Read more of president report
The events are now becoming so many that I cannot report on all in detail but I want to highlight the most important events of the year.
In August 2010 Tshepo Modikwe made the much needed break thru for South African skating. The 16 year old Tshepo participated in the Padova Grand Prix in Italy and won 3 gold one siver and one bronze medal. World Inline Coach lead by Christophe and Nathalie Audoire sponsored Tshepo’s flight ticket and the Bagnolini family from Bologna hosted Tshepo during his stay in Italy.
With the success of Tshepo’s padova Grand Prix fresh in everybodies minds 4 South African skaters travelled to World Champpionship in Colombia. I accompanied the team as manager and coach. We worked very hard during the year and it was great to assist them in this important event. The skaters made remarkable improvements in their placements and times and it is encouraging to see our skaters leading in races and reaching semi finals . The team had many top 15 placemetns and I am sure we will see them in the top ten in 2011.
Niki Stander and Adriaan Haasbroek were selected to officiate at the championship and Nabuweya Abrahams were selected to do her international examination. Nabuweya impressed the examiners with her knowledge and passed with no difficulty. The examiner made a point of telling me how well she did. I am very proud of her and as always Niki and Riaan did a splendid job on the track. Our judges are becoming a vital part of the world championship officiating and with continious service at world championship we hope to have a chief referee from South Africa in the near future.
As the year drew to a close we got even more busy. December was filled by the African championship, a talent identification and national training camp and coaches training courses.
African Championship
THE 2010 African Inline Speed championship was a huge success. With entries from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa the championship was organised in Mandela Village, Hammanskraal.
This was the first African championship in 8 years and African skaters were delighted to be able to compete in the Continental championship again.
Thanks to a grant from the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund, we hosted the event from 10 – 12th December 2010. The City of Tshwane assisted with the emergency services and the venue.
The opening ceremony on the 10th December was attended by the deputy minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa, the hon. Mr. Gert Oosthuizen and various dignitaries. Local skaters gave a figure skating performance, ball room dancers performed and the local Itireleng pre school children delighted the spectators with their performance.
Two of the entered countries could unfortunately not compete but skaters from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa made the most of the opportunity to participate and meet other African skaters. For most of the countries it was their first exposure to skaters from other countries and they grabbed the opportunity to learn as much as possible.
South Africa now has 5 International qualified judges and under their control the championship was executed in a very professional manner.
A very strong South African team participated against the visiting African countries. Four of the South African team members just returned from World championship in Colombia where they performed exceptionally well. The South African team of 9 skaters was the most experience and won nearly all the medals. The team members were: Ubakeng Boikanyo, Brian Baloyi, Koketso Makhudu, Tshepo Modikwe, Sandile Peyi and Karabo Molepo in the Senior Men and Tumelo Moteme, Duduzile Tshabalala and Kedibone Legote in the Senior Ladies Section.
Talent identification and national training camp
Only two days after the African championship we had the privilege to have Wouter Hebbrecht and Sara Sayasane in South Africa for a month of coaching. Wouter and Sara lead training sessions for the National Training camp where coaches and the top 25 skaters in the country were invited for a week of intensive coaching and lectures.
The focus were on:
a. The improvement of technique and fitness.
b. Assisting all the coaches in the country to get skaters on good training programs.
c. To get up to date on the latest training techniques of the top coaches in the world.
d. Consolidate all the coaching techniques and knowledge to improve the level of SA skaters.
e. Empower the young talented skaters with knowledge and examples of good training techniques and training programs.
Two practical training sessions were done per day with focus on
The assessment of each individual skater’s current performance
Basic training program fundamentals & Technique training – video analysis
Fitness training & Strength training
Specialist were brought in to lecture on
Nutrition and supplements, Sport Psychology – Motivation, setting of goals and competition stress
Life skills and dealing with the media
The dedication, passion and enthusiasm in which the skaters participated in the training were astonishing and the skaters made remarkable progress in the short time. Some training sessions the skaters kept going for up to 4 hours. Sara and Wouter were unstoppable and very impressed with the skaters and coaches willingness to work.
