But I love seeing both my own and other children having such incredible fun in a beach sport. Personally I enjoy being part of this group of people and am steadily getting to know which parents belong to which child as well as the names of the variety of people who I see each weekend. This weekend I was able to get to know Tristan’s mom, Tanya. I remembered that Terry’s wife is Caryn. I am now able to distinguish between Hannelie, Dianne and Charlene and know that they are married to Johnny, Chris and Craig respectively. I think that Clint finally knows my name and can now stop calling me “there”. As in: “Hello There”.
The Plett carnival is held at the same time as the Matric Plett Rave. As the Matrics of South Africa complete their exams at this time they think that they have now qualified to legally drink, smoke, Party, enter Miss Wet T-shirt competitions and that the word is at their feet. The coaches have to be vigilant as this bevy of beautiful bodies try to disrupt the carnival generally.
Courage
During the day we witnessed a number of feats of courage. Matthew H was about to start the Malibu event when he asked Hannes “Sir: what are we supposed to do with this board”. Then there was Maurice who, last year had hardly ventured into the surf past his waist and this year was taking part in every possible event. Natalie had a tough experience as she tried to get past the breaking waves but fortunately had Patrick there to assist her and she agreed that this was something that she would work on for the next carnival. Caitlin and Connor battled though the events but there was nothing that they was not keen and eager to complete.
Both Matthew W and Kim were wiped out on Malibus while trying to push through surf but persisted and finished strongly. This year Ally has improved in leaps and bounds as she was well placed in a number of events. Then there was a little girl from Mossel Bay. She had never had to go so deep into the sea. She was very scared of sharks. And yet when I swam around the buoys with her on the body board, she managed to complete the event and has set herself up for a further six years of Nippers participation.
It is wonderful for the coaches to see the way that the Nippers support their team mates. It is not all about me and my own results but just as much about cheering on and supporting the teams and club. The Nipper learns to accept defeat while striving to be part of a winning team. There was only one u10 Bluewater bay Nipper. This young chap continued to participate in the events on his own.
Should the Nipper take part in all the events of the day then they would have done seven tough events on the first day of this carnival. Taplin, Flags, Body Board Individual, Surf Swim, Beach Sprints, Malibu Relays and Body Board Relays. By the time that the last event had ben run it was about 17.00.
Saturday evening
Nippers and adults alike were all completely exhausted. On this particular afternoon the Springbok rugby team was playing in the third of a series of three games in the UK. We had lost to Ireland and then to England and today had the opportunity to redeem ourselves against the English. Barbara, Ally & I went up to Ena’s flat for tea and a shower.
We had booked for supper at the Moby Dick Restaurant at 6.00pm. By the time we got to the restaurant, the Springboks had beaten the English. Everyone seemed in a positive mood after our strong showing at Nippers as well as the good rugby results. At the Moby Dick restaurant they had a special set menu which we had. We sat with Charles, Ingrid, Hannes, Jacqui, Lynne and Alex. The adults ordered a few beverages to wash away some of the sun and sand of the day. This seemed to ease the way for some quite enthusiatic and animated discussions around a variety of unimportant subjects.
There was a little group of girls who seemed to have a ball as they discussed the days events and other important stuff. At another table there was a group of Nipper Boys. They looked like a mini street gang in the way that they related to each other. It was great to see them enjoying themselves so much. The waitress did a wonderful job with all these families and youngsters running around. We were all extemely tired and by 9.00pm headed off home to bed.
Sunday
On Sunday morning we were first at the beach and were soon setting up the tent and organising the boards which Plett had allowed us to store in their club house overnight. Again this morning the sharp time slot was a little blunted but by 9.00am the first event was under way. We started the morning with a long run. The under tens showed that we meant business at this carnival. The sun was hot overhead today. I think that a number of people must have been sunburnt.
There were six events for the under tens on Sunday. Long Run, Run-Swim-Run; Beach Relay finals; Malibu Board individual; Beach Sprint Finals and Flags Finals. If you were in an older group there was also the Iron/Diamond Nipper event where the individual has to swim, run, body board and then malibu board. We were pleased to see that there was a great deal of courage in the under 12’s in particular as some of them such as Ian and others had only recently joined Nippers and yet took part in this grueling event. Peter Wilson had been worried that there may not be sufficient activity to warrant the trip to Plett. I am certain that after a Carnival like this, there is no doubt that there is nothing but continuous activity from Start to Finish.
The u10’s had a bit of bad luck as one of our Body Board Relay teams was disqualified when we failed to touch hands at the change over point. However I was particularly proud of the beach relay teams when not one baton was dropped. Hannes noticed that we had not had a perfect change over as we had stood too far back for the relay change over.
Fortunately was had a brief photo session first thing that morning as the last event was the Flags finals. Those nippers who were not in the finals or who were eliminated packed up and left. If we are to keep interest high to the last then we need to have an event where everyone participates such as the long run as the very last event. By the time the Flags Finals was in progress we had managed to locate most of the craft and had secured the trailer so Barbara, Ally & I decided to call it a day. Our under tens had aquitted themselves above expectations. We had experienced courage, character and stamina that a sergeant major in the army would have enjoyed.
On our drive home Ally quickly passed out on the back seat while I drank a Red Bull to try to stay sharp. The drive was quick and uneventful as Barbara & I munched away at the sandwiches that Ena had prepared for us. As much as we love going to the Plett Carnival, just so much do we love getting home.
