Nic Groom in Macassar
Last week we kicked of the week with a bang! Nic Groom, the Western Province and Stormers scrum-half, came to visit us on Tuesday in Macassar. The boys were very excited to have Nic with us. As soon as the Western Province star had settled in, he joined the boys for some warm- up drills, led some technical passing drills and showed the boys some basic steps about being a scrumhalf. “Open Legs, Keep Low, and Follow through!” Our boys were on it and were excited to impress the coaches and our visitor with what they had learned.
Our boys from Macassar also got to ask Nic a few questions off the field. Nic was keen to share a bit about his early life and also challenges he had to deal with. The boys felt very encouraged as Nic shared with them about persevering both on and off the field and about communicating about our problems. One of our boys pulled one out of the bag when he asked Nic if he was able to do 50 push-ups. As humbled as Nic is, he got down and entertained us with a good 50 push-ups!! Last but not least Nic took some time to sign some t-shirts, arms and other body parts. We also made time for our boys to take some photos with our special visitor. Helderberg Academy had a blast!
Helderberg Academy Partners with Samaritans Feet
Last Thursday in Lwandle we partnered with Samaritans Feet. It was a chance for us as coaches from Helderberg Academy to step out of our comfort zones. We got shoes donated at a very low price by Samaritans Feet, 10 pairs for each community. We handed out ten pair to the children in Lwandle. It was a great experience being generous in a way we’ve never done before! It gave us the chance to bond even stronger with them, as we got to communicate personally and individually with them about what it meant to receive these shoes.
Emyezweni swimming
On the Wednesday we took the opportunity to tick something of the box of the P.E. school curriculum: swimming! Grade 2 and Grade 3 of Emyezweni got the opportunity to get swimming lessons. Luckily the sun came out to play, so we were able to teach the children to hold their breath under water, how to stroke their arms and for the very brave to jump into the pool. It was a real delight for the kids, for some even the first time ever in a pool.