Coaches training
Following the training camp Sara and Wouter travelled to different Provinces and did further training for coaches and skaters. It was amazing to have 2 skaters of such high calibre in the country for such a long time and the skaters learnt a lot not only concerning the technique and fitness of champion but also about the humble and kind nature of these wonderful champions. Level one training of coaches both practical and theory was conducted in Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga .
Sara and Wouter were only gone for one month when Elisabeth Schrenk and Mathieu Grandgirard arrive. Elisabeth and Mathieu are both sought after coaches and very famous ex skaters. They spent a few days coaching skaters in Gauteng and Western Cape.
Elizabeth Schrenk developed a training course for judges in Austria that comply with all international and European standards. We are currently negotiating to adapt the training program for use in South Africa.
Judges training and grading
Judges training and grading courses were conducted in Gauteng with participants from Kathorus, Northern Gauteng clubs, North West and Modimolle. We now have ongoing training of new judges and continuation of further levels of training for existing judges .
Judges were selected from all provinces to further their practical training at 2010 Africa championship in December.
Training and grading of new judges were done in Cape Town in February.
Athletes assistance
The ongoing support to out top 10 elite skaters are making a huge difference in their performances. The benefit of nutritional supplements and regular training with a coach and strong skaters on a weekly basis have produced good results .
Club development
Open days were hosted in Modimolle, Graskop and Sabie. Two of the tree clubs are now functioning and the Sabie club participated in the 2011 SA championship. We received new beginner equipment thru SRSA finance and the skates were distributed to clubs. Unfortunately Lydia from Modimolle had a stroke and could not continue with the club but we are negotiating with the remaining members to take over the running of the club.
2011 South African Championship
The 35th South African Speed Roller skating championship 2011 can only be described as the most amazing success. With 160 skaters from 6 provinces and 18 clubs represented it is the biggest championship to date thanks to SRSA Tourism funds.
The road championship on Sunday the 3rd April took place in Mandela Village, Hammanskraal. The stands were once again packed with enthusiastic spectators shouting louder than the blaring vuvuzelas. The crowd cheered the skaters on to great performances. 39 Races finals were skated and SA records were broken in 23 of the races. It is great to see skaters going out and breaking records in so many races.
On the 5th April the official opening ceremony was attended by very high profile persons from SASCOC, SRSA, the Gauteng Government and the City of Tshwane. Councillor Dau, MMC for Sports Recreation, Arts and Culture of the City of Tshwane delivered the opening address and praised Roller Sport for the well organised championship in the city of champions.
On the 2 nights of track racing the skaters kept on breaking records and in some sections the first 3 skaters did so. Northern Gauteng is dominated in most of the sections. The Junior Men skated world class races with Ubakeng Boikanyo, Tshepo Modikwe and Karabo Molepo re writing the record books. Every sprint race in this section ended in a photo finish. On the long distances Koketso Makhudu stepped into the picture and finished close second to the great champion Tshepo Modikwe.
The junior ladies are not letting the men take all the shine, the duo of Tumelo Moteme and Duduzile Tshabalala broke the record in every race they skated. Senior skaters Brian Baloyi, Tshepo Kekana and Phemelo Mojolwane dominate all the races. In the under 15 section Kamogelo Sebande and Luyanda Magcai dominated. Bridget Sebothoma, Mamello Seema and Samuel Elias are others who surprised everybody with their good results.
In the beginner sections Peter Tshenkeng, Boy Boy Masilela were on a mission of winning their races and breaking records. The first time participating club from Sabie surprised everybody with Casey and Karen Taphira winning many races.
SA Team trials
SA Championship Junior and Senior medal winners were invited to attend trials for the SA team to participate in World championship. Eleven skaters participated in the trials and seven skaters reached the very tough qualifying times. One skater were given an extension till the end of July to qualify.
European Cup event and Belgian Grand Prix
Following the SA championship a team of skaters were selected to represent RSSA in European Cup event in June and July.