I have recorded the weekend as I saw it. If I have left out stuff that you think is important or if I have made mistakes in results etc, then just let me know please. I know that Wendy and others have a good photographic record of the weekend and look forward to seeing what they have to show us.
Below are the results. The under tens can be particularly proud of their performance. The u14s beat Plett by 50points, the u12s beat Plett by 7 Points and the u10’s beat Plett by 144 Points. At the same Carnival last year the U10’s were the only SS team that did not beat the Sardinia Bay team.
Peter
082 550 3174
pgiddy@hinet.co.za
Hi All
Well done SSLC! Thanks to the effort that so many families made to get to Plett, we won thew carnival. In fact, for the first time in my time at nippers, we won all three age groups!!!! That is fantastic! We only managed to that thanks to the support of a large away team of 48 nippers. We saw some amazing performances, not only from our awesome top nippers, but also from the hardworking group of nippers!
Before I give the complete results, please take note of the next important point. We cannot have the end-of-year party on Thursday, as originally planned. There is a clash at the club. We therefore have to move the party to Friday, 01 Dec. All the other arrangements will remain i.e. 100 club, snacks, party packs and boerie rolls for nippers and so on. I apologise for the inconvenience, but hope you can all still join us to celebrate the season so far!
Herewith the complete results:
Overall
6 Seagull
5 BWB 108
4 Mossel Bay 117
3 Sards 826
2 Plett 867,5
1 SSLC 1102,5
Age Groups
U10 U12 U14
3 Plett 227,5 Sards 326 Sards 229
2 Sards 271 Plett 357 Plett 283
1 SSLC 415 SSLC 364 SSLC 323
Victor: Matthew Mcgillivray(SSLC) CJ Velleman(SSLC)_ Cameron Neubert (SSLC)
Victrix: Christie Vaughn(SSLC) Lauren Billson (SSLC) Jessica Roux (Sards)
We will have our last practice before the holidays on Sunday 03 Dec. Hope to see you all on Friday!
Regards
Lee
Hi Peter – thank you for documenting our thoughts on the Plett Nipper Carnival – A post mortem carried out immediately after the event while everyting is still fresh in our minds is always good.
I agree with all of the points made below and will get a forum together possibly with Sards and Blue Water Bay to discuss these points and agree on the implementation of them at our next Summies Carnival.
Plett and Ant Cox have already requested that our Summerstrand carnival runs over two days like the Plett carnival. We will need to think very carefully about the beach setup if we host our carnival at Pollok – we had the most successful carnival running at Pollok 2 years ago and had two arenas running together and things went like clockwork (we were also blessed with beautiful weather – which does help considerably with the water events)
We will talk on Thursday evening at our end of year function and put in an official letter to East Cape regarding our suggestions.
Thanks a million – have a great day.
Best regards
Don
From: Peter Giddy [mailto:pgiddy@hinet.co.za] Sent: 27 November 2006 06:03 AMTo: DONALD MCGILLIVRAYSubject: A FEW NIPPERS THOUGHTS 27.11.2006.
Morning Donald
Apologies for our sudden departure on Sunday but when the u10s had completed the final event it was as if a Tsunami of exhaustion hit our family.
Our Carnival 21 January 2007.
A couple of thoughts that we had:
Scorers
The official scorers should be given triplicate A4 books in which they write the events and results. Perhaps the result sheets should be signed by the scorer and one other before being handed into the administration office.
We should have a computer set up in the Clubhouse where we have the administration and where we can enter results into a Spreadsheet for immediate access to points totals.
We could then give provisional results at stages during the day.
We should give the beach scorers chairs and a TV table at which they sit.
Numbering
The Plett officials had squares with numbers 1 to 20 to hand to the children as they completed an event. I think that we should have a number of these sets but that the numbering should continue to 30 or 40. This would mean that the slower child is not shoved aside as a non finisher. They also have the dignity of being recorded and acknowledged as having taken part.
Starting on Saturday
For our own Carnival in January; I think that it would be great if we could start on the Saturday. We could offer the Plett and other away teams “home hosting”. Realistically if we are able to start on a Sunday at 08.00am and we must finish at 14.00pm the most events we can complete is about 8. If we are only able to have our carnival on Sunday then we should set out the schedule of events that allows for a limited number of events and not one which includes the list that Plett was able to fit into the two days. Even holding three or four events on Saturday afternoon would help.
Final Event:
As we discussed on Sunday; If the final event has limited numbers then we will see a dispersing of Nippers and Parents as we did on Sunday. We should try to make the last one or two events ones where all the Nippers have the opportunity to participate. The Long Run is probably the most suitable as it does not depend on the surf conditions.
Opening Event.
The Taplin was an excellent opening event as every child was able to take part and this set the tone for the carnival and helped build the teams.
Rope and tape
We will need rope and tape to mark out the exact start and finish lines and the Flags start and finish. It was not clear at Plett where the change over line was for the Beach Relay. Perhaps this was due to our having “borrowed” the rope from Plett. We should also have a few extra lengths for our own tent in case the weather is as good as it was for Plett.
Clearing the arena
We should have some Candy Tape. During an event such as the Taplin where there are a number of people going in and out of the water; we give a length to a Person standing in the water and lead it across to another person standing near to the start or finish. This would help in controlling traffic of passers by.
See you Thursday
Peter
27.11.2006.
Hi Peter
I am impressed with your report and how soon we received it!
We had a lovely week-end, and I was pleased to have met you.
