Pierre takes on Midmar 8-mile for charity

Pierre Grobler (17) from Vryheid Swimming Club has been chosen to swim the 8-mile Midmar event for the ‘Frankie and Friends Dream Team’. Pierre will take part along with 10 selected swimmers. These 10 swimmers will swim the 8-mile on February 9 and 10. They are wished all the best in this exciting adventure, with a big name like Dominique Donner also participating. Donner is a well-known name in South African swimming and triathlon circles. Starting off in school swimming while at primary school, she progressed to become one of the dominant female triathletes in South Africa, including several stints competing in Europe and at World Championship level. Now retired from elite level competitions, Dominique has gone back to her roots as a highly regarded swimming coach and team leader for the Midmar 8-mile ‘Frankie and Friends’ campaign. Also included in the Dream Team is South African swimmer Emily Visagie. She competed at the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events. She also participated in the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in 2015 and then at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. At the Commonwealth Games, she reached the semi-finals in the 100m breaststroke and finals in the 200m breaststroke, eventually finishing seventh. She also competed at the 2018 FINA World Swimming Championships, adding 2020 FINA and Olympic medals to her silverware.

The vision and mission of the ‘Frankie and Friends Global Initiative – Water Safety and Learn to Swim Campaign’ is as follows:

– To drive and establish an ongoing global awareness campaign that promotes water safety and the importance of swimming as a life skill.

– The need to make swimming lessons more easily accessible to all.

– Raising the standard of Learn-to-Swim instruction, by means of ongoing teach the teacher/coach initiatives.

– Encouraging children to take up swimming as a preferred sport.

– The urgent need to reduce drowning incidents and save lives.

– In association with the ‘Friends of Swimmers Trust’, help identify talented swimmers from disadvantaged families (irrespective of race) and assist them with training to ultimately compete on the international stage.

The ‘Frankie and Friends Global Campaign’ will be launched at the 50th anniversary of the aQuellé Midmar Mile from February 9 to 12, which is the world’s largest open water swimming event.

The launch will be headed up by one of the most respected names in swimming, Doug Ingram, who is a former US Olympic swimming coach and former member of the USA Olympic Committee. Doug now consults for the USA Olympic Committee, as well as other national Olympic committees and several Olympic sporting organisations. Doug currently sits on the 2024 Paris Olympic Committee. His passion is ‘Water Safety and Learn to Swim’. Doug’s other passion is mountaineering; at the age of 64 and blind in one eye, Doug got to the summit of Mount Everest! This is a remarkable achievement and it is a privilege to have Doug on the ‘Frankie and Friends’ team.

South Africa’s very own Olympic swimming coach and director of the aQuellé Midmar Mile, Wayne Riddin, is behind the campaign.

Sponsorship:

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations and the ‘Frankie and Friends’ campaign launch, a team of 10 swimmers will each swim 8 miles to raise awareness about water safety and the importance of swimming as a life skill.

To be permitted to swim the Charity Challenge, each team of 10 swimmers must raise a minimum of R100,000 (R10,000 per swimmer).

Vryheid Swimming Club would like to take this opportunity to request financial assistance for Pierre Grobler in raising his R10,000. Should you decide to sponsor, use the following banking details: Vryheid Swimming Club, ABSA account number 405 1418 222, Ref: 8milePGrobler.

You can contact Chantel van der Linde on 082 328 1530 for more information.

ALSO READ: Public swimming pool transformed into ‘human waste(land)’

The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.

Click to receive news links via WhatsApp. Or for the latest news, visit our webpage or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Join us there!