As per our business plan we selected some skaters from the age groups and our elite skaters in Junior and Senior to participate. The following skaters were included in the team: Ntando Morifi – under 13, Kamogelo Sebande and Luyanda Magcai - under 15,
Tumelo Moteme and Duduzile Tshabalala – Junior ladies, Karabo Molepo, Tshepo Modikwe, Ubakeng Boikanyo, Koketso Makhudu, Sandile Peyi – Junior Men and Brian Baloyi and Phemelo Mojolwane – Senior men
The team departed in 2 groups, the first group on the 15th June accompanied by Meriam Monama and the second group on the 22nd June with me.
The first group of skaters participated in the European Cup competition in Haulerwijk, Netherlands. Unfortunately they were off to a difficult start with rain the entire weekend and having to skate in freezing cold and rain. They still did well considering the conditions and very stiff competition.
The team joined up in Berlin, Germany for the 2nd European Cup event. Many world and European champions participated but our skaters did great. Luyanda Magcai achieved the first placement for the team by finishing 3rd in the 500m. Many of the skaters qualified for semi finals and finals. This is the break thru we have been waiting for.
Funds from SRSA ensured that Adriaan Haasbroek could travel to Haulerwijk and Berlin to learn more about the processing of the times from the electronic timing equipment to the determination of heats, semi finals and finals. In Berlin he was assistant referee one of the worlds best referees; Barbara Fisher. Riaan learnt a lot and obtained new software programs to use at future competitions.
We met one of South Africa’s best athletes in our hotel, discuss thrower, Elizna Naude, she enjoyed spending time with our team and came to support them both days of the championship. A few hours after the Berlin competition we were off to Austria on a night train. Not the best night of sleep for a tired team but it got us there. We had a 3 day training camp with Elisabeth Schrenk and Austrian skaters. The skaters became good friends and everybody benefited from training together.
On the 30th June we were on our way to Hungary for the Tatabanya European cup. Three hundred skaters from 15 countries were entered in the competition and it was amazing to see the high standard of skating from kids from the age of 5. The competition was very hard but our skaters did fantastic. The following skaters won medals:
Cadet Boys combined sprints: Luyanda 3rd
Junior Men B: Ubakeng 2nd in combined sprints and 3rd in combined long distances
Junior Ladies A: Tumelo 1st in combined sprints and 2nd in combined long distances
Junior B relays: Ubakeng with 2 Belgium skaters 1st
Junior A relays: Karabo, Tshepo, Sandile – 2nd
It was great to see how the skaters improved and gained valuable racing confidence and experience.
On the 4th we were off to Vienna for training again before leaving to our final competition in Tienen, Belgium. The Belgium competition was also very hard and the Junior A section was combined with the Senior making it very difficult the Junior A skaters. Our skaters did fantastic in this competition
Luyanda winning all 4 his races in the Cadetts and the overall title
Duduzile winning 3 of her 4 races in the Cadettes and the overall title
Ubi winning 2 of the 4 races in the Junior B and finishing 2nd in the overall
Apart from the medals, the over all improvement, technique and conduct of the whole team can be applauded. They were true ambassadors for the country and popular wherever we travelled.
It was a great experience but by no means easy. We were never in one place for more than 4 days and travelling with 13 persons and 26 pieces of luggage to 5 different countries with different languages, competing in 4 competitions is not easy.
MEETINGS:
Apart from all the events I also attended the SASCOC general meeting, the Presidents council, CIC general meeting, FIRS general meeting and the FIRS executive meeting.
The Executive meeting of FIRS was held at the same time as the World Artistic championship in Portimao, Portugal. As always it was wonderful to see the artistic/figure skating championship. I had a great time meeting up with long time friends and everybody wants to see us back in international competitions. The meeting of the Executive Board was a marathon of 10 hours with a one hour break. The most significant issues discussed and decided upon is the change in the Junior age group categories for speed World championship where Junior will now be 15 – 19 years of age and a suggestion to have the world championship every 2 years, which was not accepted.