The Nipper experience is an exceptional one. So many things stand out. The parents and competitors give amazing support not only to those who achieve, but also to the last competitor that crosses the finishing line. The hugs and words of encouragement from coaches, parents and fellow competitors. The obvious love for children, the patience and support the Nipper coaches have.
I am so pleased that we joined!
Regards
Tania
Nippers
Nippers is now in full swing. Donald & I have been visiting the schools to try to promote Summerstrand. This month we visited St Georges, Clarendon, Herbert Hurd, Summerwood, Collegiate and Grey. Donald has put together a collage of photo’s from the various Nippers Carnivals. He adds music to make a DVD that captures the attention of the children. I have been adding a little bit of excitement for the children by showing them an Electric Iron box and asking them if they know what is inside. I compare this to the TV show “Fear Factor”. You never know what may be in store for you unless you are prepared to try it out. In the box I pull out some biscuits as well as some onions and old lemons. This seems to entertain the children and hopefully we will have some new recruits this month.
We hear that Paul Lynch from Sardinia Bay has been targeting the Swimming clubs like Big Blue and Aquabears. Personally I think that the rivalry that exists between Paul and our own Nippers is very healthy. Not so much as to which Club wins carnivals but more that it pushes us into trying to recruit new youngsters as well as improving the level of competition and achievement.
Summerstrand had their first 100 club of the season this month. I signed up for the year but did not win any prizes. As Barbara was away in East London, it was just Ally & myself. Ally has a group of friends who she met there. Caitlyn and Amber plus a whole group of the Nipper boys. It was good to see the Nippers Parents and coaches and to hear their enthusiastic feelings about the Carnival last week.
Energade Triathlon November 2006.
The first weekend of November was the Energade Triathlon. I was down at Hobie beach early, as I thought that the race started at 08.00 whereas it started at 09.00. As I drove to the start the heavens opened up and rain came pouring down. But by the time I got to Hobie it was a perfect morning again. The Sea looked flat and while there was a West wind blowing, it was not too bad. I did the registration thing and then met up with Ron. Once I had checked the bike into the transition area, he & I went for a Coffee at the Wimpy. Finally the time came for the race to start.
I met up with Mike Webb and Ian Thomson from Achilles. It was Mike’s first Tri. Ian is a good swimmer and was looking forward to the swim. I saw Rob Ermes there. He does well on the bike. Paddy Hogson from Nippers was there. It was also his first Tri. I greeted Rod, the ex professional American triathlete now turned pastor. He has moved back to PE after a stint in Cape Town. Tim, Herman, Tracey and Paula were doing the relay as were a number of the Ironmen competitors. Other Achilleans I saw were Comine & Martin Geirz, Adelle & Mark Hunter Smith, Garreth Jacobson, Chris Gedye, Greg Scott, Robin Fourie, Davera Magson and Pat Thomson who was not taking part due to a cold.
I was apprehensive but walked down to the beach. The Ladies went off first and then it was the Men. I was soon far behind the pack of swimmers but pressed on. I saw one swimmer (Trevor Hawkins) turn back and another few had to hold onto the safety craft. I was not stressed as I had swum steadily and was soon heading back to shore. With the swells behind us, the return was quite quick. The Relay swimmers came charging past us back markers like torpedo dolphins. I was not phased by this display of strength.
As I ran up the beach, it was good to hear Neil, Rene, Gaynor and other people I know cheering me on. Ian Ross was there. He normally runs these events but had just returned from the Augrabies Endurance event and was feeling flat. I think that I am the only participant who needs a stool to sit on to change my shoes. I am hopeless at bending down or sitting on the grass. So I put out a stool and sit down to change. I was soon on the bike and heading towards Noordhoek. I had started off with Herman but he dropped me like a hot coal.
I was quite surprised to see that I was able to overtake quite a number of the younger cyclists. The wind was in our faces from the University corner. As I rode past the Back Entrance to the University I saw that the names that I had painted on the road for this year’s Ironman were still visible. The returning riders seemed to fly back with the wind. I was able to lock onto small groups of two or three on the way out and this of course assisted me as I could use them to break the wind. I chatted to Justin who works with Robyn Steyn (MPRG) at E & Y Auditors. He had good things to say about her before he rode away from me. On the way back I rode with one of Michael’s school friends, Greg Wallace. Greg was the Hooker for the Grey first team when Michael was in Matric.
One of the real features of this event was the Road Closure. Last year had been a Nightmare as the Ski Boat trailers came past when the cyclists were riding in both directions. I saw Stanford Slabbert in the showers at Summerstrand later that day. He is the councilor for the Summerstrand area and I think had a part to play in securing the road closure. He reminded me of the time that Markus Burri had rescued him from a near tragedy when he had got into trouble on his paddle ski and was being washed out to sea.
Once back in transition I slipped my running shoes on and headed out on the run. It is a five kay run to the Summerstrand Inn and back. I find the first kay or two the toughest as my legs feel heavy after the cycle. Once I had a bit of a rhythm I was able to run at a good even stride and passed a number of runners. I enjoyed running on the new cycle track that is being built along the Promenade. This is an initiative of Donald McGillivray and my opinion is that this will transform PE into a sought after destination for active people.
