SCARC hopes to make waves at Dusi
The Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club (SCARC) has entered 20 of its members to take part in this year's Dusi Canoe Marathon.
AS canoeing gains increasing popularity among black athletes, the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club’s (SCARC) involvement in the Dusi Canoe Marathon has grown immensely.
The current club captain and coach, Nkosi Mzolo, is positive about the chances for the club’s paddlers at the 2014 edition of the three-day epic, which will start in Camps Drift in Pietermaritzburg on 13 February.
Looking to the Dusi Canoe Marathon, the SCARC presence at this year’s race is going to be greater than before, with the number of paddlers increasing from 12 last year to 20.
“In the past it has been quite difficult getting paddlers qualified and race ready for such a big event, but this year we are proud to have so many paddlers taking part in the race. This year a lot of the team have really been training hard and qualifying for the Dusi has been the main goal,” he added.
With the N3TC Drak Challenge behind them the focus has now shifted exclusively to the Dusi and Mzolo has singled out three of the SCARC paddlers that he is hoping will do well after solid performances at the recent Drak.
“The Drak Challenge was good for us. We had 17 paddlers in the race and all of them finished, which was great. Siseko (Ntondini) had a really good Drak Challenge where he ended up in ninth place overall and second place in the U23 category. He is going to be paddling the Dusi with Piers Cruickshanks this year,” an excited Mzolo mentioned.
Mzolo also singled out another one of his paddlers, Loveday Zondi. He will team up with Thando Ngamlana. “This combination is the one that excites me the most because these two are strong paddlers and we are really hoping that they can push for the top 10 at the Dusi this year,” said Mzolo.
Zondi, a 10 Dusi veteran and the first ever black paddler to podium at the Dusi, understands the pressure of being a role model to the young, aspiring paddlers at SCARC. “It’s not easy having a lot of youngsters looking up to you, but I enjoy the role that I play at the club,” said Zondi. “Sitting down and talking to them is something that I enjoy because I want to share my knowledge with them. I want them to take in the information about training and preparation for big races like the Dusi.”