We visited Cape Town and the planning of the 2012 SA Open has started and the city of Cape Town is eager to assist us to host the event. It remains a challenge to find a suitable venue but the dates have been set as the 30th March – 1st April 2012. There is a big interest from International skaters and I am sure it is going to be a huge event. I urge all the teams to work hard to bring their best skaters to the championship.
THE FUTURE: “A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline" Harvey Mackay
Let’s set clear goals and put plans in place to achieve them.
There is 4 weeks of intensive training left before world championship and I am optimistic that we will see our skaters reaching their goals. Wouter Hebbrecht will arrive shortly to help the skaters with the final preparations.
Roller Sports is growing and changing locally and internationally and new disciplines are included in the FIRS family, in December 2010 Inline slalom and Roller Derby was included. Roller Derby is a fast growing sport with a huge spectator following in the USA we were approached by the local Roller Derby league asking for affiliation, we will investigate how best to accommodate them. A Northern Gauteng club have started with inline slalom and were assisted by the Olympian Alex Heath from Snow skiing. They also got the opportunity to ski with Alex on the artificial slopes in Johannesburg. Perhaps we have an up and coming skiing star in our midst.
I am delighted to announce that we received a substantial grant in aid from SRSA for 2011/2012 and our application from the NLDTF for 2010/11 was also successful. With the confirmation of the funds we will have an even more successful future.
Thank you very much for all the hard work from all our volunteer administrators, coaches and judges. A special thanks to all the people running the clubs who face challenges every day and thank you to all the skaters who train every day to bring us closer to our World medals goals. It is hard and sometimes the dream is vague but we will get there.
A special word of thanks to Meriam Monama for her help in the office, Celeste Richards for help with all the documents and Shaun van Biljon who handles the finance. With the increased amount of grants we receive the work load of the bookkeeping is drastically increasing and Shaun is spending a huge amount of time to do all the work. Thank you.
I conclude with a quote from one of my heroes, "When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn of the heat"- Nelson Mandela.
Let’s not turn of the heat now, let’s keep the wheels rolling. I wish you success in all your upcoming events and projects.
Wendy Gila
30.07.2011
In August 2010 Tshepo Modikwe made the much needed break thru for South African skating. The 16 year old Tshepo participated in the Padova Grand Prix in Italy and won 3 gold one siver and one bronze medal. World Inline Coach lead by Christophe and Nathalie Audoire sponsored Tshepo’s flight ticket and the Bagnolini family from Bologna hosted Tshepo during his stay in Italy.
With the success of Tshepo’s padova Grand Prix fresh in everybodies minds 4 South African skaters travelled to World Champpionship in Colombia. I accompanied the team as manager and coach. We worked very hard during the year and it was great to assist them in this important event. The skaters made remarkable improvements in their placements and times and it is encouraging to see our skaters leading in races and reaching semi finals . The team had many top 15 placemetns and I am sure we will see them in the top ten in 2011.
Niki Stander and Adriaan Haasbroek were selected to officiate at the championship and Nabuweya Abrahams were selected to do her international examination. Nabuweya impressed the examiners with her knowledge and passed with no difficulty. The examiner made a point of telling me how well she did. I am very proud of her and as always Niki and Riaan did a splendid job on the track. Our judges are becoming a vital part of the world championship officiating and with continious service at world championship we hope to have a chief referee from South Africa in the near future.
As the year drew to a close we got even more busy. December was filled by the African championship, a talent identification and national training camp and coaches training courses.
African Championship
THE 2010 African Inline Speed championship was a huge success. With entries from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa the championship was organised in Mandela Village, Hammanskraal.
This was the first African championship in 8 years and African skaters were delighted to be able to compete in the Continental championship again.
Thanks to a grant from the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund, we hosted the event from 10 – 12th December 2010. The City of Tshwane assisted with the emergency services and the venue.
The opening ceremony on the 10th December was attended by the deputy minister of Sport and Recreation South Africa, the hon. Mr. Gert Oosthuizen and various dignitaries. Local skaters gave a figure skating performance, ball room dancers performed and the local Itireleng pre school children delighted the spectators with their performance.