Finally back at transition we received a cold drink and I packed up my stuff. I must remember to read the rules for next year’s event. There were all kinds of funny rules such as the colour of the swim cap; do you have to wear a shirt while swimming? Etc. Results were Raynard Tissink 7th; Ryan Peter 14th; Garreth 48 (2004=1:02; 2005=1:12 & 2006=1:04). Allan Campbell 77th, Mike Kingston 82 (2005=1:21 & 2006=1:08), Christoff Opperman 105, Davera 110 (2004=1:21; 2005=1:18 & 2006=1:11), Corne Du Toit 134, Jonti Daniel 149 (2005=1:17 & 2006=1:14), Heidi Jansen 186, Butch Oxenam 229, Adele HS 246, Ian Thomson 262, Martin Gierz 275, George Scott 277 (2004=1:29; 2005=1:35 & 2006=1:29), Rob Ermes 275, Peter Giddy 293 (2004=1:24; 2005=1:34 & 2006=1:32), Paddy Hodgson 303, Comine Gierz 308, Mike Webb 310 and Keith Harris 315 out of a possible 339.
In the over 55 category I was beaten by John Jones (64) and Colin McAll (56). In the team event: Robin Fourie and Llewelyn Clack came 11th, Paula Wilson and Roger Oakley were 15th, Tracey Brink’s team were 17th. Greg Scott was 19th, Herman’s team was 27th, Mark HS and John Offerman were 28th, Alan Taylor was 30th, Viv Bullock came 35th, Tim’s team was 46th and young Greg Wallace was placed 83rd out of a possible 122 teams.
The total of all participants for 2006 was 705 while last year there were 695 in total. I felt that PE had done themselves proud that Sunday morning. The spectator support was excellent, The organisation of the event was pretty much flawless and the spirit of the participants was great. In the individual event 2004=313; 2005=377 and 2006=339. In the team event 2004=84; 2005=109 and 2006=122. I think that one of the main reasons for the drop in numbers for the individual event was the decision of many of the registered triathletes and Ironmen to take part as teams.
Barbara & Gail were in East London this weekend. I had dropped Ally off with Lene who brought her down to Nippers as I was now too late fetch her as I had originally planned. Our Nippers session was small as I think that many would have been put off by the wind and earlier rain. Hannes & I enjoyed having the small group of nine children. We did some beach sprints, relays, swimming, boarding and finally flags. Despite the West wind flattening out the sea, there were some big swells and some real dumpers that scared the children.
Crossroads
On my way back from a business trip to East London I stopped off at the Crossroads Nursery near to Grahamstown again. I met Shane who is a recovering addict. He tells me that he and Ivo were friends. One time they were going to break into a house and Ivo somehow opted out. It was the final straw for Shane who was caught and send to prison for something like five years. He talks of car theft and other crimes he committed to sustain his drinking and drugging.
Ivo is now involved in trying to promote addiction recovery with John Preler in Port Elizabeth. Shane is serving his probation at this Crossroads Nursery. He tells me that he has still two years to go after which he plans to open a nursery of his own. I had asked Shane to put some Aloes aside for me. These are wonderful indigenous plants that grow very easily and require no tendering. In winter they produce red and yellow flowers. They grow wild in the fields of the East Cape farms. He had a few in some soft soil in the nursery and I chose two quite well established Aloes. I think that the one is an Aloe Vera and the other is a Krans Aloe with more spiky leaves.
Once I got them home I dug two fairly shallow holes on either side of our front gate and planted them there. I hope that they will produce some colour next winter. In any event I now feel that I am starting to become a gardener with the Yellow Wood and the Aloes. Keith had shown me some of the Acacias that he had planted in front of his garden in Johannesburg.
I am also going to try to establish a bit of indigenous gardening in our house. One of the things that Dawn had given Barbara was a Cycad. They had this beautiful old plant in a large clay pot. I am sure that this plant must be about 50 years old. Dawn also gave Barbara a lemon tree that had been in a pot. I am sure that if we plant this tree in the garden with the same kind of attention that I gave the Yellowwood, then we should be able to grow a substantial tree.
On the first Friday of November Barbara went to East London to visit Dawn & Richard. She took Gail and hired a trailer as she planned to bring some stuff to PE. Dawn and Richard plan to emigrate to Canada where their two daughters, Raylene and Tracey live with their families. Raylene and Steven moved to Calgary over ten years ago. Tracey and Mark with their two children, Asher and Kayle, moved to Calgary in 2005. Richard sold his Burglar Alarm Business to his long time partner, Neville.
Dawn teaches at Rhodes (Fort Hare) University in East London. She took a Sabbatical and they both went to Calgary earlier this year. Now they have determined to apply for permanent residence in Canada. Dawn is able to work at a University there and Richard seems like will be taking life a little easier for a while.
This week Ally had her Clarendon Grandparents day. It seems that this has been such a huge success in the past that the school decided to have a separate Parents day as too many parents were attending the Grandparents day. Barbara was busy at the School and I went alone. As I arrived I met up with John Kotze. His son Gregory attends the school as well. Both of us were amazed at the quality of the show that was presented to us.
The Grandparents day is put on by the “foundation stage” Grades one, two and three. There were about 300 children singing some of the old classics such as Itsy Bitsy Bikini. Then each grade had their own little show to put on for us. I felt quite emotional and proud as I saw Ally doing her thing on stage. Grade three put on this show of the hunters and tourists. Hunters not afraid of anything unless it was a snake, croc or elephant. Each time a hunter would be eaten or the tourists would “drive past”. The show was full of song and fun. This will be Ally’s last Grandparents day. Amber’s “Oumie” has been acting as a surrogate grandparent as Ena lives in Plett and could not be there over the past few years.
