AS captain of the eThekwini Bodyboarding Association (EBA) Team, Tracy Delport hopes her recent appointment will inspire other young women to continue to break barriers.
The 43-year-old will lead the team at this month’s South African Bodyboarding Championships at West Beach, Port Alfred, and is the first female captain in the 37-year history of bodyboarding in South Africa.
It is a significant milestone for the Sunningdale resident, who only started competitive bodyboarding in 2017.
While she expressed delight at her appointment, her focus, she insisted, is on nurturing young talent and motivating the EBA team to victory.
“It is an honour, and it still hasn’t sunk in if I’m honest. What this means to me is that I can hopefully inspire younger women and show them how they can reach the pinnacle wherever they want to get into the sport. The year I started bodyboarding and joined the EBA team the number of woman participating had plummeted in comparison to the 90s.
“Female development hadn’t been a focus, and because of that I started a free clinic down on North Beach. I wanted to get young women into the sport to grow, develop and stay. The benefits of bodyboarding are long-ranging – aside from the fitness and mental side, it also works on your confidence and teaches you about water safety while connecting with the ocean. While the clinics started for girls only, they started bringing their brothers who were keen and the brothers would bring their friends to the point where I opened up the classes to all. I would say, as captain, my goal is [developing] the amazing talent our current team has,” she said.
Tracy last won the SA ladies title in 2019 and touches on the team’s past performances.
“My focus is mostly on the team, making sure the team spirit is there while guiding them at the championships. EBA has a proud tradition at nationals and has won 30 out of 37 SA champs. We have always been the team to beat. The last victory the team had was in 2022 when the SA champs were held in Durban. We have a young team, but they have the drive and determination to go all the way,” she said.
Tracy added that she would soon be starting up her weekly Friday sessions again at 15:00, in the hopes of building the numbers in the sport. She teaches bodyboarding between Bay of Plenty and the North Beach piers.
For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook, X or Instagram. You can also check out our videos onr YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here
