It’s played in short manoeuverable boats in a set field of space on the water, with goal posts. The paddlers wear full face helmets, and tackle, defend and score goals.
Gauteng selected a number of teams to represent the province at the interprovincial SA Canoe Polo Championships that took place at Shongweni Dam on April 16 to 17.
The Gauteng A and B teams lost to KwaZulu-Natal to finish second respectively.
The women u-21 and the open teams won, clinching the respective trophies, while the u-16s finished third.
Gabriel Rowe, who lives in Boksburg and attends Ashton College, enjoyed the competitive games and loves playing the sport.
He was part of the the u-16 Gauteng team that consisted of much younger sea scouts who have taken up the sport to complement their rowing, canoeing and sailing activities.
Fielding younger players is part of Gauteng’s determination to grow the sport in the province under the guidance and leadership of Chris de Bree.
He encouraged the young squad to participate and represent Gauteng in the u-16/development division of the competition.
Although playing against much bigger and physically stronger paddlers, the young team members kept their spirits up and kept fighting back to finish third.
Sea Scouting is a branch of Scouts South Africa that focuses on water-based activities such as sailing, kayaking and oarsmanship in addition to more traditional activities such as hiking and camping.
The Sea Scouts are also responsible for providing safety and skills training in the form of Water Charge Certificates and Water Awareness courses.
Sea Scouts for Gauteng are based at the Homestead Dam in Benoni.