Ally had a visit to the Orthodontist and it seems will have to wear a plate to correct her one tooth which is out of position. This is the same orthodontist that Cathy visited when Dr. Moug left PE. Pieter Roux bought the practice from Moug.
Inter Regional Gala in East London.
Ally was chosen to represent EP in a swimming gala against Border (now called Aloes) in East London. Megan Derry came up with us. We left at 05.30 and got into EL three hours later. The gala was being held at the Joan Harrison pool. The children had to register that they were there and were handed a red golf shirt each. We found out that there was no program and it seems that the general administration of the day was to be less than we have come to expect from the galas that Ally has taken part in. Noel Pearson and Poppie from Biathlon had clip boards and looked like they knew what they were doing.
We sat with John and Cheryl Kotze. John’s sister, Tessa was there to support young Greg. It seems that they are farmers from the area. John tells me that his parents died when he was very young and he was brought up in foster homes. They lived on farms in Zimbabwe at the time. A number of the Nippers and parents were also there: Hannes Zeelie & Boys, Peter & Matthew Wilson, Anthony Cox, Chris Lange & Family, The Liss Family (Jessica is U11 and went on to break the SA record for individual medley) I hear that her mother was a springbok swimmer, Christy Vaughn whose dad Craig, was a Springbok diver. Christy herself is a real asset to her swimming team as well as to Nippers.
We spent the morning watching relays and a then it was Butterfly, Breaststroke, backstroke and individual medley. This was a lesson in Under Promise and Over Deliver. The organisers promised us that the event would finish at 14.00. We soon realised that this was no going to happen. I had a few sleeps on the bench, we had too much to eat. I had brought my costume and was able to have a swim during the morning. Ally met a new friend also Ally (Alexandra from Collegiate). Dawn came to the pool to add some family support. Dawn had been invigilating some exams that morning and had caught two students cheating with “crib notes”.
The lunch break ended at 14.15 and Ally immediately had her first swim of the day. It was Breaststroke and she came third in her heat. Megan also did okay in her heat. Once all the Breaststroke swimmers in all the various categories had had a swim then it was time for the freestyle and again Ally was first in line. She had a terrible start and was not able to recover enough to catch the third placed swimmer. As soon as she had completed her swim we left for home. It was now about 15.30. If the organisers had announced that they expected the gala to end at 17.00 then everyone would have understood the delays.
The PE people had a three hour drive ahead of them; The Springboks were playing rugby in Lansdowne Road in Ireland where they lost 30:15. They had poor defense, missing many first time tackling and played a “ponderous” game. The Irish played exciting, fast, thinking rugby and took advantage of every opportunity. Ally & Megan were invited to the Finestone bash and we dropped them there before heading home at last. The Derry’s offered to fetch at 22.00 and we were able to flop down on couches.
Joan Harrison swimming pool
I cannot resist putting this little bit of trivia into the story:
Born in 1935 of a swimming mother and a rugby-playing father in East London, South Africa, Joan Harrison wasted little time taking advantage of her sporting heritage. At 13, she already held three Jr. and two Sr. national records, and that year won the 220 and 500 yd. Senior Freestyle National Championships.
In 1950, at age 14, she won the 440 yd. freestyle at the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand, beating the old record by 13 seconds and finishing 7 seconds ahead of the field. It was her first international competition and she was declared the outstanding woman swimmer in the Games.
Her second International Games was the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, where she won South Africa's first and only Olympic gold medal for swimming. In 1954, at the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, she won two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze before retiring at the ripe old age of 17. She won the Helms Foundation Award for the best African athletic performance in any sport in 1952, and while concentrating on field hockey after 1954, she did manage to come back two more years to win the Nationals in her favorite 100 meter backstroke and in the 300 I. M. in 1956. She was South Africa's supreme swimmer in freestyle, backstroke and I.M. for six years. Joan married Charlie Breetzke in 1955. Charlie was also a Border swimmer and an Old Selbournian Rugby player. Joan represented Border in Hockey as well.
On Sunday morning it was back to Nippers after church. The weather did not look that good and I am sure that this must have scared some of the youngsters off. Those that came had a good morning. We played some games, did some exercises and even swam for a while. Then Donald set up the DVD in the hall and Chris gave us a bit of a talk on the upcoming Plett carnival and what we should expect. Ally went home with Lara and we went to Builders Warehouse to buy some bricks but were told that they do not stock the type that we are looking for.
During the week we managed to order the sand, bricks, cement etc for Builder Thomas. HE started on Friday and had soon dug the foundation trench, mixed the concrete and was ready to start laying the first bricks. Dawn & Richard visited us on their way to CT and we had a gathering of the Otter trail group with a Braai and watching the video that Rob had taken. On Saturday that week, SA lost to England at Twickenham 23-21. It was sad as we had been in front until the last few minutes of the game. That evening it was the Achilles dinner at the Old Cash store. We sat with Bob Stedman & Jean, Graham & Gail Channon, John & Cheryl Kotze and Gerald & Lynne Hoxley. On Sunday morning I met Ron for a cycle to Sacremento & back. Good to be back on the bike. Later on it was the last practice before the Plett carnival. The sea was quite rough with the southeaster blowing but we had a good morning. Ally had a Hip Hop practice immediately after Nippers. I was quite pleased to see that a few youngsters from the schools that we had visited were at Nippers practice. So all the effort was not lost.
