Swimming South Africa L2 Champs 2017 Part 2

Posted on 16 May 2017 by Clever Content

SSA L2 Champs finally arrives! We leave Pretoria on 29 March 2017 and it is sad to say goodbye to my godmother, Aunty Mandie and the rest of our family. SSA L2 starts on 31 March – 2 April.

En route to Swimming South Africa L2 Champs:

We have some time on hands and mom always makes time to stop at the Voortrekker Monument‘s garden of remembrance to pay respects to her parents and grandparents. My great grandparents (grandfather’s side) emigrated in 1935 to South Africa from the Netherlands. (Grandfather on my mom’s side is also Dutch – Koster)

Paying respects at the Voortrekker monument.

Grandfather Paul Stuiver and his two brothers were born in South Africa. I am, therefore, the third generation South African. Willem Bill Koster was a talented musician. He played piano concerto’s during their lunch breaks for extra money. It is great to know my family’s history.

The Garden of Remembrance is situated at the Voortrekker monument and considered to be one of the safest and most peaceful places of rest. The niches are built into walls and the garden forms part of the Nature reserve at the Monument.

I must say, it is really quiet and peaceful out there.

We are not allowed to visit any other place than the garden as we do not pay at the gate. As a result, we just drive past the monument.

Our next stop is the Airforce memorial at Swartkop. This SAAF memorial is a memorial for all air force members that sacrificed their lives since 1915.

Grandfather Paul Stuiver built this memorial in 1962

Grandfather Paul Stuiver was building foreman when the memorial was built in 1962 (they built in 11 months and the cost of the building was just R 73,000-00 ~ unbelievable.)

The memorial resembles flight. When I look at it, I can see the cockpit, two wings, and tail – so it is quite an impressive design.

The memorial has a chapel where a memorial service is held every May.

The South African flag flies half mast as Ahmed Kathrada passed away on 28 March 2017.

Lunch break and SSA L2 Managers’ meeting:

We can only check in at our next accommodation in Germiston at 14:30 pm. It is lunch time and mom, who lived in Pretoria for 20 odd years, decide to take us to Irene dairy farm for lunch.

Irene dairy farm

It is a great place and I could not believe it is in the middle of the city. I watch all the cows as they walk towards the milking stalls – they are very conditioned and well behaved.

We order a great lunch – mom and dad enjoy local cheese and crackers and I choose to eat a waffle with homemade ice-cream. There are some fascinating old tractors, a petrol pump, and a tire swing!

It is a nice break and takes my mind off swimming. Time to go through as mom has to collect our badges and attend the manager’s meeting.

We arrive in Germiston, unpack and head of to Dellville pool.

Everything is ready for tomorrow’s meet. I swim a couple of laps in the pool – just a nice warm-up.

We run into some friends from the Seagulls gala and it is great to see Gabriella again. She is from Johannesburg and makes me feel very welcome.

Eastern Gauteng Aquatics (EGA) is our hosts.

Mom attends the managers meeting and we return home for an early dinner and early night as we know the next 3 days are going to be tough.

Day 1: Swimming South Africa L2 Champs Germiston:

Dellville pool, Germiston our hosts EGA.

It is an early morning for us despite the passes we have for easy access. My left arm is a bit sore since Tuesday but mom and Coach dad said it might just need a warm-up.

We arrive at the pool and it is quite cold. Much colder than Durban! I do my warm-up and stretch but my left arm is still sore an a bit warm.

We wait for first-aid to arrive. The gentleman is very friendly. He says my triceps on my left arm is inflamed! I panic as we worked so hard before this swim meet.

First aid suggests that we just massage it before I swim my events. We need to give it a day and see how it goes.

Day 1 events are sprints – 50 breaststroke, 50 back, 100 free and the IM. I win my 100 free heat in a PB of 1:12:48!

Camp Botha out of the sun and some privacy in my tent!

Our first lesson at this swim meet is that we should not sit in the sun. It became blistering hot on the stands and we move underneath the stairs where it is cooler. The air is very dry.

In any case, we manage to find our spot and I make 3 finals on day 1. I cannot take anti-inflammatory medication to ease the inflamed triceps. It contradicts the asthma medication and I may battle with breathing. The inflamed triceps affect breaststroke and butterfly.

I place third in the 100 Freestyle finals and earn a bronze medal on day 1. Tired, but happy.

Time to make a call at Swimming South Africa L2 Champs:

Mom can clearly see the inflamed triceps acting up in the butterfly. It is time to scratch.

Day 2: My arm is not better. Freestyle and backstroke is no problem but it is very painful to swim butterfly and breaststroke.

Time to make a call. Mom is worried that I end up with a shoulder injury due to the inflammation and the fact that my arm is stiff and sore. I can only take paracetamol which eases the pain and inflammation, but it does not allow the muscle to work the way it should.