Two of the entered countries could unfortunately not compete but skaters from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and South Africa made the most of the opportunity to participate and meet other African skaters. For most of the countries it was their first exposure to skaters from other countries and they grabbed the opportunity to learn as much as possible.
South Africa now has 5 International qualified judges and under their control the championship was executed in a very professional manner.
A very strong South African team participated against the visiting African countries. Four of the South African team members just returned from World championship in Colombia where they performed exceptionally well. The South African team of 9 skaters was the most experience and won nearly all the medals. The team members were: Ubakeng Boikanyo, Brian Baloyi, Koketso Makhudu, Tshepo Modikwe, Sandile Peyi and Karabo Molepo in the Senior Men and Tumelo Moteme, Duduzile Tshabalala and Kedibone Legote in the Senior Ladies Section.
Talent identification and national training camp
Only two days after the African championship we had the privilege to have Wouter Hebbrecht and Sara Sayasane in South Africa for a month of coaching. Wouter and Sara lead training sessions for the National Training camp where coaches and the top 25 skaters in the country were invited for a week of intensive coaching and lectures.
The focus were on:
a. The improvement of technique and fitness.
b. Assisting all the coaches in the country to get skaters on good training programs.
c. To get up to date on the latest training techniques of the top coaches in the world.
d. Consolidate all the coaching techniques and knowledge to improve the level of SA skaters.
e. Empower the young talented skaters with knowledge and examples of good training techniques and training programs.
Two practical training sessions were done per day with focus on
The assessment of each individual skater’s current performance
Basic training program fundamentals & Technique training – video analysis
Fitness training & Strength training
Specialist were brought in to lecture on
Nutrition and supplements, Sport Psychology – Motivation, setting of goals and competition stress
Life skills and dealing with the media
The dedication, passion and enthusiasm in which the skaters participated in the training were astonishing and the skaters made remarkable progress in the short time. Some training sessions the skaters kept going for up to 4 hours. Sara and Wouter were unstoppable and very impressed with the skaters and coaches willingness to work.
Coaches training
Following the training camp Sara and Wouter travelled to different Provinces and did further training for coaches and skaters. It was amazing to have 2 skaters of such high calibre in the country for such a long time and the skaters learnt a lot not only concerning the technique and fitness of champion but also about the humble and kind nature of these wonderful champions. Level one training of coaches both practical and theory was conducted in Gauteng, Western Cape, Mpumalanga .
Sara and Wouter were only gone for one month when Elisabeth Schrenk and Mathieu Grandgirard arrive. Elisabeth and Mathieu are both sought after coaches and very famous ex skaters. They spent a few days coaching skaters in Gauteng and Western Cape.
Elizabeth Schrenk developed a training course for judges in Austria that comply with all international and European standards. We are currently negotiating to adapt the training program for use in South Africa.
Judges training and grading
Judges training and grading courses were conducted in Gauteng with participants from Kathorus, Northern Gauteng clubs, North West and Modimolle. We now have ongoing training of new judges and continuation of further levels of training for existing judges .
Judges were selected from all provinces to further their practical training at 2010 Africa championship in December.
Training and grading of new judges were done in Cape Town in February.
Athletes assistance
The ongoing support to out top 10 elite skaters are making a huge difference in their performances. The benefit of nutritional supplements and regular training with a coach and strong skaters on a weekly basis have produced good results .
Club development
Open days were hosted in Modimolle, Graskop and Sabie. Two of the tree clubs are now functioning and the Sabie club participated in the 2011 SA championship. We received new beginner equipment thru SRSA finance and the skates were distributed to clubs. Unfortunately Lydia from Modimolle had a stroke and could not continue with the club but we are negotiating with the remaining members to take over the running of the club.
2011 South African Championship
The 35th South African Speed Roller skating championship 2011 can only be described as the most amazing success. With 160 skaters from 6 provinces and 18 clubs represented it is the biggest championship to date thanks to SRSA Tourism funds.
