SharkSmart Programme evolves to ensure relevance
The Discovery SharkSmart Schools of Excellence Programme was launched in 2010, with ten high schools involved.
WITH the changing of the season comes a shift in focus of the pioneering Discovery SharkSmart programme that reaches twenty three leading schools in KwaZulu-Natal, delivering a continually evolving stream of content aimed at ensuring that pupils and coaches get the latest medical and sport science information that is relevant to their lives.
After being established in 2001 the Discovery SharkSmart Programme has grown exponentially. The Discovery SharkSmart Schools of Excellence Programme was launched in 2010, with ten high schools involved. Today the programme involves twenty three schools from around the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal , encouraging each to buy into the mantra of ‘Play Safe Play Fair’ and adhere to guidelines laid out by the programme in relation to rugby and general well-being.
The programme is driven by a core philosophy of “Play Safe, Play Fair” and strives to reduce the number of injuries in high school sport.
The twenty three schools participate in the programme are Clifton College, Crawford College La Lucia, Crawford College North Coast, Curro Hillcrest Christian Academy, Durban High School, George Campbell School, Glenwood High School, Hillcrest High School, Hilton College, Kearsney College, Kingsway High School, Kloof High School, Kuswag, Maritzburg College, Michaelhouse, Northwood, Port Natal, Southcity College, St Charles College, Treverton, Voortrekker High School, Weston Agricultural College, Westville Boys High School.
Spearheaded by Dr Glen Hagemann, the programme aligns itself with the SA Rugby BokSmart Programme and the SA institute for Drug Free Sport.
The use of banned substances by school children has been a hugely pressing issue of late amongst schools and this is something that the SharkSmart Programme has addressed to a great extent and has been instrumental in trying to bring drug testing into schools.
Another issue that has been addressed over the past season and something that will always remain an issue is concussion. There have been a number of laws that have been introduced into the game with regards to concussion and adhering to them at a school rugby level is something that the Programme feels strongly about.
“We have come a long way from when we started,” Hagemann said. “It was and is a one-of-a-kind programme in South Africa and over the years we have been able to grow the number of participating schools regularly which shows that our work has relevance.”
For more information visit www.sharksmart.co.za