I really hoped that it never would come to this. It is time to scratch some events.

Having done that, it allowed more time to rest between the backstroke and freestyle events. Day 2 delivers a silver in the 200 LCM freestyle. More exciting than the medal is my time: 2:36:65 – very happy coaches and mom!

My older sister surprised me at finals!

Day 3:

We swim the heats in the morning. It is better now seeing that I have more time to rest between events.

I make the finals for 50 free and 200 backstrokes. 50 Freestyle PB in the morning heats – 33:24!

I spend lunch-time with my friend Alexia Greyling. So proud of her. I paid my medal at Seagulls SC champs in 2016 forward to her and she placed 4th in the 200 breaststroke finals and third in the heats at the champs.

Our family meets Alexia’s father and he expresses his gratitude for the inspiration. We do it out of love for swimming, but it is always rewarding to witness the positive impact it has on the recipients.

Another surprise – my older sister arrives to watch the finals! 200 backstroke was up first. I decide there and then to dedicate my finals to her.

Bronze for the 200 backstroke finals and another personal best of 3:01:48!

What a way to end Swimming South Africa Level 2 Champs! It is now time to rest before the next season.

SSA L2 Champs 2017, Dellville Pool Germiston – Part 1

Posted on 21 April 2017 by Clever Content

SSA L2 Champs 2017 is quite a story. It is the third year that Monica swims this championship:

March 2015 (Aged 8): Bronze in the Girls 12 & U 4 x 50 LCM relay
March 2016 (Age 9):
- Gold in the Girls 12 & U 4 x 100 LCM freestyle relay
- Silver in the 200 LCM freestyle
- Bronze in the Girls 12 & U 4 x 50 LCM Medley relay

This SSA Level 2 championship takes place at the end of March, beginning April every year. 3 or 4 weeks after Monica’s birthday (6th of March).

Level 2 Champs 2017 is also a 16 & Under championship. As a result, with Monica’s 10th birthday on 6 March, we entered the 10 & Under age group, despite the eight level 3 qualifying times Monica holds as Swimming South Africa has a rule which states the following:

Swimmers 10 years and younger are encouraged to swim Level 2 even if they have qualified for a higher level.

Due to the above rule, the young ten-year-old swimmers compete against swimmers closer to their 11th birthdays making this championship both challenging and mentally tough. Our motto, however, is that:

Age should not matter in swimming.

So all swimmers have to put their big girl panties on and fight for their spot on the podium.

Swimming at altitude – SSA L2 Champs 2017:

Swimming in South Africa is divided into 3 Regions. We live on the East coast of South Africa, therefore part of the Eastern Region ( FreeState, Mpumalanga, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Northern Cape.) End 2016 we received notification that the 2017 Championships will be held at the Penny Heyns Pool in Sasolburg.

We always have to consider that Monica is an asthmatic before we make swimming and travel decisions. Upon recommendation from our general practitioner, we applied at Swimming South Africa for Monica to swim in Germiston, as the air quality is better at the end March/April than that of Sasolburg.

We are up for a first altitude championship as Dellville is 1644 (5394 feet) meter above sea level.

Road trip to SSA L2 Champs:

Combining business with swimming is nowadays at the order of the day. It is a costly exercise to travel 600 km, therefore it always ends up being a business/leisure trip.

Mica and Mom depart a bit earlier in order to acclimatize and fit in business, friends and family meetings. Dad will travel up north 3 days before the gala and drive back home with us.

The road is so long and at times boring that we decide to have a bit of fun. Monica acts at cameraman while mom does the driving. Enjoy our video and some of the countryside between Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng. (Please subscribe to our channel if you like it!)

Preparation for SSA L2 Champs 2017:

Having fun making pool angels (Mica came up with this) at Hillcrest pool during our preparation for SSA L2 champs

We are strong believers in preparation. Enjoying a bit of time with family is always a great way to travel and we have the luxury of staying with our family (Monica’s godparents) in Pretoria.

Upon arrival, we realize how valuable the extra time at altitude is. Monica wakes up with a headache, sore throat and a tight chest, finding it tough to breathe. We stick to the asthma preventative medication and breathing improves after a couple of days – at least we have a week or so to recover before we swim the championships.

Our trip turns out to be down memory lane training at Hillcrest and other pools in the area.

Dad Coach Jan grew up in Waverley, one of the Tswane suburbs. Mom, on the other hand, moved from the farm to study, work and live in the city. During school going years, both Mom and Dad swam at Hillcrest swimming pool in Hatfield Pretoria.

Thursday evenings were club evenings and Mom traveled from Brits boarding school with the swim coach to compete at Hillcrest swimming pool. Dad was a bit luckier. He attended local schools so Thursday club evenings were part and parcel of the club’s training.