We have started to build the back room for Barbara’s School. We have Thomas the builder, his brother Sam and assistant Funwell. They have made good progress, Built the walls, fitted the doors and window, tiled the floor and must fit the gutters and will soon be finished. Barbara had a year end function for the children and for the parents. I was not there but by all accounts was a huge success with about 60 people there to see their precious little ones.
Jacqui arrived from Cape Town for a Month’s visit. Little Emily is quite beautiful. She has adapted to the life in PE and appears to be at home with all these strangers. Hopefully she will soon accept us as well. Nicci and family arrived in PE to collect their car and will be leaving for Plett and then CT on Sunday 3rd December.
Here is my report on the Nippers Carnival that we had in Plett this month.
Nippers Plett Carnival 25 & 26 November 2006.
Under 10’s
The Build up
There had been a great deal of excitement and planning for this carnival. We had worked hard to train the Nippers at some of the more important and difficult of skills such as the Baton Hand over, The Malibu and the Body Board events as well as the team spirit. The coaches had tried to maintain some kind of record of the previous Carnival results as well as the results from the practice sessions. We met during the week to try to set out team for the four team events. It appeared that we would have sixteen u10 competitors if everyone was able to make it to the carnival. Everybody loves the Plett carnival. It is close enough for an easy drive and yet it is a mini holiday for us all.
Friday
On Friday afternoon Barbara, Ally and I took the afternoon off and drove through to Knysna where our son, Michael had recently moved. He showed us around the shop that he was managing and we had a look at the flat that he was renting. His family is still located in PE and will be moving there in a few weeks. It had not been a pleasant drive as the rain had fallen continuously and this made for tough driving conditions. There was a strong wind blowing and we were concerned for the conditions the next day.
My Mother, Ena lives in Plett and we stayed there for the night. Ena is 90 years old, struggles with eyesight and yet lives a full life on her own in a large flat in the main road of Plett. She tells me how she gets to Woolworths in the Market Square. She walks there and then when she has completed her shopping she stands at the traffic light and hitch hikes a lift up the hill. While she is doing her shopping she cannot really see what she is buying and the prices. But she tells us that everyone seems to know her and the local shopkeepers and staff are always most helpful in assisting her shopping trips. When she has to go any distance she seems to be offered lifts by her friends and so she makes a very good life for herself in Plett.
Saturday
On Saturday morning Ena made us a breakfast of Bacon & Eggs and we were early on our way to the beach. We found our tent and soon had ourselves installed for the morning. The coaches tried to do some kind of a roll call to see who was there and were delighted to find we had a full team of 16 u10 nippers. The day was due to start with a managers meeting at 11.00am sharp but somehow the time was blunted to some degree and we must have started something like a half hour late.
The Carnival
The first event for the day was the Taplin Relay. This is an event which encourages participation and binds teams together. The event has a run, swim, body board and malibu (long) board section. There are four to a team so everyone participates. We had four full teams and soon established ourselves as a force to be reckoned with, as our teams came first, third, fourth and tenth.
There was an Easterly wind blowing and while not strong, it was enough to make the surf quite rough and the Plett Central beach is known for the large beach breaks. These waves loom above the Nippers as they try to manouver their craft through the surf. Fortunately Anthony Cox “allows” us to assist this age group through the waves. Once they are through the breakers they are on their own and have to go around two buoys and then back to shore. Often their return trip is just as scary as they have these huge waves threaten to swamp them from behind.
The second event of the day was the Flags. This is an extemely tiring event as the nippers have to run up and down trying to retrieve the flag. The sand was hot and soft and hardly ideal conditions for a sprint. If a Nipper does not retreive a flag they are eliminated. If you think that being eliminated from the “Weakest Link” is tough, then just watch the dissapointment on the faces of these youngsters. And yet knowing that they have a huge probability of being eliminated they still persist and take part in the game. This takes guts and builds character.
The Coaches
One of the toughest tasks of the coach is to round up the Nippers for the next event. Understandably the Nipper must use the toilet, go for a cooling off swim, buy hamburgers, ice cream and other delectables and generally make themselves as difficult as possible to locate. Then having found them the coach has to persuade the Nipper that they should take part in the next event. There is often reluctance to participate where the event is tough and they are not likely to end up a top finisher. We hear that they are “saving their energy” for some future event. Or that they have asthma, sunburn, breathing problems etc etc. The coach must then explain that participation is everything and that often even a 20th position wins points for the team.
The coaches know that winning events requires numbers of participants. Merely having the top three does not guarantee a win in the event. We need as many participants as possible in the event to secure a win. Barbara was given the task of recording results for the u10s. She coped exceptionally well except for the Flags finals where she somehow missed the event and so we only recorded who was in the finals. We do know however that Lara won the girls event and that Tristan was placed third.
Another duty of coaches and of adults in general is that they must provide safety for the U10’s. This means that they must do a huge amount of swimming back and forth from the nippers going out through the surf to returning back with the breakers. In particular I saw Charles and Clint doing their fair share of the work. They must have been exhausted after two days of swimming.
Terry asked me how it was that I became a coach. Well if the truth be known; I am a self appointed coach with little or no experience as a lifesaver. But I love seeing both my own and other children having such incredible fun in a beach sport. Personally I enjoy being part of this group of people and am steadily getting to know which parents belong to which child as well as the names of the variety of people who I see each weekend. This weekend I was able to get to know Tristan’s mom, Tanya. I remembered that Terry’s wife is Caryn. I am now able to distinguish between Hannelie, Dianne and Charlene and know that they are married to Johnny, Chris and Craig respectively. I think that Clint finally knows my name and can now stop calling me “there”. As in: “Hello There”.