The road championship on Sunday the 3rd April took place in Mandela Village, Hammanskraal. The stands were once again packed with enthusiastic spectators shouting louder than the blaring vuvuzelas. The crowd cheered the skaters on to great performances. 39 Races finals were skated and SA records were broken in 23 of the races. It is great to see skaters going out and breaking records in so many races.
On the 5th April the official opening ceremony was attended by very high profile persons from SASCOC, SRSA, the Gauteng Government and the City of Tshwane. Councillor Dau, MMC for Sports Recreation, Arts and Culture of the City of Tshwane delivered the opening address and praised Roller Sport for the well organised championship in the city of champions.
On the 2 nights of track racing the skaters kept on breaking records and in some sections the first 3 skaters did so. Northern Gauteng is dominated in most of the sections. The Junior Men skated world class races with Ubakeng Boikanyo, Tshepo Modikwe and Karabo Molepo re writing the record books. Every sprint race in this section ended in a photo finish. On the long distances Koketso Makhudu stepped into the picture and finished close second to the great champion Tshepo Modikwe.
The junior ladies are not letting the men take all the shine, the duo of Tumelo Moteme and Duduzile Tshabalala broke the record in every race they skated. Senior skaters Brian Baloyi, Tshepo Kekana and Phemelo Mojolwane dominate all the races. In the under 15 section Kamogelo Sebande and Luyanda Magcai dominated. Bridget Sebothoma, Mamello Seema and Samuel Elias are others who surprised everybody with their good results.
In the beginner sections Peter Tshenkeng, Boy Boy Masilela were on a mission of winning their races and breaking records. The first time participating club from Sabie surprised everybody with Casey and Karen Taphira winning many races.
SA Team trials
SA Championship Junior and Senior medal winners were invited to attend trials for the SA team to participate in World championship. Eleven skaters participated in the trials and seven skaters reached the very tough qualifying times. One skater were given an extension till the end of July to qualify.
European Cup event and Belgian Grand Prix
Following the SA championship a team of skaters were selected to represent RSSA in European Cup event in June and July.
As per our business plan we selected some skaters from the age groups and our elite skaters in Junior and Senior to participate. The following skaters were included in the team: Ntando Morifi – under 13, Kamogelo Sebande and Luyanda Magcai - under 15,
Tumelo Moteme and Duduzile Tshabalala – Junior ladies, Karabo Molepo, Tshepo Modikwe, Ubakeng Boikanyo, Koketso Makhudu, Sandile Peyi – Junior Men and Brian Baloyi and Phemelo Mojolwane – Senior men
The team departed in 2 groups, the first group on the 15th June accompanied by Meriam Monama and the second group on the 22nd June with me.
The first group of skaters participated in the European Cup competition in Haulerwijk, Netherlands. Unfortunately they were off to a difficult start with rain the entire weekend and having to skate in freezing cold and rain. They still did well considering the conditions and very stiff competition.
The team joined up in Berlin, Germany for the 2nd European Cup event. Many world and European champions participated but our skaters did great. Luyanda Magcai achieved the first placement for the team by finishing 3rd in the 500m. Many of the skaters qualified for semi finals and finals. This is the break thru we have been waiting for.
Funds from SRSA ensured that Adriaan Haasbroek could travel to Haulerwijk and Berlin to learn more about the processing of the times from the electronic timing equipment to the determination of heats, semi finals and finals. In Berlin he was assistant referee one of the worlds best referees; Barbara Fisher. Riaan learnt a lot and obtained new software programs to use at future competitions.
We met one of South Africa’s best athletes in our hotel, discuss thrower, Elizna Naude, she enjoyed spending time with our team and came to support them both days of the championship. A few hours after the Berlin competition we were off to Austria on a night train. Not the best night of sleep for a tired team but it got us there. We had a 3 day training camp with Elisabeth Schrenk and Austrian skaters. The skaters became good friends and everybody benefited from training together.