Needless to say, it is quite an experience for Monica to train at Hillcrest swimming pool. On day 4 we are forced to change our training venue as the pool is prepared for SSA Level 3 Championships scheduled for the weekend of 23-26 March 2017.

Training with a friend:

We opt for the closest pool to home. A little surprise awaits us! We share the pool with a family of Egyptian Geese!! Mom calls the pool the pond, as it is green and clearly requires chemicals other than pool acid. A nail-biting time for us as asthma is easily induced by chemicals. We do not really have another choice with training pools so we push through with our preparation.

Monica's friend Rebekah joins in training

Rebekah joins Monica for some training before she swims Sasolburg L2 champs

Rebekah and her mom join us for a day of training before she swims the SSA L2 Champs 2017 in Sasolburg, which is scheduled for 23-26 March.

It is so great to have a friend to train with! Mama Coach ensures once again that the girls have some fun. A bit of play in the park at the pool after swimming followed by lunch with some of mom’s friends.

One week of training left before we move from Pretoria to Alberton where we will stay with some of our friends. ( 20-minute drive from Dellville pool)

Dad flies to Gauteng on Sunday 26 March. We collect him at the airport and enjoy a lovely lunch and visit with Monica’s surrogate granny in Johannesburg before we return to Pretoria.

Our trip down memory lane continues when dad arrives. We pay a visit to Voorpos Primary school where Coach Karel van Greuning still coach the squad dad swam for. Uncle Karel is kind enough to give us a lane and we come full circle as a family, the moment Mica trains at the school.

Our next update covers the journey to Germiston and the gala. Please share our post and story or continue to read the second part of SSA L2 Champs 2017 where we focus on our trip to the SSA L2 Champs and the swim meet itself.

Seagulls Swimming Championship 2016

Posted on 24 October 2016 by Clever Content

Seagulls swimming championship 2016:

Seagulls swimming championship takes place during the long weekend in October every year. By now all readers know that our swimmer represents Seagulls swimming club. Our club’s annual swim meet takes place in October every year and forms part of 3 short course meets:

Seals 1 & 2 in Pietermaritzburg – 2 pre-season meets in June/July
Seagulls swimming championship

Swimmers, therefore, do not have many opportunities to improve their short course database times as most age group meets and club meet takes place in the long course pool.

This particular swim meet is very popular as it is presented by National swimming coach, Graham Hill (Seagulls swimming club was started by his late mother, Doreen Hill). Swimmers from other provinces travel to Durban to swim this meet as it takes place during school holidays and racing at sea level benefits the inland swimmers (we have more oxygen at the coast).

This meet also gives KZN age group swimmers an idea what they are up against as there are not any National age group swim meets.

Monica’s events at Seagulls champs:

Monica has been swimming this meet for 3 years. She is now 9-years-old and falls within the 10 & Under age group. It is a tough year for her as she competes against older swimmers.

We do not want this to be an issue as age should not matter. (We found that Monica delivers her best times when she competes in the older age groups).

Our swimmer had a very busy 3-day swimming schedule but we also know that she prefers swimming versus being a spectator, therefore the 12 events entered, with an addition of 3 relays.

Short course swimming:

Short-course swimming is not quite Monica’s cup of tea. She explained it like this:

I just find my rhythm and have to turn. It makes the swimming hard for me, I prefer the longer pool.

We understand her point but she has to experience all levels of swimming as an age grouper. There is also no tapering or rest in her program when she swims these meets (i.e. she is not rested). As a result, we did not expect a lot of personal bests or podium places. I must admit that this was one of the few swim meets where we were just going to relax and enjoy the event. No pressure whatsoever.

Seagulls swimming champs 200 meter Individual medley & breaststroke

Monica did her best in the 200 IM and swam a personal best of 2:59:45 (Lane 6 in the video). We were ecstatic. There are just no words to explain how proud we are as parents of this 9-year-old swimming a sub 3 minute in this event! Converted time to US short course yards: 2:41:67 (AA qualifying time in terms of US swimming).

Working on turns is something we do every day as we train in a 25-meter pool. Dad coach Jan and Monica worked in particular on her breaststroke turns. All 3 breaststroke events were just amazing as Monica really performed her turns well and surfaced in line with the other swimmers. Monica in Lane 3 in this video, swimming the 14 & Under 200 SC meter breaststroke.

We returned home with 3 Gold, 5 silver and 2 bronze medals. It has been a fruitful Seagulls SC winter championship taken into account the personal bests and great times logged in the SSA database for her National short course rankings, which will be updated in March 2017. We will feature the Ladder relay in a separate post as it is always such great fun for the swimmers. In 2016 the girls broke the 2000 275 m Ladder relay record.

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