The Plett carnival is held at the same time as the Matric Plett Rave. As the Matrics of South Africa complete their exams at this time they think that they have now qualified to legally drink, smoke, Party, enter Miss Wet T-shirt competitions and that the word is at their feet. The coaches have to be vigilant as this bevy of beautiful bodies try to disrupt the carnival generally.
Courage
During the day we witnessed a number of feats of courage. Matthew H was about to start the Malibu event when he asked Hannes “Sir: what are we supposed to do with this board”. Then there was Maurice who, last year had hardly ventured into the surf past his waist and this year was taking part in every possible event. Natalie had a tough experience as she tried to get past the breaking waves but fortunately had Patrick there to assist her and she agreed that this was something that she would work on for the next carnival. Caitlin and Connor battled though the events but there was nothing that they was not keen and eager to complete.
Both Matthew W and Kim were wiped out on Malibus while trying to push through surf but persisted and finished strongly. This year Ally has improved in leaps and bounds as she was well placed in a number of events. Then there was a little girl from Mossel Bay. She had never had to go so deep into the sea. She was very scared of sharks. And yet when I swam around the buoys with her on the body board, she managed to complete the event and has set herself up for a further six years of Nippers participation.
It is wonderful for the coaches to see the way that the Nippers support their team mates. It is not all about me and my own results but just as much about cheering on and supporting the teams and club. The Nipper learns to accept defeat while striving to be part of a winning team. There was only one u10 Bluewater bay Nipper. This young chap continued to participate in the events on his own.
Should the Nipper take part in all the events of the day then they would have done seven tough events on the first day of this carnival. Taplin, Flags, Body Board Individual, Surf Swim, Beach Sprints, Malibu Relays and Body Board Relays. By the time that the last event had ben run it was about 17.00.
Saturday evening
Nippers and adults alike were all completely exhausted. On this particular afternoon the Springbok rugby team was playing in the third of a series of three games in the UK. We had lost to Ireland and then to England and today had the opportunity to redeem ourselves against the English. Barbara, Ally & I went up to Ena’s flat for tea and a shower.
We had booked for supper at the Moby Dick Restaurant at 6.00pm. By the time we got to the restaurant, the Springboks had beaten the English. Everyone seemed in a positive mood after our strong showing at Nippers as well as the good rugby results. At the Moby Dick restaurant they had a special set menu which we had. We sat with Charles, Ingrid, Hannes, Jacqui, Lynne and Alex. The adults ordered a few beverages to wash away some of the sun and sand of the day. This seemed to ease the way for some quite enthusiatic and animated discussions around a variety of unimportant subjects.
There was a little group of girls who seemed to have a ball as they discussed the days events and other important stuff. At another table there was a group of Nipper Boys. They looked like a mini street gang in the way that they related to each other. It was great to see them enjoying themselves so much. The waitress did a wonderful job with all these families and youngsters running around. We were all extemely tired and by 9.00pm headed off home to bed.
Sunday
On Sunday morning we were first at the beach and were soon setting up the tent and organising the boards which Plett had allowed us to store in their club house overnight. Again this morning the sharp time slot was a little blunted but by 9.00am the first event was under way. We started the morning with a long run. The under tens showed that we meant business at this carnival. The sun was hot overhead today. I think that a number of people must have been sunburnt.
There were six events for the under tens on Sunday. Long Run, Run-Swim-Run; Beach Relay finals; Malibu Board individual; Beach Sprint Finals and Flags Finals. If you were in an older group there was also the Iron/Diamond Nipper event where the individual has to swim, run, body board and then malibu board. We were pleased to see that there was a great deal of courage in the under 12’s in particular as some of them such as Ian and others had only recently joined Nippers and yet took part in this grueling event. Peter Wilson had been worried that there may not be sufficient activity to warrant the trip to Plett. I am certain that after a Carnival like this, there is no doubt that there is nothing but continuous activity from Start to Finish.
The u10’s had a bit of bad luck as one of our Body Board Relay teams was disqualified when we failed to touch hands at the change over point. However I was particularly proud of the beach relay teams when not one baton was dropped. Hannes noticed that we had not had a perfect change over as we had stood too far back for the relay change over.
Fortunately was had a brief photo session first thing that morning as the last event was the Flags finals. Those nippers who were not in the finals or who were eliminated packed up and left. If we are to keep interest high to the last then we need to have an event where everyone participates such as the long run as the very last event. By the time the Flags Finals was in progress we had managed to locate most of the craft and had secured the trailer so Barbara, Ally & I decided to call it a day. Our under tens had aquitted themselves above expectations. We had experienced courage, character and stamina that a sergeant major in the army would have enjoyed.
On our drive home Ally quickly passed out on the back seat while I drank a Red Bull to try to stay sharp. The drive was quick and uneventful as Barbara & I munched away at the sandwiches that Ena had prepared for us. As much as we love going to the Plett Carnival, just so much do we love getting home.
I have recorded the weekend as I saw it. If I have left out stuff that you think is important or if I have made mistakes in results etc, then just let me know please. I know that Wendy and others have a good photographic record of the weekend and look forward to seeing what they have to show us.