On the 30th June we were on our way to Hungary for the Tatabanya European cup. Three hundred skaters from 15 countries were entered in the competition and it was amazing to see the high standard of skating from kids from the age of 5. The competition was very hard but our skaters did fantastic. The following skaters won medals:
Cadet Boys combined sprints: Luyanda 3rd
Junior Men B: Ubakeng 2nd in combined sprints and 3rd in combined long distances
Junior Ladies A: Tumelo 1st in combined sprints and 2nd in combined long distances
Junior B relays: Ubakeng with 2 Belgium skaters 1st
Junior A relays: Karabo, Tshepo, Sandile – 2nd
It was great to see how the skaters improved and gained valuable racing confidence and experience.
On the 4th we were off to Vienna for training again before leaving to our final competition in Tienen, Belgium. The Belgium competition was also very hard and the Junior A section was combined with the Senior making it very difficult the Junior A skaters. Our skaters did fantastic in this competition
Luyanda winning all 4 his races in the Cadetts and the overall title
Duduzile winning 3 of her 4 races in the Cadettes and the overall title
Ubi winning 2 of the 4 races in the Junior B and finishing 2nd in the overall
Apart from the medals, the over all improvement, technique and conduct of the whole team can be applauded. They were true ambassadors for the country and popular wherever we travelled.
It was a great experience but by no means easy. We were never in one place for more than 4 days and travelling with 13 persons and 26 pieces of luggage to 5 different countries with different languages, competing in 4 competitions is not easy.
MEETINGS:
Apart from all the events I also attended the SASCOC general meeting, the Presidents council, CIC general meeting, FIRS general meeting and the FIRS executive meeting.
The Executive meeting of FIRS was held at the same time as the World Artistic championship in Portimao, Portugal. As always it was wonderful to see the artistic/figure skating championship. I had a great time meeting up with long time friends and everybody wants to see us back in international competitions. The meeting of the Executive Board was a marathon of 10 hours with a one hour break. The most significant issues discussed and decided upon is the change in the Junior age group categories for speed World championship where Junior will now be 15 – 19 years of age and a suggestion to have the world championship every 2 years, which was not accepted.
We visited Cape Town and the planning of the 2012 SA Open has started and the city of Cape Town is eager to assist us to host the event. It remains a challenge to find a suitable venue but the dates have been set as the 30th March – 1st April 2012. There is a big interest from International skaters and I am sure it is going to be a huge event. I urge all the teams to work hard to bring their best skaters to the championship.
THE FUTURE: “A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline" Harvey Mackay
Let’s set clear goals and put plans in place to achieve them.
There is 4 weeks of intensive training left before world championship and I am optimistic that we will see our skaters reaching their goals. Wouter Hebbrecht will arrive shortly to help the skaters with the final preparations.
Roller Sports is growing and changing locally and internationally and new disciplines are included in the FIRS family, in December 2010 Inline slalom and Roller Derby was included. Roller Derby is a fast growing sport with a huge spectator following in the USA we were approached by the local Roller Derby league asking for affiliation, we will investigate how best to accommodate them. A Northern Gauteng club have started with inline slalom and were assisted by the Olympian Alex Heath from Snow skiing. They also got the opportunity to ski with Alex on the artificial slopes in Johannesburg. Perhaps we have an up and coming skiing star in our midst.
I am delighted to announce that we received a substantial grant in aid from SRSA for 2011/2012 and our application from the NLDTF for 2010/11 was also successful. With the confirmation of the funds we will have an even more successful future.
Thank you very much for all the hard work from all our volunteer administrators, coaches and judges. A special thanks to all the people running the clubs who face challenges every day and thank you to all the skaters who train every day to bring us closer to our World medals goals. It is hard and sometimes the dream is vague but we will get there.
A special word of thanks to Meriam Monama for her help in the office, Celeste Richards for help with all the documents and Shaun van Biljon who handles the finance. With the increased amount of grants we receive the work load of the bookkeeping is drastically increasing and Shaun is spending a huge amount of time to do all the work. Thank you.
I conclude with a quote from one of my heroes, "When the water starts boiling it is foolish to turn of the heat"- Nelson Mandela.
Let’s not turn of the heat now, let’s keep the wheels rolling. I wish you success in all your upcoming events and projects.
Wendy Gila
30.07.2011
