Local Canoe Polo player, Etienne Pieterse (17), has returned from a successful tournament at the Junior International Championship at Let’s Go Hydro, Belfast, that took place in late July.
“I represented the South African Canoe Federation as part of the U18 team where we participated against 12 other teams in the U18 men’s age group. We ended 9th overall in our age group and third in the silver league. I was selected as the vice-captain and scored the most goals for my team as well,” exclaimed Pieterse.
He continues by stating that the two weeks he spent in Ireland have improved his skills tremendously and opened his eyes to the enjoyment of international travel.
“Everyone at the tournament was extremely friendly and made the stay more enjoyable. Most teams were amazing to play against even though we lost against some of them,” he chuckled.
He was also selected for the U21 men’s team to represent South Africa in the African Championships that will be taking place in Johannesburg in October.
“Ireland is a very beautiful country. The scenery is constantly green as it rains all year, painting the landscape with vibrant green colors. It has the most interesting geographical formations I have seen, where basalt pillars are hexagonal all along the shore. We also visited the Titanic Museum – or as it’s called – the Glacier, and learned a lot about that horrible event,” he concluded.
