Holiday program (December)
Some fun activities in the holiday program. Rowers are practicing boat
skills.
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Schools Boat Race (9-10 December)
Schools Boat Race is South Africa's most prestigious junior rowing event
with only A-level boys eight (6.3km) and girls quad races (4.0km). This
means that Nemato Rowing Club had to compete against the top of the country.
We impressed the rowing community by beating 4 boats and by finishing
only 2 minutes slower than the fastest boat. Next year we will not only
compete in the boys race but also in the girls race.
The rowers were (from bow to cox): Sheldon Nelson, Xolani Tokota, Chuma
Nyendwana, Ricardo Braaff, Lunga Mcetywa, Mandilakhe Matthews, Lubabalo
Matthews, Athenkosi Hlekani and Mbulelo Nelson.
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Mayors Plate (4 November)
Mayors Plate competition on the Buffalo River in East London was a mixed
experience for Nemato Rowing Club. On one hand it was very disappointing
that 4 rowers missed races because the club has not enough competative
single sculls. On the other hand the club was extremely successful, winning
5 races. For the first time the club had girls competing, with a very
nice 2nd place for Sibongiseni Buwa in the under 15 single scull B level.
The winning races were:
- Boys under 15 double A level: Simphiwe Zono and Unathi Msi
- Boys under 15 single scull D level: Unathi Msi
- Boys under 15 single scull C level: Simphiwe Zono
- Boys under 16 four C level: Sinawo Leteane, Ricard Braaff, Sheldon
Nelson and Azisa Shode
- Boys under 19 single scull 5th & 6th level: Mandilakhe Matthews
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ZRC (14 October)
ZRB is a rowing competition in Port Elizabeth on the Swartkops River
for junior rowers from the Eastern Cape. Nemato Rowing Club won 3 races.
The club was overall number 4 out of 7 clubs participating. An excellent
achievement for a small club that has been rowing for less than a year!
Lunga Mcetywa winning 4th junior scull:
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Simphiwe Zono and Unathi Msi winning junior under 15 A double:
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Simphiwe Zono winning junior under 15 C scull:
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Camp (28 September - 1 October)
A survival camp near Grahamstown with a long long long hike, not too
much sleep and rowing at Settlers Dam. The camp was organised by the rowers
themselves, with the help of Rhodes students and the District Sports Office.
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Jack Cheetham Award (12 September)
Nelson Mandela Township Rowing Club is the proud winner of the 2006 Jack
Cheetham Award. It is an award by Murray & Roberts (construction company),
the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC)
and Sowetan newspaper, for the best sport's development project in South
Africa. The prestigious award comes with an impressive amount of prize
money. Over the next 5 years the club will receive in total half a million
Rand (more than 50 000 euro). The award ceremony took place in the luxurious
Sandton Sun Hotel and was filmed by the SABC. The captain and head coach
of Nemato Rowing Club were invited for the event.
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Rowing in the swimming pool (6 July)
For safety reasons rowers train how to climb back after falling in the
water. Because of the low temperature of the river water in winter, the
session was in the heated indoor pool in Port Alfred.
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Youth Day: opening of Nemato Rowing Club
(16 June)
The big day for Nemato Rowing Club. The club organised the Youth Day
celebrations in Port Alfred with over 600 participants in sport competitions
and cultural performances. The National Minister of Sport and Recreation
Mr Stofile visited the event for the official opening of the rowing club.
(pictures: Talk of the Town)
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River camp (21-22 April)
A river camp on our own Kowie River. Rowing 10k up the river. Camp in
the bush with good food, lots of fun and little sleep. Next morning even
better breakfast and a row back home.
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Novices rowing course (April)
The rowing club offered a new novices rowing course with basic swimming
and rowing lessons. After a selection day 24 new rowers were selected.
Pictures of the first rowing lesson.
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Visit by rowers from England (April)
Rowers from The Oratory School in England had training camp in Port Alfred.
They had a couple of activities together with the Nemato rowers: a 'township
hike', a dune hike and gym, a rowing session together, and they brought
clothing for the Nemato rowers.
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Science Festival Grahamstown (25 March)
The rowers made a trip to SciFest in Grahamstown as part of their life
skills program. It was a long and very busy day with an spectacular laser
show and 4 workshops: (1) building our solar system on scale (a nice way
to get a feeling of the size and emptiness of the universe), (2) building
your own telescope (simple, it works and you take it home), (3) building
brains from sweats and 9 ways to fool your brain, and (4) building an
electronic alarm system with resistors and a transistor.
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First official competition for Nemato rowers (11 February)
The first official competition for Nemato Rowing Club: Eastern Cape Junior
Champs in East London. An exiting trip for the rowers with very good rowing
results including two first places in races against rowers with at least
a year more rowing experience.
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First informal race for Nemato rowers (13 January)
Grey High School (Port Elizabeth), on rowing camp for a week in Port
Alfred, invited Nemato Rowing Club to join their little competition for
Under 14. The Nemato rowers performed very well. They had a slight advantage:
a few week more rowing experience and most guys were a bit older. But
still, 3 out of 4 finalists were Nemato rowers, that is very promising.
The 3 Nemato rowers did not give each other enough space on the water
during the final race. They had to stop because the boats clashed, giving
Grey the honour to win the race.
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