Below are the results. The under tens can be particularly proud of their performance. The u14s beat Plett by 50points, the u12s beat Plett by 7 Points and the u10’s beat Plett by 144 Points. At the same Carnival last year the U10’s were the only SS team that did not beat the Sardinia Bay team.
Peter
082 550 3174
pgiddy@hinet.co.za
Hi All
Well done SSLC! Thanks to the effort that so many families made to get to Plett, we won thew carnival. In fact, for the first time in my time at nippers, we won all three age groups!!!! That is fantastic! We only managed to that thanks to the support of a large away team of 48 nippers. We saw some amazing performances, not only from our awesome top nippers, but also from the hardworking group of nippers!
Before I give the complete results, please take note of the next important point. We cannot have the end-of-year party on Thursday, as originally planned. There is a clash at the club. We therefore have to move the party to Friday, 01 Dec. All the other arrangements will remain i.e. 100 club, snacks, party packs and boerie rolls for nippers and so on. I apologise for the inconvenience, but hope you can all still join us to celebrate the season so far!
Herewith the complete results:
Overall
6 Seagull
5 BWB 108
4 Mossel Bay 117
3 Sards 826
2 Plett 867,5
1 SSLC 1102,5
Age Groups
U10 U12 U14
3 Plett 227,5 Sards 326 Sards 229
2 Sards 271 Plett 357 Plett 283
1 SSLC 415 SSLC 364 SSLC 323
Victor: Matthew Mcgillivray(SSLC) CJ Velleman(SSLC)_ Cameron Neubert (SSLC)
Victrix: Christie Vaughn(SSLC) Lauren Billson (SSLC) Jessica Roux (Sards)
We will have our last practice before the holidays on Sunday 03 Dec. Hope to see you all on Friday!
Regards
Lee
Hi Peter – thank you for documenting our thoughts on the Plett Nipper Carnival – A post mortem carried out immediately after the event while everyting is still fresh in our minds is always good.
I agree with all of the points made below and will get a forum together possibly with Sards and Blue Water Bay to discuss these points and agree on the implementation of them at our next Summies Carnival.
Plett and Ant Cox have already requested that our Summerstrand carnival runs over two days like the Plett carnival. We will need to think very carefully about the beach setup if we host our carnival at Pollok – we had the most successful carnival running at Pollok 2 years ago and had two arenas running together and things went like clockwork (we were also blessed with beautiful weather – which does help considerably with the water events)
We will talk on Thursday evening at our end of year function and put in an official letter to East Cape regarding our suggestions.
Thanks a million – have a great day.
Best regards
Don
From: Peter Giddy [mailto:pgiddy@hinet.co.za] Sent: 27 November 2006 06:03 AMTo: DONALD MCGILLIVRAYSubject: A FEW NIPPERS THOUGHTS 27.11.2006.
Morning Donald
Apologies for our sudden departure on Sunday but when the u10s had completed the final event it was as if a Tsunami of exhaustion hit our family.
Our Carnival 21 January 2007.
A couple of thoughts that we had:
Scorers
The official scorers should be given triplicate A4 books in which they write the events and results. Perhaps the result sheets should be signed by the scorer and one other before being handed into the administration office.
We should have a computer set up in the Clubhouse where we have the administration and where we can enter results into a Spreadsheet for immediate access to points totals.
We could then give provisional results at stages during the day.
We should give the beach scorers chairs and a TV table at which they sit.
Numbering
The Plett officials had squares with numbers 1 to 20 to hand to the children as they completed an event. I think that we should have a number of these sets but that the numbering should continue to 30 or 40. This would mean that the slower child is not shoved aside as a non finisher. They also have the dignity of being recorded and acknowledged as having taken part.
Starting on Saturday
For our own Carnival in January; I think that it would be great if we could start on the Saturday. We could offer the Plett and other away teams “home hosting”. Realistically if we are able to start on a Sunday at 08.00am and we must finish at 14.00pm the most events we can complete is about 8. If we are only able to have our carnival on Sunday then we should set out the schedule of events that allows for a limited number of events and not one which includes the list that Plett was able to fit into the two days. Even holding three or four events on Saturday afternoon would help.
Final Event:
As we discussed on Sunday; If the final event has limited numbers then we will see a dispersing of Nippers and Parents as we did on Sunday. We should try to make the last one or two events ones where all the Nippers have the opportunity to participate. The Long Run is probably the most suitable as it does not depend on the surf conditions.
Opening Event.
The Taplin was an excellent opening event as every child was able to take part and this set the tone for the carnival and helped build the teams.
Rope and tape
We will need rope and tape to mark out the exact start and finish lines and the Flags start and finish. It was not clear at Plett where the change over line was for the Beach Relay. Perhaps this was due to our having “borrowed” the rope from Plett. We should also have a few extra lengths for our own tent in case the weather is as good as it was for Plett.
Clearing the arena
We should have some Candy Tape. During an event such as the Taplin where there are a number of people going in and out of the water; we give a length to a Person standing in the water and lead it across to another person standing near to the start or finish. This would help in controlling traffic of passers by.
See you Thursday
Peter
27.11.2006.
Hi Peter
I am impressed with your report and how soon we received it!
We had a lovely week-end, and I was pleased to have met you.
The Nipper experience is an exceptional one. So many things stand out. The parents and competitors give amazing support not only to those who achieve, but also to the last competitor that crosses the finishing line. The hugs and words of encouragement from coaches, parents and fellow competitors. The obvious love for children, the patience and support the Nipper coaches have.
I am so pleased that we joined!
Regards
Tania
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